We work hard to earn our living, and strive to save money for harder days. Saving money could mean cutting out luxuries. For example, you would bring in chicken instead of having steak for dinner, try to find free funding for your college going children, or you may decide to totally do away with your land line.

When you are going on a holiday trip, you have the same thing in mind. You need to save money for tough days and do not run into debts. Now, you must be bringing back gifts, and have you ever thought how you are going to pay for those gifts?

Well, as far as my thoughts on money tips go, I would pay by my credit cards. It must be shocking to some, but I think that it is the best way to pay. If you are going to spend $1,000, how does it matter whether you pay that by your credit card or cash? You are going to spend $1,000 anyway, and when you spend that, the money is gone.

My money tips say that, I get more value if I pay my expenses through credit card. I am not an anti-credit card guy, but I do maintain that I use my credit card judiciously, up to the limit that I can afford. By paying with my credit card, I get interest free grace period to pay back my credit card bill. I get purchase protection, which I cannot get if I pay by cash. I need to build up my credit worthiness, and what could be a better way than paying by my credit card. There are of course rewards and rebates offered at some places when you use your credit card.

You got to stick to a plan and a budget, and that is the best money tip that I can provide. You need to save from the money you earn, and you are the controller of all your expenses. Whether you pay by cash or by your credit card, you need to stick to your affordability.

There are some easy steps by which you can avoid debt, and hold on to your savings. The simple way is not to extend your expenditures beyond what you can afford. Now, your affordability is the amount that you have left after you have considered how much you are going to save every month. If you are a monthly salaried person, there are few money tips I would like to suggest.

Make a budget for your monthly expenses. You should remember that it is not the amount that you spend that counts. It is your limit for that particular expenditure which is important. Credit cards are great tools with the kind of benefit that it provides you with. But at the same time credit cards do influence you to spend more. If you can control that, credit card is the best way to pay for the things you buy.

When Christmas approaches, it is the time when credit card companies, and banks become very eager to have you incur expenses on the credit cards that you hold. This is a time when you could derive good bit of benefits from your credit card. Call up the bank or your credit card company and ask them to provide you with interest free purchases for the next 6 months. You may discretely mention that, if that is not made available to you, you shall be using the other card that you have. Most likely you would get that benefit. This is a great money tip with which you could save quite a bit of money.

If you have a department store card, you could get some benefits out of it too. Sure they charge you high rate, but think about the discounts that they offer to you being a card holder. These discounts are often from 10% to 15% or more. Are you not saving there? Therefore, that store card that you have becomes your low-cost financing tool.

At the end of the month, when the bill arrives for your credit card, pays off the full outstanding. It should not be difficult because you already accounted for the money. If you have the 0% benefits it is all the better.