The holiday season is in full swing, and most consumers in the U.S. will spend almost a thousand dollars on gifts, food, decorations, tips, entertaining and travel. But there’s no need to put yourself in a hole financially to enjoy the season. If you plan properly—and stick to your plan—you can have a more enjoyable, regret-free holiday.  

Read on for six ways for making this holiday season work for you.

Credit cards are convenient for making purchases quick and simple, and holding one or more cards is a sign of individual credit worthiness and responsibility. With little more than a swipe, a person can access the full range of goods and services to meet his or her needs and desires. Credit cards are an excellent tool, especially if the balance is regularly paid off. Sometimes, for a number of reasons, users need to carry a balance from month to month. Over time, this can decrease available credit and lead to a card that is maxed out.

It’s probably happened to you before; panic sets in as you start rifling through bags and drawers. While your hands go a mile a minute, so does your mind as you try to retrace your steps and remember exactly where you could have left it. That’s right, your wallet is gone.

Anyone who has ever applied for a loan, regardless of the type, has probably been told that the lending institution will have to “run their credit.” The latter is a phrase that refers to obtaining the applicant's credit score in order to determine whether or not the individual is a good credit risk. This is often referred to as the person's FICO–Fair Isaac Company–score. This score is what virtually all lenders use to determine how likely it is that a specific borrower will default on a loan or other financial obligation, as well as whether or not the person will make timely payments on loans or other lines of credit.