{"id":1577864,"date":"2019-12-06T14:36:59","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T19:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/?p=1577864"},"modified":"2020-04-09T14:33:44","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T18:33:44","slug":"how-to-stay-on-top-of-your-spending-during-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/how-to-stay-on-top-of-your-spending-during-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stay on Top of Your Spending During the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holiday season can be a whirlwind of parties, family commitments and get togethers.\u00a0 All of this means that you have less time for yourself.\u00a0 There are gifts to buy, party clothes to try on and, of course, Boxing Day shopping.\u00a0 The good news is that you can still stay on top of your finances and even stick to a budget<\/a> during the busy holiday season.\u00a0 With new digital tools and rewards points as options, it\u2019s easier than ever to find ways to save.<\/p>\n

Here are our top tips to help you spend smarter and save money in the process:<\/p>\n

Keep Track of Where Your Money is Going <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many of us don\u2019t track our spending during the holidays the way that we do the rest of the year.\u00a0 We feel more generous with our families, friends and even ourselves.\u00a0 Some of us end up mindlessly spending, going over budget because we found the perfect gift for our finicky significant other or the sparkly dress that we just had to have for a New Year\u2019s Eve party.<\/p>\n

RBC\u2019s NOMI<\/a> can really help with its suite of innovative solutions to help you save money and make managing your everyday finances easier. NOMI Insights lets you know exactly where your money is going with personalized trends and alerts, which are key this time of year.\u00a0 Since it\u2019s available through the RBC Mobile app, it\u2019s easier than sitting down and pouring over a spreadsheet.\u00a0 NOMI Insights uses your transaction history to identify trends, unusual activity and savings opportunities and then provides you with valuable insights to help you manage your money.\u00a0 It will help you stay on track of your spending and know where your money is going without you having to do any work.<\/p>\n

Make a Holiday Budget<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It can be hard to know where to begin when budgeting for the holidays, but it\u2019s never too late to start. Even if you\u2019ve already picked up a few items from your holiday shopping list, set aside some time to determine who you need to buy for and what you want to spend. Not only will it make it easier to stay on budget during the holidays, but making it a habit now can help you start the new year off right.<\/p>\n

You can also use NOMI Budgets, which uses artificial intelligence to proactively analyze your spending history and recommend an appropriate budget.\u00a0 It will even notify you when you reach 50%, 75% and 100% of your budget.\u00a0 How convenient is that?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shop Wisely and Find Money to Save<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It can be difficult, but it\u2019s not impossible, to come out of the holidays with some savings. Since retailers have sales throughout the holiday season, start by checking online for deals to help save money. It\u2019s also a great idea to pick up gifts as you see them so that you aren\u2019t rushing around last minute.\u00a0 Last minute shopping can be stressful and lead to increased spending.<\/p>\n

Using NOMI Find & Save<\/a> can also help.\u00a0 It uses technology that predicts your expenses and spending patterns, finding money in your cash flow. It then identifies opportunities to save and automatically moves money into your savings when you\u2019ve got some extra on hand. The average NOMI Find & Save account tucks away $197 per month. You can use this money to pay off your credit cards or put into your savings.<\/p>\n

Make the Most of Your Rewards<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The holidays are the perfect time to redeem rewards points to help you save money. RBC Rewards<\/a>, Canada\u2019s largest bank-owned loyalty program, can help you stay within budget and get all of the things you need \u2013 all while earning bonus points, receiving cash discounts and redeeming for items on your holiday list.<\/p>\n

Whether you wish to redeem points for merchandise from brands like Best Buy, Apple or Dyson or gift cards from top retailers such as Amazon and Petro-Canada, there is a lot of flexibility and choice with this program. You also have the convenience of paying for your holiday presents with your RBC Rewards points in-store.<\/p>\n

For those who have already done their holiday shopping, you can even use your points to pay down your credit card balance or to cover everyday bills – like phone, internet, utility bills and more. RBC Rewards is available through the RBC Rewards website<\/a>, online banking<\/a> as well as the RBC Mobile app<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn everything you need to know about NOMI here<\/a> or check out the RBC Mobile app at rbcroyalbank.com\/mobile<\/a>. Discover the benefits of RBC Rewards here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In partnership with RBC.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holiday season can be a whirlwind of parties, family commitments and get togethers.\u00a0 All of this means that you have less time for yourself.\u00a0 There are gifts to buy,…<\/div>\n
View Post<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":1577866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[687,691,690,686,431,688,689],"powerkit_post_featured":[2],"class_list":{"0":"post-1577864","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-living","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-holiday-savings","10":"tag-holiday-shopping","11":"tag-money-saving","12":"tag-nomi","13":"tag-rec","14":"tag-rewards-programs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1577864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1577864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1577864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1577866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1577864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1577864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1577864"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=1577864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}