PAGE 12 T Q-Notes T December 13, 1997
A cure/or
financial stress.
When you or someone you know is
living with a terminal illness or AIDS,
a life insuranee policy can be sold to our
eompatiy for imtiiediate cash. It may
sound strange, but it's true. Every year,
we buy millions of dollars worth of life
insuranee frotn people who need to
relieve fmaneial stress frotn their lives.
As a pioneer in our industry, we know
lust hand how impoitatit money becomes
when survival is an expensive choice.
Make a better choice. Call today
for a copy of our free brochure or
application. i_800-572-4346
December
Scarl&iS
Daile^
with m8
KiKi DeeMim,
Roxy, Merited
and Miss
December
\ X ^ tv
CLOSED Janua
But, be sure to attend our,
always fabulous New A
Year's Eve party! ffl
Jl5» Drinks
fl25 Beer
Specials ^
and Miss Kitty
Miss Kitty will
return witn the
gals on Jan. 8
.... .j,.;.
tS Members
k *5 Guests
Specials
ICESSSSI
Uptoujii Charlolfe • Corner of 6th 6 H. College • ?04-3?5-8/65 • iijiimj.muthoscluli.corn
money matters
Reducing holiday
financial stress
by J. Lynn Davidson
Specif to Q-Notes
’Tis the season to be jolly...or stressed. With
all the demands on your pocketbook and the
high expectations of family members, the holi
days can be financially challenging. But it
doesn’t have to be that way. Here are a few ideas
to consider as you approach this holiday sea
son that could leave your finances more healthy
than usual as you ring in the new year.
Set spending limits and stick to them. Be
ing a well-prepared shopper will help you make
smarter purchases. If you arm yourself with a
carefully prepared list, you’ll not only budget
the amount you’ll spend on the gift, but the
time you’ll spend shopping as well. Avoid shop
ping in a rush, as stressful shopping often leads
to overspending.
Save Money by shopping early. When you
are looking for a specific item, call stores to find
out if they carry it and how much it costs. Use
flyers and newspapers to comparison shop. By
shopping at the last minute, you won’t have the
luxury of returning a gift if you find it cheaper
in another store.
Avoid using revolving credit cards. Charg
ing a gift may seem quick and easy, but this
convenience often results in spending more
than you planned on a gift. Some credit card
companies offer deferred billing plans or allow
you to skip payments until the following year.
Keep in mind that the clock on finance charges
doesn’t stop ticking and most of these options
continue to accrue finance charges. So, even if
you find a real bargain you might end up los
ing the savings by paying more in finances
charges.
Consider homemade and service gifts. Gifts
don’t have to be expensive to be valued. Con
sider gifts such as running errands for an eld
erly relative or babysitting for a family member
who rarely gets an evening out. If mom has
complained for years that she hasn’t had time
to organize family photos, an album you create
for her would become a cherished memento.
You can dress up inexpensive gifts with pre
sentation by putting homemade cookies in a
decorative container, hand-painting the cover
of your photo album or creating a certificate
on your computer entitling the bearer to a free
night of babysitting or a month’s worth of free
vacuuming.
Plan inexpensive entertainment. Rather
than hosting an elaborate catered holiday party,
consider alternatives that will involve your
guests — like a neighborhood pot luck, a car
oling party or a cookie-swapping party. Instead
of hosting a number of small dinner parties, a
holiday open house might be a less-expensive
option — and one that would wreak less havoc
with your own busy holiday schedule.
Planning for the unplaimed. Don’t forget
to keep some flexibility in your holiday bud
get. Even if you think you have considered ev
ery purchase that might occur, there are likely
to be some unplanned incidentals. Plan an ad
ditional budget line for “unexpected expenses”
and you will avoid surprises. It can be easy to
overlook costs for more long-distance phone
calls, extra gas for the car, additional baking
supplies and a few donations to charities.
Looking ahead to next year. If you’ve found
that holiday costs have put an especially hard
strain on your budget this year, plan now for
next year. You can start a holiday savings ac
count at your local bank and make regular con
tributions throughout the year. You can also
open an investment account where you make
systematic contributions to an investment that
is easily convened back to cash when you need
it.
You also might want to consider an auto
matic payroll deduction that will force you to
save a predetermined amount each month or
pay period. That way you pay yourself first and
avoid the risk of putting it off until next month.
As you approach the holidays, make it your
goal to head into next year without a heavy debt
load from holiday spending. That strategy will
be the best gift you can give yourself for a fi
nancially stress-free stan to 1998. T
\J.Lynn Davidson is a personal financial ad
visor with American Express Financial Advisors^
3051 Waughtown Street, Winston*Salem, N.C.
(Located in the Parkview Shopping Center)
(910)788-9100
Open Mon. - Wed. 9 AM - Midnight, Thure. - Sat. 9 AM -1 AM
Sun. 1 PM - Midnight
Join Us For Our December
SALE-A-BRATION!
500+ Tapes oniy $8.00 each!
7000+ Rental Tapes $10.00 Off!
We have the gifts that keep on giving!
Come Shop With Us!
Need Gash? We Will Buy Your Used Adult Mags!
[ St
Also Introducing
RJ's Lingerie
to Winston-Salem!
Grand Opening December T
618 W. Fourth Street
(910) 750-0908 • (910) 750-0605
Lingerie • Adult Games
Party/Dancewear • Tanning Beds & Lotions
Gowns • Menswear & Massage Lotions
IX 2X 3X Sizes Available