Want to Keep From Overspending This Holiday Season? You Might Avoid Clipping Coupons, Chasing Sales and Paying with Plastic

Findings from post-2016 holiday shopper survey give warning to 2017
shoppers

FORT WORTH, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$ELVT–Almost 40 percent of Americans reported overspending on the holidays
last year, and they overspent for some pretty counterintuitive reasons,
according to newly released research from Elevate’s Center for the New
Middle Class (CNMC).

“Consumers often employ strategies to save money during the holidays
that actually work against them,” said Jonathan Walker, executive
director of Elevate’s CNMC. “Those who try to save money by looking for
deals are actually much more likely to spend more than they planned.”

The factors that lead to consumers’ over-spending fit into three
categories: poor savings strategies, poor payment strategies and poor
planning. The survey of 1,011 US consumers was conducted just after the
2016 holiday season, when spending recollections were still fresh.

Savings

To control holiday spending 86 percent of consumers use some sort of
savings tactic – the most popular being shopping sales, at 63 percent.
Yet Walker notes: “It turns out that one of the best ways to ensure
overspending is to chase the sales.”

Consumers who said that they hunted for sales to control their holiday
spending were 45 percent more likely to report that they overspent their
budget during the holidays versus those who said they didn’t focus on
sales. If they failed to set a strict budget, the impact was even
greater. Sale shoppers who did not budget were 87 percent more likely
than budgeters to report that they spent more than they planned for the
holiday.

Those who used coupons to save didn’t fare much better. Overall, coupon
clippers were 22 percent more likely than those who didn’t use coupons
to report spending more than they planned. Coupon clippers who did not
budget were 76 percent more likely than budgeters to report that they
spent more than they planned for the holiday.

Payment

Cash is king. According to the survey, paying with cash is the most
effective way to keep from overspending. Consumers who usually pay with
credit or debit cards are 38 percent more likely to overspend than those
who use cash.

Planning

It’s normal to plan for spending on gifts, but presents are not the
whole story on holiday spending, according to the data. Gifts amount to
58 percent of overall holiday spending, while spending on things like
travel, food and celebrations add up to 42 percent.

“Planning for all the other holiday expenses is crucial to successfully
managing the holidays,” said Walker.

The most effective way to control spending is to set strict spending
limits. Those who set limits were able to maintain their spending. Those
who failed to plan at all spent 125 percent more than the strict
planners.

The study also looked at differences between American consumers with
prime credit scores (700+) and non-prime consumers (with credit scores
below 700) and found that – contrary to what some would believe –
non-prime consumers were less likely to overspend than their prime
counterparts.

So what steps can customers take to ensure they don’t overspend?

• Build a budget. Review all expenses from years prior, and
  ensure the budget includes categories for travel, decorations, food,
  and utilities. Here, prime consumers can learn from non-prime: Prime
  consumers are 14 percent more likely to employ the “I have a rough
  idea” approach to holiday spending – informally determining what to
  spend on different categories, without clearly defining firm numbers.
  Additionally, non-prime consumers are 67 percent more likely to report
  that they spent less than they planned for the holiday.
• Set strict limits for spending. For maximum impact, cap
  spending at a total gift budget, or per person. Setting strict holiday
  spending limits more than doubles prime consumers’ chance of improved
  finances after the holidays. Non-prime also see a benefit, though it’s
  not as pronounced.
• If possible, account for unexpected expenses. Fifty-six percent
  of respondents reported an unexpected expense—such as car or house
  repair, an unexpectedly high utility bill or medical expenses. These
  expenses put added stress on budgets; respondents were twice as likely
  to incur new debt if they experienced an unexpected expense during the
  holidays.
• Work to avoid savings “traps.” Though it feels
  counterintuitive, sales and coupons correlate to higher spending unless
  consumers set and commit to a strict budget.
• Be a cash accountant. Once the budget is set, take out totals
  in cash, and leave the credit and debit cards at home.

“Though there are slight differences in holiday spend and strategy, for
prime vs. non-prime consumers, the holidays can be financially stressful
for everyone,” said Walker. “Marketing tactics—sales, coupons, credit
card points—may look like ‘bonuses,’ but businesses know how to get
consumers to spend more money. By approaching the season with a budget
and plan, consumers can protect themselves and their financial
wellbeing.”

About the Research

The Center’s research compared the responses of 1,011 Americans with
prime (n=510) and non-prime (n=501) credit scores using interviews
conducted January 12-17, 2017. For more details on the study, click
here.

About Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class

Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class conducts research, engages in
dialogue, and builds cooperation to generate understanding of the
behaviors, attitudes, and challenges of America’s growing “New Middle
Class,” defined as those with credit scores below 700. For more
information, visit: http://www.newmiddleclass.org

About Elevate

Elevate (NYSE: ELVT) has originated $4.9 billion in non-prime credit to
more than 1.8 million non-prime consumers to date and has saved its
customers more than $2 billion versus the cost of payday loans. Its
responsible, tech-enabled online credit solutions provide immediate
relief to customers today and help them build a brighter financial
future. The company is committed to rewarding borrowers’ good financial
behavior with features like interest rates that can go down over time,
free financial training and free credit monitoring. Elevate’s suite of
ground-breaking credit products includes RISE,
Elastic
and Sunny.
For more information, please visit http://www.elevate.com.

Contacts

Investor Relations:
Solebury Communications
Sloan Bohlen,
817-928-1646
investors@elevate.com
or
Media
Inquiries:
Vested
Ishviene Arora, 917-765-8720
elevate@fullyvested.com