Blog Tour: Time Saving Holiday Tips (Giveaway!)

MomCentral recently asked me if I was interested in joining in on the Bank of America blog tour. As a BoA customer, and someone who has learned the hard way with finances, I was happy to!


December is always the craziest month of the year for us - like it is for so many others. On top of the usual holiday insanity for my family, my DH is at work more covering for others who are taking their vacation time so they can visit their families in other parts of the US and even in other countries. (I can't complain on one hand, because we put the extra money towards finishing off our credit card debt!)

In the hustle and bustle, it's easy to forget something very important - your finances. I know, we don't like to think about the money we are spending buying those last minute gifts, or purchasing tickets to head on over to visit family. Oh, and don't forget the overpriced snacks at the airport or gas stations while traveling for the holiday... it's easy to forget what is in your checking account and accidentally overspend - or even worse, forget to pay a bill!

In fact, the only time I have ever messed up my bank account (this was pre-marriage) was during the crazy holiday season where I forgot to mark that I had paid extra on my BoA credit card bill... didn't balance my checkbook... and kapow! overdrawn checking on a $55 student loan payment. Oh, I was super mad at myself for that one! Luckily my overdraft fee was only $25 - some banks can be much higher as you know - and I quickly moved some money over that I had stashed in my PayPal account at the time and fixed the bleeding until next payday.

I learned very quickly that Internet banking was your friend. If you don't already, take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the online banking options you bank has. You can save yourself from not only not having to make trips to the bank, but also from making an expensive mistake of your own! Here's a few time saving banking tips:

*Set up instant account alerts to your cell phone or email account. You can receive alerts that will tell you whenever you are in danger of over drafting your account, or whenever your account total goes below a certain amount. If you share an account with a teenager (or a husband that has no clue with money LOL!), did you know that most banks will send you an alert whenever they use their debit card? This can save you a major headache right there!

*Many banks, including Bank of America, have mobile apps now. Download the mobile banking app and you can check balances, transfer money, pay bills, and locate ATMs, all from the convenience of your smartphone or laptop. No standing in line, and you can even save yourself some expensive stamps on those bills. Plus if you are traveling, BoA's mobile app will tell you where all the local ATMs are, so you can locate one easily and avoid those high other bank ATM fees! (Cripes, they can cost $5+ these days - it's insanity!) If you don't have a smartphone, but have a basic phone with texting abilities, you can still sign up for text banking. Just send a quick text message to get your balance instantly in a reply - I can't tell you how often this has come in handy for us when we are doing our major stock up shopping trips. (I am so paranoid)

*If you are like me, and worry about finances all the time, using online bill pay is a lifesaver! I've mentioned before that my late night panic attacks all have to do with the same thing - me forgetting to pay an imaginary bill. It would be funny if it wasn't so stressful! (Of all the things, you know?) It's easy - and most of the time free, depending on your bank - to go into your account online and set up an automatic bill payment transfer every month. Unless you need a check to pay rent, most of your bills should be able to be paid online like this. Even if you are cutting is close funds wise, you can still set it up - you can always cancel a bill to be paid, or switch the scheduled date if you are waiting for funds to be deposited into your account. Just be sure to schedule the payment at least a day or two before the bill is due in order to avoid late fees by the company you are paying!

If you are looking for more tips to help you save your sanity and save yourself some time this season, check out www.bankofamerica.com/solutions. There's some great tips on there, many of which will also save you money while saving you time! (Did you know if you are flying, and you know you have to pay to check your bag, that if you pay it online, not only will you usually save money as it's usually cheaper, but you'll also save yourself the hassle of standing in line at the kiosk or desk to pay for it? It's just one of many great tips!)


Win it! Since I am participating in this tour, I am hosting a giveaway of a pre-loaded $50 gift card from Bank of America fulfilled by my blog, Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife, and Mom Central. Awesome, right? You can pick up something you wanted this Christmas but didn't get! It's easy to enter, just tell us one of the ways you get back time during the busy holiday season?

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win a $50 GC http://goo.gl/fb/91o4T ends 12/25 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends December 25th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bank of America and received a Bank of America preloaded gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.