🎁 Holiday Spending With Strategy

How to Save More, Build Credit, and Prepare to Buy a Home in 2026

By Erica Batista, CDPE — Realtor® & Area Leader, Allure West Palm Beach at LPT Realty

Most people go into the holidays with good intentions.
Most people walk out with:
• higher balances
• lower credit scores
• and a setback to their homeownership goals

But you don’t have to be one of them.

This year, you can shop smarter, earn more savings, build your credit profile, and set yourself up to buy a home in 2026 — all by adjusting how you spend money you were going to spend anyway.

Below is your Holiday Smart-Spending Guide — designed to help you stay in control, maximize value, and keep your financial goals on track.

🎯 Step 1 — Automate Cash Back on Every Purchase

Most buyers don’t realize they leave free money on the table during holiday spending.

These tools stack together and help you earn back cash every time you shop online or in-store:

🔹 Rakuten

Earn cashback at thousands of retailers.

🔹 Capital One Shopping

Automatically finds price drops and coupon codes.

🔹 Honey

Auto-applies promo codes + offers Honey Gold rewards.

🔹 Ibotta

Cash back on groceries, holiday meals, and daily essentials.                                                                                                                                                   

🔹 Fetch

Turn any receipt into gift cards — even gas, restaurants, and online orders.

🔹 Upside

Cash back on gas, dining, groceries — perfect for holiday travel.

These alone can save the average household between $300–$800 during the holiday season.

💳 Step 2 — Build Credit While You Shop

If your goal is homeownership, credit matters — but you don’t need to go into debt to build it.

These tools help you build history safely, without overspending:

🔹 Self: Credit Builder Loan

Builds payment history + savings at the same time.
👉 https://self.inc/refer/15902781

🔹 Credit Sesame

See your score for free + get improvement tips.
👉 https://creditsesame.onelink.me/zI4n/0389aur5

🔹 Chime Credit Builder

Spend what you have → build credit with no interest.
👉 https://www.chime.com/r/ericabatista/?c=s

Used correctly, these can help you increase your credit score before you apply for pre-approval in 2026.

✨ Step 3 — Use “Buy Now, Pay Later” Carefully & Intentionally

BNPL is not a strategy — unless it’s approached with discipline.

I recommend these only when:
• The purchase is already in your budget
• You avoid carrying balances on multiple apps
• You pay early (not just on time)

BNPL Options You Can Use Smartly:

• Zip
  👉Click Here
• Klarna
  👉Click Here
• Pay With Four (use code WP4NKYYY)
  👉 https://paywithfour.com/download-app
  
  
• Sezzle
  👉Click Here

Used properly, these can help you structure your holiday spending while keeping your cash flow steady.

🎄 Step 4 — Plan Purchases With Intention

Here’s how financially confident buyers approach holiday spending:

✓ Set a single holiday budget
✓ Use cashback apps for every online purchase
✓ Use Fetch + Ibotta for groceries and holiday meals
✓ Use Upside for road trips or holiday travel
✓ Pay BNPL installments early
✓ Send excess savings to a “2026 Down Payment Fund”

This is how real buyers go into January stronger — not behind.

🧠 Step 5 — Turn Your Savings Into Homeownership Strategy

Once the holidays are over, this is where your preparation becomes power.

Use your savings to start covering:

✔ Your future down payment
✔ Closing costs
✔ Reserves needed for pre-approval
✔ First-year home expenses

And if you want to see how close you already are:

📊 Track Your Home Equity & Buying Power
👉 https://homequityreport.com/ericabatista

Or…

📩 Start with a Quick Inquiry
👉 https://www.myrealtorerica.com/general-inquiry-form

❤️ Final Thoughts

You don’t need to stop shopping.
You just need to shop smarter.

By combining cash-back apps, credit-building tools, and structured spending — you can walk into 2026 financially ready, confident, and closer to the keys of your first home (or your next one).

With care & strategy,

Erica Batista, CDPE
Realtor® & Area Leader — Allure West Palm Beach | LPT Realty
📧 info@myrealtorerica.com
📲 561-633-0707
📸 @my.realtor.erica
🌐 myrealtorerica.com