Budgeting tips to get Ohioans ready for the holidays

OHIO — As the holiday season inches closer and closer, Ohioans are most likely looking for some effective tips to get their budget back on track after an active summer luckily, Ohio Department of Commerce has highlighted a few simple tips.

Division Superintendent Kevin Allard said LendingTree found that 36% of Americans took on holiday debt in 2024.

“The last thing you want to do is keep piling on debt; the more debt you reduce now means less debt you’ll need to address later. Credit cards are an important and helpful tool in our daily lives, but there are always efforts you can undertake to ensure your debt level does not get beyond your means to handle,” Allard said. “Taking action now can help ensure you are able to enjoy the upcoming holiday season without radically adjusting your plans.”

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report Aug. 2025 stating that the total credit card balances in the U.S. rose by $27 billion during the second quarter of 2025, making the total outstanding debt as of Sep. 2025 $1.21 trillion.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling conducted a survey that found 13% of Americans made less than the minimum required payment on their credit cards at some point over the past six months, which is up from 8% earlier this year.

Ohio Department of Commerce offered a few budgeting tips to help consumers manage any credit card debt they may have accrued and avoid creating more.

The Division has suggested the following tips:

• Creating a budget to track income and expenses.
• Contacting the creditors directly if there is a problem making payments.
• Choose and implement a payoff strategy to help find the best way to tackle credit card debt.
• Beware of scam companies that promise to eliminate your debt for an upfront fee and do not provide any personal financial information to unsolicited callers.

Nonprofit credit counseling services are often provided through credit unions, universities, or organizations like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).

The Division also offers more tools and information to help Ohioans reduce their debt and improve their credit score on their website.