Being financially prepared for the holidays Published Dec. 14, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C.-- -- The Airman & Family Readiness Center recently held a finance class for Airmen and base personnel that showed ways to manage holiday spending. During the class participants were given tips, guidelines and a budget plan, to ensure they stayed afloat during the holiday season. "The first step is to establish a budget so that the individual knows how much money they can afford to spend before leaving home," said Andrea Thomas, 4th Force Support Squadron community readiness specialist. Participants were also advised to leave their credit cards at home and were showed how much using a credit card really costs. "If one charges $1,000 on their credit card during the holidays and the card has an interest rate of 19 percent or more and only pays the minimum amount for the payment, it would take more than seven years to pay the debt off and one would pay more than $800 in interest," Thomas explained. "This often makes a person think twice about making a purchase on credit." On top of receiving ideas on how to manage money during the holidays, participants learned about cheaper and more heartfelt ways to celebrate the holidays. For example, Thomas suggested making gifts instead of purchasing them, pulling names instead of buying for everyone and donating to charity. The Airman & Family Readiness Center is open daily to assist Airmen, families and base personnel during the holiday season, to provide investment education, strategies for saving money and tips to increase savings. This was the first in a series of classes that the Airman & Family Readiness Center will be holding that will cover budgeting, credit and investments. For more information, contact the 4th FSS Airman & Family Readiness center at 919-722-1123.