3 ways to save money for holiday spending

We are just days away until Christmas shopping starts in earnest. And in this edition of "Heading into the Holidays" we're going to talk about cutting costs so we can spend more on holiday shopping.

So far, we've talked about all sorts of ways to strategize about how to get the best bargains and to be prepared by creating a holiday budget so that you don't over spend. But, some of us will still come up short. So, I brainstormed and thought about ways to pad your checking account.

Start with this app: It's called True Bill. You can connect it to your accounts - credit cards and checking - and it will look for recurring charges you might be forgetting about. It will flag those monthly or annual subscriptions that automatically go to your credit card. It just reminded me that I have two for about $16 that I want to stop. That's $16 back in my wallet.  

You can eliminate eating out for a month. The average American spends - get this $232 a month - eating out. If you stop that one month, you will save a lot of money. I know you're thinking, 'I don't spend that much.' Go back and look over a month's worth of receipts and you'll find it's higher than you think.

And finally sell stuff. Yes, sell a few things. My daughter got a gift last year that didn't fit. The tag is still on it. It will be a lovely Christmas gift for another child that a mom can snatch up at a discounted price. Even if you only get $40 this month doing this, it's $40 extra dollars to use to stop.