We shopped and we charged, but now it's time to face the bills.
All those credit card statements from the holidays are coming in the mail now.
So how do you handle them all -- smartly?
CNBC financial expert Carmen Wong Ulrich joined us live with some tips:
Here are some facts we found interesting about consumer behavior during the holiday shopping season:
- Shoppers spent more than they planned during the Christmas season -- consumers spent an average of $811 on holiday gifts, significantly more than the $699 they initially planned to spend, according to a Consumer Reports survey.
- The Consumer Reports survey, also found that 47% of shoppers used credit cards to pay for all or some of their holiday purchases, with those shoppers spending an average of $896.
- Consumers who charged the most were from households earning $100,000 or more ($1,570), shoppers in the West ($990) and men ($902).
