It’s that time of year again, folks. The holiday shopping season is in full swing. Though Black Friday and Cyber Monday both reported less than stellar sales due to the changing spending patterns and habits of shoppers, consumer confidence in the economy is at an all time high.

However, consumers are still wary of the post-recession economy, with many still grappling with the fallout from the Great Recession nearly seven years ago. In total, American consumers owe a whopping $11.13 trillion in debt, of which nearly $849.8 billion is estimated to be credit card debt. In addition, it’s estimated that nearly 41% of Americans are currently paying off medical debt. It doesn’t end there. According to a recent CBS news report, American consumer debt continues to rise by a staggering $75 million each hour.

While the holiday season is a time for giving and receiving gifts, it can also be a financial trap for consumers who are not careful about their spending. Retailers make it increasingly easy to take advantage of too-good-to-be-true holiday sales, in addition to the temptation of opening store credit cards. After the holiday season, consumers often realize they’ve spent beyond their means.

Luckily, there are several options available. Debt relief companies providing debt relief services can help holiday shoppers get a grip on their finances. While many people are familiar with a few of the debt relief options provided by debt relief centers, such as debt settlement, many are unaware that these companies also provide financial planning advice in addition to debt solutions.

While you may not be in need of debt settlement or other debt management solutions, working with a financial or debt counselor can help you create a realistic spending plan, which in turn will prevent you from falling into a post-holiday financial trap.

The holiday season is also a good time to get your finances in order for the new year. While working with a debt counselor, you may find that you can reduce your existing monthly payments to debtors by taking advantage of any number of debt relief options, such as debt settlement. Now is the perfect time to create financial goals not only for the holidays, but for years to come.