Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I am a Kmart blogger, though all opinions are my own.

Earlier this month I shared my strategies for staying within a budget during the holiday season. Yes, we still buy gifts for our friends and family.  I’m not good at the homemade gifts, so DIY is DIDon’t at our house. Our goal is to avoid charging the holidays on credit cards then having to pay it back well into March. I failed to mention how my mom did this for so many years. In fact, she never owned any credit cards when we were younger. She paid for all of our gifts by taking advantage of the layaway plan at Kmart. That’s also how she was able to save up for our school supplies a little at a time, too. For those of us who need to chip away at the iceberg, Kmart Layaway can help bridge the gap between debt and financial security.

If you’re hesitant about trying layaway, consider the fact that Kmart allows you to Layaway almost everything on your list without paying a dime in service fees (now through 11/23). Does your credit card offer you the same benefit? With Kmart’s Layaway, you can even pay online or through your smartphone! Once your contract period is over and you’ve paid your balance, you’re ready to go pick up those goods. It is a lot better than having buyer’s remorse and you don’t have to owe any extra money because of it, either.

If you think you don’t have time during the holiday season to put things on Layaway, it’s probably the number one reason why you NEED to do it.   You can go ahead and make your list, put everything on layaway, then have it paid off before Thanksgiving.  That way, you can relax and enjoy your family during the holidays instead of screeching, “Ho, ho, ho, now be quiet!!” to the kids when they complain about being in the car for one more “quick” mall trip.  This way your gifts are also stored for you until much closer to Christmas.  Speaking as a parent, teacher, and former sneaky kid, I can tell you that your “secret hiding place” was probably discovered by your kids long ago.  At least if the gifts are still in the Layaway department your kids might give up looking before you have to wrap the gifts.

If you’re a ShopYourWay Rewards member, you can earn even MORE points with your holiday savings plan.  We have enjoyed the gas savings earned from our last Kmart trips.  My husband saved almost $8 in gas on his recent business trip. That’s almost 3 free gallons of gas!   We love the extra discounts and secret sales that the program offers to its members.  Also, members who open a Layaway contract can also have their minimum purchase fee waived through 9/21.  That’s a deal!