5 ways to save $500 or more for the holidays

Need some quick cash for the holidays? As the holiday season rapidly approaches, here are five easy things you can do to save more than $500 and get into the gift- giving spirit:

Boost your take home pay
Savings: $91.34
Did you know that three out of four taxpayers got a tax refund last year? And that the average refund was nearly $2,900? This means that we're having too much withheld from our paychecks. It's better to get the money as you earn it than to give the government an interest-free loan. Here's an example: say you're single, made $30,000 last year and got a $1,000 refund. You may deserve two extra allowances, and if you claim them, you would boost your take-home pay by $91.34/month. See the benefits of adjusting your tax withholding by using Kiplinger's handy online calculator.