There’s something about shopping during the holidays as I watch consumers being attacked by exuberant cashiers pushing their store’s credit card that gets me concerned for those trying to build a solid life after bankruptcy.

These clerks seem to be unaware of how careful individuals have been all year to build their life after bankruptcy; by watching what they spend, and how easy it is to go over budget. Offering a ¡°credit rebuilder¡± a new card is like offering a recovering chocoholic a gooey double-fudge brownie supreme.

The holidays bring about mixed feelings among my clients: joy, anxiety, fear, sadness¡­.not any of it relating to the reason for the season.

Rebuilding your credit and creating the life after bankruptcy that you desire is a difficult tightrope balance between moving forward with your life and not ruining the upward progress of your credit score.

Holidays mean gift-giving gatherings with sometimes hundreds of people, if you total them all up. Pressure rises when the office party committee asks us to pitch in for gifts for management.

Your head starts spinning when you think about how your extended family has grown and how they will all exchange presents Christmas Eve at your house this year. You finally feel the wind knocked out of your sails when the cashier tells you that you can save up to 25% on your purchase if you apply for their wonderful store credit card.

Just remember and keep this thought at the front of your mind…creating the desirable life after bankruptcy is the objective, not the savings of 25% that is surely to be out of our original budget anyway.

As someone who has recently discharged a bankruptcy and is trying to rebuild life after bankruptcy as well as create a high credit rating, should you respond to such a sweet, seductive offer? (Twenty-five percent off purchases, after all, would give you the extra money to buy Aunt Millie that deluxe food steamer!)

But here’s what I teach as a financial counselor from Credit Is Key: though it is much easier said than done, do NOT apply for any credit cards during the holiday crunch.

Every financial move should be the result of planning and preparation for your life after bankruptcy – not suddenly caving in to pacify the salesclerk – or Aunt Millie. If you say ¡°yes,¡± then the store will make an inquiry on your credit.

Did you know that even a couple inquiries will actually hurt your credit?

Rebuilding your life after bankruptcy requires inner strength. A strength you have been nurturing and growing since your discharge. A strength that is given a boost by having a specific goal in mind and a planned strategy in place; building a wonderful credit rating to enjoy your life after bankruptcy. Help yourself! Instead of falling into the ¡°get-a-credit- card-and-reduce-your-spending¡± trap, try these ideas for holiday savings — without inquiries or damaging rejections. Always remember the objective…improve your life after bankruptcy by improving your credit rating!