It happens every year, without fail, someone brings me a Christmas gift, and I have nothing to give them in return. So, of course, I'm immediately filled with guilt, make up a story about how I left their gift at home, and run out and buy them something last minute.

With Christmas just a few weeks away, you've probably made your list and checked it twice to make sure that you have the perfect gifts for all of your loved ones. Or, if you're like me, you're just now starting your holiday shopping. Either way, if you still have gifts to buy, local holiday markets are the perfect place to look.

One of my favorite things about holiday markets is having all of my favorite local shops in one place. I love shopping locally and try to do it year-round. However, if I'm looking for many different items, it can be time-consuming to drive from shop to shop when a mall or department store has everything under one roof. That's the beauty of holiday markets; they're like the malls of local businesses.

Although sometimes it's easy when you're in a time crunch to load up your Amazon cart with everything you need and have it on your doorstep in two days, I would encourage you to head over to a local holiday market before you do. They may have the perfect gift that you've been searching for, and by shopping with them, you get to help a neighbor provide for their family.

Below is a list of some great holiday markets popping up in the area this season. Be sure to set a budget before you go, though, because there will be so many phenomenal goodies, and it'll be easy to overspend.

Holiday Market in Valor Park
Each Saturday in December, 12pm - 4pm
Farrow Parkway in Market Commons

Inaugural Wicked Holiday Market
Each Saturday in December, 12pm - 5pm
Wicked Tuna

At Carolina Trust, we pride ourselves in living out the motto, "Putting People Ahead of Profits." To us, this isn't just a tagline for billboards and commercials; it is a service model that we strive to implement through each and every interaction with our members.

As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, we are in business solely to serve. We treat our members like family and take care of their financial needs as if they were our own.

Recently on Living Local Carolina, we had the opportunity to sit down with Carolina Trust Members, Lance and Christy O'Connor. The O'Connors were First-Time Homebuyers who had previously experienced difficulty trying to get a mortgage with another lender. Their experience left them pretty discouraged about purchasing a home for their family. They were referred to Carolina Trust by their realtor, and were hopeful that we could help.

Connie Thompson, VP Mortgage Operations, greeted the O'Connors with open arms and welcomed them into the CTFCU family. She not only got them into their dream home but also made the process super easy with our no sweat mortgage service guarantee.

Check out the O'Connor's Living Local Carolina segment below:

It's almost time for my favorite holiday, Black Friday. Of course, I'm kidding, but as someone who loves to shop, I do look forward to Black Friday and Cyber Monday each year.

Shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be a great time to score deals on items that you've wanted to purchase, but you can also get easily sucked into overspending if you're not prepared. Check out the BALANCE blog post below for tips on how to avoid overspending on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Art Alexakis once said, "Living isn't a simple thing... no one said it's supposed to be."

We can all probably agree that life isn't simple; it's filled with ups and downs, stressors, problems, and situations that make it complicated. However, if we know that life isn't simple, why do we constantly try to simplify it? We come up with one size fits all solutions and expect them to simplify our issues.

Last year, I wrote the blog post, Ways to Thank a Veteran on Veterans Day. I included all of the typical Veterans Day festivities: flying a flag, saying thank you, attending a service, etc. And as nice as those gestures are, they don't really hold the level of gratitude that we should be showing our former servicemen and women.

On Veterans Day, we close businesses, post on social media, and acknowledge and glorify our Veterans; But how are we thanking them on the other 364 days of the year? Are we celebrating and acknowledging just during the special occasion, the way we do with most other holidays, and then moving on as soon as the decorations come down? How can we continue to honor the men and women who have served our country in our day-to-day lives?

Do you know what a credit union is and how it differs from a bank? If not, hopefully, by the end of this blog post, you'll have a little more insight into what a credit union is and why it may be the right financial choice for you.

Halloween is right around the corner, and if you don't already have a costume, this is your sign to make your own. If you're not super crafty, no need to worry, these costumes are super easy to make; plus, they're also super cheap.

Halloween can get pretty expensive once you've bought a costume, accessories, candy, treat bags, etc. Save some money this year and make one of the creative costumes below:

If nobody could see the things you have, would you still want them?

Everyone loves a good showdown; It's why we're all so plugged into football season right now. But what about a financial showdown, credit cards vs. debit cards.

Most Americans carry several different payment cards in their wallets; some debit, some credit. Maybe you have a system in place for which card to use when, or perhaps you use one type all the time. But do you really know the difference and when it is more beneficial to use one over the other?

Check out the BALANCE blog below, where they put debit cards and credit cards in a one-on-one showdown to see where and when using them may be best for your finances.