![Average Debt in Largest Metropolitan Areas [Infographic]](https://stg1.experian.com/blogs/news/wp-content/uploads/default-post-image.png)
A glimpse at average debt in the largest metropolitan areas …
View interactive map: Experian’s Fourth Annual State of Credit Report
![Credit Scores in Largest Metropolitan Areas [Infographic]](https://stg1.experian.com/blogs/news/wp-content/uploads/default-post-image.png)
A glimpse at credit scores in the largest metropolitan areas …
View our interactive map: Experian’s Fourth Annual State of Credit Reportf Credit, 2013

Do you want to buy gifts for friends and family this holiday season?
Check out these great holiday shopping tips from some of our favorite personal finance writers:
1. Think experience over tangible items
Stay sane. I’m not kidding. It’s so easy to lose control and get wrapped up in the feeling of needing everything. Back up and question each purchase. Especially gifts. By March, very few people even remember what they got in December – so is it worth overspending for? Think experience over tangible items. If you’re going to drop some cash, do a party or a trip. That’s what people recall and often value.
Right now I’m big into Groupon. I love the goods and getaways Amazing deals!
Erica Sandberg is one of the nation’s foremost personal finance authorities. She is editor at large for the Bankrate Inc.‘s subsidiary Credit Card Guide and a columnist and reporter for CreditCards.com 


