Holiday Tips to Keep Your Spending Under Control
I know it’s only November, but believe me Christmas will be here before you know it! We all love Christmas, but have you ever looked at your bank account or credit card bills after Christmas and realize you’ve spent waaaay too much money? Have you ever been so tired on Christmas day from all the last minute running around, that you can’t even enjoy the day? I know I have.
Every year around December 1st, there is a sudden urgency to start preparing for Christmas as if we didn’t know, it was coming. HELLO! Its the same time every year! By that time people are frantically running around trying to get things done. This trips the switch for impulse shopping and unnecessary spending.
Wouldn’t it be nice to ride calmly into the holidays for a change? The to do list at Christmas can be overwhelming with planning dinners, decorating, buying gifts, grocery shopping, visiting family and friends and attending Christmas parties. The consequence of not being properly prepared can result in overexertion and over spending for the holidays.
This year let’s get a head start on our holiday planning by setting some boundaries for spending and starting preparations early. I’ve created a few free printables to help you get organized and start thinking about what your plans are for the holidays.
Christmas Dinner Budget
Perhaps the most important thing about Christmas for my family is Christmas dinner. It always turns out to be a great big feast. By deciding early on a dinner menu and holiday events you may be hosting, you can make a list of all your food shopping needs so that you can shop smart. For example during the month of November (due to thanksgiving) you will find that the grocery stores will start putting seasonal non-perishables items on special like Chow Chow,Cranberry Sauce and Pineapple rings for that delicious ham. Pick those up early and check them off of your list! If you plan to do lots of baking for Christmas, you can also look out for early specials on flour, sugar and other Christmas baking needs, like mixed peel or crisco for those delicious pound cake recipes. Use this Christmas dinner menu list to help you plan your dinner, and this one to make a Christmas grocery list ,so that you can look out for specials in the coming months.
Gift list
Buying gifts is always one of the most difficult tasks for me. I can never decide what to buy. I find it helps if I can figure out early exactly who I need to buy gifts for. That way I can choose gifts, set a gift budget and have plenty of time to order online if I need to. It’s nothing worse than having your gifts caught up in the Christmas rush and then having to pray they get to you on time. Nobody wants to spend Christmas Eve shopping for another gift because your first gift didn’t make it on time. This Christmas gift list 2018 will help you to create a gift budget and list of people to buy for and stick to it. HEADS UP- Shipping packages through your local post office is the cheapest way but not always the fastest. The post office will advertise cut off dates for Christmas delivery make sure to check on those dates. If you want to save, move early on gift buying.
Decorations
Now is a good time to pull out the Christmas decorations from last year and make sure all the lights are working and the ornaments and tableware are still in one piece. If you have decided you want a new look for this holiday season, now is also a good time to start thinking about what color scheme you want to use for the tree, entry way, living room and dinner table. Christmas colour scheme ideas printable will help you to organize a scheme for each area in your home. P.S. If you are looking for great tableware, throw pillows, ornaments and accessories check out R&R Decorations, their new website is packed with LOTS of awesome decor www.randrdecorations.com .
Christmas Clean up
Starting the Christmas clean up and change over early can save you lots of stress. It’s always good to freshen up curtains and bedspreads and comforter sets before Christmas. I usually do my cleaning and changing over room by room over two weekends. This Holiday house cleaning list will help you to figure out where to start and make sure you don’t miss anything.
Start early preparing for Christmas, so that during the holidays, you can kick back and enjoy yourself!
