Well....maybe not REALLY like Christmas or the holidays. But, it is on my mind. When you check out the calendar, you'll notice that we are closing in on 5 months until the holidays will be here. Are you ready? No - I don't mean decor. I mean - is your WALLET ready? If not, here are some easy ways to make the holidays a little less taxing on your budget.
Make Your List & Check it Twice. Go ahead and decide who will be on your gift giving list. When you do this, be sure to note how MUCH you want to spend on them. Total your holiday budget. Too much? Look at cutting back on giving or values. Remember, it isn't about the gift, it is just letting someone know you are thinking about them.
Start your Christmas Fund. Now, you don't have to go to the bank and set one up. Just start to transfer a little money into your savings account each pay period. In the instance where you may be paid bi-weekly and transfer only $25.00 per pay period into savings, you will have saved close to $300.00 between now and December 1st! Already been savings all year? Just check your balance and make sure you are on track. Oh - and if you plan on spending a lot of money at Toys R Us, you might want to consider the newly released Toys R Us Christmas Savers Club.
Watch for sales. This time of year you can find toys on clearance. This is a great time to pick up some items and stash them away for December. I've found toys as much as 90% off in the past. If you aren't sure if your child will use them, you can still hang onto them and donate them to Toys for Tots or another great group this holiday.
Count your pennies. If you haven't tried to do it yet - save your change. When you break a dollar, don't spend the coins you get. If your total is $5.37, pay with $6.00. Then, take that change and save it. You might be surprised at how quickly coins add up! In a year we saved nearly $300.00 -- just in change!
With a little bit of pre-planning, your holiday doesn't have to break the bank. Plus, by doing a little planning ahead of time, you can even take a little stress out of the holiday season and just enjoy what it is really about -- being with the ones you love.