BUDGETING FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Is it already time to start thinking about budgeting for the holidays?
Yes! It certainly is!
Every year I tell myself that I am going to purchase one store gift card each month and then when November rolls around, I will have a stash of cards to buy Christmas gifts with. Did I do that this year? Of course not!
So, now it’s time to get creative in figuring out how I am going to find money for gifts this year.
Here are a few ideas (I will be using a mix of these):
***Give it up: Go without something you buy regularly. A daily stop at the coffee shop? The weekly manicure? Or how about your midday stop at the convenience store to buy a bag of chips and a soda. You would be surprised at how quickly frequent purchases add up. Going without for a short period of time will yield a good result for your holiday pocketbook.
***Make money at the grocery store: Shop sales! If it’s on the front or back page of the weekly ad, it is generally an item that the store is offering to you at a highly discounted price, assuming you will buy other higher priced items once you come in. If you can organize your weekly menu around these lower-priced items and stick to buying only those, you will save money. It’s quite simple (I do it all the time)!
***Eat at home: This goes along with the previous tip! Eating out is expensive. For my daughter and I to go out and order good food and a drink, it often costs me upwards of $35. That money will go very far at the grocery store and the food will probably be healthier.
***Downsize: Lower your expectations. Focus on spending time and creating tradition as a family at holiday time and don’t be so focused on the gifts. Even kids will get on board once they realize that you will be spending lots of good time with them and having fun!
***On the side: Take a temporary side job. Clean a house, sell handmade on Etsy, babysit, detail a car. offer graphic design services, etc., etc., etc.
***Get rid of it: Sell things you don’t need or want. When I moved 2 months ago I found that it was quite simple to sell items in the buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook. I later used this money to finance my new house updates.
***Make it yourself: Handmade gifts anyone? I do quite a bit of handmade all year long and the holidays are no exception. Pinterest is an awesome source for DIY tutorials of all kinds. Also, I will be hosting a Handmade Holidays Challenge starting the first week of October (more details coming soon!).
The next two months are plenty of time to save some money for gifts. Just remember that the holidays can be about family, tradition and love. Gifts are just an extra side benefit, but they don’t need to be the focus.
If you have any ideas for budgeting for the holidays, I would LOVE to hear them! Please speak up in the comments!
Happy saving, friends!
