Begin Holiday Scheduling Now!

Nov

I’m going to break this down into two separate Blogs. This blog will specifically talk about budgeting for Thanksgiving and the Christmas season and avoiding stress from expectations,

It is November 1st. Where has the year gone? Are you alreacy becoming stressed out just thinking about Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year (or whatever holidays you celebrate)? Here are some easy steps to keep yourself motivated and dedicated to staying within your budget, avoiding that overwhelmed feeling and sticking to your goals so grab a notepad.

Thanksgiving – Does this holiday require that you travel, cook the meal or a part of the meal? What is your tradition? Write out what you expect of yourself and what others will be expecting of you. If you don’t really expect anything of yourself except to maybe cook a nice, yummy meal for your family, great! Write out your menu for your meal and break that down into a shopping list that you can place on the refrigerator right now. If your family expects certain things to be handled by you and you are already feeling the anxiety and stress of their expectations, step up and make a stand! When you allow someone else to dictate your responsibility it can drain the joy out of your Holiday. Be realistic with yourself. You know what and how much you can handle and there is no reason for you to be stressed. If you step back, someone else will step up.

Christmas – On a blank piece of paper make four columns. The first column is titled NAME, the second column is titled GIFT, the third column is titled $$ AVAILABLE and the fourth column is titled $$ SPENT. Keep this in a place that you can see on a daily basis and track it. This system will definitely keep you on track and avoid overspending for the holidays. Assign a specific dollar amount to each person’s gift. I would also recommend making a copy of this list and placing it in your purse or keeping it in a convenient place that will allow you to refer to it when you are out and about in town and you happen to find that “special” gift. Check yourself every time that you make a purchase and feel the joy when you stay within budget – or lower! Spending more $$$ won’t make you happier but saving $$$ will make you smile!

Our next blog will cover chunking down the time needed for the Holidays!

Linda Clevenger

The Blog Single