Suddenly it’s the Ber season. Yes, I’m writing this in September. A friend online is already sharing his Youtube playlist for Christmas. You think it’s too early for me to write about budgeting for the Christmas Season?
Every time the holiday season rolls around, everyone seems buzzed with happiness. Megamall is already playing Joma songs. It is an amazing time of year where everything changes, new decorations are thrown up everywhere, sales in every store, even the attitudes of people seem brighter and happier. But all of these changes are not free and they actually come with a rather hefty price.
The holiday season is the single most expensive time of the year. With people buying all sorts of stuff, decorations and candy for Halloween, decorations and presents for Christmas. There are so many things people buy in such a short amount of time. A lot of people have trouble affording it all and look for Options for financing your holidays.
There are several tips you can follow to help you afford the holidays and not drown yourself in debt.
1. Making a budget is the first thing you should do when the holiday season is on the horizon. You should start as early as possible, since the earlier you start, the better off you will be. Plan out how much money you can afford to part with each month from whenever you start until Christmas. This will be essential in other planning required to keep your finances afloat during the holidays.
2. Saving up your money is the next step, using your budget to figure out how much you can actually put away. You do not need Options for financing your holidays, you just need a little discipline to save up the money needed to pay for it all. Again, the earlier you start, the more money you can save up. You should not touch this money until Christmas time rolls around and you want to go present shopping.
3. Making a list of what all to buy is also important. If you make a detailed list of all the presents you want to buy, you can cross reference this with your budget and saved up money to get the most out of it. If you are unable to afford everything, then oh well. Do not let yourself get into the mindset where you have to everything everyone asks of you. Money does not grow on trees and you only have however much you have, do not spend beyond this.
4. The last thing you should do is probably the most important once the buying season starts. That is, do not use your credit card. You will be tempted to use Options for financing your holidays such as your credit card, but this is a very, very bad move as it will likely put you in debt. If you are using your credit card, it is because you do not have the money to buy the things you want to buy. This will obviously put you in debt but at the spur of the moment, you may not think about that.
Instead of falling back on your credit card, just shore up your resolve that your budget is set in stone and once you have used up all the money you have saved, that is it. You may disappoint your children or other loved ones, but as harsh as it may seem, that is far more preferable than falling into debt. After all, the Christmas season is still all about sharing and celebrating with family that matters.
