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Create A Holiday Budget

By
Real Estate Agent

The Halloween decorations are put away, people are posting their 30 Days of Thanks on social media and Christmas has crept into stores & radio stations.  Make the holidays a memorable and happy experience; plan and budget.  Don't spread yourself too thin both physically and financially.  It'll make ringing in the New Year a lot more pleasant.  So grab your holiday 'to buy for' & 'to-do' lists and let's try to keep our cash and sanity in control!

 
Make a Budget
And stick to it!  This is by far the hardest to do because Suzy absolutely needs this and Johnny can't live without that... and you probably could use one too.  First things first, cross yourself off that list.  There's no 'one for them, one for me' when you're on a budget.  Figure out how much you can afford in cash to spend this holiday season.  Yes, cash.  Try to only use what you can actually pay sans credit card.  Divide that amount up over your list of people to buy for.  Some warrant a little more spent, others not so much.  You can find free holiday shopping/budget lists on Pinterest.
 
Friend, family and co-workers. OH MY!  Don't forget to budget your time.   You can't attend every event nor can you host them all.  Even schedule holiday shopping time.  Plan your gift buying around when you'll be seeing the gift recipient.  You don't see everyone on the same day, why should all your shopping be done in one.  Hold off and you could score a deal at post-Christmas sales when shopping for your New Year's brunch buddies.
 
Get Ahead of The Game in 2014: Start saving!  Twenty dollars a paycheck, all your spare change, any $1 bill you come across: stash it!  How ever you do, it will add up and make the holidays less stressful next year.
 
Make it Mean Something
The gifts you give should be meaningful or useful to the person.  Don't cringe buying that gift card to their favorite store.  While small in size, its means a lot.  You did remember their favorite store after all.  You can't go wrong with home-made either.
 
Gifts don't have to be physical items.  I have been at a loss for what to buy my 80+ grandfather for years.  The man has what he wants and has been tossing stuff left and right.  Do you know what he gets for his birthday and Christmas?  My undivided attention.  An afternoon of lunch and shopping or whatever he wants to do.  It means a lot to both of us.  Who would delight in a few hours of your time?
 
Bundle Up
Combine as much as possible to save time and money.  What can you bundle?
  • Trips to the store.
  • Combine online shopping carts with friends/family for reduced shipping.
  • Events!  Have a potluck with all of your neighbors rather than giving individual gifts or holiday gatherings.
Watch for Deals
With technology now-a-days there's an app for everything and every store.  See whats on sale, where it's cheaper, get a coupon or two.  Shopping online?  Don't checkout without a quick online search to see if you can get free shipping or a percentage off.
 
You also need to watch out for deals.  Buy 3 and get 10% off!!  But you only need one and it's cheaper to do that... Don't let flashy ads and signs get the best of you.
 
Here's to a happy, healthy (physically & financially) holiday season!

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