Here are some tips to get through the holidays and save money too!
•· Don't go to the mall! - It's easy to spend money you don't have when you are at the mall and walking amongst the frenzy of shoppers. It's stressful and there are tons of lines. It's easy to make impulse purchases.
•· Shop online - Take your budget for the holidays, write it on a notepad and start shopping. Each time you make a purchase, deduct it from the budget. Leave money left-over for food and events the month of December.
•· Limit the Social Functions/Parties - If you're like me, you want to go to everything. But with that commitment, means an outfit ($$$) for each occasion and a lot of wasted time getting ready when you could be working your sphere on the phone. Try to go to free functions. Don't overbook yourself!
•· Don't go out to eat - Don't be tempted to go out to eat. It's easy, but if you stay in and eat groceries, you'll eat smaller portions and lose fat. Restaurant food is really fattening.
•· Limit Gifts to $10 Max - Tell Family and Friends to limit gift purchases for each other to $10 and under. That way, you still get to open lots of presents and pressure is relieved to shop for something "perfect". I like Wal-mart gift cards.
•· Don't go Crazy with House Trimmings - It's easy to go spend tons of money on this stuff. Between buying a fresh tree each year, the skirt, the lights, new ornaments, the trinkets, etc. You can spend a fortune on this stuff and have none left over for presents under it! When I was a kid, we had a 10 yr old plastic tree, ladled with popcorn, cheap lights, and a few family ornaments, and an old skirt that pre-dated WW2. Holidays were still great then.
•· Make a Budget for Next Year - Instead of going to every holiday party under the sun, you can spend time on your business plan for 2009 or your new monthly budget. Look for ways to cut costs down. How much do you want to save?
•· Give Clothes to Charity or Consignment - Spend some time cleaning out the closet with your days off instead of drinking, eating, and cooking. Don't wait until Spring to clean out the closet. And if you take stuff to consignment, maybe you can make a few bucks before the holiday!
•· Post stuff to Ebay or Crai
gslist - Get rid of stuff and make money too! Folks are scouring the internet for good holiday deals!
•· Swap your Old Stuff for New Stuff - Visit www.swaptree.com for media and www.eswapit.com , www.swaptreasures.com , www.buysellswap.com It will feel like you went shopping!
•· Go Tanning - I'm not saying to go out and get super dark or anything, but sometimes a few minutes of sun rays gives you that "serotonin" boost you need to chase the winter blues!
•· Don't Stay Inside too much - Spend more time outside with pets and kids or in the gym. It'll melt that stress away!
•· Drink More Water - Water flushes you out. Water will help with all the extra, rich, holiday foods and drinks you take in. Drink some water before going to bed to avoid the headaches!
Stress tips for Lake Norman living!
Sandy Aichner, GRI, ABR, Broker, REALTOR ~ RE/MAX Executive Realty (704) 746-7513
Lake Norman Real Estate Call me at: 704.746.7513 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mooresville, Cornelius, Huntersville, Troutman, Denver, Sherrill's Ford, Catawba, Davidson, or Statesville, North Carolina or surrounding towns . Feel free to visit one of my websites: MooresvilleHomeSearch.com, SandyIsYourAgent.com . Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Twitter.
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