It’s crazy to think that the holidays are just around the corner, and with holiday joys come holiday fears, financial fears! It is something that everyone faces this time of year, how will I afford everything? Am I getting the best deals? When should I start my holiday shopping? Well I’m here with just a couple tips to get you started this holiday season!
First things first, location. Every year the famous family question: “Who’s having Christmas this year?” Did it land on you this year? As exciting and fun as that could be, I both understand and have experienced the stress leading up to the actual day at your house! Start saving up money wherever you can so that you are stress-free when you’re in party planner mode. An easy money saving tip is to meal prep and plan, having lunches and dinners pre-prepared and ready to go quick and easy after a long day at work saving up for those holidays will save time and stress! Not only is it a way to save money, it’s a way to show your family some love, that you took time out of your busy schedule to cook for them, and for you!
Now comes the day, entertaining at your home, and I have an idea: holiday potluck! Whether you ask everyone to bring their favorite Christmas dish, dessert, or the adults to bring their favorite drinks, there’ll be more food to go around and less for you and your wallet to stress over. It’s also a great way to bring everyone together, maybe tying in some fun holiday or different themed things for people to bring. An idea I’ve done in the past is Wines Around the World, where everyone brought wines from different countries, starting in South Africa and ending all the way in Napa. Or if you want to do Christmas themed, everyone could bring their favorite holiday dish! The possibilities are endless, as well as the ways this will help you leading up to and on the actual day. Making memories and saving money!
Now, one of my biggest, most efficient holiday money saving tips is cash over credit. I’m sure that we can all admit that with credit cards we might find ourselves spending a little bit more than we might normally like. My advice to you is that with holidays coming up, spend cash wherever and whenever you can. Credit cards might seem all good and nice at the moment, but they don’t feel as nice at the end of the month when you have to pay it off! Look at this way, if you only have a $20 dollar bill and you spend that in that moment, staying underneath that budget, you won’t go over and have to pay off $100 that you don’t have later in the month!
My last tip for you ladies this holiday season is what I call a holiday payment plan! Sounds fun, right? Going along with spending cash over credit, splitting your bills for the month of December into different categories is something I find extremely effective! Take your cash out, or in your bank account, and make holiday themed envelopes (this could even be a fun activity with the kids!) and separate specific amounts into each category. These categories can be whatever you want, like gifts, bills, kid’s lunch money, extra, anything you think you’ll need that month! It’s just small ways like this that we can prioritize and save money for the holidays, and have fun while doing it!