Getting Ready for Christmas!
If you are like most people, Christmas plans are usually made in the month of December, and you will join the throngs of exasperated and desperate shoppers as you frantically look for last minute gifts.
However, there are things that you can start to do NOW that will have you breeze into Christmas day looking and feeling like you have already been on holiday… The trick is to pre-plan, and most importantly, pre-budget!
Last minute shopping is always more expensive and can contribute to unintended spending blowouts. Make a list of who you need to buy Christmas presents for now. Many families are having discussions early to help each other reduce the burden of Christmas by electing to either only buy presents for young children or having a family Secret Santa. Having a Secret Santa is an excellent idea to cap your spending and reduce huge amounts of time. You can set the budget as high or as low as you like. A budget of $100 is usually less than what you would end up spending on 4-6 presents if buying for parents, in-laws and siblings and gives everyone a worthwhile gift. If you start to think about gifts now, you will also give yourself time to source the best deal – either online or at your favourite shop.
The other big cost at Christmas is food. Snacks and treats are always needed whether you are hosting Christmas or going to family. Start a Christmas treat box now and start adding treats to it weekly to help reduce the burden at Christmas time. The trick is not to dip into the box beforehand!
Stock up the freezer with things that you and your family are likely to want/use over the holidays – ice-cream, frozen fruit, etc. It is also worth stocking up on mixers, standard pantry items, wine, beer and other goodies when they are on sale.
If you have spare time on the weekends, think about starting to bake some of your special Christmas goodies ahead of time. You might want to also think about doubling up on some of the family meals that you cook now and popping them in the freezer so that you free up your time for more holiday fun around Christmas.
Do an inventory of Christmas cards, decorations and wrapping paper well ahead of time. And if you can – buy these goods immediately after Christmas when they are on sale for the following year. No-one is going to know if they have last year’s Christmas card!
One of the most important things to do is to save yourself from going into debt. Make a list of all the expenses that must be paid over December and January and then work out what you have left to allocate to Christmas spending. Pre-paying rent will save you from accidental over-spending and help you budget even better. Once you know what you can allocate to your Christmas spending, look at the categories of items that you need to spend money on – gifts; food/drink; travel; days out and things like kennel fees or holiday care/excursions for school holidays. Small amounts put away incrementally leading up to Christmas can relieve a lot of pressure and stress and make your Christmas holidays something to look forward to.
