Holiday Budgeting Tips

Are the holiday’s already busting your budget? Between decorations, entertaining, gifts, and travel you may start seeing your bank account as a countdown to your homelessness. You, just like most people, love to celebrate the holidays with loved ones and may want to just give give, give…that’s not a bad thing! I have a few tips that you can follow to help you keep your budget on track and still be a part of the celebrations!
 

Know your budget! Look at your monthly budget and set an affordable amount aside that you can spend for the holidays, it is important to be honest with yourself about how  much you can spend. Do not start your shopping without firstly making a budget and try not to break it. Try using this online tool by Dave Ramsey.
 

Do your research! Spend some of the time that your hanging out and watching television or browsing the internet for funny pictures and do some research for the holidays! The internet has everything you need from baking ingredient substitutions to online coupons for major retailers. If you are not on pinterest, you should be! There are tons of ideas on how to decorate, bake, cook, gift give, etc..all on a budget. If you are looking for a particular product, search a couple of different stores before making your purchase. Most times you can compare prices and find one for a better deal than you thought. Check out sites such as Groupon or Livingsocial. They have great deals for not only goods but for experiences such as zip lining or beer tasting events, which also make really great and memorable gifts!
 

Suggest ‘Secret Santa’ style gift giving! We have actually been doing this in my family for the past few years, and it it great! If yours is like mine, we have all adults in the family. That means we buy pretty much what we need and want on our own. Even if you do have young kids in the family,try  doing  secret santa between the adults. This saves you money and the stress of picking out a buying a gift for everyone in your circle. You can go old school and draw names out of a hat, or try this awesome Secret Santa Generator, that picks the names at random for you.
 

Do not let the holidays make you feel like you have to spend your last penny. There are so many alternative options out there to help you save money, from gift giving to decorating and cooking that will help you keep your budget in tact. And in the blink of an eye the holiday season is over, but what better way to start your holiday savings for 2015?!
 

Happy Holidays Everyone!