Making a Holiday Budget and Spending Less

It’s still a bit early in the holiday season and there’s still time to have a strategy, plan and budget for having a happy and cost-effective holiday. A budget can prevent overspending and then the unpleasant consequence of having to painfully constrict expenditures after the holidays to help pay off accumulated seasonal debt. Here are some easy steps to budgeting and spending wisely during the upcoming holiday season:

Make a list of all expected holiday expenses, check it twice and then prioritize it. Predict and plan what you expect to be spending money on this holiday season. This leave-nothing-out list should include purchasing activities such as traveling, buying presents, hosting events (including special food and drinks), taking people out for meals, purchasing new decorations, attending special events  and other seasonal activities. Make the list and then rank the expenses from “must do” to “nice but not necessary” to accomplish.

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