How I’m Managing My Finances During Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, although our wallets may not have that same opinion. There are so many things to love about the Christmas season, from the beautifully decorated homes, to spending time with loved ones. If we aren’t careful we can get too caught up in the magic of it all and forget about our everyday things we should focus on, like managing our finances during Christmas. 

Christmas can get pricey if you aren’t paying attention to where your money is going. That’s why it’s a good idea to go into this holiday season with a game plan in mind. Today I wanted to share with you my plan for managing my finances during Christmas and the extended holiday season, I’m covering everything from normal day-to-day expenses, to decorations and presents. 

How I’m planning to manage my finances during Christmas:

Cut Out All Unnecessary Bills

That’s right, it’s time to say goodbye to Netflix, Spotify Premium, any monthly subscription boxes you get, etc., at least for a month. See if you can pause your memberships, or skip a month, instead of canceling. Some services allow you to do that now, and that will save you the hassle of re-subscribing later.

The holiday season can be a busy one, so odds are you won’t even miss those subscriptions. If you can’t see yourself cutting off all of those extras, my rule of thumb is to keep the one you use the most. For example, Netflix has a lot of Christmas movies. If you watch a lot of movies this time of year, you could most likely justify keeping Netflix. 

The goal of doing all of this is to save as much money as you can to make up for the extra spending that comes with the Christmas season. Managing your finances during Christmas will save you some stress going into the new year after the holidays are over. 

Figure Out Where Most Of Your Extra Money Goes

We’ve covered our bills, now it’s time to address our extra spending. You know, those items that seem small, but add up to a lot when you truly look at them. Yes, I’m talking about all those Starbucks and fast food runs. 

I’m not saying that you have to cut these out completely. I know I plan on enjoying a peppermint mocha frappuccino, or two, during the Christmas season. What I am saying is that we should be mindful of just how much we buy these things and reduce that amount.

So maybe instead of buying a coffee every day, you could cut it down to once or twice a week. Think of how much extra money you would save by doing this.

Choose Your House Decorating Plans Wisely

This is where I get in trouble the most. I love anything that sparkles and shines. This means I have to control myself when shopping for Christmas home decorations because I will want to buy it all. I’ve been looking at Christmas decorating ideas on Pinterest and TikTok and I’ve found a lot of great things. 

This year I’m picking one or two main decorations to focus on, I’m thinking my tree and maybe a painting or sign to hang on the wall. The rest of the decorations I’m going to try my best to find at a dollar store, or make myself. I am by no means an expert crafter, but at least the process will be fun, and hopefully they will still turn out right. 

One of my favorite decorations to make are snow globes. All you need is a bottle brush tree, fake snow, a glue gun, and a mason jar, or even a plastic container. There are so many DIY decor ideas out there, you can find anything to fit your style!

Pay Attention To The Gifts You Are Giving

If you are trying to be smart with your finances the worst thing you can do is buy gifts on a whim. To prevent this you can do one of two things:

• List out the gifts you want to give this year. Make sure you look around to see which store offers the best price.
• Give yourself a spending limit on each person you are buying a gift for.

By going into a store, or on their website, with a plan, you’ll be less likely to overspend. I also believe that the more thought out the gift is, the more meaningful it is, at least in my opinion. 

I try to focus on the gifts and activities that cost a minimum amount of money. While there is no doubt that the season can get costly, it shouldn’t be our focus. We shouldn’t focus on getting the best gift or having elaborate decorations—that isn’t what Christmas is about. 

I think we all need that reminder this time of year. Regardless of how much you spend this season I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. After the year we’ve had, a holly jolly Christmas is exactly what we need.

Which of these tips will you be implementing this year? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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