The holiday season is almost here. Fun times are ahead with family and friends, along with a break from the hustle of work and the monotonous routine life, plus a lot of expenditure! Holidays call for buying gifts for your family and close friends, and of course, giving yourself a taste of that special treatment.
But, wait, are you dreading the empty wallet already? Don’t lose sleep over how you will manage the additional expenses. This article shares with you some smart tips to effectively plan your budget for the holidays and can tell you how to avoid spending too much.
Decide how much you can spend
Thanksgiving is around the corner, and by now you must have got a clear idea about how much can you afford to shell out for the holidays. Consider all probable expenses this year, your savings patterns and any cash requirements in the beginning of the next year before you fix on a budget. Keep it realistic. Too high and you will regret later, and too low budget will mean you don’t get any good gifts and end up spending more money in frustration.
After you have finalized a number, further split it to allocate a specific amount to different things. It is a smart idea to have a small fund reserve to be used just in case you overrun the decided budget. But, ensure that you don’t end up spending recklessly, thinking you have a special backup fund to splurge on.
Avoid spending too much on self-indulgence
It is indeed very difficult to control yourself from buying new clothes, shoes, or that brand new handbag, especially when the shops are offering attractive Thanksgiving or Christmas discount offers. You can somewhat neutralize the holiday expenses by restricting how much you spend on self-indulgence.
So, before you buy anything, ask yourself if you really need it. And this goes for all your lavish plans like weekend movie plans, massages, spa and hitting the bar every night. A photo with Santa Claus in the mall is an exception. But don’t send it to all your friends as a holiday postcard!
Make a Gift-List and stick to it
This might sound so trivial right now, but it will definitely be a life saver as Christmas comes closer. Since you still have a couple of weeks, decide in advance the people you want to buy gifts for and what would you like to get them. While some people make this list and allocate the budget accordingly, it should ideally be the other way round.
When you already set the maximum amount you can spend for each of your loved ones, you can easily decide upon the gifts you can afford to buy for them. Do not stress too much on buying expensive gifts for your family and friends. The idea is to share love and joy, not to win the “Most Expensive Gift Competition”.
Buy your gifts well in advance
Now that you have a gift list ready, you can start hunting for the perfect gifts well in advance. Many stores offer a pre-holiday discount during this time. Buying gifts online in bulk is also a great way to keep your expenses within the budget.
If you are keen on giving personalized gifts, you can look for affordable options online. The benefit of starting early is that you have enough time to find the best deal. Also, you won’t end up buying any random expensive gift in the end, just a day before Christmas.
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