The holidays are a special time of year. Family, food, friends and joy. However, the spending adds up fast with travel, groceries and last-minute shopping.Our advice? Plan early to avoid a "Bah! Humbug!" holiday season.
Yep, it's only September, but the sooner you begin preparing, the more enjoyable it will be. The goal for the upcoming holiday season is to keep the joy... and a budget. The University of Phoenix offers tips on how to keep a budget around the holidays.
Here's what we've compiled:
Shop now
Spread out your shopping. Buy presents for people througout the year, so you don't have to buy them all at once.
Buy off-season
Buy winter presents in the spring, and summer items in the fall. For example, TJ Maxx has beautiful long summer dresses and designer sandals for $1 right now. At the beginning of the summer, they were $29.99 each.
Arts & crafts
Make holiday presents, and gifts for your friends. Knitting scarves is very easy, and therapeutic as well. Make fudge for friends, and string popcorn for decor.
Research
Do research before you buy that gift. Look it up on online, and check reviews. Is it the best deal? If not, begin your research again.
Hold a 'holiday potluck'
There's no need to spend money on groceries to feed a tribe. If you are going to have a holiday party, it is perfectly appropriate to hold a potluck!
Use cash
Pocket the credit cards and use cash for holiday shopping, so you don't find yourself in post-holiday credit debt coupled with buyers' remorse.Save
Try to put aside $10 a week for holiday spending. This way it won't be hurting your living budget at all. That's $520 guilt-free dollars to spend come holiday time.
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