I can't believe the title to this post! Holidays, already?! It's never too early to start preparing. With the kids heading back to school next week, the holidays will be here before we know it. Are you going to be financially ready? If I continue on the spending track I've been on the answer is definitely NO. We have had so many unexpected expenses lately that I really need to buckle down, curb the spending, lower the budget, and start saving more. Kyran's birthday and Christmas will be here soon and I want to be as prepared this year as I have been the past few years.
Here are my steps for getting holiday ready:
Start a gift list.
Like last year, I plan to keep a running list of Christmas and birthday gift ideas. I keep a list on the refrigerator so we can jot down ideas as they come to us. I also like to keep a board on Pinterest for easy access to online purchases. These are great ways to keep track of items I want to buy and for family members to get inspiration for potential gifts.
Keep an eye out for those free deals!
Now is a great time to start looking out for those free promo codes. Last year I scored tons of free gifts - calendars, mugs, mouse pads, large prints, personalized wooden gifts. Order them now and store them away. These also make great last-minute hostess gifts.
Reduce the budget.
This one is serious. I have gotten careless about spending and lazy about my deal hunting lately. Time to save some extra cash. I plan to reduce the grocery budget by $20 per week and limit eating out to once a week. That could result in over $700 in savings by Christmas! That is HUGE. And a pretty simple step. In order to cut down the grocery budget, I will need to set aside about an hour a week to prepare a weekly meal plan, shop the sales ads, and clip coupons. Not too bad.
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