HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING BUDGET TIME…

Holiday gift giving budget time... I know what you're thinking... TOO SOON!!!... Is it though? I walked into Costco on Curtis to deposit my mandatory bi-weekly minimum $200 and there it was... Almost a full row of Christmas decorations. Trees of different varieties, a giant sleigh, Christmas lights, Light up candy canes, and of course Christmas cookies. All of this made me go into a panic as I realized how much money I need to get through the holiday season. I started thinking about what to buy my siblings and more specifically my sister who is always more expensive to shop for... LOL. My parents always deny that they want presents but of course there has to be a budget line for them as well. The key word here is budget so here are some tips on how to create and follow a Christmas budget this holiday season according to everydollar.com.

1. Plan how much you’ll spend this year.

The average American’s holiday spending is around $1,000. You should never feel pressured to spend that much—or more, or less! The amount you should spend is based on what you make, what you’ve saved, and what you can move around in your budget to get the jingle-bell job done. So crunch some numbers and see how much you’ve got to elf around with this year.

2. Create a spreadsheet.

This will allow you to develop a plan that you can stick too.

3. Track your spending as you go.

Want to know how you don’t overspend? You track. You track hard. You track often.You must keep up with all your spending as you go.

Three easy steps that will keep you from blowing your savings this holiday season. Easy being the operative word.