An Easy Christmas Budget -

An Easy Christmas Budget

An Easy Christmas Budget will halt the overspending, which is just as much of a temptation as overeating during the Christmas holiday season. With the relentless ads for Christmas goodies everywhere you turn, the mainly self-imposed pressure to ‘keep up with Joneses’ and the ease with which credit cards put all kinds of extras (technically) within your reach it’s a very easy thing to do. What won’t be so easy or enjoyable however is trying to balance your budget and pay off all of these seasonal bills once January 1st has passed.

It is possible to however to enjoy a great Christmas season and still stick to a reasonable budget. It takes a little discipline and planning but it’s not as hard as you might think. Here are some pointers to keep in mind:

Gift Spending Tips

Shop with a List – Shopping with a list helps people stick to a budget on a weekly basis at the supermarket and it can do just the same while Christmas shopping. Keep your list in an old fashioned notebook rather than on your smartphone though, that way you won’t have an excuse for ignoring it. As each item on the list is purchased cross it off and note down the amount you spent on it. And at the end of the day tally up everything spent so that you can really keep an eye on your outgoings.

Shop Online – As the idea of shopping online continues to grow in popularity so does the number of opportunities to do so and the competition for the consumer’s money. At Christmas this now usually means all kinds of bargains can be found with a few mouse clicks and many retailers waive shipping fees during this busy time as well, making these finds even more of a bargain. And you’ll already be saving time and money not heading out in the car to the shops so it may very well be a double win situation.

Think Outside the Box – Maybe your friends don’t really need another bottle of fancy wine. Maybe what they really need is the promise of a reliable babysitter so they can take a night off in the New Year. So why not give them what they want and save yourself a little money at the same time? Gifts don’t have to be things to be appreciated; sometimes the gift of a favour or just your time is far more valuable.

Food Spending Tips

Dig Out Those Coupons

If there was ever a time to actually start using all of those coupons you always mean to (but forget nine times out of ten) then it’s when food shopping for Christmas holidays. If you are not used to couponing you’ll be pleasantly surprised by just how much you really can save and may even pick up a good habit to take into the New Year with you.

Tinned and Frozen are OK

Fresh produce is nice but if buying all fresh is going to bust your budget – which for many is the case – then adding a bit of tinned or frozen food to your Christmas fare is perfectly OK. On the whole tinned and frozen fruit and veg contain all the taste – and nutrients – you are looking for just watch out for added salt and sugar and stick to offerings that don’t have too much of either added.

You Don’t Have to Feed an Army.

The one thing that many of us are stuck with after the Christmas dinner is finished is a lot of leftovers. Rather than making too much this year that you then have to figure out what to do with calculate just enough food to feed everyone without going overboard.

Bake Your Own

Shop bought cakes and treats are easy to buy and tend to look very pretty but they can also really up your budget as well as in many cases your calorie count. By taking the time to bake your own not only will you save money but you can also tweak some of the recipes to make them just a little bit healthier as well.

An Easy Christmas Budget is not really all that hard to achieve, set one up today and look forward to a debt free January.