3 Steps For A More Enjoyable and Affordable Holiday Season!

We have the holidays upon us, so I thought this would be the perfect to talk about holiday spending, planning and sanity.

I love to think of the last quarter of the year as a time of celebration and spending extra time with the ones that I love. But it has become such a stressful time of year for American’s. Why? Maybe it is because of the amount of money we are spending to celebrate.

From October to New Year’s American’s spend $1.5 trillion, yes, I said trillion dollars on four holidays. That averages out to about $12,000 per household. Wowzer!!! That is a lot of money for four days out of the year. No wonder we are so stressed about the holidays.

So, what can we do about it? How can we make it more enjoyable, less stress and less costly?

The first thing I would say it to remember that gifts do not equal love. Nothing beats quality time with our loved ones and that is what these holidays are supposed to be about. We have made these holidays about gifts, and I think we need to take a step back. Hold on, before you givers start to curse me. I am a giver too. I love to give gifts – it is my love language. I am not suggesting that you do or don’t give gifts, but to remember what is important.

Here are three steps you can take to have a holly jolly holiday.

1. Create a plan. Make a list of what holidays you are celebrating and who or what you are buying for. For example, let’s use Christmas. Make a list of who you are going to buy for and then put an amount next to each name (this is a huge eye opener because we spend more than we think). Don’t forget to account for extra food, gift wrapping, decorations, tree, teacher gifts, office parties, etc. We have two months left so you would add it all up and then divide by 2 and save that amount for the next two months.

2. Spending. Go back through your list and see if there is anything you are missing or where you might be able to cut back. Be realistic with yourself. Then take your list with you when you are out shopping and follow through on it. That is where success is at.

3. Set Boundaries. This time of year, we can get a lot of pressure to attend this party and that party and buy gifts. Give yourself permission to say, “No!” Your sanity and wellbeing are important too. If we get too overwhelmed with the holidays, they are not going to be joyful. Have a talk with your friends and family members before hand letting them know of the changes you are making.

Follow these 3 steps for a more enjoyable and affordable holiday season!!!

Dawnette Palmore, Money Coach

Dawnette Palmore is the founder and owner of Your Money On Purpose Coaching where she empowers professional and entrepreneurial women who make great money but don’t know where it goes to gain control of their finances without sacrificing their lifestyle so they can live a financially stress-free life. Dawnette is committed to helping women to thrive in their business and life instead of just surviving.

Through her own mistakes with money, she discovered how to keep vision focused instead of budget focused which has allowed her to get out of debt, save and invest in her future all while enjoying the things she loves.

Since 2015 Dawnette has empowered hundreds of women to create a thriving and profitable business, live their life on their terms and be at peace with their money. When she is not empowering other women, she can be found spending time with her family and friends.

Proverbs Financial Coaching is now Your Money On Purpose Money Coaching

www.proverbsfinancialcoaching.com

Facebook

Youtube

Instagram

Check out Your Money On Purpose Podcast streaming on Spotify or Google Podcast