Have you looked at the calendar? This year is almost done. Halloween is next week and then it hits – the Christmas shopping season. We will likely begin to see those wonderful ads beginning in just the next few days. Retailers, and I have been in Costco and Wal-mart this week, are already stocked up and ready to take your money! Macy’s and others have announced they will be open on Thanksgiving Day (and I would strongly encourage you to boycott them and others who open on that holiday – regardless of the perceived savings). Are you ready?
Every year Christmas sneaks up on people and their finances. Many of my clients are now ready with most, if not all, of the their gift buying money already saved up. Many more already have gifts purchased and, while not wrapped, are ready for a less stressful holiday season.
Are you one of the ones are ready or are you one of those who is wondering how you will pay for it unless it goes on one of the credit cards? I really hope you are ready.
You can still be. I highly recommend you scale back your total giving amount this year if you are unprepared financially. That amount will need to be set aside over the next two months. Build into your budget for November and December one half of that total amount and you can avoid the debt. Obviously, this is much easer when you save through out the year, but now you are in crutch time. The new year is just around the corner and you all have the opportunity to save for the full year then. In early January, I will post another blog to help get you started.
Build your shopping list now and, as a budget, spend that total amount on paper beside each name BEFORE you go shopping and AFTER you have the cash.
For many of you, you are already saying that it is too late to be successful. If that is the way you look at things, you are likely right. For those who say, “you know, I am going to do it debt free this year…” – you WILL BE successful.
This will be my family’s 10th year of debt free Christmas’. They are so much more enjoyable. Try it, you will like it.