Can you believe December is actually here??

 

I cannot!  My grandmother used to say the days can drag on but the years just fly by!  I am here to say she was not wrong! 

 

Welcome to the Holiday Season – the time of year that many of us scramble to buy those gifts and prepare enough food to feed a entire lacrosse team alongside our own family.  We set early alarms or stay up way past our bedtime to wrap gifts, shop online, google new recipes and check our checking accounts and credit limits . . . Do you ever wonder why? I do and I got to thinking . . .

 

What if we could reduce the financial burden that the holidays can bring?  What if we could stop throwing food that no one will ever eat in the garbage?  What is we could give ourselves the gift of financial peace?

 

Let’s see what this might look like! I am sure that we all have felt the “pressure” to buy that hot toy or game or sweater for our children, siblings, parents and spouses. What if we just decided we are not going to that this year? What if we acknowledge the pressure of what the Jones’ are buying is not my problem and just decide not to create debt this year? 

 

Make a plan!  Who do you want to buy gifts for? Do you have a spending limit/person? Have you already acquired gifts for your kids or spouse?  Do not forget about these!  Set limits for yourself.  Dare I say, create a “budget” for the holidays.  And for the holidays for next year and pay yourself monthly so you have some cash for this moving forward. Keep an ongoing list of how much you have spent as you buy. 

 

How about homemade gifts?  Have everyone get together and brings ingredients for a cookie bake.  Or bring fruit and make jams or jelly.  It’s a great way to spend time together and create traditions.  And everyone gets to take home the goodies.

 

Try experiences! You can invite everyone to an “date” with you instead of buying a gift.  You can create or buy coupons and invite everyone to an experience with you.  This can spread out your spending and create opportunities to spend time with each other doing something customized for each of your loved ones.

Getting help.  You can work with a bookkeeper, accountant or financial planner to help you get organized by the end.  It is a very worthy opportunity to put some key tools into motion to create a different plan for 2026. Being organized is always going to reduce stress and keeps on giving! 

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Doreen M Letofsky | Your Bookkeeper with 💜