Countless Americans don’t have a plan for how much they will spend or who they will be buying for this holiday season. What results is we end up with that all too familiar spending hangover with folks paying off those “unforeseen” expenses well into the New Year. Instead, we can avoid that debt by beginning to think and save now (even starting to save now for next year!), and creating a spending plan that includes things like gift budgeting, making cuts to your list of who to include, and tracking your spending. And while you’re making these changes, it’s really important to communicate the reasons why you might be cutting back- you don’t want your friends thinking you hate them! Talking about it with those you care about is an important step and we dive into how to do that effectively.
During this episode we enjoyed a Timely Surrender by Archetype Brewing- another big thanks to Brad and Corina up at Archetype for donating the beers to the show this week! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts- we’d love to hear from you.
Best friends out!
1 comment
Hi guys!
I have been budgeting for gifts for years. In addition to Christmas, I add birthdays and Valentine’s Day. Every paycheck, I put money aside in that column in ledger.
The other time saving and more importantly, stress saving hack is to buy gifts year round. In January, I start looking for the gifts I plan to give throughout the year. When I purchase an item, it goes into my tracker (an airtable.com project) and into a specific closet in my home. I am typically done with Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. That allows me to enjoy the holidays instead of worrying about what I need to purchase.