Here’s how not to overspend this Christmas

With less than 100 days left until Christmas now is a good time to start planning for the holiday season, especially the financial side of it.

Here are two reasons why now is a good time to plan to spend less and get organized to avoid the stress and anxiety that is inevitably a part of Christmas.

Make it a debt free Christmas

If you want to avoid overspending this Christmas, plan on spending only cash for everything.

Sit down this weekend and put together a list of everything you anticipate spending money on during the Christmas Holidays.  Besides the presents you will need to budget for pantry items, party essentials, beauty appointments, home décor and maintenance, children’s activities, business and church functions, travel plans or any extra entertainment. Prepare a pretty detailed list and attach an estimated cost associated with these things. Add it all up — this will give you a good idea of how much you will be spending.

 If it looks daunting and you determine that you can’t afford this list, sit down and revamp the list until you get to a place that is financially doable. You may have to scale back on the amount of gifts you buy or the amount of access food and entertainment but at least you will have the budget in hand before December arrives and you have a few months to start getting some of the items you will need. Consider planning a gift exchange instead of buying for everyone — now is plenty of time to organize a gift exchange and allow everyone a few months to shop wisely.

You should not have to bankroll your Christmas by running up your charge card and dipping into your savings or emergency funds. With a few months to go before December you can take advantage of the specials and sales, and this includes pantry items. 

Get organized

There is a great deal of chores associated with Christmas so get out your calendar and start organizing your schedule. Decide what needs to be done, what events you will be attending, what events you will be hosting, any baking and cooking you will be doing and prepare a list of what you need to do or to purchase in preparation — based on your budget of course. 

Also schedule home maintenance and cleaning in advance of December so that you are not rushing at the last minute to get everything done. You can do a schedule by hand and post it somewhere or use your computer — there are even Christmas planners available on the Internet.

Do not let the holidays sneak up on you. Planning ahead gives you the opportunity to have everything pretty much organized before the season starts so that you can enjoy the holiday spirit without all the stress that goes into getting everything done. Remember to let your planning and spending reflect your values and your real financial situation. By planning ahead you can do less and spend less and enjoy the holiday season more. 

Honey Adams Bell is the education officer for Consumer Affairs. If you would like to ask Consumer Affairs a question, e-mail [email protected].