Christmas on a Budget

It's Christmas, and it is that time of the year that most people have been waiting for to spend with their loved ones. Some have travel plans, and others want to spend in their homes with their families. It is also that time of the year when people spend a lot of money to a point some get bankrupt. According to research, most of the people end up borrowing lots of cash from friends and banks in the month of January and February just because they overspent during that holiday period. In this article, I will help you with some tips on how to enjoy your Christmas period with your family and friends at a budget.

Make a shopping list

Joseph Patrick from Indoor To Outdoor says: “Everybody is expecting and expected to buy a Christmas gift to friends and family. Apart from that, there are lots of goodies that you need to make your Christmas enjoyable, and that is why you need to have a shopping list before starting spending spree. Having a shopping list will help you to buy goods depending on how important they are and ignoring products you feel they do not matter.”

Set a spending limit

During this period, you meet lots of friends and family, and sometimes it becomes hard to reject their request of either going to a night club or fancy hotel since it has been a long time since you two met. Know your limits, be open to your friends and family and friends and reject the offers you feel they are not may go behold your planned budget.

Pay in cash

Paying through mobile money or credit card seems fancy, but at the same time, it might be more expensive than actually paying in cash. It is also easy to be more disciplined when spending with cash over when spending over mobile money or credit cards.

Do your shopping.

Sending someone to do your shopping might incur you extra expenses and that why it is advisable to do your shopping. If you are not buying lots of stuff, you can still do the shopping alone to avoid friends who have poor shopping discipline, encouraging you to buy things that you had not planned for.

Look for discounts

There are many Christmas offers during this period and that why you have to take advantage of that by comparing the prices of different products in different stores. That will give you a precise price list and the ideal store to buy from.

Save on wrapping

The oldest tradition of Christmas gifts is wrapping of gifts, this makes the receiver to be unaware of what the gift is. But if you are working on a budget, you can look for new ideas on the wrapping of gifts, and some store offers that service for free if you request for your gift to be wrapped, and you can also use some old cartoon magazines as wrappers for your gifts.

The Christmas period is the giving period, and that does not mean you have to spend every coin in your account while giving. January is around the corner, and lots of bills are waiting for you. That is why you have to be cautious about how you spend during this period.