Sticking To a Holiday Budget

The holidays are fast approaching, and while it may feel to early to start planning, now is a great time to find deals on gifts and travel. Start your holiday budget now, deciding how much you want to spend on gifts and travel, and then do the shopping before it gets expensive and stressful. However, sticking to a budget isn’t always enough. It can be especially challenging to stick to a gifts and travel bucket when you want to have a picture perfect Christmas. If you don’t want to overspend, though, consider some of the following tips.

1. Create a strict gift budget

Make a list of all the people you want to buy gifts for. Consider how much you can spend on gifts overall, then decide how much you will spend on each person. Once you have your number, you can keep an eye out for gifts that are in your price range. Doing so will help you avoid overspending on individual gifts and maxing out your gift budget before you’ve bought for everyone.

2. Keep an eye out for deals

Once you have a budget for each person, start thinking about what gifts could fit inside that budget. Then you look for deals long before stores increase prices for the holidays. You might also consider looking for gifts during Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

3. DIY your gifts

Use Pinterest or other craft sites to find creative and affordable DIY gift ideas. You could make homemade soaps, candles, or even seed wreaths. You could also use pictures of your children to make a special calendar or coaster for their grandparents. Michael’s sells DIY gift kits to help you make the perfect treat.

4. Spend on experiences

Does your mom enjoy wine? Give her a Groupon or a gift card to tour a local winery or brewery. For friends that enjoy movies, consider purchasing a theater gift card. Many people also enjoy pre-purchased cooking classes, outdoor activities such as zip lining, and painting classes. In the end, experiences are always better than material items, and maybe they’ll even invite you to come along!