It’s hard to believe that the Christmas season is upon us. While I am not one of those people who likes to overlook Thanksgiving {it is one of my very favorite holidays} and head straight into Christmas celebrations, when it comes to paying for all those Christmas gifts on your list, it definitely requires some planning and preparations. Otherwise, you will be tempted to pull out your plastic and you guys know how we feel about that.
So with the holidays upon us, I thought it might be fun to share a bit about how we budget for the Christmas season. Can you believe it’s about 6 weeks away? Where did fall go?
1. Determine your budget.
Ideally, I’d like to get in the routine of putting little bits of money aside all year long so that we have a hefty stash built up by the time Christmas rolls around, but we haven’t gotten to that point yet. The past couple of years, we’re usually doing pretty good to start putting money aside the 2-3 months leading up to Christmas. It has managed to work so far, but with us having small kids who aren’t very expensive to buy for, we realize we may need to be more diligent about saving as toys get more expensive.
Whatever the case me be, decide on how much you can spend. If money is really tight, that’s okay. Remember that Christmas is about family, love, relationships, and the birth of Jesus, not how expensive your gifts are. If you can spend more, then that’s great too. Either way, just as with your monthly budget, I’d recommend you put it on paper. There’s something about putting pen to the paper {or in our case typing it into our spreadsheet} that makes it more official.
2. Make a list of the people you’ll be buying for.
This might sound simple or overly obvious, but sometimes gift giving can be downright overwhelming and list making is the only way to ensure you don’t forget someone. With that being said, don’t feel like you need to give to every single person you’ve ever come in contact with over your lifetime. Give as you feel led, but don’t give out of guilt or obligation. There’s just no way you can give to every single person and that is okay {or just give gifts of food or a nice note instead}.
With my list of people to give to, I also like to try to set estimates on how much I can spend on each person. You can certainly spend a little more or less than you plan on if it fits within your overall budget, but at least you have a starting point when beginning your shopping.
3. Keep it simple.
I am becoming more and more furstrated by all the chaos and clutter that oftentimes accompanies the Christmas season. The older I get, I see how far we’ve gotten from the true meaning of the season and I have to fight to keep it simple.
Rather than buy something just to buy, I like to take the time to find something that is useful, practical, or that I know they really will enjoy. I hate the thought of adding to someone’s clutter by just “throwing a gift at them,” so I try to stick with items I have heard the person mention they might want or something they will use or consume. That might not sound like fun, but I hate the thought of buying gifts I know will be in the Goodwill bin or at the bottom of the toybox within weeks.
As for our children, we have opted to buy them 4 gifts each based on these categories – something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read. I have found it keeps us from going crazy while also being intentional with the gifts we choose to give them. I want them to have at least one fun toy, but I also like educational or practical items as well so this has worked well for us so far. Even if 4 items doesn’t seem like much, by the time it’s all said and done, they are spoiled rotten by other family members and they are lacking for nothing.
4. Buy with cash.
Just as I’m becoming more and more of a cash proponent with our regular budgeting, I have also seen that cash helps us keep us in check with our Christmas spending. Once the cash is gone, then we know Christmas shopping is done. That cash envelope is like our “line in the sand” and causes us to put a stop to it. I don’t know about you, but if I’m not careful, I will buy random things for stockings or “one last small item for _____________” up until the last second just because it’s easy to get caught up. After all, shopping is fun, right?!!
Not only that, but it ensures that we are not dealing with paying off debt after Christmas. Not fun! Christmas should be a joyful time of giving guilt-free and I have found that using cash helps us in that effort.
Yes!! These are all great tips, but what I especially try to avoid during Christmas is not just "throwing a gift at someone" simply for the sake of a gift. We're in the position of being the newlyweds with nothing in comparison to my in-laws and grandparents, and I don't want to buy them one more random, pretty, semi-useful thing to clutter up their houses….it's hard to figure out what to do when you have a few people who really don't seem to need or want anything specifically! So then I get into the realm of giving them picture books of their grandkids, or giving them an experience like a special meal out with us instead of something impersonal which will just end up being another piece of clutter!
I think pictures, experiences, or subscriptions are great ideas – especially for people who seem to have everything they want or need. For a few years, my mom gave me a subscription to a magazine and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was to cheap to buy it for myself, but really enjoyed reading it each month.