Let’s Talk About Christmas! (in July?)

Ok y’all, we are less than six months away from Christmas.

I know you’re not ready to think about Christmas trees and sleigh rides while you’re sunnin’ your buns on the beach, but it’s time to take a minute and check in.

Why?

Well, I’m so glad you asked 🙂

We save up for Christmas little by little all year round so that:

1. We don’t go into debt buying gifts
2. Christmas is less stressful
3. We can focus on and enjoy time with family

Good stuff, right?

Here’s Where We Make a List!

Take a few minutes to make a list that will be the start of your Christmas budget. I made up a quick, simple spreadsheet as an example for ya:

Who will you be buying for?

Write down everyone that you will probably buy a gift for this Christmas.

Don’t forget to add yourself to the list if your husband or kids will buy you a gift out of your budget.

Also, add in coworkers or teachers if you buy gifts for them.

How much do you plan to spend on each person?

Estimate how much you will spend on each person on your list.

Think back to last Christmas. Did you plan on spending $20 but ended up spending more like $35? Try to be as realistic as possible with your budget.

Start coming up with gift ideas

Ok, so I’m really bad at coming up with good gift ideas on the fly. I literally keep a document going all year where I write down ideas for what to get other people. If I have to think of something spontaneously, it’s terrible.

If you’re like me, jot down any ideas you think of for things to get each person.

Add in Extras

There can be a lot of extra expenses that go with Christmas other than gifts:

• Christmas cards + postage (stamps add up, man!)
• Special foods
• Travel Expenses
• Party supplies
• Decorations

We have our families over every year for a big soup dinner and gingerbread house making competition. I make sure to add the cost for that into our Christmas budget.

Save that $$$$$

Now you can come up with a total amount for your Christmas budget.

If you haven’t already, start saving that money! You can divide your total by five so that you know how much you need to save each month from now until Christmas.

Don’t let Christmastime be extra stressful or cause you to go into debt. A tiny bit of planning in between trips to the beach can make the holiday season so much more enjoyable.

I’d love for you to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram(for random pictures from my life), and/or Twitter.

You can also Subscribe Via Email in the right-hand column to make sure you don’t miss any new posts.

⇒ Have you started thinking about your Christmas budget yet? Anyone else out there terrible at coming up with gift ideas?

(This post may contain affiliate links)