‘Tis the season: Are your finances ready for a holly jolly Christmas?

It’s that time of the year! Christmas is around the corner and while it is so much fun, it also means it requires a lot of planning, shopping and decorating to get ready with your finances. Christmas can somehow turn from thrilling to tiring if we’re not careful. Planning your finances in advance will make a huge difference as you will be able to enjoy your holiday and prepare for a holly jolly Christmas (yup! that Johnny Marks song).

Deck the halls

Before making a list for Christmas decor, gifts, wrapping paper or other essentials, see what you already have. Throwing away items that cannot be used will save you plenty of time in both purchasing and decorating. You can also categorize them and store them in separate containers with a label to save time later on. Finally, you can make a list of items you need to buy.

Jingle bell rock

You don’t have to wait till Christmas week to make purchases. Most retailers like Amazon and Best Buy are offering early deals that are good as holiday deals. Amazon Prime customers also get more benefits. Other retailers like Target, QVC, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Walmart offer early deals on electronics, sporting gear, fitness and travel deals along with outdoor, home and garden decor. 

Decorating doesn’t just mean Christmas trees or other decorations. Hostess gifts uplift the aesthetics of the house. Consider getting luxury candles, elegant picture frames, bottles of wine, wine stoppers and flowers. If possible, you can also gift them. Once again, don’t forget to organize them with labels to avoid last-minute confusion.

Snow is falling

You can also make your own personalized gifts. These not only cost low but are have more value because of the time and effort you have put in. Home-made gifts are irreplaceable. These include homemade cookies, greeting cards, photo albums, and scented candles.

All I want for Christmas

Christmas card family portraits might sound like a simple task, but it’s not. Choosing the outfits, locations, photographer, booking the session and then getting the cards printed will not happen in a few days. Get these done well in advance and ensure you have updated addresses so you don’t mail the wrong people after all the hard work.

Feliz Navidad

If you are hosting your friends and family at your house, you must calculate and plan logistics, arrangements and expenses. If they need a hotel, start booking before they get filled.

Meanwhile, if you’re shopping online, make sure you’re safe with these steps. Moreover, make sure you get the Christmas celebrations right with our best hacks.

Santa Claus is coming

You will notice a steep difference in the total cost than previous years. Usually, there will be some food items with a price decrease every year, but this year, there is not even one food category where prices have decreased from 2020 to 2021. This is the year you have to spend extra time researching for the best deals.

If you find one store that has discounts on meat and another store with promotions for vegetables, you can save a considerable amount if you buy them in their respective stores. Though you might have the habit of shopping all at once, on a single trip, try moving around to get the best of every deal to save this year.

As always, don’t wait until the last minute as you’ll not get time to compare prices. Finally, take control of your finances and don’t forget to have a Merry Christmas. ‘Tis the season after all.