Ah, December. The season of holiday parties, family togetherness, and gratitude for Jesus coming to save us all. These are the blessings of the month.
But there is another side of the last month of the year.
There is stress, both emotional and financial, as you feel obligated to do more than the limited number of hours in your day allows and as you may feel the need to spend more than you have to avoid disappointing people. However, with a few simple strategies, you can bring joy back to the holiday season and maintain your budget.
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more than you can afford based on what you think they will give you.
One year, my husband and I, just newlyweds and broke, bought what we could afford for my family. However, once we saw all of the presents my mom got us, we worried that we hadn’t gotten enough. We were out buying more presents on December 24th. Imagine how sick we felt the next day when we realized half of the presents my mom had gotten for us were items she had purchased at the dollar store just to make it look like she had gotten us many presents. We spent three months paying off those last-minute gifts we purchased when we were playing the comparison game. Don’t make the mistake we did.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the Christmas frenzy. Instead of doing so, stick to your financial plan and enjoy the season rather than giving into the emotional and financial stress.
How do you stick to your budget during the holiday season?
Source: biblemoneymatters.com