Holiday Planning

The Holiday season can be a very stressful time of year.  People put so much pressure on themselves to make everyone happy.  Buying gifts, big meals and even going out of your way to see those you haven’t seen all year.   Most people (excluding the kids) would be happy to forgo most of the gifts and just spend some time enjoying your company.  By now you probably have bought enough gifts and don’t really need that one last extra thing for Uncle Bob or the dog.  The last thing you want to do is overspend and rely on credit cards.  The thought of the January credit card bills can make for a not so happy start to the new year.

It may be too late to save the budget this year (which is not permission to spend more…stop now), but it is the perfect time to look at how much you have spent this year, see where you can maybe cut back and start saving for next year.  If you spend $1,000 on gifts, extra food and such this time of year, then starting in January put away about $90 each month and by November you will have $990 saved.  Now before you start your shopping next year, sit down and make a plan.  Make a list of all the people you wish to buy for and set a budget for each person don’t forget to budget for extra food and drink and even the extra travel expenses you may have.

If you stick to your plan and budget it can relieve one of the big stresses of the Holiday season and make for a much happier new year.

If you need help with your cash flow planning, we are happy to help.  We can sit down and go through your monthly expenses and help you rearrange your finances to make it work better for you.  We can look at current plans as well as future planning to possibly purchase your first home, buy a larger (or smaller) home or doing some renovations, maybe even a vacation.