Getting Ready for Christmas on a Tight Budget: Part 1

Most people approach the upcoming holiday season with happiness.  They are joyfully looking forward to the greeting card perfect Christmas morning, where everyone opens their presents so tenderly and beams of sunshine radiate from everyone's sweet head because everything they received was just perfect; the right size, the right color, the right brand, exactly what they asked for one their realistic list of items truly needed.  That's how it happens, right?   I'm sure everyone has a "Norman Rockwell" Christmas every year!

Wait! What? 

Um, No!  Not in this house!

Hopefully, I'm not alone.

I do truly believe that we can have a joyous holiday season.  We just need to do a few things before we jump right into the buying, making, gifting celebrations.  We need to see just how much we have already, in our minds, committed to doing and buying.

Here's a few things we often leave out of our "Christmas budget":

• money for new clothes for church services or family photos
• money for baking supplies for making all those wonderful treats
• money to buy new lights, new decor that we see and just know would be the perfect addition to what we already have
• money for gift exchanges that our kids might need to participate in for scouts, Sunday School, cheer team, etc.
• money for craft shows, or shopping days out with friends
• money for the tradition of buying each person a new ornament for the tree

And literally the list can go on and on and on.

Your assignment is to think about all of the hidden expenses associated with the holiday season starting with events activities that begin in October and continue with items that will cost you money right on up thru New Year's Day.

I've created a thinking list for you.  You can edit it on your computer or print it out.  If you are solely a "phone user" then you can just answer these questions on paper.  I encourage you to add anything that I might have overlooked that may pertain specifically to your family. 

It might become a little overwhelming but being overwhelmed now and taking care of all of these items will lead us all to the perfect Christmas season.

Printable Thinking Sheet for Preparing for the Holidays: Part 1

You can also download these Kindle Books for more reading preparing for the holiday season: