So now that Christmas has come and gone and you have actually had a chance to breath what comes next? For most of us we are sitting down and taking a hard look at our budgets, checking accounts and credit card statements...Oh Joy!
Are you the person who stuck to your budget or did you over spend and now find yourself scraping the bottom of the change jar for extra cash?
I admit that I have a hard time sticking to my budget, especially when it comes to my brother (he is so spoiled). This year I promised to stick to a budget on all the family and it worked well. I wanted so bad to buy more stuff for Winston...it was really hard! But after Mark and I put in 1/3 of the money for his truck this year I knew I had to. To my surprise he still loves his sister who spent less money on him for Christmas this year :) He is my money pit, but only because he works hard in school and is for the most part (he is a teenager) a good kid. He will be getting his license in about 2 weeks so we will see how good he does with a little more freedom....LOL
Back to the story.... I stuck to my budget this year Yay for me!!! It's hard to do for all of us... You always feel like you might look cheap or the Christmas tree has less under it, but trust me your family will still love you even if you don't spend every dime on them for Christmas. The only place where my budget had an issue was with our friends....I think we spent a little too much this year, but it is what it is.
What I can say is that it is the last week of December and all the bills are paid and we still have a little cash left. I think that is more than most can say!
If you are one of the people who spent a little too much it's ok, it happens to the best of us from time to time. Now you have to start working on getting your budget back on track. You don't want to start the new year in a financial bind. If your budget is tight find fast money on your wasteful spending...Starbucks, fast food, manicures, and picking up items that are not needed when you go to store. Stay AWAY from your favorite shopping spots!!! This time of year sales can be tempting which will make you buy stuff you don't really need because of the low price. If you over used your credit card over Christmas lock it up or if you really went out of control CUT IT UP....you can always get a new one once you have tackled your balance :) As most of you know I am anti credit card unless you are able to pay your balance in full every month. Our credit card bill is going to be outrageous next month due to end of the year dental work and I used the credit card on stuff for Mom to give her some extra time to pay off her Christmas debt, but either way I can guarantee it will be paid in full!!!! Keep in mind if you don't pay your card in full you are paying interest on everything you bought which means you spent even more on your Christmas gifts :( Tackle your budget shortfall as soon as possible and work hard to get back on track even if it means going without some of your favorite things!
Now if you are like me and done well and have some money left over why not start planning for next Christmas. I have already picked up a few gifts for next year, and put them away. I usually never do any Christmas shopping before Black Friday, but for once I am making a change. Why? Because even if you have a budget and stick to it you can still have a hard time will the extra expenses at the end of the year. Case in point for us we had some stuff come up...Our AC unit had to be repaired to the tune of $200, and then my car had to have breaks $50 both unexpected right here at Christmas time. Stuff like this can stress you out in a hurry! So I am going to pick things up here and there that I know the people I buy for will like and save myself a little hassle at the end of the year. Of course only when I find them for AWESOME prices :)
Are you the person who stuck to your budget or did you over spend and now find yourself scraping the bottom of the change jar for extra cash?
I admit that I have a hard time sticking to my budget, especially when it comes to my brother (he is so spoiled). This year I promised to stick to a budget on all the family and it worked well. I wanted so bad to buy more stuff for Winston...it was really hard! But after Mark and I put in 1/3 of the money for his truck this year I knew I had to. To my surprise he still loves his sister who spent less money on him for Christmas this year :) He is my money pit, but only because he works hard in school and is for the most part (he is a teenager) a good kid. He will be getting his license in about 2 weeks so we will see how good he does with a little more freedom....LOL
Back to the story.... I stuck to my budget this year Yay for me!!! It's hard to do for all of us... You always feel like you might look cheap or the Christmas tree has less under it, but trust me your family will still love you even if you don't spend every dime on them for Christmas. The only place where my budget had an issue was with our friends....I think we spent a little too much this year, but it is what it is.
What I can say is that it is the last week of December and all the bills are paid and we still have a little cash left. I think that is more than most can say!
If you are one of the people who spent a little too much it's ok, it happens to the best of us from time to time. Now you have to start working on getting your budget back on track. You don't want to start the new year in a financial bind. If your budget is tight find fast money on your wasteful spending...Starbucks, fast food, manicures, and picking up items that are not needed when you go to store. Stay AWAY from your favorite shopping spots!!! This time of year sales can be tempting which will make you buy stuff you don't really need because of the low price. If you over used your credit card over Christmas lock it up or if you really went out of control CUT IT UP....you can always get a new one once you have tackled your balance :) As most of you know I am anti credit card unless you are able to pay your balance in full every month. Our credit card bill is going to be outrageous next month due to end of the year dental work and I used the credit card on stuff for Mom to give her some extra time to pay off her Christmas debt, but either way I can guarantee it will be paid in full!!!! Keep in mind if you don't pay your card in full you are paying interest on everything you bought which means you spent even more on your Christmas gifts :( Tackle your budget shortfall as soon as possible and work hard to get back on track even if it means going without some of your favorite things!
Now if you are like me and done well and have some money left over why not start planning for next Christmas. I have already picked up a few gifts for next year, and put them away. I usually never do any Christmas shopping before Black Friday, but for once I am making a change. Why? Because even if you have a budget and stick to it you can still have a hard time will the extra expenses at the end of the year. Case in point for us we had some stuff come up...Our AC unit had to be repaired to the tune of $200, and then my car had to have breaks $50 both unexpected right here at Christmas time. Stuff like this can stress you out in a hurry! So I am going to pick things up here and there that I know the people I buy for will like and save myself a little hassle at the end of the year. Of course only when I find them for AWESOME prices :)
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