this wasn't in the plan |but life is still pretty good

This is the first post in a series that help you start thinking about Christmas preparations.  Be sure to subscribe to my feed so you won't miss a future post! 

Christmas is still (only?) three months away, but now is the time to start looking at your finances and figure out how you'll pay for Christmas.  Decide out how much you can afford to spend on holiday related expenses.  Perhaps you've been saving a little bit here and there throughout the year, if so, great, you've got a good starting place!  If not, look at your prospective income and expected expenses for the next few months and figure out how much extra you might have to spend at Christmastime.   If that number isn't what you'd like it to be,  you could try and find some ways to earn some alternate income but the easiest thing would probably be to skip some things in the next few months (like dining out, for example) and put that money toward December expenses. 

Besides gifts, here are some things you may need to include in your Christmas Budget:

• Christmas cards and postage stamps
• Extra groceries if you expect company
• Extra groceries if you plan on doing lots of baking
• Travel expenses

Include these in your projected budget now and there will be no surprises come December!


Did I forget anything?  Is there anything else you like to include in your Christmas budgets?  How do you save money for Christmas?