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

Contrary to what you've seen on this blog recently (i.e. nothing), money has been on my mind an awful lot lately. Namely, that big holiday that is quickly coming near. One of the savings accounts that hasn't been touched at all this year (despite the car buying and the medical bill paying) is the Christmas savings account. Well, I take that back, but the only reason it's been touched is so it can grow. Each month a set amount transfers out of our main checking accounts into that account. So easy.

In previous years I've come up short when it came to saving for Christmas. I never quite socked away enough. It's never been really a big deal, we still don't even come close to going into debt to pay for it, but it's annoying.  Last year, I took a really good look at everything I spent on Christmas related expenses (and by everything, I mean even the extra groceries and stamps for the Christmas cards) and upped that monthly amount that gets transferred into the Christmas savings account. So, I have high hopes that this year will be different!

I know how much I have to spend on Christmas from here on out. But past experience tells me that I need a detailed plan to make it work, and often that's the part that I'm not so good at.

Have you started planning your Christmas shopping lists yet?