Planning for Christmas '08 Now!

How to make next year’s holiday season less stressful and more debt-free. Start by shopping and saving now!

I admit, I over-spent during the holidays, but not by much. This year I planned ahead better than ever before and took advantage of savings. I get cash back from my credit card. So I saved up all year and took the cash in the form of gift cards.(You usually get more that way) My son’s teachers all got $25 book-store gift cards for the holidays. The way I look at it, I got those presents for free!

I also took advantage of buy one-get-one-free deals for other gifts. Still, all those extra holiday tips and last-minute gifts left me a little cash-poor. So this year, I am going to plan for Christmas starting now! I am going to open up a Christmas Club account at the bank and start putting away money for the holidays.

I’m also taking advantage of after-Christmas sales to buy for next year! Sweaters are half-off, so as long as you’re not buying for someone who is still growing, that sweater will make a great gift for Christmas ’08.

My New year’s resolution is to save more. So that extra money in my checking account will go straight into a savings account or certificate of deposit. I’ll earn more interest and that money will no longer be available for me to spend.

I’m not saying I will stick to my holiday spending budget rigorously next year, but hopefully if I start saving now, I’ll have more to spend and I won’t feel as bad if I overdo it just a little!