Christmas talk ... in July?
The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. I love shopping for the perfect gift, attending parties, and eating my way through the holiday season! BUT all of these activities lead to a plum calendar and heavy holiday expenses which can strip away the holiday cheer.
- On average, consumers charged 65 percent of their holiday spending.
- More than 4 in 10 put more than half of their holiday expenses on their credit cards, and one-third charged all of their expenses.
- 40% of people are still paying off holiday debt 7 months later.
Let's change that!
This year, my goal is to help you avoid the holiday expenses debt trap with 2 tools:
- Holiday Budget Planner (Click to download)
- Savings Buckets
Holiday Expenses You Probably Forgot About....
- Holiday “Magic” – tree, lights, decorations, wrapping paper
- Food for parties or holiday dinners
- Travel expenses
- Entertainment – shows, movies, drinks with co-workers
- Clothing – for you and/or the kids
- Holiday Cards
If you want to avoid the same patterns of behavior from the ghosts of Christmas past, you need to be willing to do something different this year.
If you are committed to changing your financial habits & avoiding the January blues here is your 3 step plan:
1) Open a separate savings account
Open a separate savings account just for your holiday funds. I talk about saving buckets in almost every newsletter. It might be overkill to some, but I’ve seen the magic it has brought to so many clients. Consider a client favorite, Ally Bank.
What are savings buckets? READ MORE
2) Download the Holiday Budget Planner
Now is the time to understand the financial impact the holidays bring and paint a picture of what you want it to look like. This can feel a bit overwhelming, so I wanted to gift you my Holiday Budget Planner. Complete this now, so you too can know what the holiday season costs you.
3) Automate it
Every month, STARTING NOW, automatically fund your new savings account/bucket. Watch this grow for the next six months and enjoy a financially stress-free holiday season.
The Bottom Line:
I will be real here; the holiday season can get expensive, leading to unwanted stress. However, if you follow the steps I outlined above, there is a way to eliminate the holiday financial stress.
I love talking about this topic because the holidays come around every year, so we get a chance to predict the expenses associated with it. Shifting your thinking to anticipate future expenses and prepare for them is a huge step you can take to righting the ship of your spending and financial future.
Cheers to your holiday financial success,
Meet MicKallyn
Hi, I’m Mickallyn, a Mortgage Lender/Banker turned Financial Coach. When student loans put me in debt, I knew I didn’t want to live the rest of my life paying them off, so I figured out how to pay them all off in just a year. Now I have zero debt, 3 homes, 4 college degrees and am raising two little boys. I’ve traveled to over 22 countries and live a debt free life. I’m committed to helping others do the same through 1 on 1 coaching and personalized plans that actually work.
