Simple Things You Can Do Now to Avoid the Holiday Stress

 

I’m not going to lie and say I don’t stress… but I stress LESS NOW than I USED to. Definitely much less.

 

I don’t think we can say you’ll be Stress FREE but we can totally try to have a LESS stressful Holiday Season.  Get organized and plan NOW. Write things down, and don’t procrastinate.   It’s the middle of October… and we know that Halloween isn’t here YET, but Christmas will fly up on us FAST.

You don’t have to be able to afford a sitter.  You just have to get creative.  Do you have a group of moms you are close to?  By planning now you guys can set up to where one Mom (or Dad) can handle the herd of kiddos and you can each take turns for a few hours.  A few hours of KID-LESS planning, shopping, cooking, gift wrapping will make all the difference in the world.  Email, Call or Stalk them now to set it up and get it planned. 

 

No friends?    Then start buttering up the family.  Trust me, with enough warning most times you’ll be able to get babysitters for free.

Yes you’ve heard it before and we’ve said it before but a list is going to help keep you on track.  List for gifts, lists for dishes to prepare, etc.

 

You might even want to make a pantry list NOW – if you plan on baking, start noting what you will need over the next few weeks.

 

That way you can prepare NOW, and stay out of the store the closer we get to Thanksgiving.

Yes — it IS October but sales are all around us!  Do you serve wine for your family dinners or vodka?  We’ve been seeing some great deals and its great to incorporate that now into your weekly budget.  

 

Do you plan on baking?  We’ve been and will continue to post ideas and deals we find in the upcoming weeks.  Do you remember the 10 lb bags of flour at the 99 Cent store?  I mean you can’t beat those deals.

 

Also check the deals we post and shop online!  Nothing sweeter than bypassing the busy malls and stores this year then by having your UPS man bring them to your door.

IF you have room in your freezer (or if you WILL) it’s great to make some stuff AHEAD.  Do you make your own cranberry sauce?  There are so many things you can make NOW in preparation to family dinners that with proper storage (good tight containers) no one will know the difference!

 

Check out these 24 Make Ahead Thanksgiving Items you might be able to get a head start on.

Money is a huge stressor so you want to make sure to handle that upfront. 

 

There is nothing wrong with saying “No, sorry I can’t host this year….” or, “Sorry we can’t bring that but I can bring this. ….”

 

Also stick to your Christmas List to avoid spending more.  Can’t afford gifts?  How about baking or homemade gifts?  Remember its the thought that counts (and if they don’t agree well that’s their problem not yours).  Get the Dave Ramsey Book “Total Money Makeover”.  Pick up his Envelopes on Amazon.

 

Read his book.   

 

Find a Financial Peace University Course at a local Church.

 

Change your mindset.  

 

 

Don’t use your card. Cards. Unless of course they are gift cards.

 

Remember that kids tend to forget THINGS but remember events.  (Ask my kids what they GOT last year for Christmas, and they will give you blank stares. But… they WILL tell you they went ice skating many times in downtown Phoenix…)

 

There is nothing worse than the Holiday Hangover.  The week or month after the holidays when the bills hit and you are flat on your butt broke.  That’s not how you want to start the year.  

You can start now or wait until the day after Christmas to start – the most important thing is STARTING. Right?  If you put a little away by this time next year you can have close to $,1500 to spend for the holiday season.

 

Our chart below only goes on years – but we have 14 months until Christmas 2016. Yes, I know that’s FAR off. But that’s how you get ahead.

 

All it takes is $25 per week {$100 per month} — discover ways to FIND that $25… use our last post for HELP in that area. By the time December 25, 2016 rolls up you will have $1,250 if not a little more.

 

You can use that to take the kids to LEGOLand…. perhaps Catalina Island in California. Maybe even drive up to Yellowstone.