As always, a main part of sticking to your budget is developing a plan for your spending. As the seasons change, weather cools down, and holidays approach, I’ve gone ahead and created a rough plan for my predicted upcoming expenses. Here’s how I plan this each year:
- Personal expenses
With the changing weather, I take an inventory on what I need for the upcoming season. This year, I know I need a new coat. My one coat that I’ve had since high school was more than on its last leg last winter, so I’ve already planned this purchase into my budget for this month because it is certainly a need for this year. I have a notes section in my phone that I call “spending” where I sort my predicted expenses out based on my budget.
Another habit I like to put into place for some items that I want but don’t need is to wait until the end of the month to purchase those items. I love a good seasonal candle, but it’s not a need. If it doesn’t easily fit into my monthly budget, I’ll wait until the end of the month to check and see if I’m under or over budget. If I’m under budget enough for the month, I’ll take that as my go ahead to get that item. However, if I’m over budget or cutting it close, I’ll take that as a really good reason to wait.
- Holiday Expenses
Christmas is coming! And it always comes faster than I think. I feel like once we hit November, the weeks start to fly by, especially as a school teacher. As we approach Thanksgiving Break, my students are always just extra full of energy and excitement. Then when we return from break, they’re just absolutely buzzing with the excitement of Christmas and the upcoming break at the end of the semester. Their excitement makes the weeks short and the days entertaining to say the least.
Since I’ve experienced more than one year of Christmas “sneaking up on me” and having to shop at the last minute for gifts for family and friends, I have now gotten into the habit of planning what Christmas gifts I’m going to purchase for each person in October and then trying to get all of the shopping done in November (particularly around Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday). There are so many sales that go on during the month of November, so definitely take advantage of the lower prices on gifts that are on your list and save yourself a little money! It’s the wise and practical way to do Christmas shopping in my opinion.
- December as a Low Spend Month
I personally like to plan for December (and often January as well) to be a no (or low) spending month as far as extra expenses go. To me it’s a good time to slow down at the end of the year and then at the beginning of the new year and save a little extra money for the year ahead. These months naturally seem to be lower spending months anyway. I don’t go out quite as much because of the cold, and I’m spending more time with family over the holiday season. Plus with Christmas traditions and gift giving, once I’ve gotten gifts for everyone on my list, there’s really no need for anything else. It’s a wonderful time to just simply rest, be with family, and enjoy the season.
- Resist the temptation to buy new seasonal decor
Again, make a plan. Be honest with yourself. Seasonal decor is never a need. It’s a want. It is certainly ok at times to buy things that aren’t a need and are just a want when it fits into your budget, but be realistic and shop wisely.
I have tried over the last few years to be very intentional with how I spend my money on seasonal decor. To emphasize, this decor is seasonal, so you should not be spending a ton of money on these things that will only be out for a short amount of time.
Select your holiday decor carefully and consider whether the decor would have been something you would’ve liked last year, will like next year, and will like five years from now. You want these items to be timeless. Trends will always change. Pick what you know you like, not what a trend is influencing you to like.
If you’re starting from scratch with your holiday decor like I was a few years ago, then start small and plan to build your decor over the span of a few years if you’re hoping to have a lot of decor in your home. When I first moved out of my parents’ home in college, I didn’t have much holiday decor, and that was more than ok! I was thankful for what I had. I made sure that the little decor that I was able to purchase felt special and would last me a long time. The idea is to purchase pieces that will last so that you can build on those pieces each year if you want. A little decor really does make such a difference. You don’t need much to feel the holiday spirit in your home.
In summary, the holidays don’t have to be a time that you throw your budgeting goals to the wind. With some thought and effort, you can stay on track with your monthly budget even during the holiday season.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions you have. Let me know if you’d like to hear more on this topic or about something else!
You’ve got this!