4 Reasons to Start Thinking About Christmas – Now

Do you know what you’re buying for Christmas yet? Do you have your dinners plans ready?

If you're reading this and it isn't November or December, then you are at the right place!

Why on earth would I want you to think about Christmas this early in the year?

Your budget requires it.

Establishing a Christmas budget now is important.

The key to a successful budget is thinking and planning ahead. I too am tempted to tuck away the ornaments and lights, shove receipts in a box and forget about the commercial side of Christmas until at least October.

However, if you want to have a successful Christmas, without stress and debt, NOW is the perfect time to get started.  

Here’s why:

#1 – You’ve got fresh, relevant data.  If it is early in the new year then you just finished shopping, hosting parties, traveling, and baking.  How much did you spend?  Even if you don’t have every receipt there’s a better chance you can recall rough numbers no than trying to wait until July.

#2 – You have time.  If you spent $600 this past Christmas that means, if you start your savings envelope you have a full 12 months to save.  That’s $50 each month tucked aside for December.  If it is July, you need $100 a month. But even if you don't have $100 a month you still have five full months to save something toward Christmas expense.

#3 – Money saved means money saved.  Have you ever found something in June that you know would make the perfect Christmas gift for someone?  Did you buy it?  Did you actually have money budgeted or it or did you just buy it because it was an awesome deal on a great gift?  By starting your Christmas savings envelope now you’ll have money budgeted so when you find a bargain in the summer you can scoop it up without dipping into other areas of your budget or using a credit card.

#4 – Less stress, more focus.  Some people stand firm in their decision to not buy into the commercialization of Christmas and don’t buy gifts.  Personally, I believe we can buy gifts for those we love and still celebrate the birth of Christ.  When you have and stick with a Christmas budget as the holidays approach in late 2014 you can relax and focus on the birth of our Savior and feel less stressed about where you’re coming up with the money to buy gifts.

To help you establish your Christmas budget you can use these free Holiday Budget Worksheets.

This free printable will allow you to track what you spend this holiday season or, if it is early in the year, you can calculate what you just spent and use that to determine how much you need to tuck away each month toward the upcoming holidays. 🙂