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Up to 75% off! Everything on sale now! How can we shield ourselves from the marketing madness this holiday season? It seems that stores are marketing to customer earlier and earlier each year.
From commercials on TV, to radio advertisements, to signs in the mall, we are constantly being told we cannot have a meaningful holiday unless we buy lots of stuff. Millions of dollars are spent by companies each year teaching their front-line people how to dress, talk, and walk in order to influence you to buy. The worst part about that for the consumers is that it really does work. Dave Ramsey says, “If you ever are to get control of your financial life, you must learn to “just say no” to buying.” Buying things is not bad but buying too many things with money we do not have is very bad.
This year for the holidays plan to celebrate the holidays without breaking the budget. No matter what holiday you celebrate, make a plan on how much you can afford, and then work very hard to stay within your budget. Here are some ways to making the holiday’s special without paying too much.
1. Speak up! Most likely, your siblings want to cut spending also.
2. If you have lots of nieces and nephews, buy gifts only for the children.
3. Understand the dangers, fees, and interest charges you might be paying for buying with credit cards.
4. When you are buying gifts for the family, be careful the child within you does not walk out with a few items for themselves.
5. Set a $10 or $20 limit and create gifts for each other.
6. Take children shopping at the dollar store or thrift store.
7. Make gifts certificates like favorite home cooked meal and DVD movie.
8. Flash your cash and ask for a better deal.
9. Reward yourself. If you spent less than your holiday budget, celebrate by using the extra money to purchase something for yourself. This is a great motivation to stay within your budget throughout the holiday season.
10. Volunteer and give more during this holiday season. When you do, everyone involved will get a deeper appreciation of that special gift that God gave to us that first Christmas morning.
The spirit of the Holidays last so much longer if the payments does not follow you into January. Stephen covey says “If you want to achieve what you’ve never achieved before, you MUST start doing things you’ve never done before.”Make a plan today to win with your finances and do not overspend this season.
The next article will be about starting the New Year by setting financial goals that you can truly achieve. Let me know how you plan on making the holiday special without spending too much. You can email me at ed@finnertyfinancialcoaching.com. Each person who submits an entry will be entered into January’s raffle to give away over $50.00 in resources.
Ed Finnerty
Finnerty Financial Coaching
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