Are You Overwhelmed by the Cost of Christmas?
Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time, but for some people the holiday brings more stress than good cheer. In a recent survey by financial services provider Think Finance, 45 percent of the respondents said that the holiday is so financially taxing they wish they could just skip it.
As a reformed holiday over-spender, I can understand their stress. The spending is a blast, the credit card debt is not. Throughout my 20s, I didn’t know the word budget when it came to the holidays. I always splurged on big gifts for my hubby, and I went overboard on the food and wine at every party we hosted.
Now in my mid-30s, I’m smarter (and more realistic) about what I can spend during the holidays. Chris and I will exchange gifts, but they will be in the $25 range. We’ve learned to put an emphasis on meaningful instead of expensive. We’ll buy thoughtful gifts for our families, but we’ll stick to a budget. And we’ll spoil our son Mason a little bit, but we’ll try not to go overboard.
Even though I’m a more responsible holiday spender now, I don’t regret my splurge phase. It was temporary, and I learned some important lessons about why budgeting is important.
What’s your holiday spending style? Are you budget-conscious, or do you tend to splurge now and pay back later?
More Must-Clicks from The Nest:
4 Steps to Budgeting for the Holidays Now
20 Tricks for Entertaining on a Budget
Making Inexpensive Outside Christmas Decorations
CasaSugar
Simply Stated
The Bump blog
The Knot blog
The Married Chick on MSN Living
Wedding Channel
