Tag: Christmas budget

Kickstart Your 2025 with New Habits

smbaccari

New Year, New Habits…???

Here we are at the end of another year!  Why is it that the end of the year is when most of us fall off the deep end and any bad habit we might have is now X10! You start the new year thinking you are going to eat better and be more mindful of your spending so you can save more! BUT we get to December every year and ALL that goes out the window! It’s Christmas Day 2024, and the day is not even over, heck the year is not even over, and I am ready to re-set!

I think I have had my fill of sweets and “grazing” on fun food people have delivered and or sent as a holiday gift. Don’t get me wrong, I love it ALL! That’s the problem. 😊

I am also ready to stop spending my money on all those last- minute stressed out, how did I forget about that person, gifts too. Too much stress! So today. Ok  maybe tomorrow, I will start getting back on my schedule with both food and budgeting. I am approaching 2025 with small steps each week or month to move in the right direction. I am making my to-do list, and I think I will actually LOOK at this list every couple of weeks, so that I can feel guilty IF I do not start getting things checked off this list! The list is the only thing that will keep me accountable, and it will help me work on my mental toughness. 😊 In order to keep the to-Do List reasonable and reachable, I will make the “items” attainable and not be too hard on myself if it takes a few weeks to do them.

I will stay focused on how great I am going to feel if I have one action item a month to complete and let’s say 6 or 7 get done by the end of the year and it sticks as a new positive habit! That would be amazing!

Some of the smaller items will be things like, cancelling a fairly new gym membership that’s just not working for me. I have decided I would rather stay at my old gym.

Another item on the to-do list is to investigate my husband’s cell phone rate. I think they are OVER charging him, a customer, for 10 years vs the current plans they offer existing customers. Cell phone companies lower the plan rates, BUT I think I must reach out to them and ask for that lower rate? Not really sure, but I need to check it out.  These little things you need to watch because they are banking on you NOT paying attention. It’s not nice. ☹Same goes for the Car insurance. I need to re-look at that too!

All these little things that take time and money out of our pockets because the mental energy we need to expand to get these tasks done is painful. The goal in 2025 is to push past this.

I tried this same thing last year, although I did not keep an actual list, I did make some small positive moves in the right direction that I am proud of, like increasing my 401K contributions each month and automating it. It was quick & easy and only a few % points, but it was done! I really did not notice the difference in my take home pay. I also cancelled 2 subscriptions; I was NOT using them.  

I was determined to save money on my cable and wi-fi bill too! Ok that one was very challenging and after 3 hours in the store, I lowered the bill by about $20.00 a month. My goal was $50.00 a month, which did not happen. ☹ BUT if I switched to that provider for my cell phone, I could save $80.00 a month, so I did! Hey, I was not leaving there after 3 hours of my time without a WIN!

Looking back, I guess I did make some positive changes in 2024, and maybe me and everyone else just accepts the fact that December is the one month we go off the rails a little. (key word here) and spend more money than other months, but we spend that money on family/friends and memories….  Enjoy the last week of the year and when setting 2025 goals, keep them realistic so that you can hit those goals and build on that!

Happy Holidays!!!

Are you ready for the Christmas shopping season!?

smbaccari

Well, it’s that time of year again! Oh, sure it’s festive and it’s time off from work, and hopefully it’s time spent with family and friends! BUT it’s also a time of year when most of us go WAY over our typical monthly spending! What’s the answer here? For starters. We need to start with a total dollar amount that we think we can realistically handle. Really think about this….

According to a poll done by LendEDU, the average person will spend $997.00 on Christmas this year between gifts, food and decorations. And according to NERD Wallet 74% of people will use credit cards to pay for those gifts. Nerd Wallet also tells us 52% of people last year incurred credit card debt due to holiday shopping and 1/3 of them are STILL paying it off. Let’s not be one of those people this year!

This is so easy to do, right? We have all been there probably more than once. Maybe this year we REALLY do set a dollar amount on the spending. Hey maybe our challenge is to spend LESS than the Average person ($997) this year! Ya that does not mean we spend $996, 😊

So, what’s the game plan? Let’s really look at “THE LIST” Most of us can cut the list back, or spend less. It’s also OK to tell people early in the season, like now… That you are cutting back and paying off some bills or trying to save more.  You may be surprised at how other people might want to do the same thing and are grateful you said it first!

 One thing that may help these days are those office Christmas Secret Santa Gifts! That feels like something that did NOT come back after the pandemic, Thank God! It was not the money as much as the stress of WHAT to get that EVERYONE would like! Maybe we get thoughtful, yet personal gifts that do not need to cost much. After all it’s the thought… that’s what they say anyway.

The one thing I DON’T want is a huge credit card bill! This year I am going make most of the purchases with CASH.  I will decide on a dollar amount that I can handle with CASH, and then I MUST stay in that Budget. There will be some things I need a credit card for like online purchases. BUT I will also SET a limit on that amount as well.

Another “thing” I personally will also focus on… NOT buying things for myself while I am supposed to be buying for others! Come on you do it too! You see a great deal on boots, and it’s like, I NEED these, and they are on SALE! Merry Christmas to me! Ok none of that this year. 😊

They say “experiences” are remembered more than “Items”. Ex: Maybe you plan a day with your best friend or family member with something you found on Eventbrite vs buying a gift.

Maybe you take all the nieces and nephews out for a day trip together to the movies and make your own pizzas back at the house for a gift to your sibling and a day for the kids to remember the time together.

Look on Group On for your City, or Eventbrite or your town’s community calendar. Some museums are FREE on certain days, Some Zoos are FREE or Historical tours. There are many things to do that are low cost or FREE, like sledding or skating. GIVE people your time vs an expensive gift they may not even remember next year.

This year let’s challenge ourselves to be more mindful of what we buy vs buying it to get something/someone off the list.  Put some thought into how much we are spending and what we buy, is it really the “right” gift?  If we cut the spending down a little and set a limit on what we put on a credit card, say $200.00 IF you can get it paid off when the bill is due, and the rest CASH, AND get below the average person’s spend… Maybe we will be less stressed this year, knowing we do not have to pay for Christmas for the next 3 months+! 😊 Happy shopping/gift giving!