Out (of Cash) For the Holidays
You don’t ignore Band-Aids and Q-tips when you’re budgeting for health and beauty supplies. Don’t forget about Halloween, Thanksgiving and New Year’s when you’re doing your holiday budget. You do have a budget, don’t you?
Other holidays may seem small compared to the big ones in December, but the “little guys” add up faster than you think. Come up with some realistic numbers now, so you don’t find yourself under a pile of credit card debt come January.
How much did you spend on candy, decorations and costumes on Halloween? For Thanksgiving, besides the food, you’ll need new table linens, a couple of extra place settings and chairs. Could you borrow them? How many friends and family members will you be buying gifts for in December? Budgeting now means you won’t have to stay home to watch the ball drop. Heck…you may just have enough cash left over for a new outfit for New Year’s Eve.
Think of it as practice for your 2009 resolution of being more frugal.
Couldn't be more true.... I fool myself when I create a budget that does not include all of these many additional costs. I guess I always figure I'll "work it out" at the time, but that usually ends up using a charge card. And that is exactly what one should not do. A good reminder that I should read each day before I purchase something that I really don't need.