The end-of-year-holidays are supposed to be all about taking a break from work and spending quality time with friends and family.
Unfortunately, money worries often get in the way of having a truly carefree celebration.
The pressure to spend comes from almost every angle. Visiting relatives will often mean:
• Flights
• Accommodation
• Transfers to and from the airport
• Car rental
• Gas And if you drive to your family, it will mean gas and possibly long hours on the road in bad weather.
Your travel-related expenses might also involve pet care, such as in-home pet sitting or boarding.
Then there are the food and drink pressures. Everyone loves seasonal treats, but the excess doesn't just burst your belt, but your budget too. Many people host meals at their homes.
They also participate in a range of social activities with food as the main focus of attention, such as church suppers and potlucks.
Some people feel like they can’t live without decadent desserts and candy, while others like to include alcohol as an essential part of their celebrations. All of these items can make the cost of your shopping list soar.
Add to that the holiday activities. With the children out of school for a couple of weeks, they need to be entertained. This can be tough if you don’t get a lot of days off work yourself.
In this case, you would need to sort out childcare for the days they are out of school and all the adults are work. No celebration would be complete without decorations.
The trouble is, they can be very expensive if you opt for store-bought. The good news is that a few simple school and art and craft supplies can help you and the children decorate your home for pennies on the dollar compared to ready-made.
These can also be fun projects to keep the entire family occupied if the weather outside is bad, as you make all the holiday preparations at home. Finally, there are the gifts to consider.
This is where people are likely to overspend if they don’t have a list and a plan on how to pay for the presents.
The last thing you want is to run up credit card bills and get stuck with interest payments long after the holiday is over.
The secret to saving at the holidays is to be as organized as possible in the months and weeks running up to Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and so on.
Making the most of the harvest season starting in September and October can help you save on food.
Buying pantry items for all your baking, and purchasing gifts that are perfect for the people on your list as and when you see them, can spread out the cost of the holidays over several months, not cram it all into December.
Let’s start with a look at how to save on all your holiday travel costs.
