|
Top 10 Lists have been popularized by Late-Night Television Shows for years. So
here is the latest Top 10 List from Brighter Futures. By introducing any of these
ideas into your own Holiday thinking, you will be increasing your ability to enjoy
the Holiday Season and working to make your family more financially secure.
1. Use cash
Buying gifts, decorations, and food with cash will guarantee
that you don't have to remember the Holiday Season every time the
credit card bill arrives. Buying with cash means you can relax and enjoy
the time of festivities without worry about consumer debt.
.
2. Plan Ahead
By saving a specific amount of cash each month throughout
the year, you will know your Holiday allowance, and there will not be
such a temptation to use your credit card for just one little present.
3. Compromise
Between what you want to spend, and what you can afford
to put aside from each paycheck.
4. Cut your Holiday Spending
If you are spending more than 1% of your
pre-tax income on gifts, parties, decorations, etc, you are probably
spending too much and should find ways of reducing the cost of the
Holiday Season. If you spend too much in the Holidays you are shorting
another area of your spending plan the rest of the year.
Watch your gift giving ' do you really have to give a gift to every person
in your life, or can you stop giving to the school librarian, the meat cutter
at the market?
5. Scale back
When you do give gifts, try to give something meaningful or
edible. If it is meaningful, like a framed picture of you and your best
friend it will be used or displayed. If you give something edible, it will be
used up or thrown out and the gift-receiver will not have to deal with one
more piece of clutter.
6. Make your own gifts
Simple holiday wreaths, special cards, and my
favorite ' homemade hot chocolate mix with a box of homemade
Christmas candy. Why limit yourself to the generic store bought gifts,
make your own customized ones this year.
7. Be realistic
Every one already knows that you can do it all if you want
to, but why should you? If you prioritize your activities, delegate some
responsibility for the party planning will you not be able to relax and
enjoy your family and friends more?
8. Name exchange
Instead of giving everyone in your family a gift,
everyone can exchange names and only buy for that member of the
family. This practice saves money, increases the quality of the gift and
can be a lot of fun. Everybody wins!
9. Tradition elimination
Every family has some absurd tradition started by
great-great grandpa what's his name. If your family has a tradition that
doesn't mean anything special to anyone, stop doing it. This will allow a
little more time for those family traditions that do carry special meaning
for you and yours.
10. Family charity event
Get together as a family and help someone like a
charitable mission, soup kitchens, or the local rescue house. There are
too many people less fortunate than us, so what could be better than
starting a new tradition of helping them? Serving a meal, shoveling snow,
do together for someone else.
This is not an exhaustive list, you have probably already thought of one or two that was not included here. When you get together with your family and friends before the Holiday Season for planning parties and gift exchanges, don't forget to ask them about ways to make this time of year more enjoyable. They might be able to supply some of their own ideas for cutting costs, reducing stress, or having more fun. Be willing to be creative, and look for the fun of doing things different from normal. This could be a season to remember for years to come. One more thing about this list, it will work for Halloween, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Hanukah gatherings as well. Family and friends get together for the people, not the gifts and food.
| 
