For three months now my sister has been asking me about Christmas. I have no idea what to tell her, except that I'm still holding out for the Kindle I wanted last year but didn't get. Something tells me that she's not that interested in what I want for myself and instead she is fishing to see what I'm going to get her kids.
Last night, the husband and I counted the weeks until Christmas (15!). We decided to set our Christmas present budget at $460 this year. We also know we need to budget an additional $200 for our electric bill which shoots up due to the cold weather and our fantastical light display, and then of course we needed to budget $100 for Christmas time food (ie cookies for parties, ham for dinner, etc.). Wowserz! $760 just for one day?
This made me question: Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year, or is it just the most expensive time of the year?
(Picture of last year's tree)
Luckily, because my sister makes me think about Christmas so early, I'll be able to set aside enough money to cover all our Christmas expenses. That way I won't scream when the Christmas bill shows up on my doorstep on New Year's. (And we're soooooo not repeating last New Year's when I went to my Dad's and found a $7,000 student loan bill that hadn't got my address change memo. EEK!) No, this year we are starting off right. We are sticking to our budget, and we are staying on track to be debt free by the start of next year (and to have a debt free Christmas).
Anybody else out there created a Christmas budget yet, or am I the only one with a Type A sister?
I haven't created a Christmas budget, but I am already shopping and starting to plan. I love to start early to avoid the crowds, so that I don't feel pressured, and so that I can use coupons as they come in. Good luck sticking to your budget!
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