Christmas is a time for giving, spending time together and enjoying the festivities. Whilst we throw ourselves into the season, it’s so easy to come out the other side with a load of Christmas debt. Let’s put a stop to that debt and avoid it at all costs.
One Day Isn’t Worth Christmas Debt
I put the above image on my Instagram account and it got a couple of comments from people agreeing with me. One day shouldn’t ruin the rest of your year. Don’t over spend on Christmas, leaving you short in January. You’ll just end up giving yourself money worries for the rest of the year. There’s enough stress in this life without a self imposed money issue.
Spend Time, Not Money
Whilst you want the best for your family, buying a shopping trolley full of presents with money you don’t have isn’t the wisest of ideas. The saying goes that kids get more pleasure from playing with the box than they do with the actual product inside. That’s so true because they don’t want flashy gifts that they’ll have forgotten about by the time the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special airs. They want time with you. This is what they’ll remember. Kids crave time with their parents. Play games with them, spend time tickling them, organise monthly trips out with them as their Christmas present. Something to look forward to!
We’re doing exactly that. A jar with 12 slips of paper in, with family activities written on them. On the first of every month we’ll get the kids to pick one out. We could be going to the cinema in March, or the zoo in July. Hopefully we won’t be doing the beach in January because it might be a tad chilly!
No Pressure
If you have the money to spend, save it. If you don’t have the money, avoid credit cards because you’ll just end up starting the new year in financial difficulty. With television adverts, online marketing and loads of TV programmes about the best things to buy, there can be immense pressure during the silly season. The fact of the matter is that you don’t need to buy stuff. You don’t need to over indulge in food and drink for one day because as my wife says, it’s just a fancy roast dinner! You don’t need to over buy, you don’t need leftovers! The shops are only closed for one day, you don’t need to go bonkers with supermarket spending.
Stick To Your Budget
Make a budget and stick to said budget so you avoid Christmas debt. Think about the true reason for the season. Take advantage of freebies like light switch on events so you can enjoy the merriment of Christmas without spending anything. Don’t get pulled into expensive Christmas markets where you pay the price of a bottle, for a cup of wine. Why not host your own mince pie morning so you can enjoy a fun event? It’s cheaper than going out and you can spend time with those that you love!
We can spend as much as we want, leaving you with money issues but one thing you can’t buy more of is time. Don’t put yourself into Christmas debt by splashing the cash on unimportant stuff because at the end of the day that’s not what matters. Keep yourself in a better financial situation and spend time together.
If you need help with debt, find it here.
