Saving for the holidays...

Ideas from Irene...

The really good thing about summer in Texas (no, not the 100 days of  100 degrees), is knowing that fall comes right after it!

I am so excited that fall has officially begun. 

Not that we have cool days all the time now, but a small cool down this weekend is a wonderful reminder of exciting things to come. 

                                                                                                                                                         Good things... like leaf changes and reasons to wear our favorite sweaters and all of the other sights, smells, and sounds that tell us the holiday season is upon us.  

I realize that Christmas is still a few months away but it's never too soon to be thinking about it by planning and saving for it. (Yes...even this late into the year.)

Many of you may be thinking... "How in the world can I save for Christmas?" 

Well there are actually several ways to do this. 

1.) By saving actual money to be put aside in a Christmas fund that can be used all throughout the year to purchase your gifts.

2.) By careful and planned shopping techniques that will help save you money.

3.) By paying cash for your purchases and not being caught up in growing interest charges after Christmas.

4.)By spending less! Yes, by actually setting a budget for yourself AND sticking to it.

These things all seem so simple when you see them in black and white but many people are emotional spenders and do not plan ahead. When you get caught up in this trap...you ALWAYS spend more money. ALWAYS!!

Can you imagine how much more you would enjoy your holidays with your friends and family IF... 

* you finished your gift buying weeks before Christmas

* you paid cash for all of your purchases and had no dread building in the pit of your stomach for when that credit card bill came in January

* you actually bought less and created opportunities for more 'experience based gifts' for your family members rather than things

* you had the funds available to you all year long to purchase your Christmas gifts whenever your ran across a good deal

Well I would love for you to join me here this week as we go on a journey of learning how to save time, money and stress! How does that sound to you? 

Tomorrow we'll talk about the Christmas fund...

I hope you will join us.

~ Irene