I want to take this opportunity to remind you all that buying and receiving gifts is not what the holiday season is all about. I’d bet that if you made wonderful memories with your family and friends, the holidays would be just as meaningful without gifts. That said, I know that gift buying is indeed very important to most people. So, I wanted to remind you of a few things!
I go over most of these holiday tips in a blog from last year. It comes down to:
1. Save ahead of time… and only spend what you saved!
2. Don’t shop with your credit card
3. Shop early
4. Consider a new family gift exchange system
I am doing great at #1 – we don’t go into debt on consumer items. I would encourage you not to as well! Things are not worth the stress of debt. I don’t follow my own advice of #2 though, because I like to earn credit card rewards. However, I am disciplined in paying my credit card off every month. If you’re not, try shopping without your card. I am NOT doing well with #3 this year… I’ll try again next year 😀
So far, I am 1 for 3 on following my own advice. However, I do have a success story for #4. As you might have read, Will’s family is big. There are 9 siblings/sibling spouses, 6 grandkids, and 2 grandparents. That could be a lot of gift buying! We tried out the gift exchange system that I explained HERE. It was great! It saved a lot of time, stress, and definitely money, but I don’t think that it decreased the amount of joy that was had. If you have a big family, I’d suggest considering it.
Lastly, if you want to give to those in need this year, there are ways to do so that benefit the charity as well as your tax situation. My blogs on charitable giving are my most popular, and I think there is a reason why. No one likes paying more taxes than they need to. If that’s you, consider reading this article on giving!
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Also, remember to shop local this holiday season! Happy holidays everyone. May you enjoy full hearts, full bellies, and a full savings account.
