Just Three More Months Until Christmas
It may be a bit early to start hanging Christmas lights on the house, but an article on Bankrate.com noted that now is a good time to prepare financially for what is often the biggest budget-busting season of all. Among the ideas for a more joyful/less financially painful Christmas: Plan your gift list and holiday budget now; start setting aside some money for presents; be on the lookout for appropriate gifts that are on sale since the best sales are usually not found the week before Christmas!; and if you're planning to travel for the holidays, book your trip now before all the inexpensive seats are taken.
Matt's View
One of my all-time favorite books about having a more joyful/less "debtful" Christmas is Hundred Dollar Holiday . It describes the fascinating history of Christmas and offers great ideas for adding joy to the holiday while spending less. Another good book on the topic is Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof the Holidays .
Managing Money by The Book
- "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" - 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Recommended Resources
- Debt-Proof The Holidays
- As we cling to the last bits of summer, the holidays may seem a long way off. But they're not. And if we are to navigate the holidays without going into debt, now's the time to develop a plan. Mary...…Read the rest
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