Search Results for: blog planning a holiday budget

Three Ways to Avoid Holiday Debt

It is easy to start racking up the debt during the holiday season. There are many demands on our money, such as holiday gifts, special events, travel costs, food, decorations, and other entertaining costs. We often get carried away when we spot the perfect gift or want to make it the best season ever. As you are planning, cooking and shopping, you might want to use the following strategies to avoid holiday debt. Start with a Holiday Budget In order to control holiday spending instead of letting holiday spending control you, you will need to set a budget. Start with … Continue reading →

Holiday Parties and Christmas Bonuses

At this time of year, home – based professionals may be getting all nostalgic about two things that they remember from working outside of the home. Holiday parties and Christmas bonuses are things that used to be commonplace for many professionals who were employed outside of the home. In recent years bonuses and gifts have become a more modest, but many people do still get a little something from their employer. Most places of employment have some form of holiday party, too. Now that you work from home, are holiday bonuses and parties a thing of the past? They don’t … Continue reading →

Tips for a Budget-Friendly Family Vacation

When the thought of taking your family out to dinner makes you cringe because of the expense, it is hard to contemplate taking everyone along for an actual vacation. Even though money concerns may make it seem as though you will never get away, you do have options, a number of them in fact. Here are some ways that you can stretch your vacation budget. 1. Look for the budget airline hubs Although airfare prices seem to be rising, there are a number of airline hubs that tend to have the cheapest airfare tickets. Some places are just less expensive … Continue reading →

Holiday Preparations: Planning

With the start of November, I know it’s time for me to start planning for the holidays. As of today, we have just over a couple of weeks until Thanksgiving and just over seven weeks until Christmas. For many this is their favorite time of the year. But for others it is one of the most stressful. However, I believe that much of the stress could be relieved by preparing and planning ahead of time. Are you starting to think about the cookies to be baked…the meals to be planned…the house that needs cleaning? This can quickly become very overwhelming. … Continue reading →

Get Organized Before the Holidays Hit

My scrapbooking area looks like an F-5 tornado ripped through it. Sadly, it looks that way after completing just one back-to-school memory book. Imagine what will happen if I leave it this way until the holidays. With Halloween just about a week away, and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, now is the time to get your scrapbooking materials organized. The holidays are chaotic enough without having to search high and low for specific embellishments, paper and tools. What’s more, if you are planning to design scrapbooks as gifts to give for Christmas or Hanukkah, then you have added … Continue reading →

Vacation Budgeting

Can you afford to get in one more family trip during the upcoming Labor Day weekend? According to AAA, 33 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home during the holiday weekend, despite the fact gas prices are hovering near the $4 mark. Clearly, budgeting for gas is a huge factor for families looking to hit the road on a final summer fling, but it isn’t the only financial element to consider. Crunching numbers can provide a major reality check when it comes to vacation planning. However, by doing the math before you leave home, you can … Continue reading →

Budgeting for Tipping

When you are devising a vacation budget items like airfare, hotel rooms and rental cars are typically at the top of the list. However, what about the extra cash you need to tip cab drivers, concierges, skycaps, and hotel housekeepers? Often, travelers forget about padding their wallets to for gratuities. Tipping is an important factor to consider whether you are planning a monthly business trip or a 3-year-in-the-making European vacation. When saving up for a holiday getaway, don’t forget to consider the money you will need to tip appropriately. Tipping is generally not mandatory, unless duly noted on a bill; … Continue reading →

Negotiating Family Holiday Visits

Many of us look forward to the holiday season because there are many opportunities to spend time with family. Of course, when families make plans to gather there is the potential for conflict. Whether there is a history of tension between certain family members or not, planning a gathering for a group can bring out both the best and the worst in people. Here are a few tips for handling holiday scheduling headaches if they do arise. Many holiday conflicts occur before the date of the actual family gathering, as family units have to make scheduling decisions about which relatives … Continue reading →

Do You Have a Holiday Budget?

According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American spends nearly $1,000 at Christmas. Even during tough economic times that total doesn’t waver much. For some reason, people feel the need to show their love for family and friends by spending money on them during the holidays. Financial experts frown upon this practice and are encouraging cash strapped Americans to reduce their holiday spending by 30 to 50 percent this year. In addition, the money gurus are imploring people to set a budget for holiday gifts and entertainment and stick with it. Have you created a holiday budget? Some … Continue reading →

Frugal Trips for Holiday Travel

If you are planning to travel over Thanksgiving or the winter holidays, there are some things that you should know. The Today show recently did a story called What the Travel Agents Do Not Want You to Know. They discussed some very important expenditures that could run your budget over during while traveling. Car rental: While airlines and hotel deals are very reasonable this winter, car rental companies have doubled their prices. Instead of renting from car rental companies, go to car dealers instead. Many of them are glad to rent cars that are sitting on their lots costing them … Continue reading →