New Year and Christmas without debt: planning holiday spending
Gifts, the festive table, trips to relatives — in December spending easily gets out of hand. How to enjoy the holidays without starting January with a loan. · 4 min read
Why December hits the budget
Holiday spending feels like a one-off, so it is rarely planned. But gifts for the whole family, the festive table, decorations, clothes and trips to relatives together often equal a full month's salary. And in January the usual bills arrive.
A plan one month before
- Decide on a total for the holidays and split it: gifts, food, travel, entertainment.
- Make a gift list with an amount for each person — and stick to it.
- Suggest a “Secret Santa” to relatives or colleagues: one good gift instead of ten random ones.
- Buy long-life groceries early, before holiday mark-ups.
- Record every holiday purchase — in December it is especially easy to lose track of small things.
Start saving early
The best way to meet the holidays calmly is a savings jar you top up all year. Divide last year's holiday spending by 12 and set that amount aside every month. In December the money is already there, and the credit card stays untouched.