Holiday Spending: Avoiding Surprises

The holidays are almost here, and no matter what you celebrate, you’ll be looking at some additional spending in the months ahead. Preparing in advance and coming up with a reasonable budget can help minimize the impact of the holidays on your finances – and careful shopping can stretch even the smallest of budgets. This week, we are taking a look at some of the most common financial issues surrounding the holiday season and giving you some clear and actionable steps you can take now to make sure you have a stress-free time this year.

5 Days to Holiday Spending Success

Spending Survival Guide

We’ve pulled together ideas designed to help you maximize your budget this holiday season. By saving on everything from actual gifts to the food you’ll serve on the big day, you’ll be able to stretch your budget and enjoy a stress-free holiday season. These tips are designed to help you track down elusive holiday bargains – and to avoid common but costly holiday shopping mistakes, too.

Holiday Spending Worksheet

Not sure how much you need to allocate for the holiday season? Our guide to holiday spending includes a helpful budgeting system that makes it easy to account for everything you’ll need to spend. Gifts are easy to remember, but extras like shipping, wrapping paper, and holiday cards can add up. A holiday spending worksheet can give you the information you need to avoid surprises and truly make the most of your money this Christmas season.

Avoiding Impulse Buys

Impulse buys are the fastest way to derail a budget, and the holidays make it so easy to overspend! This piece covers the importance of a splurge account – an account or budget item that is simply for impulse and luxury buys. We’ll cover how to figure out the amount you should use for this account, what to use it for, and how it can help cut some of the stress and money arguments that crop up over the holiday season.

Holiday Spending by the Numbers

The average American spends about $338 for a gift for his or her significant other, resulting in a big budgetary hit for any couple that is married or shares finances. We’ll break down the reason big ticket items can disrupt your budget and give you some alternatives that are not only more affordable but more enjoyable for you and your spouse as well.

Avoid a Holiday Spending Hangover

The tree or menorah is packed away, the presents are all unwrapped, and the big meal is over – but the holiday isn’t officially done until you assess the financial damage. Hopefully, you’ve created a budget and stuck to it – and avoided surprises, but if not, our guide to recovering from a holiday spending hangover can help you get back on track. From tips for frugal fun to learning how to assess the damage, we’ve come up with a plan designed to bust that spending hangover and prevent the same problem from occurring next year, too.

Stop back each day this week as we debut a different piece in our holiday spending guide and you’ll be well-equipped to handle the upcoming season – stress and worry-free.

AHCU Blog

Holiday Spending: Avoiding Surprises