Tips to Reduce Financial Stress at Christmastime
As joyous as Christmas can be, it also can bring its share of financial stress. Read on for some suggestions 
on how to decrease your load of Christmas stress related to money, so that you can enjoy the holidays to the fullest!
-Draw up a Christmas budget well in advance of the holidays. It does not have to be written in stone, but if you create a rough budget months in advance (think Christmas in July or August), then you will reduce some of your financial burden the closer you get to December. Make sure that you budget not just gifts, but for holiday decorating and entertaining, as well as miscellaneous items such as holiday wrap, gift tags, etc.
-Once you draw up a budget, start setting aside a specific amount of money on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Whatever works for you is fine. Any amount you save will come in handy once the Christmas season rolls around. Do not despair if your disposable income only allows you to set aside five or ten dollars a week.
-If you find it impossible to keep your hands off of the money you are setting aside for Christmas, then open a special “Christmas Club” account or something similar.
-If you realize that the money you are setting aside for Christmas is not going to be enough to cover all of your Christmas expenses, then take a careful look at your forecasted budget and make changes accordingly. Are there areas in which you can downsize? What areas can you not compromise in? Be as realistic with yourself as possible.
-If you have a large family, discuss the concept of drawing names for gifts. This way everyone receives a gift, and no one gets left out. Buying gifts can be very expensive, and some people have extravagant tastes that extend to their choices in gift giving.
-Another option is to buy gifts only for the children in the family and show your love for other family members at Christmas in other ways such as bringing food to a holiday meal or helping to decorate.
-If you do decide to buy gifts for all of your family members then decide upon a maximum cost for gifts for every person.
