3 Tips to Get Ready for the Holidays
Looking for some useful tips to get ready for the holidays? Look no more! I’ve compiled a list to help you stay centered and organized with an action plan to take care of your holiday essentials.
1. Get everything off your plate as much as possible.
- One thing that we all know about the Holiday season is that it is never slow or boring. (That’s what January is for.) So the more you can get off your plate and/or streamline NOW, before the season is in full swing, the better you’ll feel.
- Example: Jump on Pinterest or pull out some of your favorite fall recipes that make for tons of leftovers. But also make sure that they’re crowd-pleasers (kid pleasers) just cause you don’t need the added stress right now of kids complaining about your menu selection. Personal Favorite? Chicken Pot Pie. So easy, so good, no complaints – and there’s veggies in it! Another favorite? American Chop Suey. That stuff lasts for days and days, its actually better the older it gets, and again, chock full of veggies. Then there are soups, stews, sheppards pie, etc (see my free recipes below!). Stick to making a couple of these a week and you will knock so much time off your grocery shopping, meal prep and even budget as a lot of this stuff is CHEAP to make!
- House cleaning. Hire someone. Seriously. If you don’t already have someone, get someone. Not only is this a HUGE time-saver for yourself, it’s a special treat that you most likely deserve. AND – the professionals will just do a better job than you do. So, it’s a win-win-win situation. Not to mention that you’re helping out another small business, adding jobs, etc. Another win.
- Car Pooling. OK, so if you have kids, especially older kids who have activities, sports, maybe a part-time job, you know how much running around/driving around there is to be done. Carpooling with another family, taking turns on who brings the kids and who picks up on what nights, is an absolute game-changer. And why not? Everyone saves on gas, mileage and time. Another win-win-win.
2. Checklists and Organization
- Gift Buying Checklist – Write the Name, then list actual gift, idea or theme, then the budget, etc.
- Card Giving or ‘small gift” list – start a list of people you’d like to acknowledge and if you’re feeling generous and sassy vet out some ideas to send them a little something…
- Then maybe break these lists down into smaller lists by week, or with due dates, so that you can pick away at it, in an organized fashion, so that it won’t seem as overwhelming.OK, so if you’ve read or listened to some of the other “tips and tricks” we’ve put out there, you may have heard me mention Profit First or maybe even YNAB (You Need A Budget). Both of these tools are cash management tools that are incredibly useful, functional and valuable. HOWEVER, at this point in the year, and in terms of Holiday spending, you’re a little late to the party on this one…. BUT, we’ve got you covered.
3. BUDGET:
- OK, so if you’ve read or listened to some of the other “tips and tricks” we’ve put out there, you may have heard me mention Profit First or maybe even YNAB (You Need A Budget). Both of these tools are cash management tools that are incredibly useful, functional and valuable. HOWEVER, at this point in the year, and in terms of Holiday spending, you’re a little late to the party on this one…. BUT, we’ve got you covered.
- Starting NOW, I mean right now, separate out the money you’re going to use for your Holiday spending. Whether you open up a separate bank account that is linked to your current checking account, and nickname it “Holiday Account”, or you withdraw a certain amount of cash and stuff it in an envelope and write on it “Holiday Cash”, let’s get this thing started right away. Trust me, you will feel better knowing that you’ve got SOMETHING set aside for your Holiday spending – it won’t be the whole amount, but anything will get you started and truly help to put your mind at ease.
- Now, starting today, transfer or withdraw a portion of your pay to add to this new “Holiday Account” or “Holiday Cash” envelope. And only you know what that portion can be. Maybe it’s 10%, maybe it’s $10, maybe it’s $100 – you decide what works for you and be consistent. Even if you end up using a credit card for most or some of your Holiday shopping (ugh) at least now you’ll have some money put aside to make a decent payment toward that credit card the next month (or sooner if possible!).
And there you have it. Nothing earth-shattering, we know, but sometimes even the smallest adjustments have the biggest impact. Or, at minimum, we’ve got you started on thinking about your Holiday season, because it’s going to be hear before you know it. 🙂
