Now that your gift list is complete (or at least in progress), it is time to face facts. It is time to create your Christmas budget. The holidays are about GIVING!, right? However, if you do not create a budget to guide your purchases over the next few months, the holidays WILL be about giving – to your credit card for the next year!
You can create your own budget to place in your handy Christmas planner for quick reference througho
ut the holiday season. List your expenses to have an accurate record of all that is involved with the joyous, but often rather expensive, holiday. Refer to it often to keep you on track. Next year, when it is time to create another Christmas budget, you can look back on this budget as a guide for future spending.
Some categories to include in your Christmas Budget are: Gifts, Decorations, Food/Drink, Holiday Entertainment, and Charitable Giving. Try out ListPlanIt‘s Holiday Budget Planner as a worksheet for your holiday budget. (**Members to ListPlanIt.com can go to Holidays & Occasions for printable more Budgets & Financial Planning. See also the Holiday ePlanner for just $4.95).
Our first Giveaway for 3 Download Memberships to ListPlanIt.com has now ended. Out of 222 entries the winners are:
Congratulations! Because we had so many wonderful responses to our first week of 100 Days to Christmas, ListPlanIt.com would like to offer a special $5 discount off new Download memberships! Visit here for more details.
This week’s Giveaway is for one of my favorite fall things: a Harvest candle by Yankee Candle! In my opinion, fall has not truly begun until I have smelled this candle burning in my home. You have several ways to enter to win this Harvest scent from Yankee Candle:
1) leave a comment on this post,
2) tell your friends & followers about 100 Days to Christmas on Facebook or Twitter(so easy to do when you use the Share This button at the bottom of this post) and leave a comment here linking to your profile,
3) subscribe to 100 Days to Christmas‘ RSS feed using a reader or by email and leave a comment here,
4) blog about 100 Days to Christmas then leave a comment here linking to your post.
5) become a member of the 100 Days to Christmas community
One of each of these per day please. You have until Sunday, September 26 at 6 pm EST to enter.
We dont have harvest festivals in my part of the world. I might just have to go and see if I can discover this scent.
Tamara´s last blog ..Haydens Birthday
Congrats to the winners of the Listplanit memberships! I love yankee candles! I’d love to win this!
As for today’s task…budgets. I’ve never actually set a budget…this will be an interesting exercise for me. May take a while to finish! Thanks for the guidance.
I’m really excited about Christmas this year. My daughter is 3, and we are going to start giving and doing things to help others, so the focus isn’t about getting gifts.
Christina´s last blog ..The Thrift Shopper.com: A Thrift Shopper’s Dream
Congratulations to the winners of the contest.
I posted this before, but since we are talking budget and planning here – I’ll give it a go again. Every December I print out 12 coupons with clip art designs in the corners made to look like a check and make a cover with a title like “Christmas Money” or “Santa’s Spending Cash” they are cut out and stapled together. Every month when I pay my bills, I pay into our Christmas budget and deposit that money into a separate savings account. Then on December 1st. I withdrawal all but $5.00 to keep the account open and have a credit card free Holiday and I’m not holding my breath in January. I’ve been doing this since 2001 and what a difference it makes. I also read Mary Hunt’s Debt Proof your Holidays. Great ideas.
Tweeting updates daily!
For my gift budget, I actually add a column to my gift giving wish list and have it all on one page. Having a budget for parties, baking, decorations has never crossed my mind. Good thing!! @juliebavi
Julie Bavington´s last blog ..How do you schedule your week?
I guess it is time to start thinking about the Christmas budget. Humbug…I really don’t want to think about it.
Joy @ Frugal Menu Mamas´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday 9/21/09
I also have a column on my Master Gift List page that I have on my computer that lists the amount of the gift. That way I know what my expenses are. Thanks for this site.
Budgets…..wonderful things if used correctly. I have already been running ours over in my head, but putting it on paper would be a good idea.
Yup, I’ve started shopping for Christmas, mostly because one of the things on my sons’ lists this year are the “hot item” (zhu zhu pets) which are going to get harder to find the closer we get to Christmas. I LOVE fall candler scents and would love to win this.
Kristi´s last blog ..The Allowance Post
I am a follower of this site.
Kristi´s last blog ..The Allowance Post
Candles, please =)
I am also a follower.
i blogged.
Marcia “HDMac”´s last blog ..Budget Humbug!
I facebooked
Marcia “HDMac”´s last blog ..Budget Humbug!
I tweeted.
Marcia “HDMac”´s last blog ..Budget Humbug!
would love to win this
dymphna´s last blog ..Tricia-Rennea, illustrator: Roadmap to Your Dreams
I love the ListPlanit website. It’s awesome. Harvest scent Yankee candle is my favorite, I love Fall and being able to burn it, I actually burn it all through the winter also!
Every year I make a list of who I buy for, I write out what I want to purchase for them, and then I only use cash…I slowly get everything together before Dec. 1st and then I spend Dec. Wrapping and cooking! One way I found to eliminate how much you buy is by hosting a Yankee Swap. If you want to participate you can if not you don’t have too. My family loves this and there are years everyone participates and years that they don’t. Everyone contributes by making one part of the meal. It’s about getting together and having fun, not the presents. I only spend $100 on each of my boys as well.
I don’t think I have tried this scent…what a way to try it!
Wow – this is a fantastic site! Thanks so much for making the Christmas countdown a little bit easier (and more fun)!
I love the Harvest candle too! And 100 Days to Christmas is great!
I love how well you orgaize this!!! It makes me feel better already just doing a few basics to get the holiday started!! so we can focus on the real reason for CHRISTmas!
Thanks : )
I love candles in the fall. This year I’m trying to find a favorite. I love the apple one I’m burning now but would love to try the Yankee one!
Excited to start looking around your site and seeing what I can to do stay on top of Christmas this year!!!
I love Christmas Time and was excited when I found this website. Looking forward to following for the next 95 Days!
Candles are also my favourite way to add a scent to my home. I usually have one burning daily during the Fall & Winter months!
I adore Yankee candles!
I subscribed today…can’t wait to get my holiday prep fix!
I LOVE Yankee candles!
I’m a follower too!!
Hillary´s last blog ..Junior Auxiliary’s Catfish & Khakis 2009…
I too am a fan of Mary Hunt (www.debtproofliving.com) and have my Christmas contingency fund in place–1st year I’m ahead of the game! No credit cards necessary, will be using cash instead. I’m excited about getting organized with this site guiding me as well. Enjoy the journey, friends!
I tweeted here http://twitter.com/fcffollower/status/4348272804
Yes budget planning does save you money, time and headache. I have all the lists from when I was a member. Also, Yankee Candles are the best!!! Last year I had the Autumn Wreath as my scent. This would be graet for this year!!!
just joined the community
I just discovered your wonderful site! Am looking forward to the countdown progressing!
I subscribed to your e-mail updates! Thanks for a great site!