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Do Christmas Different: Taking a Hard Look at Reality – Christmas Aftermath Part 3

A simple 5-Step process to creating your perfect budget!

You are not like anyone else in the world. So why should your budget be just like everyone else’s? Purchase the Root Budgeting System on Amazon and create a budget specifically made for you in 5 simple steps. 

Atypical Finance is proudly free of all affiliate links except for one—a link to Amazon to purchase my book. If you see a link to my book, it’s an affiliate link. If you see a link to anything else, I don’t get paid any money for it. My goal is for you to be 110% sure that Atypical Finance will always have your best in mind and won’t give financial tips just to get paid for them. Enjoy the article!

If you’d like to read the first two parts of this series, they can be found here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

Starting early and finding some extra money are some great ways to help with the Christmas season and making it less stressful on the pocketbook. However, sometimes you have to take a hard look at reality as well.

Is the month of January (and potentially later months) a little rough every year because of Christmas? Does the amount of money you spend keep you from other financial goals? Are you spending too much on relatives and friends?

These sorts of questions stink to face but they are great for determine what’s going on in your financial life around Christmas time. If you are spending too much on Christmas gifts, and therefore having a hard time recovering months after Christmas, it’s time to rethink and face the issue

I want to encourage you to look at your financial life now before next Christmas so you can make some adjustments. If you are struggling financially and finding it tough to make ends meet throughout the year, then buying Christmas gifts that are large and expensive is only going to make things worse. In other words, if you are struggling financially, your child does not need that shiny new laptop. Try making something for someone instead or taking them out for a meal. Another option is to do some sort of grab bag or secret santa. This will cut down costs significantly as you will only be buying for one or two people. Remember, the most important part of the holidays is being able to spend time with your loved ones.

If you are overspending on Christmas yet do not struggle to make ends meet throughout the year, think about what types of goals that takes away from? What else could that money be used for? I recommend cutting back and tracking what you spend. Then with the difference, you could have money left over to pay off some debt, take a family vacation, or give back to the community, charitable organization, or church.

Even if you are using part 2 of this series to bring in some extra cash, you don’t have to use it for Christmas. The ideas presented in there are great for bringing in cash for any type of financial goal as well. Or if you make $1000 extra over the course of the next 6 months and want to continue with buying substantial Christmas gifts, you could spend half on Christmas and half on a financial goal.

Taking a hard look at reality is not the most fun part of budgeting for Christmas (or budgeting in general), but it is a necessary step. I had to do this a few years ago after seeing how much we were spending on not only Christmas but also eating out and other expenses related to it. I encouraged you to stay the course and take this step. You will not regret it. I know I haven’t.

Next up, we’ll have some planning tips for next Christmas. As I mentioned above, Christmas gifts is not the only thing we spend money on for the Christmas holiday. We’ll take a look at some stuff to budget for and some tips on how to get there.

Thanks for sticking with me so far!

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Budgeting, when done correctly, gives you incredible freedom, and The Root Budgeting System shows you how to do it the right way for you. It even comes with a digital workbook to help you along as well as some sweet bonuses. Get your copy on Amazon!

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I'm Tim Jordan

I’m an author and certified financial coach who cares most about the same thing you do—getting YOU where you want to be in your financial life.
 
I don’t settle for just teaching you money principles. I teach you how to take these principles, mold them to fit who you are, and build the life you want. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to fit into a financial mold that I was able to gain complete control over my money. Now, I want to teach you how to break that mold in your own life and and help you reach true financial freedom.
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I'm Tim Jordan

I’m an author and Certified Financial Coach who believes that everyone’s personal finances should be as unique as they are. Everything I create, write, and share is designed to help you find true financial freedom, whatever that may look like for you. 

My number one priority is to not only teach you money principles, but to teach you how to take these principles, mold them to fit who you are, and use them to build the life you want. 

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