Free Holiday Spending Budget Worksheet

In my “I’m Putting Christmas on a Budget” post, I talked about the importance of creating a budget to help you save money this holiday season.  In addition to gifts, you need to figure out how much you want to spend on decorations, food, and supplies as well.

To help you plan your holiday spending budget, I’ve created a free worksheet, which you can download here.

Planning who you want to buy for, what you want to buy and how much you want to spend will help you save money by allowing you to shop around and get the best deals on gifts this year.

I’m Putting Christmas on a Budget This Year!

I’m doing something that is very out of character for me… I’m thinking about holiday shopping in the first week of November.  Normally, I’m one of those last minute, barely get it there on time Christmas shoppers, so this is very unusual for me.

But like a lot of people, I want to save money this holiday season, and one of the best ways to do that is to start my Christmas shopping early.

For all of you who want to join me and put Christmas on a budget this year, here are some tips to get you started:

Start early – Perhaps the best tip this year will be to start early.  It is expected that retailers will be offering deals far earlier this year than in previous years, and starting early will help you plan better and scope out those deals.

Make a list – Make a list of items you plan on buying this year, whether it’s gifts, decorations or food for the holiday entertaining.  Having a list will allow you to snag items as they go on sale, and it will keep you from procrastinating til the last minute.

Set a budget – It’s easy to get excited and go overboard on gifts, especially if you don’t have a budget in place.  Write down everyone you want to buy for this year, and set a specific dollar amount for each person.  You’ll be surprised at how much this will help reduce your overall holiday spending!

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