The 12 Ways Of Christmas…

#1 – Financial Happiness – Set your budget

“Income 20 shillings. Expenditure 19 shillings. Result happiness. Income 20 shillings. Expenditure 21 shillings. Result misery.” Mr McCawber (Charles Dickens)

How true this statement is.

I used to be a credit card abuser. I would merrily shop not really looking at process safe in the knowledge it could all be paid off I the New Year. I never really knew what Christmas cost me and I never considered that I was creating expectations for others to reciprocate that were unrealistic and unfair.

It seems to me that since the credit crunch many people are now wiling to rewrite the rules of seasonal splurging.

I think the single most important thing you can do is to calculate your budget for the holidays, well actually for anything ..and stick to it!

Since I have invested in a budgetary planning routine I am much more able to balance my needs and wants and become really canny as to how I achieve my end goal in new and creative ways.
Being a slave to a credit card made me lazy and frivolous. Working within a budget makes me much more appreciative and responsible.

So step 1. Establish your affordability. If you haven’t saved for this Christmas make it a priority to save for next year. Once you know your budget for this year it will be much easier to create a savings plan for that amount for next year.