The holiday season is a time for making memories and keeping cozy — and it's even more enjoyable if you've already planned your expenses for the festivities. By mapping out your budget ahead of time, you can keep your spending in check during the most wonderful (gift-giving, party-going, home-decorating) time of the year.
Follow these six steps to create and stick with a holiday budget.
1. Create holiday spending limits
The first step of creating any budget is determining how much money you have to work with so you can better stay within your available cash and avoid having to dip into credit cards. Start by looking at your overall monthly budget, as well as your savings.
If you’ve been setting aside savings specifically for the holidays, that's great — you have your limit in place. If not, you may have to look for other areas where you can allocate funds toward the holidays. Maybe that means redirecting your monthly take-out money or pausing a few subscriptions to free up some cash. Or perhaps you have an upcoming holiday bonus from work that you can tap into. No matter how you plan to fund your winter fun, be realistic (and firm) about your holiday spending cap.
Read more: Learn a few simple tips and tools to save for multiple goals
2. Map out your expected expenses
Now, it’s time to consider exactly what you’re going to put your money toward. Try creating a spending list by category. It could look something like this:
Gifts
Decorations
Travel
Meals
Parties or hosting
Donations
Once you have a broad outline, you can break those categories up into specifics. You’ll want to split up your gift category by each person you’re shopping for. If you’re traveling, make sure to think about the details like gas, pet needs, baggage fees, etc.
3. Allocate funds
Prioritize the items in your holiday budget by what's most important to you. Be realistic about how much money will go toward each item and take the time to play with the numbers until you’re comfortable with how you’ve allocated your budget.
Keep your budget somewhere you can easily see and access and try giving each category a visual name (for instance, "tinsel and wreaths" instead of simply "holiday décor").
Read more: Learn how to keep your expenses on track with spending buckets
4. Shop for gifts early
The more time you give yourself to purchase your holiday gifts, Thanksgiving tablescape or NYE streamers, the more likely you are to find deals and save money — and find the perfect gifts. Without the pressure that comes with leaving all your shopping to the last minute, you can spend more time perusing online for the best sales or getting creative with DIY decorations and presents.
5. Take advantage of cash-back rewards
While the main goal is to try and avoid any post-holiday debt, if used thoughtfully credit card rewards and bonuses can be a cherry on top when it comes to season's greetings. Take some time to research the options available to you – many credit cards offer rotating rewards, bonuses or cash back on purchases (that's like giving yourself a present each time).
6. Track your spending
Don’t let all the work you put into building your budget go to waste: Make sure you track your spending once a week or so. That way you can monitor if you’ve gone over your limit in a certain category and need to reallocate your funds — or you may find you’re coming up under budget and have some new-found cash to work with.
Deck the halls, not your wallet
By taking the time now to create a realistic and achievable budget for the holidays, you can be sure the months ahead will be merry and bright — without taking an unexpected toll on your wallet.
