Are You Ready for Christmas 2008?

Have I lost all sense of reason!  Christmas 2007 is barely history, and I have the audacity to ask if you are ready for Christmas 2008!

We have spent several days talking about the stress and expense of the holiday season.  We have also shared many ideas on how to make Christmas special without having to go into months of debt and more stress.

Now, before we put the warm fuzzy feelings of the holidays and the back burner for the next eleven months, let’s revisit one more way to stretch your finances for Christmas 2008. 

The day after Christmas, the sales start. Savvy shoppers plan ahead-12 months to be exact.

My brother’s first wife started shopping for Christmas in January.  She kept a list of all the friends and family for whom she wanted to purchase gifts.  As soon as the after-Christmas sales hit, she would keep her eyes open for the perfect gift.  If spotted at a reasonable price, the purchase was squirreled away at the top of the closet until time for Christmas wrapping.

While the rest of the family is sweating Christmas purchases and affording the holiday expense, she was already done, and looking forward to the festivities.  In fact, she was usually done before the year was half gone. 

Actually, her approach to Christmas shopping can also apply to buying a different car, saving for a down-payment on a new home, buying new furniture, or affording any major purchase.

So, how do you plan for your major expenditures?

Tina

Will this article help you save or earn more money? Get others like it simply by entering your email address below. Your email is used only for delivering daily money tips and you can opt out of delivery at any time. Click here to see all your free subscription options.