Welcome back! I hope you are enjoying Miss Mouthy! If so, tell your friends.

Do you have a Christmas budget? Have you ever totaled how much you spend on Christmas? Let me tell you, it is astonishing!

Consider gifts. Gifts for your spouse, your kids and their teachers. Gifts for his family and your family. Gifts for your friends, the neighbors, and the trash man. Don’t forget a few generic gifts for those times someone get you a gift and you didn’t buy anything for them! That doesn’t even count the wrapping paper, tape, ribbons, bags or tissues. Oops…what about those gift tags?

Now decor. How much is your Christmas tree? Any fresh wreaths or garlands? Do you need to freshen up your decor? How about some new guest towels?

Let’s consider food. Do you do Christmas baking? Will you be making any gifts? Will you be hosting a holiday meal or contributing to a potluck? All this adds up, so figure out how much you spend in this area.

Outings and travel can add up, too. Will you be flying? Doing lots of driving to Grandmother’s House? Will you be attending any special events? What are those costs?

Mailing cost can be a big bill. Do you mail lots of gifts? There’s the actual cost of postage, but also the costs of shipping materials…boxes, paper, special tape.

Christmas Greetings are another budget category. Consider postage, printing costs and supplies.

Will you need any new clothing for yourself or your kids? Shiny new shoes for holiday parties?

Lastly, don’t forget to budget for photos...Santa pictures, family portraits or even snapshots to send out with your Christmas cards.

Kind off overwhelming, isn’t it? Believe me, by sketching out your budget, you’ll see places where you can save and cut back. Once you’ve done that, finalize your budget and stick to it! Don’t waver! Whatever you do, don’t buy things on credit. Come January, you’ll be paying off things that are already eaten, broken or trashed. Not a good way to kick off the New Year.

Check out my next post on slashing your Christmas budget.

Tags: 8 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas, Christmas planning, countdown to Christmas, Peaceful Christmas, Stress-free Christmas

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