7 Weeks Till Xmas! Time To Start Planning So You Can Enjoy A Luxury Holiday On A Budget
Did you know that there are only seven more weeks until Christmas? It’s crazy how fast time goes, isn’t it? It feels like we have only just had Christmas 2015!
Thankfully, this still gives you plenty of time to organize a budget Christmas. What’s more, you will have more time to work on all the finishing touches. And that means you will find it much easier to plan a festive holiday that will feel a lot more luxurious!
So are you ready to start planning a budget Christmas that has an amazing deluxe feel to it? Here are the things you can start doing right now in advance!
Set Out Your Budget
The only way you will be able to plan a great Christmas on the cheap is by thinking carefully about a budget. Once you have figured out an overall budget, you can then start allocating money to certain aspects of Christmas. For instance, you will need some money for food and some set aside for decorations. Once you have figured out exactly how much you have to spend on everything, you should stick to this figure. Otherwise, your budget festive period will end costing you the world! So first thing’s first; plan a budget and commit to it!
Make It A Cash Christmas
One of the easiest ways people run into debt during Christmas is by using their credit cards for all purchases. One way to prevent yourself from falling into this trap is to make sure you only spend cash this Christmas. So, if you need to move a bit more cash from a savings account into your usual bank account, do it right now. Otherwise, you may forget and could end up tempted to use one of your credit cards. And then you could get a huge surprise when you get the credit card bill in January!
Plan Your Christmas Activities Now
Christmas may not be for another few weeks, but it is a good idea to sit down with your family now and plan activities. If you don’t plan now, you might make find it hard to stay in control of your decision making when the festive period is well under way. Once December hits, there will be a lot of invites heading your way for parties and days out. However, you need to choose which ones you attend carefully. After all, you can’t attend them all as that would be way too expensive! To make this decision easier, plan what you and your family want to do together right now. Leave yourselves a couple of free days. If you get an invite for these days, go to those parties. It makes decision-making a lot easier, and your bank balance will find it easier to come out of Christmas intact!
Start Getting Crafty
Want to save some money on your Christmas decorations? There is one very easy way to do that. You just need to start making your own! Not only are homemade decorations a lot cheaper than buying those in the supermarket, but they will also give your home a great rustic look. Making your own is also a fantastic activity that you can get the whole family involved with! The kids will love helping out, and it’s a great way for you all to get into the Christmas spirit. Your kids will also love seeing their handiwork on display. They will be able to boast about all their decorations to any friends that visit. Want some ideas of decorations you can make? Think about paper snowflakes and colorful paper chains.
Buy Your Gifts Now
If you leave your Christmas shopping until December, you will have to pay a lot extra for all your presents. That’s because all the stores know that they will be full of people busy doing their Christmas shopping. And most shops see this as an excuse and to sneakily increase their prices slightly! So be a savvy shopper and buy all your Christmas presents now. After all, most people normally don’t start Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving is over. So if you get to the shops now, you will not only find cheaper gifts. But most of the shops should also be a lot quieter than in December! Don’t forget to also check online shops as you may be able to find luxury gifts that have very reasonable price tags.
Make Your Own Gifts
As well as buying gifts, think about making some yourself. This is an especially great idea for adult gifts. It can be a lot of fun buying presents for kids, but shopping for other adults can be a bit of a drag. If you aren’t sure what to buy for your relatives or friends, you could make some little bits yourself. For instance, alcohol-soaked fruit will always go down very well. You can buy large glass jars very cheaply from shops like IKEA. Then all you need to do is fill them with fruits such as grapes and cherries. Then pour over your favorite liquor. Rum and brandy work very well! Leave them in a dark place until Christmas, and the fruit will have soaked up all the alcohol. Yummy! You can also make your own flavored olive oils fairly easily. There are a number of different recipes online.
Plan Your Christmas Dinner
One aspect of Christmas that often tips families over their budget is the big Christmas dinner. It can also cause a lot of stress on the big day as well! So to make sure you can create a budget feast that doesn’t end up causing arguments, it is best to plan it well in advance. Write down a list of all the ingredients and foods that you will need. You will be able to dry any dry ingredients you need now. That’s because they will have a long shelf life. It’s a good idea to try and buy as much as you can now, as things will be a lot cheaper now. Do you have a large freezer? If so, you will even be able to buy some fresh food right now. Remember that it will have to be freezable, though. This way, you can freeze it until the 25th December. You will be able to freeze a turkey. Just remember to take it out well in advance so that it has plenty of time to defrost. You may be surprised to hear that you can also freeze some fresh vegetables. Just remember that they will be very soft once defrosted. So you are better off freezing veg that you will be mashing. Such as potatoes, turnips, and carrots. You can also buy your Christmas puddings right now as well. In fact, if you buy them this early, you will be able to find some great deals and discounts on them.
So start planning now, and you will be able to enjoy a luxury Christmas on a shoestring! No matter how small your budget may be! You’ll be able to achieve this deluxe festive season if you start all your careful planning and organization right now. There is also another great advantage of getting ready for Christmas right now even though it is only November. And that is that you will have a lot more time to relax once December rolls around! You won’t need to spend hours struggling with the crowds in all the shops. Instead, you can spend the run up to Christmas sitting at home, with your feet up, enjoying plenty of mince pies!
