Scenario:

Every year around Thanksgiving I start to feel anxious about buying Christmas presents. The spending feels chaotic and I always save my receipts to figure out how much we spend, but then it’s overwhelming to figure out. Do you have any tips for getting ahead of or tracking our Christmas spending?

What I’d do:

How much do you want to spend on Christmas gifts this year? Say it’s $2,000.

Once you have that figured out (and the rest of your budget set so Christmas spending isn’t creating credit card debt), you can create a category for Christmas in your YNAB account.

Then set a target on that category for $2,000 and allocate your cash there.

As you do the spending, the amount available will decrease and you’ll be able to see exactly how much you spent on Christmas gifts.

PS. If you start setting aside money in January for next Christmas, you’ll feel even less anxious about setting aside money for gifts! Here is your free 3 months of YNAB.

Christmas buying habits almost always mirror the habits you were exposed to as a child.

Maybe you can challenge this assumption this year?

What if you spend $500 less this year? Or what if you plan an awesome day of activities and get quality time with your family?

I can assure you that your family will love you no matter what you get or don’t get them for Christmas.

What do you call a wreath made from $100 bills?

Aretha Franklin's!