Hello Lovely People !
Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year but it can also be the most expensive. and nobody wants to ruin the Christmas magic with money problem. It can be particularly tricky as a broke student so I've put together an easy five step guide on how to budget for Christmas !
Making A Realistic Budget
Work out exactly how much you've got to spend. Try to be realistic here, it's far better to underestimate than overestimate and end up without any money left to buy that nice scarf for your long forgotten second cousin twice removed hehe !
Ensuring You Don't Forget Anyone
Make a list of everyone that you've got to buy for and separate them into four categories. Family, Friends, Work and Relationships. This makes it easier to break everything down so you can clearly see who you've got to buy for. ( Double check the list before you move on, you don't want to forget anyone )
Creating Individual Budgets
Delegate a segment of your budget to each person, so that you know exactly how much you've got to spend on each person. Breaking the budget down into smaller, more manageable pieces makes it harder to over-spend. If you're on a really strict budget like me you can take the money and separate it into separate envelopes for every person on your list ( remember to label the envelopes ). This way you can clearly see exactly how much you have left ( Or don't have left ) to spend on each person.
Christmas With All The Trimmings
Whatever is left of your budget after buying presents can then be dedicated to all the trimmings eg. cards and gift wrap to add that extra bit of sparkle to your Christmas ! There will be a post with lots of pretty wrapping inspiration later this Blogmass so keep your eyes peeled .
Organisation Is Key
Make a clear table so that you can see clearly what your budget is, what you've already spent, who you've finished buying for and what to buy ! If you want to be super organized like yours truly you can buy a little notebook ( Mines from Wilkinson's and it cost just £2) and use it to write down all your Christmas budgeting and to jot down present ideas when you see them !
I really hope these tips help keep Christmas on a budget , for a whole bunch of tips to help you keep Christmas stress free, check back tomorrow ! In the meantime, let me know in the comments what you do to help keep your Christmas on a budget ! I can't wait to hear all of your fantastic tips.
Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :)
lots of love, Marianne xxx
