Last week, Anissa Degrasse shared with us several excellent ways we can defuse holiday stress. Stress at Christmastime can range from an over-committed calendar to too many sugar cookies. Most of these are short-lived and manageable, but accumulating debt is probably the most damaging stressor with long-term consequences that we face every Christmas.
This past August, I wrote about our familys need to re-evaluate our budget. We were recovering from a season of unemployment, as well as two of our sons weddings. It was critical for us to establish a budget that we could agree on. Fortunately, we set our Christmas spending goals then, but it has not been easy to adhere to it.
For many reasons, the pressure to make purchases that tax our budget at Christmas time is very high. We truly want to be cheerful givers and to bless others in ways we hope will bring them joy and happiness.
If we read the sales ads in the newspaper or just listen to the radio, we are constantly being reminded of exactly how many (or how few) more days we have left to shop. We can really begin to feel the pressure this last week before Christmas if we have not been able to make our Christmas purchases earlier.
If you are married, it is critical for you and your husband to be in agreement on the gifts you will be purchasing and the amount of money you should be spending. Before you head out the door (or go on-line) to make your gift purchases this week, spend time in prayer. Ask God to give you the wisdom you need. He knows what is best for the person you are buying for, as well as what is best for your finances.
Shop alone if you will be encouraged by others to buy something you shouldnt, but take a friend with you if they are willing to keep you accountable. Spending time with a friend to shop and to buy her a cup of coffee could be your gift to her.
There is no law that says you cannot return a gift before you give it. If you have realized that gifts you have already purchased are stretching your budget too far and have created future debt, then return them before Christmas. There may only be 5 more shopping days til Christmas, but there are also 5 more days to make better choices.
For more reading on this topic, you might appreciate this article from Crown Financial Ministries: Plan holiday cheer without debt fear.
And this excellent post from Janine Cate at Why Homeschool: Unschool lesson in economics (or trip to the mall)
