It’s officially the middle of the year. We made it! With everything that has happened so far this year, the holidays might be the furthest thing from your mind. But that’s exactly why you should get a jump start on preparing for the holidays. The first half of this year has flown by and the next few months will also probably sneak up on us. Before we know it, November will be staring us in the face!
What can you do to start preparing now?
Take Your Holiday Photos
If you normally send out holiday cards or newsletters that include family photos, take your photos now. You can stage your own DIY photo shoot using a tripod and a timer. Wear your holiday pjs or your ugly Christmas sweaters and gather the whole family including the fur-kids.
You can even take it a step further and upload the photo to Shutterfly or Snapfish and order your cards now. And if you want to be that over achiever, you can even go ahead and address the envelopes ahead of time!
Take Stock of What You Have
Raise your hand if you wait until the day after Christmas to go and stock up on all the wrapping paper and gift bags you’ll need for the following year? I know I do. But sometimes, those shopping bags get misplaced and then you end up buying more anyway. And at full price!
So now’s the time to do a quick run through in your house and make sure everything is together. Make a list of what you have and how much you have.
Once you have your list, you’ll know if there’s anything you truly need to buy before the holidays arrive. If, like me, you suddenly realize that you have 15 rolls of scotch tape, you’re probably good this holiday season, lol!
Start Saving
It sounds so simple doesn’t it? And yet for many people, it just slips through the cracks every single year. The holidays can be expensive. It’s not just gifts that add up. It’s holiday travel, the costs of hosting one or more dinners, the cost of attending holiday parties including dress clothes, the cost of decorations, and so much more.
Creating your budget is just the first step.
You have to figure out how much you think you’ll spend on all of those items. How much will it cost you at the grocery store? How much will it cost you for plane tickets? Will you go to holiday concerts or light shows?
Once you have a total for all of those little items, add a little more. No matter how much you think you’ll spend during the holidays, it always ends up costing more.
For instance, two years ago, we plugged in our pre-lit tree only to discover two whole sections of lights had gone out.
The tree was 10 years old so it wasn’t completely unexpected but nonetheless, we had to go buy regular lights to fill in those sections for the time being. The cost of extra lights was not much but they were still not budgeted for. We budgeted for a new tree for the following year.
Three years ago, we were getting ready to drive to go visit family for the holidays. A routine oil change led to us needing to get new tires before the trip. They possibly could have waited, but with winter weather we didn’t want to take a chance.
And while new tires don’t exactly fall neatly into a “holiday” category, it was an expense that came up exactly one week before Christmas.
Always add some buffer money into that holiday budget just in case you have something unexpected come up right in the middle of all the celebrating. After you have your total, figure out how many pay periods you have between now and Thanksgiving. Then divide your total amount by the number of pay periods you have left. Got that number? That’s how much you need to set aside each pay period.
If that number seems too high and you would have to choose between paying bills or saving, adjust your holiday budget. Cut your holiday budget down until it fits your financial situation and then look at the number again.
You can either put this money into a separate account, take out cash to put it aside, or just allocate it on your budgeting app. Any way you choose to do it, just make sure that money stays untouched until the end of the year when you need it.
Do Some Shopping
I know, I just told you to start saving and now I’m telling you to spend, but hear me out. Once you start having this money set aside, start getting a gift or two out of the way ahead of time. Every single year it feels like one mad rush between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is full of things to do, people to find gifts for, and events to attend.
It truly does help to know that you have at least one or two gifts out of the way before Thanksgiving. You may even save some money. Everyone always thinks that the best deals happen during Black Friday but sometimes there are better deals over the summer.
Think about it. Nordstrom has its big sale over the summer. Bath and Body Works and Victoria’s Secret are famous for their semi-annual sale over the summer. REI also has a big sale. Amazon has Prime Day. And did you know that the best time to buy a new computer (if you’re in the market for one) is over the summer?
Look around at the places having sales and if you see something you know someone would like, get it now while it’s on sale. Even if you only buy one gift, that’s one less gift you have to worry about at the end of the year.
Start Getting Crafty
If you’re feeling creative, or on a tight budget, a handmade holiday might be just the solution you’re looking for!
Handmade gifts can be cheaper and are often times more thoughtful and personal than store bought ones. Start getting some inspiration from Pinterest.
Candles, gift baskets, and bath and body products can be perfect for beginner crafters. And if you have a sewing machine hidden away, throw pillows, pot holders, and aprons are also some easy options.
I do not, however, recommend trying to knit or crochet a blanket. Knitting and crocheting take practice. And blankets take a very long time to make and can get pretty pricey with the cost of yarn.
So, if you’re on a tight budget or are a very newbie crafter, this would not be an easy item to make. They do make wonderful gifts, just know that they require a lot of time.
Need some ideas? Here are 30 quick and easy mason jar gifts that you can give this holiday season.
Plan It Out
Yep, the planner in me is telling you to plan! I like to plan my holiday calendar at least 1-2 months in advance. And I like to back into my dates. What does that mean you ask? Okay, let’s say that you have family that you have to mail gifts to. And let’s say that the deadline to mail those gifts (so that they get there in time) is December 17th.
You probably don’t want to wait in the massive lines that day so you may want to try to mail by December 14th to make it easier. That means you should probably have everything wrapped and ready to go in a box by December 12th.
Which means you should really have all of your shopping done by December 10th. And if you are ordering gifts that are being shipped to you, you should have them ordered a week before that. So, on my calendar, I would mark December 3rd as my deadline to be done with shopping.
By backing into the date and spacing these tasks out on your calendar, you’re planning out the process and giving yourself the time to get it all done.
One of the most stressful moments you can have during the holidays is that feeling that it’s now the middle of December and you’re out rushing to get the rest of your shopping done, to get it to the post office on time, or worse, you miss the deadline and have to pay for priority shipping to make sure it gets to your family before the holiday.
I’m surprised I’m not bald after the amount of times this has happened to me, lol!
While you’re putting in your personal deadlines, don’t forget to fill out the calendar with your other events too.
Not just holiday events, but all your activities. For example, if you have a dentist appointment on December 14th and you’ve scheduled yourself to mail packages at the post office, that might not be possible depending on your job. You may have to schedule the post office errand for another day.
Scheduling as much as you can in advance, takes some of the overwhelm out of the holiday rush.
And you’ll be less likely to forget something if you take the time now to create this calendar while your mind is much clearer.
I know my mind is always racing with thoughts during the holiday season!
Book Travel
I know right now might be the absolute worst time to try to book travel, but there are still a few things you can do to help plan for the holidays. You can schedule your PTO (paid time off) now. I don’t know about your company, but people in mine start scheduling their holidays in September. And time off is approved on a first come first serve basis.
So, if you’re one of the last people to request time off, you might not get it, if someone has already requested those days. I recommend you schedule the time now. The worst-case scenario is that you have to end up cancelling those days.
Or if you have a “use it or lose it” policy when it comes to PTO, you may have to still take that time (even if you don’t travel) or risk losing it altogether.
The other thing you can book right now is your hotel if you’re traveling for the holidays.
Hotels usually have an easier cancellation policy than the airlines do. Before you book your stay, look at the cancellation rules and jot down the “cancel by” date.
I would not recommend booking any pay up front non-refundable stays. It’s just too risky right now.
All of these tasks might seem insignificant by themselves but I guarantee that if you get a head start on these tasks, it will take some of the stress out of the holiday season. After what the first half of this year has given us, the holidays this year could look very different, and preparing now, will definitely pay off later. And I’m all for reducing stress at this point. Who’s with me?
Are you looking for fun activities you can do with the family this holiday season? Are you just looking for a little fun to get you in the Christmas spirit?
Download your FREE 2020 Advent Calendar here!
Need to find a pet sitter for your holiday travels? Find out What Questions You Should Ask a Pet Sitter before you hire them.
What should you do to reduce your holiday travel stress? Learn these Holiday Travel Tips to make the trip more enjoyable.
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