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It\u2019s hard to believe but there are only nine weeks left until Christmas 2016! This means if you haven\u2019t given Christmas shopping a thought yet it\u2019s time to do so.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s hard to believe but there are only nine weeks left until Christmas 2016! This means if you haven\u2019t given Christmas shopping a thought yet it\u2019s time to do so.<\/p>\n
I personally love this time of year. I enjoy seeing all of my family, attending parties and having big dinners with loved ones. The part I don\u2019t like is all of the unnecessary spending and debt that can come along with such a great holiday.<\/p>\n
If you want to have a debt free Christmas this year here\u2019s how to do it.<\/p>\n
Your first step is to set a spending limit. This will depend upon how much money you\u2019re comfortable parting with in the name of Christmas gifts.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re interested in averages, last year Americans planned to spend $882<\/a>, on average, on Christmas gifts. If you fall into this group you\u2019re going to need save about $100 per week from here on out.<\/p>\n However, just because Americans spent this amount on average does NOT mean that you have to. There\u2019s still plenty of time for you to plan a budget friendly Christmas. If you can\u2019t afford to spend almost $900 on gifts, don\u2019t feel guilty. There are plenty of ways to make a smaller budget go far.<\/a><\/p>\n Whatever spending limit you choose you need to choose it now and vow to stick with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve determined that this year\u2019s Christmas won\u2019t be as lavish as last years it might be a good idea to have a talk with your children about it.<\/p>\n Setting up expectations now can take a lot of pressure off of you and let your children know what to expect come Christmas morning.<\/p>\n One you have your budget set it\u2019s time to put your plan in motion. Divide your budget amount by nine and plan on purchasing gifts in that amount or saving that amount each week.<\/p>\n Also, keep a list with all of your gift recipients\u2019 names and gift ideas. This way you can check sales and buy whatever is the best deal on your list for that particular week.<\/p>\n If you want to make your cash go even further look across your various reward accounts online and cash them in.<\/p>\n Part of the way I pay for Christmas each year is by using InboxDollars and Swagbucks (both search engines that offer rewards) and cashing them in each November. I easily accumulate a few hundred dollars in rewards which immensely helps me stretch my Christmas budget.<\/p>\n Aside from these types of accounts, you can also cash in any credit card rewards you\u2019ve earned throughout the year.<\/p>\n When you start purchasing gifts go through a cash back site (I prefer Top CashBack.) This way you can save money and accumulate cash rewards.<\/p>\n You can also look through coupon blogs like Hip2Save<\/a> which always shares the best Christmas deals.<\/p>\nSet Expectations<\/h2>\n
Spend or Save a Certain Amount Each Week<\/h2>\n
Cash in All Rewards<\/h2>\n
Look for Deals<\/h2>\n