The holidays are stressful for anyone, but especially a young adult on a budget. Time for friends, and family can prove difficult as well, but it can be done with enough planning ahead. I’m going to give you five of my best tips for making it through the holidays with your sanity, and without going bankrupt.
1. Set a budget for your Christmas shopping and don’t allow yourself to go over.
I prefer to use a smartphone app where I can make a list of who I need to buy gifts, and how much I can reasonably afford to spend. Santa’s Bag is my personal favorite app, but you have several options to choose from thanks to technology. The old-fashioned way to do a budget with a piece of paper, pencil, and calculator works just as well too.
2. Communicate ahead of time with your friends about your family plans during the holidays.
I’ve found from my personal experience that you can make family plans early in the day, and then go out with your friends later. However, communication is key so you don’t miss a Christmas dinner with grandma and grandpa to party with your friends. Family always should take priority for plans with friends.
3. Make time for yourself every day.
That is a huge one for me. I am constantly working on this piece of advice. It’s so hard to do everyday normally, but the holiday season adds 1,000 times more stress. Take time to do something you enjoy every day even if it’s only for thirty minutes. That’s thirty minutes of time that will be well spent. Stress buster activities are key to maintaining good health.
4. Make time for church.
When I say make time for church, I mean keep the CHRIST in Christmas. We get so busy trying to find the perfect gifts for the ones we love that we lose sight of the reason for the season. My faith is a wonderful lifesaver during these stressful days.
5. Make memories.
Life is too short to try and snap a picture of every single activity during the holidays. I’m a firm believer that sometimes you just need to stop and “be present” in the moment. Have you ever stopped to think about why a small child gets more joy from the boxes the gifts are in, instead of the actual gifts? My theory is because they are enjoying the moment. Take your pictures, but put your cell phone down and “be present”