Avoid Christmas Debt When Cash Is Tight

It seems like the older I get, the faster the Christmas holidays come around.  For me, I have taken care of avoiding the debt since I have not celebrated Christmas for a very long time since a lot of the people close to me have passed away.  I just don't feel it anymore.  However, it was a problem in the past.

The last seasons I celebrated, I cut way down on Christmas decorating.  It was once an obsession for me to decorate to the max.  It was beautiful, but expensive.  Anyway, that is where I started and just became very aware of where every penny was going.  Not being cheap, just frugal.

Another thing I cut out was the large open house Christmas celebration where we set up a large buffet of food that was outrageous now that I think about it.  It seems like we would invite everyone we knew.  It got out of hand fast and got bigger and bigger every year.  The smart thing would have been to make it a pot luck celebration where everyone brought a plate of food.  Well, it went away the last few seasons I celebrated.

Mary at Everyday Cheapskate has an excellent article with lots of tips on how to save money during the holidays.

Click here to go to the article.

I know it is early to start posting holiday stuff, but it takes time to start planning in order to save money.

The Frugal Mindset

 

Learning to be frugal with money by saving where you can so that you can spend where you want.  In my opinion, this is the foundation of being frugal.

A frugalista mindset focuses on what she/he needs, not trying make purchases based on what others have.  The major premise is to focus on needs.

Frugal spending habits is a good starting point to gain the mindset.  Remember that being frugal isn't being cheap . . . a positive attitude is key in anything you attempt to do.

Keeping a budget and sticking to it is very important.  Take your time to set your financial goals in order to develop a realistic budget.  A frugal mindset tracks expenses often as it relates to the budget.  I've developed a mindset of checking it every day, makes changes as necessary.  

Sometimes an emergency will make it necessary to update your budget.  It is not always easy.  But being frugal can make it easy to manage the emergency because you have probably saved money and hopefully put it in your savings to cover emergencies.  That one thing has saved me from a financial disaster when an emergency arises . . . I'm retired on a fixed income and saving money has become a major thing.

Your life situation will guide your mindset if you just give it lots of thought.  Just remember to make it about needs, not wants and save what is left over at the end of the month.

Replacing your washer or dryer

 

One of the things I do as a frugalista is research high dollar purchases.  Educate yourself on various features of the item and how they affect the cost to start off.  Know exactly what you want before going into the store and purchasing the item that has features you don't need.  If possible, familiarize yourself with the brand and compare store prices.

Unfortunately I am currently in the market for a new washing machine and have no idea what I actually want.  So I was very happy to come across the following article from Mary Hunt of Everyday Cheapsake that goes into everything you need to know before making the purchase of a washer or dryer.

Click here to go to the article and check out her blog while you are there.