FNTN

Introduction.

The way most people’s finances are these days we’ll all be lucky to afford a partridge, out or in a pear tree, let alone 5 gold rings! In fact, just to underline how far shorter your dollars will go this year in the traditional rendition of the “12 days of Christmas”, some 364 individual items are named. According to PNC Wealth Management; to have bought them last year would have cost just over $87,000 – this year would set you back nearly $98,000, a 11% increase! So, in the face of such increases in prices and falling personal finances – how can you managing Christmas finances?

5 gold rings - at least $1500 this year from $1350 last year.

Christmas on a budget.

If money is tight at any time of the year you know you have to live according to a strict budget and this is especially important at Christmas time. At Christmas time it can be all too easy to get carried away with what you’re spending, only to end up in one whole mess of debt in the New Year. It is, of course, really difficult these days balancing living off a budget with celebrating Christmas, but just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean to say that you have to be mean about things, we’ll give some tips on this later on. Meanwhile if you haven’t got the cash or savings to pay for your Christmas celebrations then that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Christmas at all, just you need to think carefully about how you’re going to finance it.

Budget for your Christmas loan.

Celebrating Christmas on credit cards or loans.

Part of your budgeting for Christmas can include spending money on credit cards or through personal loans. The secret to keeping credit card spending or using loans to pay for your Christmas celebrations is to make sure that the repayments fall within your budget for the New Year. So, if in the New Year you know you can repay a small personal loan within say 6 months – that could actually be a sensible way to pay for all your Christmas gifts and celebrations. All you need to do ahead of Christmas is establish exactly what that Christmas budget is going to be, which might be for just a few hundred dollars or up to say $5000. If for some reason you don’t want to take out a small loan then you could use your credit cards instead – providing you’re confident that you can pay them off quickly in the New Year, one way to check that you’ll be able to repay it is to check your credit score.

Christmas on a budget is no reason to not have a Happy Christmas.

Get ready for our budget Christmas tips.

OK. Before we get into our budget Christmas tips we want to set out a few markers. First up, we’re not going to get into food and presents, instead we’ll concentrate on a few items of Christmas expenditure that really can be budgeted for and controlled easily – leaving you more of your loan to spend on Christmas gifts and food. All of this of course is relative to your individual circumstances and, if you can afford to spend $10,000 or even $100,000 or more on Christmas then good luck to you – and if you can’t and are thinking what sort of Christmas loan to take out, then read on.

Nothing wrong with last years Christmas tree.

Easy Christmas budgeting.

Too busy earning that dollar to fix your home in time for Christmas Day, no worries then you can always get a Christmas decorations specialist to come into your home and not only set up the tree but festively decorate your home for a mere $3000. Speaking of lights, you know how the outdoor light configurations change every year; well you just can’t possibly be the one in the neighborhood to have last years put up again. So another $3000 should see an outdoor lighting rig installed for you that can compete with Macy’s or wherever, right down to the Swarovski Alina angel at $300. Finally, with all the malls and cinemas shut we all gravitate to the TV. So no doubt you want to impress the neighbors with the Bang & Olufsen 103 inch plasma HDTV, complete with home theatre sound – all for just $190,000!
Alternatively, you can buy a Christmas tree, real or artificial, for anything from $5 in a budget store to say $50 quite easily – no need to get into debt for that then! As for decorating it – why not use those decorations you’ve had for years, many of which will have particular emotional associations for you. As for the lights on the tree or your room decorations, who cares how old they are if they set the right feeling of Christmas in your home. You really shouldn’t mind the lights outside – who’s going to remember what you had last year anyway? Following those simple tips leaves you in no debt at all. Finally, you know what’s more important than the latest TV and gadgetry – it’s having everyone around you and enjoying themselves at Christmas. Let’s face it “Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve is going to look the same on a 40 inch CRT as it will on the latest 103 inch plasma screen!