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Being Able To Afford The Holidays Means Getting A Grip On Your Finances Now

It’s always there. It’s never more than a year away. The holiday season brings a lot of unnecessary tension for a lot of people, because they have to stress and struggle each year trying to determine how they will pay for gifts, travel and all the extra expenses that go along with our favorite time of year. This year, be prepared. Start making changes now in anticipation of those needs. If you plan ahead, you can breeze through it like all those people you’ve always envied.

When you are least likely to think about holiday spending, the summertime, is a great time to start stashing away a little cash. Put a few dollars or more from each paycheck into a special account, or even an envelope in your house! Doing this now gives you months of savings that will accumulate for that needed money at the end of the year.

Starting your shopping early is one of the easiest ways to save. While many prepared shoppers start buying in September or October, the summer months can be a GREAT time to start stashing away presents, especially for kids who’s toys won’t be a seasonal item. Toys are easy to buy on sale in the summer and bring out for their presents in the winter.

Try shopping now, or in the early holiday season at discount stores. Often times you can find name brand and designer items for far less than you would pay at expensive or high end department stores. But the items are often the same or similar. Buying these items early means you might miss out on some of those last minute sales, but you won’t need to worry about being stressed out and frazzled, which is worth the extra dollars spent.

Trying to buy all of your presents in one month window of time is a strain on anyone’s budget. That is why shopping early and stashing away money in the summer months is a great way to avoid this.

Look for sales now. Don’t wait until November for your deep discounts. Often times those sales in October and November are aimed at the holiday shoppers. The discounts you are receiving are not nearly as deep as the ones you can score at the end of the summer. Retailers are trying to make room for all that specialty holiday merchandise. So buy any non season specific items at the end of the summer when you can often times get the biggest discount of the year.

If you want to be REALLY prepared. Go shopping in the days after Christmas for next years presents. These deep discounts can save you hundreds as well as have you breathing easy all through the next holiday season knowing that you’ve had your gifts ready to go for 11 months!

Not knowing how you are going to afford holiday gifts is often one of the biggest reported stressors of the season. Don’t be one of those people. Get a head start now and you can breath easy and really enjoy your holiday celebrations this year!!!

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