The festive season is just around the corner & now is the perfect time to prep, plan & get organised. 

First things first, identify what things you will need to allocate for your festive season budget. Write down all the people you need to buy gifts for in your diary, any events like Christmas parties or travel you may need to do and any responsibilities like helping with or hosting lunches or dinners. Look at when each item or task needs to be completed  by and allocate reminders and deadlines in your diary to help you stay on track (we have a specific section dedicated to this in our diaries). 

Tip: To save you time running around, think about ordering gifts & your big Christmas shop online. Just ensure you check their pre Christmas cut off dates first. 

Once you’ve identified where you need to allocate your spending, identify your budget. Christmas is traditionally the most expensive time of the year so you want to make sure you have enough money put aside for gifts and other expenses that have a habit of unexpectedly popping up. Write down a budget that you expect you will need for all the items above. Divide the list into weeks so that you can spread out your spending / budget. Don't over commit & prioritise what is important to you - another great way to manage your gifting budget is to do a secret santa with the group rather than buying multiple individual presents, or agree on a spending budget.  

TIP: Personalised gifts deliver more impact because the receiver sees how much effort you went into creating whatever it is. Don’t underestimate little gestures like homemade cookies or framed pictures to show your love. Another idea is to think about experiences. For example: “Dear Aunt Jane, I know you love old movies and I saw that there is a screening of Breakfast at Tiffanys in January, so I’ve bought us tickets so we can go see it together. Save the Date 12th Jan 6pm xo”.

If your budget is tight, there’s still about 8 weeks before Christmas to get financially savvy. If you haven’t already, do a spring clean - are there any items you are holding on to that you could potentially sell through your local buy-swap-sell or garage sale (these are also great places to find unique gifts). When it comes to food & hosting Christmas Day or a Festive event, planning is key - don’t leave your menu to the last minute. Research budget friendly meals and ask family & friends to bring along a plate or bottle of bubbles rather than gifts.

If you have your 2023 Diary already, now is a great time to add ‘presents/events’ into your budget for the year ahead. Popping aside $50-100 a month will ease some of the financial stress come birthdays, events and the festive season next year.