<p>The holiday season seems to be flying forward in fast motion. Black Friday sales are already live. People used the mild weather to decorate both the outside and the inside of their homes. And some of us have already watched a movie or two and cranked the Christmas tunes.</p><p>But before you speed ahead the calendar by a month, it’s a good time to press pause and have a little chat.</p><p>If you’re married, these are conversations you need to have with your spouse. If you’re not, you can have a little heart-to-heart with yourself and/or chat with a close friend or trusted advisor. Just keep in mind, you want to talk these things through with someone whose finances you want to emulate.</p><p>The one about the budget</p><p>I know it’s not the most fun conversation to initiate. But the entire month of December is laden with unexpected expenses. While I’d hazard a guess there will be fewer holiday parties this year, you’ll still want to think through each category of spending. From Christmas cards to an increased energy bill to power those twinkling lights, you spend more at the end of the year even without the gift giving.</p><p>On Queen of Free (<a href="http://www.queenoffree.net">www.queenoffree.net</a>), I have seven budget forms just for the Christmas season to help you begin to get organized. You’ll need to determine how much you want to spend in each area and then track your expenses.</p><p>The one about gift giving</p><p>Once you determine how much you’re going to spend this year, you need to break that big number down into smaller ones. And that means you may need to reevaluate who you give gifts to and how much you plan on spending. This is obviously tricky territory. And it may involve an uncomfortable conversation or two.</p><p>As a side note, I want to share that any time we’ve had what we thought might be an uncomfortable conversation, it’s been much less awkward than I thought it would be and overall well received. Sometimes friends and family members are relieved to be off the hook, too.</p><p>The one about kids, Christmas</p><p>For many of you, I am your future. We have two daughters — an 18 year old and a 12 year old. Over the years, we’ve gotten some things right and others wrong when it comes to parenting. And our Christmas gift giving strategy has ebbed and flowed. But primarily, we’ve stuck to giving our girls three gifts: a piece of clothing, a book and a WOW gift. We also do stockings (or sometimes pillow cases or bags) filled with practical items and favorite snacks.</p><p>No matter how much or how little you plan on giving to your kids or the kids you love, you need to define your parameters well. Otherwise gifts mate and multiply. Out of our love for others, we can easily slip into the trap of buying “just one more.”</p><p>The one about finding money</p><p>Especially if you haven’t planned ahead, you may find yourself behind the eight ball when it comes to Christmas already. You’ll want to get creative and think of ways to scratch up extra cash this year. Do you have rewards points you can cash out? Is there a big bucket of change you can wrap and take into the bank? Are there odd jobs you can pick up to make seasonal income?</p><p>It’s also wise to avoid putting your Christmas expenses on credit cards. Hear me out: gifts bought by credit are not truly gifts. You’ll end up paying for those items several times over. It’s not worth putting your financial future in jeopardy to have the “perfect” Christmas.</p><p>The one about generosity</p><p>This is my favorite topic! If you’re in the position to be able to do some end-of-the-year giving, it’s smart to chat about this in advance. Whether you give to your favorite church or charity or fill an envelope with cash to drop off anonymously, think about who you may give to and how you’re going to do it.</p><p>It’s worth noting that you can be generous without money. You can serve and give your time. You can help collect donations. You can clean out your closet or cabinets. Get creative!</p><p>If you’re interested in more money saving strategies when it comes to this time of the year, read my eBook” Keep the Happy in Your Holidays: 21 Ways to Save Time, Money, and Your Sanity This Christmas,” available on all online book platforms. Start talking about December today. You won’t regret a little financial preparation before the most wonderful time of the year.</p>
