I have a confession to make. After being so happy about finishing up the holiday shopping early and making some pretty awesome gifts with the kids last week, I gave into temptation. I bought a new television.
Like many homes, we have more than one television in the house. We have “our” tv in the living room and the “kids” tv in the family room. My husband and I are big football fans. The kids? Not so much. Sometimes that extra tv comes in handy.
I remember when we bought our first flat screen tv (which we still have). It was the Christmas before we became parents, and we spent just over $500. And it was a steal! We were pretty excited. Fast forward to this year, and we could buy the same size and brand of television for about $200. We still had a box television in the family room, and I developed a serious case of spending fever...hence the new television.
There’s some psychology behind why people overspend so much during the holidays, and even knowing that you’re prone to making impulse purchases doesn’t always make you immune to them. Sometimes you might fall for the same feelings that I did...what a great deal, we’re going to need it eventually, and we did save extra money this year. Or maybe you’re still shopping for the holiday gift exchange. Sometimes we get caught up in living up to the budgets set in previous years, or we just want to get something for everybody. No matter what the reason, a lot of people, including myself, get carried away during the holiday season.
So what can you do if the damage has already been done? I know that my discretionary spending will be a little lower in January and February, so that I can get back on track with the long term budget my family set up. In the meantime, shopping trips will be kept to a minimum, and I’ll be focusing on what I already have. One thing that’s sure to help ease that urge to shop is going through the stuff you’ve accumulated. It’s an eye opener.
And since I now know that I might come across a deal “too good to be true” during future holiday seasons, I can plan for it, build it into my budget, and make sure that I set enough aside in our family’s Christmas club account at Afena to allow an extra purchase or two.
So if you find yourself drawn to some of those great deals as you wrap up your holiday shopping, give yourself some time to think before you buy. And if you’ve already given into temptation, take a deep breath and figure out what you have to do to get back on track, and then enjoy the rest of your holiday. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.