Christmas is coming! The holidays are coming around quicker than you can say ‘candy cane’ and people are beginning to look forward to their Christmas antics, but are you? One factor might be stopping you from getting caught up in the excitable commotion is the expense. Christmas is undoubtedly the most expensive season of the year – and the most stressful!

Christmas doesn’t have to break the bank though. If you find yourself a little low on funds near to Christmas this year, loans on the same day could be the perfect option for you. Applying for a same day loan is simple, and you could receive up to $1,000 in a matter of hours! Find out how you can make Christmas more affordable this year below:

Write a list

Before you step into the shops, make a list of everything you need to buy and a separate one for everything you’d like to buy. Prioritize buying what you need over buying what you’d like first to make sure your financial situation doesn’t hold you back from buying something you really need. If you have money left over, you can pick and choose the items on your ‘would like’ list.

Actually tell people what you’d like to receive. Avoid the phrase “I don’t know” when people ask you what you’d like for Christmas. Although you’re just being polite, your friends and family want to return the favor of buying them gifts and buying you presents in exchange. Consider what you need, but can’t afford to buy, and what you’d like (usually, this will be an item you wouldn’t normally purchase yourself) so you don’t have to worry about purchasing what you need in the lull after Christmas.

Save early

The earlier you begin to save, the less you’ll need to panic as the big day approaches. If you can’t start saving in January to recover from the previous month, you should start saving at least a couple of months in advance depending on what you plan on spending.

Plan a day to go Christmas shopping and avoid hitting the shops again to avoid making impulse purchases. This also helps you reduce your carbon footprint, so it’s a win-win situation.

 

Switch to LED lights

Christmas lights are just one cause of increased energy bills over the Christmas period. Did you know? The estimated electricity cost for the standard Christmas tree with lights left turned on for at least 12 hours a day for 40 days costs a minimum of $10. You can save up to $9.73, just by switching to LED lights.

Top tip: All of your Christmas tree and external Christmas lights should be on timers to avoid racking up a costly bill. If you forget to switch them off after a long day, no biggie! You won’t need to roll out of bed to turn them off.

Don’t panic buy

Year after year we panic buy at supermarkets because the shops will be closing… for a maximum of two to three days, so is there any need to overspend to stock up for our ‘what ifs’ and ‘buts’? No, there’s not. In 2015 it was revealed that more than 4.2 million Christmas dinners were wasted in the UK alone – including 740,000 slices of Christmas pudding, so it’s OK to put that extra pudding down.

So, now you know how you can make Christmas more affordable, it’s time to start making your lists and checking them twice. There’s only more than three months to go!

The Holiday season is ALL about giving, spending time with ones you love most, and being thankful for the life that we are living! I personally believe that you should give back to and help as many people as you possibly can because you never know what someone is going through and always remember that there is someone out there that is less fortunate than you. A really questionable topic that is often talked about is, whether or not we should be tipping the people that do everyday services for us, such as our landlords or mail men, trash people, etc.! Today I am going to be talking all about this topic and what I think about the matter!

Some people say that we shouldn’t have to tip our service people for things that they would normally have to do for us anyway. I mean after all, that is their job, and they are getting paid to do it. It’s not as if they are a waiter at a restaurant where they are making less of an hourly wage and rely on their tips, this is a completely valid argument!

I definitely disagree with this thinking! I think we absolutely should tip these people in our lives during the holiday season. These folks have to go through a whole lot of things for us! For example, your trash people and mail delivery person have to work throughout the winter season even through the freezing cold and snow and inclement weather, or your landlord has to come around when necessary to fix things and take care of problems for you! I order a ton of packages and things online, so the mailman is constantly busy at my home, and having quite a few people in our family creates a lot of trash for the trash man as well! I’m not suggesting that you tip them some crazy amount, but sliding them a little extra love for the holiday season, it will be much appreciated!

After all, the holidays are all about giving back and being friendly with the world! I personally believe that tipping your servicemen will give you the great feeling of giving; it will help you to create a relationship with these service people, and they may just even give you a bit of a better service treatment when you need them next! So if you’ve never tipped these people in the past, try giving a little something special this year for the holidays!

 

 

I always get so excited around the Holiday season! I mean it’s just such a happy, cheery, and fun time of the year! One of my personal favorite things to do around the holidays is to spend the whole night sipping on hot chocolate, watching a good movie, and decorating the Christmas tree with my family! Ever since the kids were little, we’ve always done this together, and it’s just such an amazing time that I cherish and look forward to every year.

I personally love to make my tree look beautiful, like a work of art! I have seen a lot of crazy Christmas trees in my days, whether they be too bare and have not enough flair to them, or too busy with the ornaments all jam packed on there. Now, I know that decorating your Christmas tree isn’t about making it look perfect, but it is nice to have a beautifully decorated tree! If you have come across the issue of having a crazily decorated tree and you want something a bit more elegant, I am here to help! Today I will be sharing with you a few tips for getting the perfect balance of ornaments and decor on your tree!

Select a Theme and Buy Matching Decor: I highly recommend choosing some sort of theme for your tree! Pick out ornaments and other decor that match that theme and your tree will look awesome and everything will coincide with each other!

Completely Cover the Tree: One of the biggest mistakes people make are not covering their tree entirely! A lot of times people focus their decorations on the front of the three and don’t get things all the way around the tree. You definitely will not want to do that, make sure you have decorations all around your tree so you can see its beauty from all angles!

Balance the Decor: Another common mistake people make is to have a completely unbalanced amount of decoration. For example, someone will put a ton of ornaments with absolutely no lights or garland/tinsel. You want to make sure that neither of these aspects of decorating overpower the other. If you’re questioning something, just take a step back and see how your tree looks from a far to get a better look at what’s really going inn

If you follow these tips and rules for decorating your tree, you will definitely have on beautiful work of art cupcake! I hope you all have a great time decorating your trees and be sure to make some fun and happy memories with your family as you.

#BringBackHolidays

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, isn’t it? I don’t want to be like that this year. I mean, the holidays can be fun, but it’s also vital to stop and smell the roses. At the end of the day, it’s not about the toys that have been bought or the amount of food on the table. What matters most is who is at your dinner table and the memories you’re making. Overtime, things will come and go, but memories will be what lasts forever, in the hearts of your loved ones. As you can see from this video, you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so enjoy every single moment.  Join the conversation and share this  inspirational story on social media with #BringBackHolidays

Happy Holidays!

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