holiday stress

Every where you look there are signs 
                                     asking if I am doing it right??
                                                                                   what will we be dining on??
                        what will be wrapped and what will we wrap it in??
                                                Who will be coming and where will we be going??

And all these questions while the big signs that time is running out and there are only so man days left. That countdown that as a child was so exciting to me is now a sign that I am running out of time to make that perfect Christmas for my family. This seems to make the holidays uncomfortable and full of stress for me. But wait a second take a deep breath and let it out. There are a few tips that we can try that should help make the holidays less stressful.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right. The first step in anything is to plan a budget. If you do not need to do this then you are doing much better than me and I really want to hear any tips you have to share. When planning your budget remember to include gifts, travel, food and entertainment. An average credit card user seems to overspend and taking the next 4 to 6 months paying off the bills. Figure out how much you want to spend and don't spend a penny more. Yes, I know how hard this is you are talking to the midnight cristmas eve shopper here but I learned that planning pays off. If you have ever used the envelope budget system just simply do that each person you have on gift list gets their own envelope. Once money is gone shopping is done. PSSSTTTT>>>> you can use this idea for birthdays as well

Don't get overstressed because you have to many oars in the water. Not everything has to be done at once or by you. Tasks should be separated as much as possible and tackled one at a time so you feel like you are getting some where. With all that is going on around us and in our lives completing tasks as you go along will help keep you on target.