If my math is correct, there are only 20 more Fridays until your Christmas shopping needs to be done. Well, technically there are 21, but who wants to shop on December 23rd?! Every year it surprises me how many people seem to be taken off guard by Christmas, even though it comes on the exact same date every year. During my years of financial counseling, I came across countless families who funded their Christmas gifts on credit cards because they had not properly prepared throughout the year. Word of advice – don’t do that!

Christmas is most certainly not just about the gifts, but for most of us, we do find joy in giving gifts to our loved ones. In order to be prepared and not go into debt this year, start taking steps TODAY so that Christmas doesn’t sneak up on you.

I suggest stopping by the ATM every Friday between now and Christmas and withdraw $20. (Or $10, $40, $60….whatever your budget allows). For purposes of this example, we’ll say that you withdraw $20 per week. Take the cash home and place it in a designated envelope labeled “Christmas 2016.”  If you begin doing that today, you’ll have $400 saved by Christmas, and you probably won’t even feel that the $20 per week is gone from your account.

Give it a try!