Comments on: 10 Holiday Budget Busters

By: Christmas gifts: She’s opted out

Christmas gifts: She’s opted out — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:25:58 +0000

[...] Many relate what Jennifer wrote as well as contend they give gifts since of a clarity of obligation. “Maybe your nearby resident brings over a tiny present as well as we feel a need to reciprocate,” says Ashley in a post about legal legal legal legal holiday budget-busters during Wide Open Wallet. [...]

By: Weekly Roundup and Carnivals

Weekly Roundup and Carnivals — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:31:41 +0000

[...] talks about “10 holiday Budget busters“. I totally agree! I find myself leaving bigger tips and cooking/baking more. I made bread [...]

By: threadbndr (Karla)

threadbndr (Karla) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:09:56 +0000

I busted the budget on the secret santa thing at the office. I totally went overboard with the “container as a part of the gift” thing. *sigh* Hobby Lobby gets me every time. I shouldn’t ever go INTO that store!

I think we need to put a lower max on it next year.

By: Monroe on a Budget

Monroe on a Budget — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:37:36 +0000

Potluck emergencies are actually easy to plan for once you get into the mindset.

Every time any of the following things are on sale, stock up:
Cake mix.
Gelatin mix.
Frosting tubs.
Vanilla, cinnamon, other commonly used spices.
Canned fruit.
Cookie mix.
Chocolate chips.
Chopped walnuts.
Whippy topping powder.

Now you can mix a Jell-o salad, cookies, Bundt cake or cupcakes in no time flat.

By: Carnival of Personal Finance #183 | Growing Money

Carnival of Personal Finance #183 | Growing Money — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:38:33 +0000

[...] Twelve Frugal Days of Christmas 10 Holiday Budget Busters Be Careful Which Gift Cards You Buy! 26 (relatively painless) ways to save money this holiday [...]

By: Carnival of Personal Finance #183 is up! : Both Sides of the Pond

Carnival of Personal Finance #183 is up! : Both Sides of the Pond — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:49:03 +0000

[...] 10 Holiday Budget Busters by Wide Open Wallet. I’m definitely guilty of some of these budget busters. [...]

By: Carnival of Personal Finance #183 : Carnival of Personal Finance

Carnival of Personal Finance #183 : Carnival of Personal Finance — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:28:45 +0000

[...] 10 Holiday Budget Busters [...]

By: Donna Freedman

Donna Freedman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:35:20 +0000

“Fairness” and “forgetfulness” are two topics you don’t see much written about when it comes to the holidays. But they’re very real. When I was pulling some presents out of my gift closet (actually an old cedar chest I got for $15 at a yard sale), I found things I’d forgotten I’d bought during the past year. After-holiday sales, clearance racks and, yeah, yard sales are where I find a lot of gifts.
But then I forget that I have them — which could lead me to keep buying. On the bright side, it made me happy to see how much I had and how little (if anything) I still need to buy.
Fairness: If the 2-year-old is happy with blocks, and a much older sibling wants a bike, that DOESN’T mean you need to buy a bike’s worth of blocks for the li’l one. And if one kid really, really wants a big-ticket item and is willing to accept that it’s almost the ONLY thing he’ll get, then I say go for it.
Of course, he may need reminding on Christmas morning, when he gets the (bike, game system, laptop) and a package of underwear and then has to watch siblings tear into seven or eight wrapped gifts apiece. No whining! You wanted the (bike, game system, laptop) and you got it.

By: Link Love | Remodeling This Life

Link Love | Remodeling This Life — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:02:36 +0000

[...] 10 Holiday Budget Busters [...]

By: Slinky

Slinky — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:32:27 +0000

Generally, wrapping paper or bringing something (food, wine, etc) to someone’s house are what I forget.

To answer the opposite of your question, I usually avoid busting my budget by planning it ahead of time and avoiding stores for the most part. I sit down and plan what to get people and then figure out where to get it from rather than going somewhere and looking for something for someone. I also order many things online and make a lot of homemade things.

I keep track of my budget by buying everything with a debit card so I can track the transactions.