Monday, November 13, 2017

Navigating the Holiday Season

I've been a Lifetime Weight Watchers member for more than a decade, and this time of year is always the most challenging for those who are trying to lose weight or keep it off. You have to make trade-offs. Enjoy your favorite foods—especially those once-a-year treats—but don't let them hijack your SmartPoints budget.

The holiday season is also challenging for people who are trying to get on the right track financially, or just making ends meet. You want the holidays to be special, but you dread starting out the next year deeper in debt.

The key to staying trim—and financially responsible—is moderation. What do you value most about the season? The spiked eggnog and frosted gingerbread men, or the fellowship with friends at a holiday gathering? Giving the most expensive present, or being with family?

Even though this is the season for holiday celebrations, not every day during November and December calls for overeating. Dieters can balance days of extra workouts and eating a green salad for lunch to save up enough SmartPoints for a slice of Grandma’s homemade pumpkin pie. One slice. Savored.

The same principle applies to spending money during the holidays. There will probably be more lunches out, more office parties and gift exchanges, more reasons to shop. Prioritize and participate in those activities from which you derive the most value.

Instead of going out and buying something new for the dirty Santa / white elephant gift exchange, why not scour your closet and recycle that item you received last year and had no use for? (If you’re afraid someone will recognize it, use it with a different group.)

Are there people you buy presents for every year out of habit? And the items they give you end up re-gifted or donated to charity? Make the suggestion to change the tradition, perhaps get together for a meal or a movie instead. Depending on your talents, substitute giving homemade goodies or flowers from your garden. Chances are, it’s not the gift that’s important to the person, it’s the relationship, the act of being remembered and acknowledged.

Throwing a holiday party? Cut down on costs by allowing guests to add to the bounty with a favorite dish or bottle of spirits to share. Most people will ask what they can bring or what they can do to help. Take them up on their offers. Most guests won’t care how much you’ve spent on food and decorations; they’re more interested in the opportunity to catch up with friends and neighbors in a relaxed environment.

I used to spend a lot of money on Christmas cards, postage, and printing a year-in-review letter with color photos. More and more friends and family now send their holiday greetings by email, so my mailing list for physical cards has shrunk over the years. Saves postage, and delivery is much faster.

If you decorate heavily, it’s tempting to add more adornments each year to replace worn items or freshen the look. Try to make do with last year’s stash, and then stock up on new stuff toward the end of the season. Years ago, the big sales happened the day after Christmas. Now it seems that by December 26, Christmas has been erased, and the big half-price sales on cards, wrapping paper, decorations, trees, etc., happen the week before the holiday. In time to add to your collection this year, if you’re patient.

And speaking of wrapping paper, I can’t seem to shake an old habit instilled in me by my mother: unwrap packages with care so you can reuse the paper. Especially if it’s pretty. And expensive, i.e., from someone outside our family.

What tips do you have for saving money during the holiday season? I'd love to hear your comments.

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