Stress Less & Enjoy the Seasons!

Okay so now that holiday time is officially here, I wanted to share some ideas that help keep me from totally stressing out during the holiday season and from having a serious meltdown.


1. Go through your mail daily. This time of year I get swamped with advertisement mail, so to prevent it from piling up and keep myself from getting overwhelmed, I just plan to take 5-10 minuets to go through it each day and toss what I don’t see useful. There are, however, sometimes great coupons that come with the advertisements, so I always check first to see if its something I’ll use.


2. Try to get your shopping as early as possible. If there is anyway, try to brace the stores during a midweek morning, when they are “semi-less” crowded. Or better yet, do your shopping online! There are TONS of discounts/coupons during the holidays. I never go shopping without checking to see if there are any coupons for anything I have on my list (this applies to anytime of the year).


3. Set a budget of what your family can spend during the holidays. This REALLY helps me from accumulating credit card debt and having to stress about it after the holiday is over. Set your limit and stick to it! Don’t let yourself get sucked into the disease of “I NEED it”.


4. Assemble as much food as you can ahead of time and freeze it. I know this won’t work for some things, but there are plenty of freezable dishes that would only need to be heated & served.


5. Make deadlines for yourself- like having all the wrapping or decorating done by so or so date…That way you can sit back and relax and truly enjoy the season with family and friends.