Hi there! My name is Debra. I have been married for 38 years and raised two children while living a frugal lifestyle. We own a lovely home and are totally debt-free.

Would you like to be comfortable and debt-free? You can do it. I am here to share my experience and tips that will help you Live Within Your Means.

What? How will it help you Live Within Your Means if you get in the car and go shopping?

If you are struggling with debt, and feel like you are getting deeper and deeper, the first order of business is to stop digging. Stop digging and start planning.

If you are dreaming about starting your own business but can’t afford to leave your day job, that’s another reason to stop the same spending pattern and start planning.

School has started, and the pumpkins, costumes and candy are in the front of all the stores. If you look behind the rows of scarecrows and cobwebs, you will see the sparkle of loads of winter holiday decorations being stocked.

Gallup polls have shown that 30% of poll takers plan to spend more than $1,000 on Christmas shopping and at least half plan to spend at least $500. National Retail Federation numbers are comparable for Hanukkah shoppers.

It is all well and fine to tell yourself that this year you are going to be frugal, but let’s be real.

Cut the stress and guilt and avoid adding debt by starting your holiday shopping now in the top three budget busting categories: travel, gifts and food.

Plan your spending and shopping strategies now. Come the New Year, you can look back at a holiday season that did not leave you in more debt! You’ve got this!

Holidays Are Budget Busters

The National Retail Federation reported that Americans will spend over $77 per person on Halloween costumes, candy and decorations. If you have a family of four, that adds up to – ridiculous. Especially ridiculous if you are battling debt or have other financial goals.

Most of us can resist the temptation to go off the rails over Halloween. You really do not have to hand out tons of expensive name brand treats. Go for the budget candies or penny novelties.

If you feel like a cheapskate, comfort yourself with some peanut-butter cups from your kid’s Trick-or-Treat haul. It is part of a mom’s due diligence, anyway. How else are you going to make sure the treats are safe?

We all have our guilty little Halloween secrets. At my house, my husband looks for the best deals and limit his purchases to three or four bags of fun-sized chocolate bars each year. Sounds restrained, right?

The thing is, we now live in the sticks.

In over a decade of filling the bowl with candy, lighting the Jack-O-Lantern and turning on the porch light, we have had a grand total of three kids come to the door. Good thing my husband really likes Halloween candy.

For most of us, once we get past Halloween it’s game on for holiday travel, gifts and food.

November seems to fly by. Thanksgiving is a heavily traveled holiday in the United States and signals the kickoff for rounds of big family dinners.

Before you know it, it is December and there are Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Years, oh my!

Control your costs with intentional planning and a strategy to tackle the biggest three areas for holiday spending without busting your budget!

Without a good advance plan in place, emotions and the excitement of festivities can completely override our common sense and frugal intentions for our holiday spending.

Over the River and Through the Woods

The United States Department of Transportation reports that the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday periods are among the busiest long-distance travel periods of the year. With higher demand comes higher pricing.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to start shopping for holiday travel tickets for you or for family members. Especially if you are planning to fly, locking in reservations now is a very good plan. Not only will you be able to get better prices, you are more likely to get the flight you want before it fills up.

Don’t forget to look for hotel deals if you will not be bunking at Grandma’s or if the family is driving over a period of days. Remember a heated indoor pool is a great way to wear out kids who have been stuck in the back seat all day, especially if you can book that room at a reduced rate!

Make Your List and Go!

Thank goodness for the reappearance of the “Lay Away” plan at so many large retailers! This old-fashioned payment method is a great way to avoid going into debt for holiday spending.

The revival of the Lay Away payment plan lets you buy your gifts now and divide up the payments between now and the holiday. You get to do your shopping early enough to avoid the rush and avoid any debt!

Since the gifts stay at the store until they are paid for, you don’t have to worry about hiding toys and bicycles from curious kids!

Most Law Away plans require 10 to 20% down with the remaining amount paid over a six to eight week period.

How it works: Say you have $300 worth of presents to lay-away. Most stores have a small lay-away fee of around $5. If you then put down 20% that would be $60 for a total to start of $65. You will then pay $30 each week for eight weeks.

If you shop and lay-away now, you will have all your gifts paid off and ready to wrap the first half of December. Free and clear, with no January credit card hangover!

Food and Drink

How many big meals and traditional recipes do you prepare every year? Are you expecting house guests in coming months? Do you tend to run to the store for your cooking and baking supplies a few days before the big event?

The grocery stores tend to offer attractive holiday specials or loss-leaders during the week or two before major holidays. Those bargains are designed get you in the store with the expectation that you will buy all the things you need while you are there, even if the rest of the items on your list are not on sale.

You don’t have to make yourself crazy trying to find rock-bottom prices on every item. You can control spending and give yourself a little breathing room by planning your major holiday meals now, including a complete “master list” of ingredients for all your special meals, treats and party foods.

Look over your master list for items that may be safely stored for longer periods, like canned items, frozen foods and baking supplies. Remember non-food items that run out faster during holidays like toilet paper, napkins and paper plates!

Start now to pick up a few things from your list every time you go grocery shopping. You can spread the cost over several weeks, and you won’t be dragging it in the house and putting it all away at the same time. Win –win!

Remember to mark the items off your Master List. Look at what you have accomplished!

Planning now to Live Within Your Means for your holiday travel, gift giving and food will keep you out of debt and give you more time to enjoy your holidays.

Do you have some budget areas that are a problem? Would you like more support and encouragement to live within your means? Leave your questions and comments below and I will be sure to include those issues in this series. Thanks!