Your Quick Money Tip for a Wonderful Holiday
by Beau Henderson
Projections for the 2012 economy continue to predict doom and gloom, yet the latest surveys are showing interesting results:
Most Americans are determined not to let the bad news
interfere with their holiday traditions.
And why should it? Even if you don’t plan to spend more than you did last year, that doesn’t mean you can’t make this Christmas better than ever! There are plenty of things you can do to spread holiday cheer without spreading your finances too thin. My money tip for you this holiday season is this:
Don’t go into debt thinking that will make your Christmas more successful.
It won’t.
It might be tempting to blow the budget and put those two or three extra items on the credit card. It’s easy to convince yourself that if one is good, three will be even better!
But what ends up happening is that come January,
you will be starting out your New Year worried and stressed.
That’s no way to start a brand new year. You don’t need to put thousands or even hundreds of dollars on your credit card in hopes of making this holiday memorable. Those extra purchases won’t help deepen your relationships, nor will they buy your more time to spend with loved ones.
Do what you can afford, and enjoy what you have!
Make the most out of every opportunity. Give others the gift of your time and attention. Invest in outings, memories, and time together. Say yes to holiday gatherings, wear the ho-ho-ho tie, or bake cookies with your mom.
You can get as corny or traditional as you wish, but please,
don’t think you have to spend more to have more!
We all know that the best gifts are those that money can’t buy. I’d like to hear about those. What are the traditions that make your holiday special? What are the things you do that make your life truly rich? By sharing your definition of a RichLife, you inspire others to help live their own. With all the bad news out there about the economy, we could all use a few inspirational stories!
I am so committed to spreading the RichLife message that
I am having a special holiday contest to encourage you to share your own RichLife story.
At the stroke of midnight on December 24th, 2011,
I am giving away an i-pad as a Christmas gift!
To be eligible to win, all I am asking for a short, 2 – 3 minute video telling your RichLife Story by answering this one question:
"What are the things in your life that truly give it meaning?"
And for those of you who haven’t heard, the best part of this contest is that everyone wins! Everyone who enters, regardless if their video is chosen or not, will receive an autographed copy of my best-selling book, "The RichLife – Ten Investments For True Wealth" as my way of saying thank you for living Rich and sharing your story with the world.
What is YOUR RichLife Story? Give it some thought, and when you’re ready to submit click here.
We are going to be sharing all the videos entered into the contest with our friends, readers, listeners and subscribers. When other people hear how your life has changed, when they hear how incorporating the 10 RichLife Investments for True Wealth has made a difference for you and your family, they can see the possibilities of a RichLife for themselves! This is truly a gift that will keep on giving for a long, long time. We hope your story will become a part of the RichLife legacy. I can't wait to hear from YOU!
And for those of you that are looking for a really terrific stocking stuffer that will really make a difference for the person who you give it to AND that won't break the piggy bank, why not give that special someone their very own copy of The RichLife for Christmas?
The RichLife is available for Kindle, Nook, iBooks and you can also find it at the Sony Reader Store!!
Click on your favorite below so that you can get it now and beat the last minute gift buying rush!
You raise some very important points Beau. I am often surprised at the amount of money people spend on gifts when they can least afford it. Yet, it's the cardboard box that their children have hours of fun with. I think taking time out to spend creating wonderful memories with our loved ones, is priceless. Hope you and your family have an amazing Christmas Beau!
Less is the new more. Wonderful insights!
I really enjoyed this article! This year I'm finally NOT feeling guilty about loving a simple Christmas…no more attempting to keep up with the Joneses by loading up on presents we don't really need. This is my fav quote "Invest in outings, memories, and time together." Memories last forever! Not even diamonds do that. 🙂 ~Elise~
Great article! When January rolls around I want to be stress free! Love this "Do what you can afford, and enjoy what you have". Enjoying what you have now and being good stewards over it is financial wisdom!
My favorite part of the article is " Do what you can afford, and enjoy what you have!" It's so easy to overspend at Christmas thinking it's going to be a better holiday because of those extra gifts. Gifts that are homemade come from the heart. And isn't that what it's all about? Thanks for this great article, Beau!
These are the things we focus on at Christmas. Presents are fun (and even more fun when you're like us and try to find the coolest, most wanted one-of-a-kind gift at a thrift or consignment shop) but it's the other things our kids talk about. We bake cookies and make candy, we participate in giving projects–with money when we can and with time always, we spend time together as a family and we participate in our church. And Christmas is so much less stressful–and less expensive.
Great article Beau. I also the part when you said " Do what you can afford, and enjoy what you have!". I believe that Christmas would be at its best when you shared and spend it with your family. Enjoying small things that are made great because your family is there. Thank you for sharing this article.
This is a GREAT message, Beau. Sometimes we buy we our hearts instead of what our pocketbooks can afford. We also forget that sometimes it's not about the present but it's all about the TIME you spend with those that you love. Merry Christmas to you!
I've used some of your advice this year, Beau. Christmas had become way too commercial here and back to basics we went. Can't wait to see how it impacts our day! Merry Christmas to you & yours. x0x
The LEARNED Preneur @ NormaDoiron.NET ╰☆╮
Great post and what a great reminder to us all to do what we can afford. I have no desire to start the new year off stressed and anxious. Thanks for sharing!
Our Christmas is so special to me! I love spending time with my girls, making, baking, singing, teaching them about God and watching Christmas movies! No gifts needed there, we love making memories!
Thanks Beau. Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the post Beau. Wish I would've read it earlier today but oh well. It's only money and I thankfully have the ability to get more if I need it. I am truly blessed with all I need and get to take the time to spend in Colorado with my family which is rare. It will be a simple Christmas and it will be incredible. I'll also be able to take tiem to read your book on the plane. Merry Christmas Beau and thanks.
Love this, Beau 🙂 One of my favorite gifts to receive is when my best friend brings over fresh, warm banana chocolate chip bread. Even better if all the kids are at school and we have time to visit.
Your blog is full of common sense — that's something I'd LOVE to give to the world!! 🙂
Happy holidays!
This is such great advice, Beau. I don't use credit, so this isn't a risk for me, but I know every year I think about whether I have enough for them to open under the tree to make them "happy." This year, just like all the others, they would have been happy with just one thing – or probably even none things – because they love the excitement and the time we get to spend together on winter break from school doing fun holiday things. It is truly about creating the memories of togetherness and laughter.
We've been doing this for several years..perhaps because we have 5 children:) We've taught each of them the true meaning of Christmas..and of course it's not about getting 'stuff' but the time we spent together is what we will treasure the most:)