December – it’s a magical month, but also one filled with uncertainty. You’ve got ample presents to buy for Christmas, you need to pay for wrapping resources, food for the mighty dinner, and travel methods to visit your loved ones. With so many blows coming your bank account’s way, staying financially stable until January payday can seem like an impossible mission. However, with the right planning and logic, you should be able to keep yourself standing strongly throughout the entire month. While there are several payday loans online to choose from if you did just go that little crazy over the festive season, there are ways to keep yourself afloat, and here’s how.
Start Planning… NOW
Everyone budgets for the future (and if you don’t, you should), but sometimes starting this early for the end of January can seem a little excessive – not at this time of year! In fact, we would have suggested planning right at the beginning of December, but you’re here now, and it’s never too late! With this time of year being so busy, you can tell well in advance that it’s going to be a busy time for your bank account, so you’ll want to ensure that you can cope under so much financial pressure. It never hurt anyone to put pen to paper and plan how they’re going to manage their finances, so why don’t you? This way, you can budget for all the necessities, and maybe even have some spare cash to spend entirely on yourself!
Cut Your Food Costs
Especially around Christmas time, we can spend ridiculous amounts of money on edibles – in fact a third of Brits throw away their turkey and sprouts once Christmas is over! For some, these two commodities are essential to a Christmas dinner, but if you’re not the biggest fan, why bother? Chucking food in the bin at Christmas time is the equivalent to throwing away your money, so only buy what you know you’ll consume, completely. In addition to this, it might be worth shopping elsewhere for your groceries over the January period. Many stores will probably be selling Christmas items with discounts over the January period to get rid of stock, so always take advantage of these sales.
Return Any Unwanted Xmas Presents
I know, it sounds a little harsh, but we’ve all been there when we’ve received a present, maybe from a distant uncle or grandparent, that just really isn’t that great. We can’t help our preferences, yet we simply smile, embrace them in a hug and thank them courteously. However, once they’ve gone, the gift is usually stuffed in a cupboard never to be seen again. But, if you can see yourself struggling to cope financially over January after huge Christmas spends, returning any unwanted presents can help you to earn a bit of cash. If you’re a little worried about physically asking the gift-bearer for a receipt, simply sell it on, on apps and websites such as Depop or eBay, helping your finances to stretch that little further until January payday.
Bring Back The Packed Lunch
It’s all too tempting to head out on your lunch break and purchase a steaming sausage roll from Greggs or a succulent sandwich from the nearest grocery store, and while these costs don’t seem like much at the time, they soon add up into a cost much more extortionate. In order to stretch your remaining budget to keep you afloat during January, start bringing the packed lunch back into work! Bring in those uneaten Christmas chocolate, sandwich the turkey and stuffing and keep yourself sustained throughout work without having to venture off out to spend more money. This way, you’re using your leftovers, saving you money, and preventing yourself from purchasing lunch elsewhere, also saving you money. It’s a no-brainer!
It can be daunting once you check your bank’s balance on New Year’s Day, once you’ve blown your money on all kinds of Christmas foods and uncountable beverages on the New Year’s party, but it’s easy to ensure that you don’t overspend this year. By following these simple tips, you won’t need to literally count down the minutes until January payday.
