girl thinking about budgeting this holiday season

Revising Your Budget To Prepare For Extra Holiday Spending

Prepare for your upcoming holiday spending by revising your budget and turning to Delaware Title Loans, Inc. during a financial emergency. Proper planning will help you cover your extra holiday spending and cope with emergencies without a problem!

This guide will help you understand the importance of creating a new holiday budget. Then, you’ll learn the steps to revise your budget and get it holiday-ready!

Do You Need A Separate Budget For The Holidays?

Yes, you must revise your existing budget and create a separate one for the holidays. The simple reason is that the risk of overspending is significantly higher during the holiday season. That means you could spend more money than you have and end up with a financial hangover after the new year.

The danger of overspending is genuine for several reasons, including the following:

  • Social pressures: Many people feel peer pressure from friends and family to host lavish holiday celebrations and give out expensive gifts. Some people give in to that pressure despite the cost and its effects on their budget.
  • Aggressive marketing: Corporations push hard during the holiday season with more aggressive marketing campaigns. These are very successful in getting people to spend more than they initially planned to.
  • Special offers: Retailers also make plenty of special offers with significant savings, tempting people to buy even more products.
  • Emotional spending: Lastly, the sentimental nature of the holiday season pushes people towards emotional spending, like buying expensive gifts for their loved ones.

When you combine these risks with an under-prepared budget, you face the added risk of being unable to cope with unexpected expenses. For example, you might not have enough money left over to pay for emergencies if they occur.

That’s why you must revise your budget to prepare for extra holiday spending that will likely happen.

revising your budget to prepare for extra holiday spending

How To Prepare Your Budget For The Holidays

Now that you know why it’s essential to revise your budget for the holidays, here are a few steps you can take to get started right now:

1. Cover Your Essentials First

Whether your budget is for a regular month or the holiday season, you must always ensure your essentials are covered first. These include all the non-negotiable items you must pay regardless of anything else.

For example, your essentials include rent, bills, and more.

2. Estimate Your Holiday Expenses

Next, estimate how much money you’ll need for holiday expenses. If you’re unsure, you can do some research online to gather estimates from other people who have already done the math.

Alternatively, you can look at your financial transactions from the year before. Holiday expenses tend to be similar year-to-year. Your list of expenses from last year can be a helpful reference.

3. Look For Areas To Cut Back

At this point, you know how much you need to cover your essentials and how much you’ll need to cover holiday expenses.

So, the first revision you can make is to non-essential items on your existing budget. Look for expenses that you can reduce or eliminate.

The goal is to free up money from other parts of the budget to cover your holiday expenses.

4. Consider Earning More

If there is a big gap between how much you have and how much you’ll need for the holidays, you might want to consider earning more.

That could mean working extra hours or taking a part-time job to earn more for the holidays.

Doing that will help you ensure that your holidays go on as planned without giving you financial problems later.

5. Plan For The Unknowns

Lastly, always plan for the unknowns. One of the most important things you can do is to have a backup plan for holiday emergencies, especially if they cost more than you have saved up.

For example, your backup plan could be to borrow money quickly through a title or signature installment loan. These two kinds of loans can be helpful in an emergency because they’re easy to qualify for and payout quickly, helping you with urgent payments.

holiday shopping list on a budget

Here’s a quick look at how these two types of loans work:

  • Title loan: This is a short-term loan that uses your lien-free car title. With the title as collateral, you could borrow up to $15,000 quickly, depending on how much your car is worth. You get to keep your vehicle, as only the title is used to secure the loan.
  • Signature installment loan: You can borrow money without collateral through a signature installment loan. With just a few required items, you could qualify for as much as $1,250 and get the cash as early as the same day if approved.

Remembering that these options are available as a backup to your holiday budget can give you added peace of mind and help you enjoy the festivities even more!

Get Started Now!

The best thing you can do when planning your next holiday season is to revise your budget and prepare for the extra spending to come. Remember that you can always turn to Delaware Title Loans, Inc. when you need to access urgent money to pay for a financial emergency.

Start anytime by filling out the online form with your information. Soon after, a friendly representative will be on the phone with you to discuss the rest!

Note: The content provided in this article is only for informational purposes, and you should contact your financial advisor about your specific financial situation.

Emma Frost

Emma Frost is a lifestyle and finance blogger with a talent for communication and a passion for financial literacy. She uses her writing talents to explore topics that help her readers gain financial stability and growth.