It’s hard not to want to spend all you can on friends and family. And when you go over your list of all the people you want or need to give gifts to it can feel like more of the season of spending a lot of money than giving.

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But there is a way to be Santa’s little helper without spending an arm and a leg. For the sake of the rest of the year, here are a few ways to stick to a budget and not overspend during the holidays.

Be aware of the retail tricks

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If it seems like a deal that’s too good to be true, it most likely is.

A lot of stores will try to fool you with sales, money back offers, and incentives to come back and shop but be aware that those are big ways they get you to spend money that you don’t necessarily need to spend.

Stick to your budget at all costs

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Early on try to make time to create a budget and make sure that you account for all that you need to spend. Then when the time comes to buy your presents stick to that budget like glue.

Don’t allow yourself to make exceptions and you will find that you will spend the amount you allotted and nothing else.

Don’t buy for yourself

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When you are out looking around for presents for everyone else it can be pretty tempting to buy a thing or two for yourself as well.

But as tempting as it may be, resist picking up things for yourself because it will add up really quickly. If it helps you can buy online or pick out the things you want and trust that your loved ones will get those things for you.

Use cash

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One great way to stick to a budget is to withdraw the amount of your budget in cash beforehand, that way when you run out of money you know it’s time to stop the spending.

Resist the urge to open credit cards or overspend the money in your bank account so you don’t give creditor’s rights to start blowing up your phone and keep your money in the account where it should stay.

Assign gift duties

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As your family grows it can seem like the number of presents and therefore the amount you spend seems to grow as well.

In cases like this, you can do a draw for presents or a secret Santa that way everyone gets a present but you don’t have to overspend by worrying about getting each individual family member a present.

Something else you could do is split some of the more expensive gifts between a couple family members that way you are each contributing to the gift but also keeping costs low.

The post How to Not Overspend This Holiday Season appeared first on InstantELLA.

Harvest was an incredible time to ask a girl on a date. There are always amazing events and activities available. But now that the time for corn mazes, pumpkin carving, and haunted houses are behind us, it’s time to find fun ways to enjoy dating this winter.

It is no surprise to many of us that winter is a hard time to plan or go on dates. We get busy during the winter, important holidays come up, and soon it is the new year. Where did the time go, and did we even do anything this winter? It doesn’t have to be this way, however, with a couple of dating ideas, you will find that this miserable and cold winter could bring about great memories.

Christmas Movies

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The norm would say that watching movies on a date would be the worst date scenario, but if you make the right choice of a movie then you never know what could happen. During Christmas, there are plenty of movies that fit the mood of any date. Grab some hot chocolate and pick out a nice movie and get to snuggling, to keep warm of course.

Gingerbread Houses

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There is nothing quite like a situation where you are on a date, and decisions must be made, and no one can make up their mind. When you create gingerbread houses together you and your date’s creativity and imagination come alive. It is fun to see a different side of someone, especially their creative side.

Shopping

Shopping would probably not even make it onto this list, but when you make shopping for one another a game then it can get interesting. Take the example of Stephanie, 21 who went on a date with her boyfriend. Another great idea is to find an organization that is doing a ‘giving tree’ and go out with your date to find what the family or person needs.

Snowball Fights

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If you want to have a date that is more on the friendly competitive side, take your date outside where it is snowing and show them your snowball fighting skills. If you go on a group date, turn a casual snowball fight into an all-out war. Split into teams, where you’re with your date and begin strategizing what you could do to win!

These ideas and many more will turn the holiday season into a year to remember. Just be creative, have fun, and enjoy the time with your date.

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