Our Debt Free Family

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The Quest for Cheaper Housing

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cheaper housing

As I’ve been talking about for a few weeks, we are looking at moving… again. If you have been following the blog for a while, you know we started our financial journey while living in a motel (that is just a step above being homeless). We got moved into our apartment after that, then shortly after got the offer to move down to Atlanta. Since being in Atlanta, we’ve moved twice, and now we are just ready to move away from Georgia altogether. So, we started looking for cheaper housing to start saving more but questioned if it was the right decision.

Cheaper Housing vs. Quality of Living

The first thing you really need to decide is how much of your quality of living you’re willing to give up for cheaper housing. Cheaper is almost always going to mean giving up something. You may find it means shared laundry space, small living quarters, or heavily used appliances.

Consider how much money you would be able to save and how that would help the progress of your financial goals. Would that be worth giving up your quality of living for a short period of time? As a family, we’ve done this. We have been in a studio apartment for going on two years now and it wasn’t worth the discomfort we saved moving here. It has sent us running away from apartment living altogether. Giving up space was not the right decision on our part.

Which brings me to my next point, what are your limits when it comes to pursuing cheaper housing? Is it space, is it amenities, is it location? For us, being able to stay the next place we land for a while is important. We want to have a yard for our dog, extra room for expanding our family, and a home office. This way, we can stay put until we are either debt-free or ready to buy a home.

Should You Relocate to Save Money?

Another thing people often think of doing to help them financially is relocating. Especially now, when many people are working from home, relocating may be a good option. For instance, if you are self-employed, you may consider moving to a state with a lower income tax or if you are starting a family you may want to move somewhere with good schools and low property tax.

You may also find some rural areas have cheaper rent prices and even cheaper real estate. Those moves seem enticing when you look at the large savings, but you should also consider how it will impact your day-to-day life. How far will you have to drive to the store? Will you have to pay more for an internet connection?

Bottomline

There is more to making decisions about your life than how much money you’ll save making that move. You should consider your entire life, happiness, and long-term goals when you are making any big decision in your life, even if it is something as small as seeking cheaper housing.

When it comes down to it, making decisions about your everyday life should take more thought and consideration. For us, our next step will be to find reasonably priced housing that our family can grow into and stay in for a while. Somewhere we can reach debt freedom and start saving for our first home. To me, this will be the perfect find over saving (insert amount here) each month.

Readers, what things do you place more importance on when making decisions in your life? Have you ever made a similar choice about housing? 

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It’s Okay to Need Help

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need help

Sometimes the biggest thing standing in the way of my own progress is my pride. Over the years, people have offered to help us monetarily and otherwise. In almost every instance (unless it was life-or-death), I’ve turned the help down. Something in me would rather count dimes at the Aldi checkout counter than accept help from a friend or family member. But, through the pandemic, I’ve realized something: It is okay to need help. Even more importantly, it is okay to accept help.

Giving Up Power

A lot of the struggle with receiving help from friends or family is giving up the power behind the situation. If I receive help from someone, they are now involved and I owe them something in return (or at least that is how my mind has always worked). I also have to admit I’ve lost control of the situation at hand and need help.

For those times, I have to step back and give up wishing for power over the outcome. Then they can be allowed to help to the best of their abilities, whether it is monetarily or otherwise.

Reaching Out When You Need Help

That being said, most of the time people are not going to offer up help unless they see you are struggling. You may have to reach out and ask your loved ones for assistance. Here are some things you need to consider doing when you reach out for help…

  • Show that you have tried to help yourself. If you need help, your friends and family will be more likely to assist if you have tried to solve the issue on your own.
  • If they have given you advice, demonstrate that you’ve taken it prior to asking for more help.
  • Think about the timing of your request and consider how it may impact them.
  • Don’t make them guess. Just ask for what you want.

These four tips will help guide your discussion in a productive way. Remember, if the answer is no, don’t be upset. No one is obligated to assist you financially or otherwise. Simply tell them you understand.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, more people need help now than ever. The global pandemic, in conjunction with several other national crises, has made it difficult.

I wanted to share these reflections with you all today because I’ve spoken with a lot of people who are feeling defeated. More of my friends are being forced to move back home or significantly change their lifestyles just to scrape by. There is no shame in it.

There is no shame in packing up and moving home if that is what you need to do to get further ahead.

There is no shame in receiving money from a relative in a time of need.

There is no shame in needing someone else’s help.

Readers, can you think of a time where you had to rely on others to get by? How did it change you? 

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An Honest Blue Apron Family Plan Review: Is It Worth It?

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If you are active on social media, are a foodie, or just love convenience, you may have heard of Blue Apron. It is classified as a meal delivery service that allows you to make gourmet meals from home. It’s even supposed to be great for families! Well, my family tried Blue Apron for a few meals, and here is our full Blue Apron family plan review.

Blue Apron family plan review

So is it worth it?

First things first, we need to go through the pros and cons. Now, it’s important to remember that this is a Blue Apron family plan review. If you plan on ordering the two-person or four-person menu, your view may differ. With that being said, let’s get into it!

Pros:

Convenient

As an introvert, I love convenience whenever I can get it. Blue Apron was delivered right to my doorstep, and everything was already measured and ready for me to use it when I was ready. Plus, I didn’t have to worry about my food overheating because it was packed with two ice packs to keep it nice and cool. I loved that I didn’t have to go out to be able to prepare meals for me and the hubby. 

Relatively Easy To Cook

If you aren’t much of a cook, my Blue Apron family plan review may not be a big help for you. I love cooking, so the meals from Blue Apron were fairly easy to make for me. However, if you can easily burn water, you may need to order Blue Apron a few times before you get the hang of things.

They do offer recipe cards, but mistakes can still happen, so keep that in mind. Overall, I think Blue Apron does a great job and showing you the process of making the meals they send you.

Options For Meat Eaters

Are you or your family meat eaters? Then you will love Blue Apron.

In our box we received recipes for Chipotle-Glazed Meatloaf with Crispy Potatoes, Moroccan Chicken with Prunes & Brown Rice, and Spicy Shrimp Coconut Curry with Green Cabbage & Rice. All three dishes had different meats, so it was hard to get bored, like you get when you eat chicken three or four days in a row.

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Gourmet Food Without Going Out

Grabbing a fancy dinner sounds less appealing when you can get a fancy dinner delivered to your door. This is something my family, especially my husband, enjoyed. Not only did it get us all into the kitchen, but we were able to create what we felt were beautiful masterpieces. So if you are looking to have a special dinner with your family, the Blue Apron family plan could be a good choice. 

Customer Service

My Blue Apron family plan review wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t add this pro. The customer service at Blue Apron is amazing! Our order was late when FedEx couldn’t find our home. Instead of saying “Not our problem.” Blue Apron apologized and guaranteed our food and satisfaction or they would make it up to us!

I didn’t even really mind if the order was a little late, but it was nice to know that Blue Apron cared enough to reach out to me and take responsibility for something that wasn’t their fault.

Cons:

Now that I’ve given you the pros for my Blue Apron family plan review, let’s take a look at the cons:

Too Much Packaging

This may not be a con for some, but I didn’t like how much packaging came with all of the food. Although I understand that Blue Apron has to keep items like eggs safe, it was a disappointment to see so much plastic. I tend to buy almost all of my grocery items using reusable bags and jars, so of course my opinion may differ from yours.

Food Can Be Bland

My family loves spice. We love our food well seasoned, so we choose our meals based on what sounded spicy or super flavorful. To our surprise, two of our three dishes were bland. Even I had to add quite a bit of salt to up the flavor of my dishes, which I normally don’t salt my food at all. For food that looked so tasty, I definitely expected more flavor.

Portions Are Too Small

As with the other pros and cons for my Blue Apron family plan review, your opinion may differ from mine. For my family, I thought the portions were incredibly small for what Blue Apron was charging per meal ($10/person). When I first started unboxing our items, I thought the portions wouldn’t be enough, and I was right. My husband was usually hungry after each meal. Even I found myself grazing on food from the fridge after eating our dinner.

Expensive

This brings me to my next con for my Blue Apron family plan review. While I love the convenience of delivery, I don’t like that for $10/person I only get a small serving of food that I have to make myself. If your family normally spends an exorbitant amount on groceries every week, Blue Apron may save you money, but for us, it would cost more in the long run.

I am normally able to buy all of our food (for a family of two) for about $80 or less a week. With Blue Apron, I only got a few meals for about the same price. Because I love saving money, and don’t want to spend a small fortune on food, this is one of the biggest cons that I had about Blue Apron. 

No Options For Non-Meat Eaters (Family Plan)

Blue Apron has a lot of catching up to do if they want to appeal to vegetarians or vegans. I typically eat vegan when cooking for myself, and my family is mainly vegetarian. We understood that Blue Apron didn’t offer a family plan for vegetarians, but it was still disappointing. There are also not many options for the non-veggie eater, like my husband. Almost every meal has veggies along with it.

There are so many people jumping on the vegan and vegetarian bandwagon, and Blue Apron is losing out on potential loyal customers because they don’t offer meatless options. But of course, I understand this may not be an issue for everyone. If you are a meat eater, or don’t mind eating meat, you are good to go. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you may want to look elsewhere for your meal delivery service (at least for now).

So there you have it, my Blue Apron family plan review. Overall, I don’t think I would use Blue Apron again, but I do think they have quite a few perks that may appeal to others. If you want to invite me over for dinner though, I won’t object!

Try out the Blue Apron family plan for yourself. You can use our link and get $30 off your first order!

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Photos courtesy of Kim Studdard.

The Things We Do For Family

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things we do for family

In the last personal update on the blog I talked about taking breaks and how important that is. I took a weekend off back in July and it was great. Since then, life has been way more hectic and, guess what? I haven’t had a break since, mostly due to the things we do for family.

What Are The Things We Do For Family?

For everyone, familial relationships can be different. The things we will do for family members and close friends vary widely. Some people are very close with their families and they are a priority in their lives. For others, family doesn’t play as important of a role. My family has always been extremely close and when someone needs something, one of us comes to the aid of others. In some cases, the whole family is needed to put their heads together to resolve a situation.

About a month ago, I traveled to my home state, North Carolina, to help out with my grandmother. My whole family has taken some kind of time off for this matter, even my husband. Now, this weekend, we traveled even more: seven states, 17 hours in the car, and two plane flights. Ah, the things we do for family…

How Far Would You Go?

Everyone has their limits though. Not every family is as close as ours. Not every family gets along like we do and some relationships are just toxic to continue nourishing. When we set out on our journey to come home and help my family this weekend, it was a lot to ask but my husband and I didn’t think twice. We are exhausted, but we helped and did what we could.

Setting limits is important though. In the past, I’ve stretched myself too thin helping family members, especially where money is concerned. There have been times we gave our last $20 to another family member (seriously). Right now, for us, our boundary when it comes to helping out is money. We don’t have it to give currently. However, we are able to give our time and lend a helping hand when we can. Knowing your limits to how much you’re able to assist is important.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, figuring out how important different relationships are in your life and determine boundaries. You can stretch yourself too thin, but if you define where your lines are and how far you’re willing to go to help you will save yourself a lot of hurt and trouble.

We will be headed back home today after 5 days of running around to help family. We are exhausted and have a lot to do when we return, but it was worth it and it always will be. If we are able, we will always go the extra mile for those we care about.

Readers, what are your feelings when it comes to helping family? Where do you draw the line?

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Should You Take a Loan From Family to Pay Off Debt?

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loan from family

Being in debt is exhausting. So, when an opportunity arises to knock out a big chunk of it (or even all of it), it is hard to turn it down. If a family member or friend offers you a loan to pay off, you should think twice though. Taking a loan from family can sometimes be more harmful than helpful, even if it makes you debt-free.

Is it a Loan or a Gift?

First, before making the decision, determine if the money your family member is offering you is a loan or a gift. The best way to do this is simply asking, “do you expect this to be paid back” or “when do you need me to pay you back?”

How your family member responds to these questions can help you decipher if this is a gift or a loan. If it is a gift, by all means, take it and pay off your debt. Loans from family members, on the other hand, can add additional stress and, more often than not, leads to fighting.

Downfalls of Taking a Loan From Family

Before you take a loan from family, consider the following.

  • You aren’t learning anything. When it comes to the cycle of debt, you are not doing anything to improve your situation. Instead, you are borrowing even more money.
  • Finances can put a strain on any relationship. At the very least, borrowing money from someone is going to make things a little awkward, especially if you can’t pay it back. It is likely they will be examining every penny you spend before you do too.
  • What would happen if you couldn’t pay it back? Of course, you may start out with every intention of paying them back, but things can happen. The loss is much greater on an unpaid loan from a person than a financial institution.
  • There is a general lack of clarity with personal loans like these. You aren’t typically signing any paperwork and most family loans are agreed upon face-to-face in words. There is no way to track the agreement, increasing the risk of someone in the situation feeling wronged.
  • Tax issues may arise if it isn’t handled properly. Loans and gifts have different implications when it comes to taxes. Be sure that all parties involved are taking the steps for taking out a loan outlined by the IRS.

Potential Benefits

All of the above considered, taking a loan from family does have some perks. It is just determining whether or not these potential benefits outweigh the ways it could go wrong. That being said, you can benefit in a few ways if you’re willing to risk the downfalls.

  • You will save money on interest. Loans from family or friends don’t typically come with interest rates attached to them. In the long run, that will save you money.
  • Taking a loan from family can help you avoid predatory lenders. If you really need the money and are looking at high-interest loans anyway, taking the loan from family may be the better option.
  • There will likely be more flexibility in paying them back. Family and friends are more willing to work with you than banks will be. Just be sure you are honest and communicate with them.

Closing Thoughts

My one piece of advice for anyone considering this is to be sure you get everything down in writing. In the agreement include the following:

  • Parties of the loan
  • Amount borrowed
  • Interest rate (if applicable)
  • Repayment date
  • The monthly payment amount.

At the end of the day, I wouldn’t recommend taking a loan from friends or family. For me, I cherish those relationships in my life too much to add any financial stress to them. I can see the benefits of doing so though.

Readers, have you taken a loan from family before? Was it a good decision?

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Picking and Choosing What to Pay During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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COVID-19 pandemic

Jobless claims in the United States have reached more than 6.5 million as of last week due to layoffs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, many people are falling behind on their bills, despite the stimulus package. In our home, our monthly income has been sliced in half, leaving us picking and choosing what bills get paid now.

Establishing a Financial Cushion

If you’ve been keeping up-to-date with our financial journey, you know we just recently established our $1,000 emergency fund (again). Well, due to my husband’s layoff, we needed to use a chunk of that to cover expenses of moving his tools and covering bills. After doing that in March, we are re-evaluating how we are going to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic financially.

Initially, I was just going to maintain all of my payments across the board, but that leaves us essentially paycheck-to-paycheck (which is a little iffy in the current environment). However, after seeing our EF drained, I reconsidered that and decided to take a break from 2 larger monthly payments just to refund our emergency savings. Having cash saved and on-hand right now would provide our household with some peace of mind.

That being said, my student loan is under forbearance until September and my car company is giving me a three-month break from payments. This will allow us to bank $768 each month for the next three months, which will be a nice emergency savings fund.

Consider What You Need

For us, having that buffer cash on hand is going to be key in keeping us financially stress-free during this time. Believe me, the last thing you want to do is to be stuck in the house with your spouse fighting about money. You may be thinking, “well, we HAVE to make payments on the credit card, car, etc.” That may not be entirely true.

Many companies are offering breaks on payments or lower payments in order to help individuals impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. Call and discuss your options with each business. Get your bills as low as possible.

If your available cash still doesn’t cover what’s due, consider what you need. Tiffany Aliche, aka the Budgetnista, told NPR in an interview, “then I would ask myself, is this something that I must pay for because I have to maintain my health and my safety? That comes first and foremost.”

So, if it doesn’t pertain to your health and safety right now and you don’t have it, take a breath. It is important to remember what you do and do not control at a time like this.

Putting Plans on Hold

COVID-19 pandemic

This photo will be us for a while: at home. Unfortunately, many of our plans have been put on hold, postponed, or canceled for the next few months. It is not yet clear whether some events will be refunded or not (I wish!).

We’ve put plans to visit home (Charlotte) on hold indefinitely. Hopefully, by mid-May, we can decide on a solid date to re-plan that trip. On top of that, just about everything else has been postponed or canceled in some form. This will likely help save us money and, in the long run, staying home will too.

Finding Ways to Stay Busy at Home

I’ve thankfully been able to continue working because I’ve worked remotely for more than five years. That isn’t to say being indoors isn’t driving us a little crazy! We have been able to find ways to stay busy though.

COVID-19 pandemic

I, for one, have been cooking a LOT. We recently discovered Sam the Cooking Guy on YouTube and his videos have me looking in my pantry to see what I have and what I can make. Here’s one of his quarantine recipes…

In addition to cooking, we’ve also been taking Enzo on a lot of walks (and he certainly isn’t complaining). Remember, you can still get some fresh air. Just avoid contact with people and if you can wear a mask!

COVID-19 pandemic

When we aren’t doing those two things, I’m fully reaping the benefits of some of our subscription services. Amazon has a plethora of free Audible books, Kindle reads, and things to watch right now. I’ve listened to about six books in the past week and a half (ha!).

No matter what you do to keep busy, it is important to stay inside and stay healthy. Remember, you have options when it comes to your finances. The most important thing is your health. Stay well. 

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How Coronavirus is Impacting Our Debt Freedom Journey

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coronavirus debt

Over the past month or so, the world has gotten pretty crazy. Most people aren’t leaving their homes and tens of thousands of people have died due to the coronavirus outbreak. Because of stay-at-home orders and businesses suffering, many people have also been laid off. This includes my husband. So, needless to say, there are some changes happening to our debt freedom journey (again).

Our Update

Coronavirus debt

This photo depicts how we are feeling about being stuck in the house (but seriously).

Besides going a little stir crazy being inside, there has also been a profound financial impact on our family, and many others. We are lucky enough to have one of us still working and we are able to get by on that, thankfully. However, my husband being out of work again is going to put a little damper on our bet freedom progress.

We will only be able to make minimum payments over the next few months. I have also chosen to take a forbearance on my student loans during this time to help ease financial stress in our home.

But, that’s honestly okay. We are both healthy, able to pay our bills, and staying at home a little more may help us save a bit, eh?

Small Win

One small financial win we had in March is we paid off an account, which will free up about $106 per month. For now, we will bank that extra cash to re-establish some additional emergency savings.

We’re in This Together

Thankfully, the impact on us is minimal compared to how others are being affected. We will recover from this fairly easily, even though it will put a damper on any big debt payoff progress.

I think the biggest thing to remember for everyone right now is you aren’t going through this alone. Everyone in the world is dealing with this. Hopefully, when all is said and done, it will bring the people of the world a little closer together.

Readers, how have your finances been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak? How are you dealing with it? 

If you need financial help at this time, the government is putting together programs to assist individuals with recovering from the pandemic. Read more about the CARES Act on SavingAdvice.com.

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10 Frugal Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day

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frugal date ideas

Part of being on a debt-free journey means finding ways to cut costs and spend less. With Valentine’s Day coming up, my hubby and I are brainstorming ways to celebrate. Here are a few frugal date ideas we’ve come up with.

Frugal Date Ideas for Every Couple

We both have trouble not spending money on each other. When we have extra cash, we love buying one another gifts and treating each other to something special. However, this can cause serious budgeting issues. Because of this, we’ve had to get a little creative to save money.

1. Make Pizzas at Home

Something my husband and I love to do is make pizza at home for date night. It only takes about 25 minutes and keeps you from spending too much eating out or ordering in. Plus, we have a great recipe that keeps costs low too.

For the dough: 

  • 1/2 cup of greek yogurt
  • 2/3 cup of self-rising flour

Mix these together to form pizza dough (it makes a single-serve pizza). Roll the dough out on a floured pan and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Take the baked dough out of the oven, add sauce and your desired toppings. Put the pizza back in for an additional 15 minutes.

2. Pillow Fort Movie Night

Because we are kids at heart, we still enjoy a good pillow fort. The best thing about that is it literally costs nothing. We also have Amazon Prime and other subscriptions that don’t cost us anything extra. So, we can pitch our pillow fort, curl up and watch a new movie or binge a TV series. Super cheap and so much fun!

3. Play Games

Both my husband and I love to play cards. We also own several video games we can play together. Find a game you both enjoy, buy it (and some snacks) and just play around for the evening. If you’re competitive with each other, like we are, you can even hold small tournaments. It can be great fun.

4. Go Hiking

I love going for a good hike or a nice walk. Grab your significant other and head outside. Walk around your neighborhood, drive to the park, or find a nearby trail to hike. It is a great way to spend time together and chat.

5. Get Ice Cream

Ice cream is personally a favorite treat of mine. If you live close to a creamery, set out on a walk for some ice cream. You can also hop in the car and grab a sundae to split. Either way, ice cream is a delicious and frugal date.

6. Find a View and Enjoy it Together

This is one of my favorite frugal date ideas and something we do on a regular basis. Normally, we grab food at a drive-thru (usually super cheap) and drive somewhere with a great view. We eat together in the car, listen to a podcast or show, talk, and enjoy our surroundings.

7. Head to the Dog Park

frugal date ideas

You all know we have a pup who loves going on walks and being social with other dogs. If you’re a dog lover too, consider heading to the dog park for a date. You and your partner can enjoy the company of all the dogs, get your pet some exercise, and meet other people. It is a fun date that you can do completely for free.

8. Have a Nerf Gun War

Nerf guns are fairly cheap and something you can keep around. Grab a pair of guns (and ammo) and stage a war in your home or outside. This is unbelievably fun and relatively cheap as far as dates go.

9. Scope Out Free Things in Your Area

Chances are, there is something free going on nearby. Look for festivals, fairs, museums, and free events to visit. You and your partner will be able to walk around the event, have fun, and spend little-to-no money.

10. Treat Each Other to Massages

Massage oil can be purchased fairly cheaply. All you need is that and a couple of candles to set the mood. Treating one another to massages can be romantic and give you a chance to talk to your spouse or significant other about their day.

Readers, do you have any fun frugal date ideas you enjoy on a regular basis? Share them with me in the comments. 

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Healthcare and Payment Options for the Uninsured

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payment options for the uninsured

I’ve chatted about being uninsured on the blog in the past. It can set you back if you wind up needing to go to the emergency room or require any other type of health care. For instance, last year I learned I’d need all four of my wisdom teeth out (they are still in my mouth as you read this). Many hospitals and doctor’s offices require upfront payment, but there are options for the uninsured.

Payment Options for the Uninsured

Believe it or not, there are multiple payment options for the uninsured. I’ve come across the following ways to help resolve your medical debt.

  1. Look into a Care Credit card. Although I typically wouldn’t suggest adding any debt to your personal finances, it can be a necessary evil, especially when it comes to your health. If there is an emergency and you truly don’t have the money, a Care Credit card can provide a remedy. Best of all, if you pay it off within the designated period, you won’t have to pay interest.
  2. When you get your bill, give the office a call. Any time I get a medical bill in the mail, I call the office to verify all of the information and set up a plan to pay it off. Most billing offices will set up a payment plan for you.
  3. Ask about an in-office payment option. Before you leave the doctor, chat with the reception desk about a payment plan right away. You may even be able to put some money towards your visit right away.

Ask About a Discount

If the payment options don’t quite fit your budget, ask about a discount for uninsured patients before you receive the doctor’s services. Sometimes they will give you a discount because you don’t have insurance.

During a recent visit to the ER here in Atlanta, I asked about this. They required a $250 copay for uninsured individuals. However, once I got my bill, I also saw that (because I was uninsured) a 70% discount was applied to my visit.

Consider Going to a Clinic

Another thing for uninsured people to consider is going to a clinic. Some clinics are privately owned and able to give people more of a break when it comes to the cost of their visit.

I went to a local clinic for an emergency allergic reaction a couple months ago. The visit cost $150 upfront and they offered treatment a-la-carte. I needed two steroid shots, which cost $80 each. If I had gone to the emergency room or doctor’s office, this would have likely cost more than $1,000. Instead, I paid cash day-of and didn’t have to worry about it after that.

Be Sure to Communicate With Bill Collectors

Lastly, when all is said and done, it is important to communicate with the billing offices. This goes for medical and non-medical bills. Getting on the phone with them and discussing your payment options or what you can do to resolve your bill will be the best thing you can do for yourself. If you don’t, it will wind up in collections and killing your credit in the long-run

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It’s Not Too Early to Start Prepping for the Holidays

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Prepping for the holidays

Two years ago, I got on the blog and talked a bit about people “Christmas shaming.” Most people moan and groan when you bring up Christmas before Thanksgiving, but in all reality, if you begin prepping for the holidays early it can prevent you from going into debt and help you save money. Here’s how we’re planning to spend the holidays and a piece of advice for getting ready for your own celebration.

Getting in Gear for a Busy Season

Before moving to Atlanta, we would typically travel or host holiday celebrations. Sometimes we’d go to Pennsylvania or Tennessee to visit family. Other times we’d host the holiday events at our home. Last year, we had Thanksgiving at our home and a Christmas celebration there as well. However, this year will be a bit different.

It is our first year away from home during the holidays together. We won’t likely be traveling anywhere to celebrate and our families won’t be traveling here. Instead, we will be starting some of our own traditions here in Georgia. Because I am a fan of establishing our own traditions and prepping for the holidays early, I’ve already begun brainstorming what we will do.

For Thanksgiving, my husband and I will be having a very small, intimate dinner at home. In place of purchasing a full-sized turkey, we will likely buy two small cornish hens. Of course, I’ll also cook up a few things to make sides and a yummy dessert. The total dinner should cost less than $25. We will also probably take the dog to the park and put up the Christmas tree that evening.

Christmas will be a little different. Instead of swapping gifts with everyone, we’ve decided to stay home and attempt to start our own fun holiday tradition. We will do Christmas presents for each other and send out a Christmas letter to our friends and family with a new photo of us and the dog. The letter and photos will cost less than $30 altogether. We will also have a yummy Christmas breakfast and likely a ham dinner on Christmas Eve. All in all, it will be extremely low-cost.

When Should You Start Prepping for the Holidays?

You’re reading this probably thinking, “why would you plan ahead for such a small celebration?” Well, planning ahead is what keeps my husband and me from racking up credit card debt around the holidays. We put caps on how much we will spend, plan out meals, and make things special by spending time with one another instead of placing value on items.

If you’re thinking you’ll spend a bit during the holidays, it is even more important to start prepping ahead of time. Not to mention, there have been studies to show that people who put up their Christmas tree earlier and prepare for the holiday are generally happier. They are also less likely to suffer from things like seasonal depression.

Forty-three percent of Americans begin decorating and preparing for Christmas before Thanksgiving week. You may even find planning ahead puts you in a better mood, overall. While it certainly isn’t necessary, it is a good idea to prep early to keep your finances and mood in check during the busiest time of year.

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