Alicia Nelson-Bell, HCHC Empowering Financial Wellness Program Coordinator The holidays can bring out a lot of different emotions in people, good and bad depending on the communication and preparation that goes into the holidays. The holiday season can be a time of happiness and joy, or they can be a time of stress and anxiety. If all of the holiday planning and preparation is left all on one person, it may lead to that person getting overwhelmed and stressed and in some cases some tension if not everyone in the family is happy with the holiday plans. It can be hard to get everyone in the family in on the planning, so here are 5 tips to help you get the family all in on the holiday joy and planning.
Have fun with your family and friends this holiday season without the stress and tension that can come from leaving all the holiday planning up to one person, or not carefully orchestrating your holiday plans!
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Alicia Nelson-Bell, Empowering Financial Wellness Program Coordinator It’s Christmas in July! Yep. You heard me right! You may be thinking to yourself, “How can I be thinking about the holidays right now when my budget is already being squeezed so tight"? But really, it's a good reason to start thinking about a plan for holiday spending sooner than later this year. Creating a plan and being a bit more prepared financially will pay off big time.
Why the friendly reminder? In the 3rd quarter of 2021, AKA when most people did their holiday shopping, Americans added over $74 billion to credit card balances. Over 80% of those who put holiday expenses on their credit card carry a balance for an average of 3 months after the holidays and are paying an average of 18% interest. This makes those “good deals” you scored not so great when you pay 18% or more interest on them for multiple months! Shauna Barfuss, Empowering Financial Wellness Program Coordinator Have you been feeling FOMO = the fear of missing out? Maybe this December you have a constant running list in your head, of all the things you feel you need to do, i.e.: stockings by the chimney with care…sugar cookies…decorating…family parties…friend parties…work parties…neighbor parties…shopping...gifts for neighbors...grandparents...teachers…check check check…oh yea and the kids!
Do you feel the fear of missing out might just be leaving you missing out on the JOY of the season? How about another acronym instead of FOMO...JOMO = the JOY of missing out? A friend of mine, who is a bit older-and a bit wiser, mother once said to me, “You know we try so hard to give our kids everything we didn’t have, but are we forgetting to give them everything we DID have?” So hold on Rudolph let’s reign in the season with some JOMO! Instead of all the shopping, parking lots, eating out, walking through malls and big boxes, what if we chilled and gave our kids things we had, the things we don’t want them to miss out on which easily fit in any budget:
Elizabeth Davis, USU Extension Assistant Professor ![]() Initially, I intended to write about how to save money for special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays. But in light of what is happening right now, I'd like to focus on celebrating, especially during hard times. I've learned during the Covid-19 pandemic that despite the uncertainties that we are experiencing... life goes on. There continue to be weddings, anniversaries, births, and other special occasions. Valentine's day is right around the corner. So, how do we celebrate in times of financial uncertainty? Here are three tips to help you prepare to celebrate Valentine's day (or any special day) during economic uncertainty. |
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