The holidays are in full gear and pretty soon it will be time to get REAL serious about finances and the new year. No matter how hard we try we all tend to just spend a bit more in the weeks leading up to the holidays. It can feel daunting getting back on track but these are some good tips on how to recover from holiday spending so January doesn’t feel so crazy!
How To Recover From Holiday Spending
- Give yourself a no-spend challenge: I love a good January challenge and a no-spend challenge is great. I did one a few years ago and it really sets your year off right. I feel like doing it in January can benefit you throughout the year. Bonus: Try to get a group together to do a no-spend challenge. Maybe your coworkers so you aren’t tempted to go out for lunches, or maybe your group of girlfriends so you can find fun things to do that don’t cost money!
- Utilize the holiday gift cards you were given: If you are anything like me you mostly get gift cards for the holidays. I have a hard time thinking of tangible items to ask for and my parents insist on doing something so it’s usually gift cards to my nail place, Starbucks, Target, Visa, and Lululemon. I find this better than just picking random stuff to ask for that I don’t really need. That way come January when I am trying to curb spending I can still do some fun things because I have gift cards!
- Look for after-holiday deals: Basically, every store has another Black Friday right after the holidays. They are trying to make room for spring stuff or new items so EVERYTHING is on sale. If there are things you absolutely need wait for an after-holiday deal.
- Purge: Nothing like being bombarded with kids’ toys to make you purge. OK maybe just me. Usually right after Christmas between the influx of kid’s toys and just feeling overwhelmed by stuff I purge. This is not only a great way to clean your house but you can make some serious money! Sell items you don’t use anymore or don’t need, or donate things and get a tax write-off!
- Assess what you spent: I think it’s a good idea to go over EVERYTHING you spent over the holidays: gifts, decor, entertaining, travel, etc. It’s a good time to see how you did, see if there’s anything you can change for the next year, etc.
- Figure out a good payment plan: Well now that you’ve assessed that stuff has to be paid off! I have talked before about if you use credit cards how it’s important to pay the balance off each month.
- Start prepping for your tax return: I will have a HUGE post all about tax returns coming up soon but this is a great time to start prepping for your tax returns. It will make you focus less on spending and more on what’s to come. If you get a great tax return you can use part of it to pay off your holiday spending!
- Put your focus away from spending: That’s why a no-spend challenge is great. It puts your focus on other things. I like to also use this time to focus on health and fitness goals, and start over on good habits or take up a new hobby!
- Check your credit score… A LOT: With holiday spending, holiday identity theft being much higher, etc it’s a great time to go over your credit and see what your score is. Also, a good time to see if there’s anything off with your score. Do you see a bad mark? Do you see something that isn’t yours? Now is as good of a time as any to look over it and get down to business.
Holiday spending can feel overwhelming once those bills roll in, in January but it doesn’t have to be! Try these steps and hopefully you will feel less stressed!
How do you recover from holiday spending?
This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated for 2023.
Totally what I needed after Christmas! Thanks for the tips! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
These are fantastic tips!! I’m doing a no-spend month now and it has been an eye opening experience. It’s super difficult because I’ve developed habits of eating out for convenience, or picking up coffees from Starbucks. I’m saving so much now though, and I’m proud of myself each time I can check off each day that I was successful.
https://www.makelifemarvelous.com/
Checking your credit score is a great idea – I think most people NEVER do this until they’re looking for a loan, which is by that point too late to do much about it!
Great tips! We always so a no spend January to start the year off right!
Great tips!! I am purging and trying not to spend! My credit card is feeling the holidays lol
XO
http://moosmusing.com
Totally agree with these! I’m in mega purge all the things mode right now and also trying to do a spending freeze. Very thankful for the gift cards we got for Christmas so we don’t feel guilty about eating out!
Great tips! The holidays are definitely a budget killer for many people.
For the past years, I have been looking for after-holiday deals. It is just amazing how much discount you can get. To be honest, I started already purchasing gifts for the next holiday season or for other upcoming celebrations. 🙂
These are all great pieces of advice. Sometimes we do get carried away with our spending over the holidays and feel the effects a few weeks after. I have learned this the hard way several years ago. Your tips will be of good use for my two sons who are still about to learn about wise spending now that they have joined the corporate world.
Great tips! I always try to have a budget for Christmas spending but often go over it. 🙁 Its easy to caught up in impulse buying during the holidays! This year I’m going to try reviewing what I spent and see where I can improve next time round.
For me, I always watch my money after the holidays and cool off with any spending on things I do not need so I can get back on track with saving up. Thank you for sharing these tips! ❤️
My husband and I keep a Christmas spreadsheet so we can track what we are spending on our family, on our friends, and on teacher/school staff gifts. It helps us to know where we are and also what we can plan for in the new year. We have a bank account that we put into a bit every month to save up for holidays and gift-giving. I also like to do a no-spend January unless its gift cards or necessary.
We’ve been assessing what we spent every month since we moved into our new home and it’s been monumentally helpful for our finances! I know our accounts will have taken a hit after the holidays + all of my website subscription renewals at the end of the year, but I’m sure it’ll be good to know where all the money is going!
This is such a great post! I agree that recovering financially (and emotionally in some cases) from the holidays is quite the task. Checking my bank statements a million times a day for a while after does tend to curb my spending haha
I needed this post– between bills, buying gifts, upcoming events & unexpected expenditures there’s definitely been some financial stress happening. These tips are all so smart and you can bet I’ll be doing quite a few after the holidays. Thanks for sharing these!
Great post, and it’s useful content which you have shared with us about recover from holiday spending. A big thanks for sharing this blog. keep posting!!!