Reality Upgrade

Yes, it is only July, but now is the time to start planning for Christmas (or Hanukkah, etc.).  By thinking ahead, you can prevent the costs of presents and travel from overwhelming you when the big day gets closer.

After all, it may seem a little early for snow, but Christmas is only5 months away. Black Friday, the superbowl of shopping the day after Thanksgiving is only 4 months from now.

LaToya Irby from about.com has a great list of steps to help you prepare for the holiday season, minus the stress.

• Decide who I’m going to buy for
• Decide how much I’m going to spend on them
• Add it up
• Divide by the number of paychecks left until December 15
• Open a special savings account and save that amount each paycheck

Check out the full atricle here.