Though whether to spend your money or not might seem like a straightforward and simple decision, we now know that corporations, supermarkets and even restaurants use many psychological tricks to get you to part with your money. This phenomenon intensifies during the festive season with companies bombarding us with Christmas-special products long before the Christmas-season even starts.
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According to Healthline, the phenomenon of companies doing their best to motivate people to spend money by announcing Christmas special products and offers way ahead of the actual festive period, is called ‘Christmas Creep.’
Here are some tips from Healthline to help you cope with this pressure to over-spend.
Have a fixed budget
Ear-marking a fixed sum of money for your festive season shopping is a fail-safe way to ensure that you do not go overboard with buying things. Having a set budget also inspires people to have a clear idea of how your money should be divided to maximise on the Christmas cheer without any of the money anxieties.
Make a list and stick to it
Having a list will help you to cut through the noise of all the Christmas special deals and offers most company usually provides . Though sometimes these could be genuine bargains, a lot of the times it encourages people to buy unnecessary things very early, which they might actually have no use for during the actual festive period.
Established boundaries around money and gifts
Having a clear boundary with your friends and family members about differing expectations around gift-giving or even in terms of monetary contribution to festive events etc. will also help you not have the mental stress of managing your finances. Having a clear dialogue about what you can ideally afford versus what people might expect you to spend might seem awkward at first but can have a lot of mental and financial benefits in the long run.
Sources used:
Healthline: ‘What is ‘Christmas Creep’ and Why Can It Stress You Out?’
