Make a list, check it twice, and stick to it

Here are other suggestions I’ve used for keeping the holidays sane:

• Create a budget and stick to it.  Don’t overspend at the holidays. It’s just no fun. Make a list, estimate your expenses and stick to it.
 
• For employees, give gifts of time off (half days, full days, etc.).  Let’s face it, during the holidays, they’re often less productive anyway.
 
• Reduce your work schedule during December and January.  The winter months are a time of rest and dormancy.  Plants need it, humans need it.  This over-activity during the holidays is not good for us, as it’s counter to the natural rhythms of where we live.  This is a meditative, reflective time.
 
• Let happiness and joy come naturally rather than as a mandate for the holidays.  The expectation that the holidays have to be fun and exciting does not allow for all our emotions to be present, like sadness for loved ones no longer with us or anxiousness about getting the turkey right.
 
• Love the gift you give another because you want them to have it, not necessarily because it’s “perfect.”  In our instant gratification world of Target, Costco, and online shopping, we rarely wait for the holidays for a special gift or treat.  More often than not, we buy that gift for ourselves when we’re ready.  The best gifts are usually not what’s expected.
 
• Get shopping done before Thanksgiving or by the end of the first week of December and buy nothing else.
 
• Get your holiday cards done over Thanksgiving and send them out the first week of December.
 
• Tell kids to pick the three things they REALLY want and get two of them.  Set a deadline for the list.  Let it change a thousand times before the deadline (you know it will) and then let the deadline stick.
 
• Create a ceremony to celebrate each other.  We do a solstice ceremony at home that takes us all of 15 minutes in which we go around and for each person acknowledge what we love about them, how we have seen them grow that year, and what we wish for them.  We do it on the solstice, and it’s the highlight of our holiday season.
 
• Remember, less is more.
 
Have a wonderful holiday season!

Suggestions for managing bills and cash-flow

I’m a big believer in keeping as much cash at your disposal as possible and paying government entities on-time, but not early.  No sense in giving someone free use of my money, especially if I might not owe as much as I’m predicting.  How to do this is always the challenge.

First of all, there’s nothing worse than surprises, so eliminate them.  Be in conversation with your accountant at least three times a year (March, June, and December, if not also September) and talk about your income, how much you’re paying in taxes (whether that’s per paycheck or quarterly payments), what your projections are for the year, and what big expenses you may have this year.  That way, if you can adjust your quarterly payments so that they’re more in line with where you will end up at year’s end, the last check is smaller to write.

Second of all, create an account that is devoted to saving up for those “big checks” that happen annually or semi-annually or actually fund them.   Set aside money for property taxes, go ahead and fund your Health Savings Accounts, and your retirement accounts.  Get that money working for you.

Finally, if you’re behind on payments, create a debt repayment schedule and stick to it.  Throw as much money at those debts as you can so you can get in “real time” on your payments.  Sometimes just having a plan will make you feel more in control and capable.