CARL WATTS & ASSOCIATES

December 17, 2012

www.carlwatts.com
office@carlwatts.com
Washington DC
 tel/fax 202 350-9002
TOP
Happy Holidays
Low-Spending!
Troubles viewing this message? View in browser online here
If you overspend on gifts, try to reduce your spending for ornaments and parties;

If you have enough ornaments but would like a change, try swapping with someone else who might enjoy a change as well;

Try not to give in to the guilt and competitive side of holiday gifting season;

No matter what the skeptics may say, it is still the intention and the good thought that counts.

Remember that thoughtful is better than expensive. Here are some more thoughts we’re sure even Santa is especially fond of:

Think of how you could be of service to someone in need instead of spending a small fortune on gifts for family and friends.

Think of ways you may inspire your dear ones to help needful people and not just think of their own stuffed socks.

When it comes to partying, if you’re on a small budget, make food/meals from scratch, rather than buying ready-made; make an effort to use leftovers in a new meal; eat Christmas day dinner at home rather than in a restaurant; plan meals in advance to buy just the right amount of food.

Most of all, enjoy the holidays together with your dear ones, make the best of the time you can be with your family and friends, spend wisely and keep track of all your spending.

If it’s not something you’re already used to doing, plan for next year’s holidays way ahead, save some money each month and write down the gifts you have already bought during the year … memory is a tricky thing!



Best wishes and season’s greetings,
Carl Watts and the CWA team



With the risk of being a little corny, we can’t help saying that Christmas is one of the most wonderful and magical times of the year!

We all love to see the joy on our dear ones’ faces when they unwrap their gifts and this is not the time we want to think about budgeting and overspending.

But yes, this is exactly what we’d like you to think about: budgeting your holiday spending, sticking to your budget and making a great start to the new year.

As is always the case, there is an abundance of articles on the web and in the media telling you how, what, and where to buy everything you need for the holiday season, from gifts to ornaments, and food, and how to cut back on spending. Every article out there mentions budgeting. There is simply no way you can avoid it, unless, of course, your resources are like Santa’s, that is unlimited. (Although we are told even the wealthy have their limits.)

Here are a few helpful suggestions:

Set the amount you can afford to spend for holidays, in a realistic manner and divide it into gifts, ornaments, shipping and handling, entertaining and other expenses;

Make a list of all the people you want to buy gifts for. Go over your list several times and see if you can reduce it;

Let people know you may have to cut back on gifts. You’d be surprised, but many of them will feel relieved;

Try making gifts for a family or couple, instead of individual gifts for each member;

You might decide to send cards to more distant relatives and friends; at the same time you could give up buying cards for the ones you included on the gift list;

Set the amount you can afford to spend for each person on your gift list. You may even want to make envelopes with their names on them and the allocated amount inside.

When shopping for gifts, try to refrain from buying bargains for yourself as well;