Christmas is over. \u00a0The hustle and bustle has finally come to an end.\u00a0\u00a0 The zillions of parties, events and obligations have finally stopped overcrowding your schedule. \u00a0And now the dreaded task of putting all the decorations away is staring you in the face. Not to mention that runs to the mailbox aren\u2019t nearly as exciting and for some of us can down right cause anxiety attacks. \u00a0Unless you are the person who plans for everything out of cash and never, ever, EVER, forgets that one gift, you probably have a few unexpected expenses or bills coming in over the next month.\u00a0\u00a0 Here are my tips for curing your Holiday Spending Hangover.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
1. Face It Head On.<\/strong> Ok, so you got a little wrapped up in the holiday spirit and bought everyone plus their brother a gift for Christmas, not to mention a few Secret Santa gifts for yourself. \u00a0When you\u2019re spending so much out of your normal routine it\u2019s easy to lose track of what you spent where. \u00a0You may have used store cards you never normally use or a credit card only used for emergencies. \u00a0(That new Christmas sweater seemed like an emergency at the time.) \u00a0Now is the time to gather up all that info. \u00a0You don\u2019t necessarily have to wait for a bill to come in the mail; most credit cards and store cards all have online access. \u00a0So sign up, access your account and find out how much you owe and when. (Personally, I love it when the bill comes in the mail and I\u2019m all like \u201cYep, I already know and I\u2019ve got it covered! Ha! Take that Mr. Bill! No surprises here.\u201d) \u00a0Once you\u2019ve got all that info, you can create a plan on how to pay it back. If it\u2019s too scary to face alone, face it with a friend (particularly one that won\u2019t judge you but won\u2019t let you hide either).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   Even if you didn\u2019t blow your holiday budget and managed to keep things in check, managing all of the extra expenses can be challenging. \u00a0Pay extra attention to your accounts while the dust settles, and remain flexible. \u00a0If there are other expenses that can wait until next month, consider holding off. \u00a0Stay in close communication with your partner so you\u2019re both on the same page until things get back to normal.<\/p>\n

   \n
   1. Don\u2019t disown your spending decisions.<\/strong> You made them for one reason or another; own them. \u00a0Try to understand why you made the decisions you did. \u00a0Personal reflection can be a powerful motivator to change, helping you break free of the same old cycle. \u00a0Taking the time to reflect back can help provide insight.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      So grab your spending journal and take note on some things while they\u2019re still fresh in your mind. \u00a0What was the best part of your holiday season? \u00a0Why? \u00a0How do you feel about how much you really<\/em> spent during the entire season (counting parties, food, decorations, all the little extras)? \u00a0Would you allocate your resources differently in the future?<\/p>\n

      \u00a0Reflecting on what worked for you and what didn\u2019t can help you better align yourself with what\u2019s really important to you in the future. \u00a0Remember, it\u2019s not just about money it\u2019s about your values so don\u2019t limit your reflection to just the monetary stuff.<\/p>\n

      \u00a0Don\u2019t let the weight of holiday expenses bring your down, resolve to manage it and keep your future spending true to what\u2019s really important to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Christmas is over. \u00a0The hustle and bustle has finally come to an end.\u00a0\u00a0 The zillions of parties, events and obligations have finally stopped overcrowding your schedule. \u00a0And now the dreaded task of putting all the decorations away is staring you in the face. Not to mention that runs to the mailbox aren\u2019t nearly as exciting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","sharing_disabled":false,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[14,15,18,24],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Holiday-Hangover.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9rIpx-aq","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":656,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646\/revisions\/656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarahcarrfinancial.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}