This is Anne with your Coaching On The Go.

At the holidays, often people feel financially strained.

There is such an expectation societally to buy, buy, buy at the holiday.

It has become a consumer frenzy.

When I was a little girl, you’d probably remember this if you are in your 50’s or 60’s, there was no advertising for Christmas until Thanksgiving, then you got barraged with it.

After a while it became Halloween.

Now this year there was advertising for Christmas in September, which has become a huge turnoff to me.

I’m getting to the point where I want to go back to all handmade gifts, cookies, things to eat, things to nibble on, handmade cards, drawings and pieces of pottery because I don’t want to participate in the consumerism that is surrounding a holiday about love and rebirth.

Do you feel financially strained during the holidays?

I often do.

It would be one of my fantasies to go out and buy people the types of gifts they long for but haven’t been able to get themselves and package that up without any concern for how much it costs.

That is not available yet for me.

I have some strategies to support you in this pressure to buy, host events, travel all over the United States or the world, and overspend because it’s the holidays.

I have a few things that I like that support me in getting through the holiday feeling absolutely abundant, regardless of the amount of money I have.

The first one is throughout the year I think about people and start stockpiling gifts I find.

I start as quickly as the post Christmas holiday sales, finding super cool things to give to my loved ones next Christmas that are Christmas themed.

I go throughout the year finding things, and I put them away so that I don’t have to be overwhelmed trying to prepare for the holidays financially or time-wise.

I start thinking about what I want to give people or what kind of holiday I want to have ahead of time.

I let myself meander through it during the following year or the year leading up to the next holiday.

If I’m coming up to the holiday feeling financially tight, I look at how I want to end up after the holiday.

What feeling do I want to have after the holiday financially?

I don’t want to be digging out of a hole.

I set a budget for myself of sorts.

Budgeting isn’t easy for me.

I don’t like budgets. I don’t like limitations.

I don’t like boundaries. (See my ego working to keep its definition?)

Regardless of my disinterest in limits, I look at what I have and how I can be the most creative with what’s available. (the next strategy)

Sometimes, I decide that because I’m tired of consumerism, I would love to create a magnificent holiday in which I make all the gifts, whether it’s a meal, a box of absolutely beautiful cookies, a piece of pottery, or a small drawing.

I work to set a vision and a goal for the holiday based on my inner, authentic voice.

“What would be special?”

“What could I do that’s special?”

When I combine that with looking at my budget, I see how I can creatively pull together the most magnificent thing based on those two factors: my budget and my creativity, which is unleashed during the holidays.

The fourth strategy is about communicating.

I do not suggest, as many people do, that you let people know your finances are tight.

It doesn’t even feel good saying that in this coaching segment.

Words become things, and telling people you are struggling creates momentum that perpetuates struggle.

I suggest taking whatever idea you worked out, using your budget and creativity, and letting people know, “This year, my goal is to make all my gifts, to have thoughtful, handmade gifts!” if you feel it necessary to share because you are doing something quite different than you’ve done in the past.

Maybe you feel like people have grown to expect a certain standard of (giving)spending.

Choose your words wisely.

Make sure what you are doing at the holiday, financially and with your effort and love, aligns authentically.

Make sure you have a vision for the holiday where everything works together, you don’t end up in credit card debt, or the fun you had buying gifts has serious financial consequences.

May you have a holiday that is free from financial stress and strain.

Have a beautiful day.