It’s the holidays, and if there’s one thing everyone does to commemorate their holiday of choice, it’s spend money. Whether you want to believe it or not, this is an expensive time of year. Aside from buying presents (because let’s face it, consumerism is the ultimate religion) there are a ton of societal expectations that weave their way into even the most frugal person’s budget. I’m talking about everything from festive décor to transportation to the annual company holiday party. At this point, it feels unavoidable and that’s totally okay.

My husband and I started feeling the holiday heat in mid-October when we began preparing for our Halloween party (which was a total blast, by the way). Now that we’ve made it through the month of November just barely scraping by, we’re both a little stressed about what our budget is going to look like for the next month. Buying presents for family members, getting ourselves some necessities, and having some money to spend on our fifth dating anniversary as well as New Year’s Eve is no small task.

The last few months have, admittedly, felt like we’ve been reenacting that tale of the serpent eating its own tail in order to stay alive, and it certainly doesn’t help to know that we still have a ways to go before we get out of this rough patch. As we were looking over our budget for next month, I kept reminding myself that we don’t have to feel guilty for buying ourselves things we want and need, and it’s okay to do nice things for ourselves. In my mind it’s always a constant tug-of-war between wanting things and feeling like I don’t deserve those things, so although I am going to try to be more relaxed about spending money this holiday season, I can’t really say whether or not it will work out.

The holiday season is just beginning, so if you are anything like me, triple-check your budget and make sure you’ve got a game plan to keep you focused. Oh, and by the way, you don’t have to feel guilty if you go over your budget during the holiday season. The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and keep spending within your means. See you tomorrow!