I’d love some feedback on this:

Here’s a major reason why you keep starting the new year under a cloud of money worries.

You’re getting sucked into the holiday shopping frenzy and you’re not planning ahead.

Let me explain. None of us wants to start the new year feeling like it will take forever just to “catch up” from our holiday spending. And yet, we don’t want to play Scrooge with our friends and family. Oh, the dilemma!

Yet each November, you get geared up for Black Friday and all the super discounts. Maybe you’re even hunting down deals before you carve into the Thanksgiving turkey? And soon, the packages will start arriving at the front door.

But, here’s the rub – deals or not – you don’t have a strategy for keeping your gift-giving and party-attending in check. That excitement you feel when UPS delivers yet another package? Well, it often turns into regret when the credit card bill shows up. How could this have happened AGAIN?

If you read this far, this next story is for you.

I worked with a client to help her build a budget and plan for her future. We met at her dining room table on a January evening. As we went through her spending, I asked about an exceptionally large credit card bill. She told me, “Dr. Brenda, I get so wrapped up in the holidays and I spend way more than I want to. And now, I’m paying the price.”

We dug into her holiday spending a little deeper. She shared that her memories of Christmas as a little girl were unhappy ones. Her parents didn’t have a lot of money and she only remembers the arguments and tears. She was determined that her children would have all the best, and only happy memories. And to her, that meant lavishly decorating the house and buying her children plenty of expensive gifts. But guess what? Those children? They’re adults living on their own with good careers.

In the meanwhile, my client was doing some tutoring gigs on the side to pay off the bills.

You see, the holidays carry strong emotions with them. And we’re bombarded with ads pushing us to buy the latest gadget that will make our lives simpler, happier, and carefree. It’s an uphill battle.

So I gave my client some homework. First, she had an honest conversation with her children about her excessive spending. (They told her that the biggest thing they wanted was to simply spend quality time with her). What a relief! Second, we created a strategy to help her pay off the credit card bill in record time. Third, we set up a gift fund for monthly contributions and a plan that would help her prepare for next year.

Last January, I checked in to see how she was doing. Wow! What a difference. She came through the holidays without the big credit card bill. And this year, she is proud to tell me that she’s on track for another worry-free holiday, using her gift fund and prioritizing her spending to avoid the credit card hangover.

Woohoo!!! I am so happy for her. And the really cool thing? She’s been able to move beyond those unhappy memories and create a holiday that is more meaningful to her, and her children.

🎁 If you’d like to get together before the holiday spending extravaganza starts, I have a fantastic gift for you. I’ve got a FREE workshop coming up on November 16 – Design your Strategy to Avoid the Holiday Credit Card Hangover.

How about joining me? Reply to this email telling me you’d like more information on the Credit Card Hangover workshop, and I’ll send you the registration link.

Hope to see you in the Workshop!