It’s never to early to think about Christmas

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kali L. Gradishar
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Christmas in July. What may sound like a party theme could really be an early thought on how to save loads of stress during the holiday season.

Last Christmas, like many before, I waited until the last minute to find the perfect presents for a sister, mother, father, grandparents, friends... The list went on and on. I came across a big issue that surely millions of other people encounter.

Money.

Christmas cards made out of 97-cent construction paper just wouldn't work at this age. Of course, my grandparents liked the hand-made cards when I was three, but now I'm 20 years old. I needed to find gifts that were worthwhile, pleasing to the eye and age-relevant.

So I emptied the account, vowing to never do it again (until next Christmas).

A better solution to cashing out every investment and emptying every account would be to save now. Putting a few dollars away every paycheck isn't going to hurt as bad as draining the bank.

Assuming almost everyone who reads this gets paid on or around the first and 15th of every month, there are 11 paychecks left before the holidays. That means putting away a mere $20 per paycheck would leave $220 to spend on Christmas gifts. And for the shoppers who get a little more serious and a little more giving during the holiday season, setting aside $50 per paycheck would allow for a guilt-free $550 Christmas shopping spree.

That amount of money is plenty to get Mom the rototiller she wanted and still have enough left to buy Dad a nice shirt and tie and the sister a pony figurine.

So let's all make an extra effort to save a little cash for Christmas shopping. It'll be a simple effort that can cut back on stress during a very stressful occasion.