A Step-by-Step Guide to Staying Sane This Holiday Season

THE 12WAYS As The Twelve Days of Christmas song progresses, the gifts get grander and the song gets louder. In the same way, as the holidays near, Americans begin to pull out all their mental and emotional stops to get their gifts purchased, travel arrangements made, and party invitations sent out. to Christmas Sanity How to Not Lose Your Mind The typical result of this noble striving: insanity. Luckily, if you follow these 12 steps you won't lose your mind this holiday season. THIS HOLID AY SE ASON On the first of September, DO YOUR BUDGETING. $719 A person who dives into the holiday frenzy with a sound plan will save enough mental bandwidth to actually enjoy it. A budget is a necessary part of this plan, and should be created before your shopping begins. To give you an example of how much to budget, in 2010, the average person September 1 should give you enough time to account for all your shopping needs and anticipate the expenses. spent $718.98 on their holiday U0 shopping. This includes gifts for family, friends, and coworkers, plus food, decorations, cards, and flowers. SEPT EMBER 12 On the second day of autumn, MAKE YOUR TRÁVEL PLANS. Rarely do airlines post holiday sales. With that in mind, the longer you wait the more you tempt fate-don't let the seats SEPTEMBER fill up before you reserve one. On the third day of November, START PLANNING YOUR ATTACK. The key to holiday shopping is being strategic with your time. The "attack" is a five-fold process: 1. List all the people you plan to give gifts to. 2. Decide which gifts you are going to buy for each person on your list. 3. Find the stores that carry the gifts you plan to buy. 4. Create an itinerary for yourself, including which stores (or websites) you will visit and in what succession. 5. Rest. You've just worked hard and need to relax. NOVEMBER On the fourth day of November, 4 START CHECKING OFF YOUR LIST. 288 Do you really need to spend that much time shopping? Early November is the perfect time to start: The holiday frenzy hasn't quite set in yet and the malls are still relatively quiet, but holiday sales still abound. Now that you're well rested from the night before, it's time to attack your gift list with all you have. Whether you do your shopping online, at a brick & mortar, or both, you can usually check off your entire list in a small number of outings-provided your strategic plan was detailed enough to account for potential detours and defeats. Prove that you can get your shopping done in far less than the average amount of time. HOURS NOVEMBER The average time spent holiday shopping by mothers, according to a UK survey. 51 On the fifth day of November, MAIL YOUR INVITATIONS. You love hosting parties, and perhaps this year feels like the right time to invite your friends to a bash at your newly renovated house. Give your friends and family time to plan ahead and manage their commitments. Also give yourself the right amount of time to plan ahead. NOVEMBER At 6 a.m. on Black Friday, LIE COZY IN YOUR BED. 12 You just had a long Thanksgiving day and, luckily, you've already purchased your gifts. 11 10 Unless you really enjoy standing in line in the frigid cold with packs of ravenous zombie shoppers, you might as well stay in bed and rest up for an evening of decorating. 3 NOVEMBER 5 At 7p.m. on bBlack Friday, SET UP DECORATIONS. Few things can get you into the spirit of the holidays more than decorating your home, so do it earlier than you normally do. Decorate with family or friends and usher in the holiday season with a joyful celebration. ell NOVEMBER at 8 a.m. on Cyber Monday, 8 CHECK THẾ ONLINE DÉALS. Maybe there was a gift you just couldn't find or perhaps you made a new friend at your company party you'd like to give something to. Whatever the reason, Cyber Monday, the day after Thanksgiving, is a great way to secure deals without having to take hours and hours out of your day. NOVEMBER If you are on-the-go, try using your mobile phone, as many sites now support your device. 191 On the ninth day of December, WRITE DOWN YOUR MEAL PLANS. Are you hosting the meal or bringing a dish to someone's house? Start planning your Christmas meal early. If you are hosting, don't try to tackle this alone. Instead, think potluck: Recruit others from your family to help prepare portions of the meal. Take this time to write down what you will cook, what you need to buy, and what you need your guests to bring. Schedule the best day to do your shopping to give yourself enough time to cook. DECE MBER 10 At 10 a.m. on Christmas Eve, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED. Christmas is just hours away, so take inventory and make sure you've got everything you need for the celebration. DECHMBER The usual items that slink past until it's too late: - An unwrapped gift - A missing ingredient - Stocking stuffers At 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, 11 GO TO SLEEP. Sleep is one of the main keys to staying sane. You've just completed all the hard work in preparation for tomorrow (and hopefully spent some time with your family in-between duties), so, give yourself some time to recover. You'll thank us tomorrow. DECE MBER 12 On the 12th day after Christmas, LOOK BACK ON THE PROOESS. You've heard it said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." You're now two weeks out and you can think clearly about how it went. Write down what worked and what didn't, so that next year JANUA RY you can make any necessary changes to your routine. CONGRATULATIONS! You have successfully stayed sane through the holidays. Now it's time to start planning ahead for next year! SOURCE: FARECOMPARE.COM, SIMPLEMOM.NET, BARGAINEERING.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK mint.com ఈ దొంి