Abby's

Abby's Magazine - November/ December 2014 | Page 41 Your Money Here are a few tips to avoid needing to rush to buy gis and overspending both cash and time. Your Time 5 Plan ahead. Holidays happen at predictable times each year. e "plan ahead" advice also pertains to avoiding trouble at work. Avoid a huge pile-up of incomplete (but important) tasks at work by using good time-management techniques. 6 Stay connected, but not over committed. e holidays are a great time to stay connected with family and friends. Getting together with loved ones and friends provides us with a great opportunity to relieve ourselves of some of our stress. Many of us, however, add to our stress levels by over-committing ourselves (and our loved ones) to social events this time of year. Do your best to avoid accepting every single invitation that comes your way. 7 Many of us have experienced getting swept up in a last- minute gi-buying frenzy, which takes a toll on our time and our pocketbook. e solution is to plan ahead. Gis for many of the people on your list can be found during other times of the year (e.g., during the summer). You might see something that reminds you of a loved one or friend, and you might think, "What a perfect holiday gi for _______." If you get that gi now (even during the summer), you automatically reduce the number of folks you will need gis for between anksgiving and Christmas. If you take care of some gis before the holidays draw very near, you'll be cutting down on the amount of time you spend looking for that perfect gi and standing in long lines at the post office (or UPS), driving around in search of an empty parking space, etc. 8 Assuming you've obtained many (or at least a few) of your gis early, try to get them sent to their intended recipients early as well. Again, you'll be cutting down on the amount of time you spend standing in long lines at the post office or UPS. 9 Consider sending some of your gi recipients' magazine subscriptions, instead of something more traditional. Sometimes, you can take care of several recipients all at once with this idea. And, you can do so with sufficient time for a card to arrive that tells each recipient that you're the one who bought the subscription. If you've succeeded in taking care of your gi-giving obligations ahead of time, then you'll probably not be strapped for cash in those days right before the holidays. Of course, cash is always a welcome gi for the students on your list. In addition, you have not reached the limit on all your credit card(s). So, you have some wiggle room to handle what (in some parts of the country) are the inevitable emergency car repairs (e.g., replacing a dead battery, or a leaking radiator, or a failed water pump). 10

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