How about a calm, affordable & gorgeous Christmas this year?
The way you spend Christmas is far more important, than how much.
(Henry David Thoreau)
Lisa is a busy, creative mum of two who always means to plan ahead, but somehow… doesn’t.
She isn’t “bad with money”; she just feels totally overwhelmed. Christmas sneaks up on her every year, it’s too bloody close to Halloween and Bonfire Night. She’s caught in a swirl of school plays, secret Santas, works Christmas do’s and last-minute panic buys.
She tells herself, “It’s fine, I’ll sort it next year, let’s just get through this one.” Knowing full well that throwing money at the problem is not only unsustainable but infuriatingly wasteful. Her flexible friend wasn’t being so flexible these days.
She came across a friend of a friend one day over a coffee, who specialised in being organised. She listened to Lisa and how she bounced from one thing to the next, in an almost relentless chaos. She didn’t lecture her or make her feel even more guilty. In fact, she listened, understood her frustrations and spoke her language about wanting the slow, comfy Christmas she’d had as a child that was full of magic and fun.
But how? How was it possible to create a Christmas film kind of Christmas? Cookies in the oven and hot chocolate on tap?
What did Lisa want?
To be wearing sparkles, tying velvet ribbons on the tree and placing trays of nibbles next to glasses of fizz. She could see the fairy lights it in her mind’s eye, she described to her friend how she could smell the mulled wine spiciness on the hob, hear the woodburner crackling it’s comforting warmth and knew with every fibre of her being, she was not going to be squiffy and sobbing at 2am on Christmas day frantically still wrapping presents – again!
This friend was completely realistic about how life actually works. It helped Lisa see that planning wasn’t about creating Instagram perfection, it was about creating peace. And oh dear god, did she need some peace!
Afterwards, Lisa could easily visualize what she wanted to create. She planned in when she was going to do things. Give or take a few days, but you know, that same week at least. Like; making a door wreath from her dried hydrangeas and foraged greenery, chutneys and chilli jams from her nurtured tomatoes before they started to smoosh. As for a Christmas cake, her family always laughed when she said she’d make one, as they always found the M&S box in the recycling bin.
It was only really Lisa who cared about all of these things. She put a lot of pressure on herself to craft the perfect festive season, then would berate herself for having to buy everything in. She hated going into her overdraft for the sake of a few days, but was also determined that her smallies, husband and extended family would have the best time. She’d forgotten she should be included in that.
An energetic shift
Later that week, Lisa could feel her energy shifting around the early seasonal buildup. She started to get that cosy feeling she’d longed for. This plan of hers was already having a calming impact on her nervous system and her budget; it felt like a breath of fresh air.
In the first week of October, she reviewed who she was likely buying for, set soft spending limits, and layered these into her planned spending. (She hated the word budget so Planned Spending became her mantra)
To keep herself accountable, organised and on track instead of winging it or getting distracted, she took 30 minutes every Sunday with a cup of tea, her notebook, and her own real-life numbers. She simply checked things off her list, and if she overspent somewhere, she decided how to underspend slightly elsewhere to make up for it.
She was becoming that kind of woman
What amazed her, not being the most natural of planners, was how easy it was. How quickly she could do the boring stuff. Right after her Sunday morning check-in sessions she’d have all the feels and went on to make Christmas fudge, homemade hand scrubs, winter floral displays, and wrap them as little extras for her friends. Yes, she was becoming that woman. The one who had something sweet and thoughtful to take to Christmas parties for the hosts as well as a bottle of plonk.
Getting her family on board with the planning, wasn’t as hard as she expected. They never wanted her to be so overwrought, they loved watching her in her creative element and they were excited to be involved in the whole process.
This January 2025, she didn’t dread their bank statement. Nothing was chucked onto their credit card. There were no late-night Amazon regrets. No hiding receipts. No guilt.
Lisa said, “For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed Christmas. I gave (and received) gifts that were loved, rather than ‘that’ll do,’.
And I didn’t need a financial detox in January. In fact, I saved £200, especially so I could treat myself in the sales afterwards. Something I could never do before”
So, who was this friend, and what was this alchemy?
It was me.
It was Budgeting and Planning for Christmas.
A one-on-one lovely mentoring session that gave Lisa everything she needed to feel energised and inspired and best of all, looking forward to this cosy season with her family, with no debt on the other side.
Tell me in the comments, are you a planner, or do you skid into the house on Christmas Eve knowing you’re not getting any sleep until Boxing Day?
Love from
Lucy
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