Decide on December 26th how many gifts to purchase per person and stick to it.

It is hard to think about right after the holidays of course. You just opened a bunch of wonderful gifts and had family from all over the world visiting and eating all of your food! The last thing you want to do is think about how you are going to do it all over again the very next day! There is a benefit in doing this, however.

The holiday glitz is gone! You are not caught up in the moment with trying to wrap anything purchasable and give it away as a present!

Your money is spent! You can budget without having to worry about imminent holiday dates approaching. It was just the day before!

Rational heads prevail when the hype of the holidays is over. Take this opportunity to  plan out a budget for things for the kids and the spouse. Plan ahead of time what items that they need and want leaving enough in the budget to satisfy the impulse-buy need that usually occurs with people when the holiday approaches.

If the spending for this years has already occurred then plan on next year to begin after you use your income tax returns, if you get any, to pay off the this year's debt.

Merry Christmas