Hey Reader,

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner? And we are only 37 days away from Christmas? Are we ready?

I spent my morning in Walmart. It's been a while since I've done a solid Walmart trip. I like to think of myself as more of a Target girl, but let's be honest, I'm really more of a Goodwill girl.

Anyway, I loaded up on stocking stuffers for the kids, and bought all my youngest son's Christmas presents all while staying under budget. I feel like I am winning at Christmas right now.

Have you set a Christmas budget yet?

Listen, nobody like a budget. I promise you- nobody likes it. If someone says they like budgeting, don't trust them.

While I enjoy the thrill of staying under budget, I loathe setting a Christmas budget just as much as the rest of them.

Still, I set a budget. Every year, my husband and I come up with a Christmas budget for the kids. Every year, we stick to it.

If you're still trying to figure out how to set a budget for Christmas, you might want to learn more about zero-based budgeting. This has been the best way for me to manage my own money. It also allows for me to look back over previous months and see where I have "extra" money to put away for things like Christmas.

Are you looking for some gift recommendations? Check out my Ultimate Guide to Eco-Friendly Gifts. I have some really great suggestions that are eco-friendly and wallet friendly.

Let's not forget about Thanksgiving budgets!

Of course, I had to lead with the Christmas budget. I don't know about you, but the Christmas budget always gets me a little more stressed out than the Thanksgiving budget. Unless you are actually hosting a Thanksgiving meal, you really don't have to worry about setting a Thanksgiving budget.

If you are hosting this year then you will love some of my tips in this post: 7 Hacks to Save Money on Thanksgiving Dinner.

My favorite hack? Make it a potluck! I am always here for the potluck dinners.

Start mentally preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday now

I'll be sharing more deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday next week, but the main thing I want to share today is the reminder that if you don't need to shop on those days, it is okay to skip it.

Buying something on sale just because it is a great deal, isn't the path towards saving money for the future.

I don't have any great deals or steals to share today. I'll be saving all that for next week in preparation for the biggest shopping weekend of the year!

XOXO (in my best Gossip Girl voice- yes I'm rewatching every episode on Netflix right now),

Hannah