The holiday season is upon us once again. It is a time for joy, peace, and family time...for celebrations and the spirit of giving. But, sometimes those two last things can get us a bit of stress that we don't need. The stress can then overtake us and ruin all of the great things that we should be enjoying about this time of year. There are two major areas that people feel stress as the holiday season gets underway. These two areas are our time and our money. Here are five tips for keeping stress at bay in each of these areas.

*Time Stress Busters

1-Make a list of all of the people that you will be buying for and either what you will get them, or at least some ideas. This will prevent those hours that can be spent wandering over-crowded shopping centers for hours looking for something that they will like.

2-Do all of your shopping in one day. Getting it all done is especially good for those who really don't enjoy shopping for the most part. It also helps you to keep track of how much you've spent, rather than ending up with a little here and a little there, ending up with a much bigger bill than you intended to.

3-Plan all of your get togethers and gift exchanges for either one week or spread them out, whichever suits your personality best. I, personally, like to get it all done in one jam-packed week, while other people like to get breaks in between. Figure out which way works best in your life and plan accordingly.

4-For your own entertaining, don't feel bad about purchasing at least some of the food and decorations pre-made. The local deli will have many holiday items available and some of these may even be at fairly good prices at this time of year. Put the food in fresh dishes from home and hang the decorations and chances are great that no one will even know the difference.

5-Enlist the help of the kids and your spouse in getting ready for any entertaining that you will be doing. Have a family cleaning day the day prior to the event so that you can rest up the night prior to it and the morning of it, and actually be able to sit down and have fun with your guests when they arrive.

*Money Stress Busters

1-Shop the day after Thanksgiving, a.k.a. Black Friday, sales. Getting up before the crack of dawn and joining the crowds can save you a small fortune, especially if you are in the market for electronics or other high dollar items.

2-Don't be afraid to regift. If, for example, the company gift exchange is the week before your family one, you can easily regift the item that you received at the company party, with very little chance of the original giver ever knowing the difference.

3-Have a budget and stick to it. Comprise a list of all of the people that you give gifts to. Determine before you go shopping how much you will be spending on each person. A major holiday stressor is going into debt so don't do it if it is avoidable.

4-Make some of your gifts. For example, co-workers and other people that you buy those "courtesy gifts" for will appreciate a plate of baked goodies equally as much as they will appreciate a store bought gift.

5-Do the majority of your shopping online. Websites such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com have tons of items at hugely discounted prices and you can find something for just about everyone. Sign up for their e-newsletters, as well, so that you will be informed of when they are offering free shipping or sales.

Learn more about this author, Victoria Tiegert.
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