As the buffet of turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy clears there is only one thing left to see amid the almost leafless trees, colder nights and the battle of Christmas décor that couldn’t’ wait until after Thanksgiving to come out. Yes, the holidays are just around the corner and this can be a time of joy and happiness or stress and anxiety.  Below I have given you the gift of 7 tips that can help de-stress, reorganize and get those creative juices flowing for a holiday season that will have your family and friends wondering how you did it without even breaking a sweat.

1.      Minimize stress by making a holiday checklist

Can’t seem to remember what you’re getting Aunt Susie? Flying back home to see your family but always feel like you’re forgetting something? This holiday make a checklist of everything you want to accomplish. You can even add a timeline to better prepare and even if you don’t finish it you’ll know what you can cut out for next year!

2.      Set a budget….and stick to it!

Sometimes the biggest headache with the holidays is spending over your limit. A few ways to manage this is to set a spending limit on each person you want to buy for or only carry as much cash as you want to spend and leave your credit and debit cards at home.

3.      Clear out the clutter!

If you store holiday décor at home, fill those empty boxes with toys and trinkets that you don’t want to see laying around for the next couple months and put them back in your hiding place. No room at home?  Rent a temporary storage unit and while you’re hiding the mess you can hide those Christmas presents too!

4.      Save money by using Christmas cards as gift tags

All you need is scissors, a hole punch and some string and you can cut out pictures from Christmas cards and use them to label your gifts! Some cards will have multiple characters on them so you can stretch them double or triple as far. Use glitter and other punch outs to spice up the designs if you feel festive!

5.      Pinterest anyone?

In case you haven’t heard of it, Pinterest is a pin board based social media website that allows users to “pin” pictures from all over the web on to personal boards. The real key is that these “pins” of pictures are linked back to their websites where they usually walk you through do-it-yourself projects, offer step by step recipes or dictate how to make many crafts. The holiday possibilities are endless with Pinterest, especially if you are looking to save money!

6.      Cyber Monday

Almost as popular now as Black Friday, Cyber Monday has become just as big a sale day. Don’t miss massive savings offered online the Monday after Black Friday.

7.      Organize, Protect, Store – Just a few tips to storing ornaments and lights

Wrapping ornaments in discarded tissue paper from opened gifts helps minimize waste and protect your precious bulbs. Storing ornaments in an ornaments box, well-padded wine box or egg cartons can help them last longer and protect during storage. Coil lights around a reel or reuse that empty coffee can to keep from untangling pesky lights every year.

These are just some tips that you can use to kick start or better organize for the holiday season. I hope it helps you stay on budget, reduce waste and make this year a little less stressful and little more fun!