Does the upcoming holiday season have you stressed out before it even begins?  

Do the holidays stress you out due to too many commitments, too much spent money, or too many expectations?  Have no fear!  This year can be easier, with less stress and more meaning!  The best part is that it doesn’t have to be hard!  Are you ready?

Here are 5 tips to simplify this holiday season:

1. Set (and stick to) a budget for gifts.

   There is nothing worse than having a large pile of debt after holiday shopping!  (This is why I wrote this post so early!  I wanted to give you enough time to get your budget set up so you can be debt free!)  Start early by setting a budget.  You can use a cash envelope system, set up a Christmas Account at your local credit union or open a separate checking or savings account at your bank.  When it’s time to shop, stick to your budget!  Trust me, when January rolls around with no holiday debt you will be so thankful you did!

2. Decide your method of gift giving.

   Some people use the saying of 4 simple things for their kids: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.  Others set a price for each person and buy accordingly.  Think about what works best for you and your budget.

3. Shop early.

   Shopping early can be difficult if you have kids who change their mind frequently but we have all either experienced or heard the horror stories of parents trying to find a toy that is no where to be found.  By shopping early, you will have what you need, avoid the crowds, the bad manners that seem to multiply during the holiday season.  By shopping online you can avoid the crowds but once again, stores sell out so by starting early, you will get the items on your list!

4. Keep the food simple and enjoy the people and the season!

   When it comes to food, it doesn’t have to be extravagant.  Try a small but delicious menu.  A main dish, a few salads, and a dessert are enough.  My family likes to do several appetizers, soup, and dessert.  Jason’s family does brunch (which is my absolute favorite).  My mother-in-law makes 2 different breakfast casseroles (that she whips up the night before and bakes in the morning), cinnamon rolls, we have frozen fruit cups, Yummy Baked French toast, and it is my favorite meal of the entire year.

5. Only decorate with items that you love and are special to you and your family.

   For many women, decorating for the holidays is a chore.  It’s not fun, there is too much to put up and it stresses them out.  It doesn’t have to be that way!  Try decorating with only the items that you love or are special to your family.  For my kids that would include the ornaments they have made, our nativity scene, my small glitter Christmas tree, and their stockings.

How do you simplify the holiday season?

Welcome to Women With Intention Wednesdays!

Welcome back to another great week of community building and support for one another!

Today I’m featuring a fun post from Chelc of Inside The Fox Den with her Fall Wardrobe Capsule.  If you haven’t checked her site out before, Chelc has a lot of fun posts and repurposing projects that you should check out!

Thank you all for giving me such great posts to read each week! Keep them coming!

Here is what you will find at Women With Intention Wednesdays:

• This is a link up party where you come to encourage one another, have fun, and share your best posts to help women live their best life!
• In other words, any post that you have written about Christian living, homemaking, relationships, healthy living, living a frugal life or that helps another woman can be included in this link up! Please just them family friendly (I reserve the right to remove anything that I feel isn’t appropriate).
• This link up is beneficial for every woman! Whether you are a blogger or a reader, this is one you won’t want to miss! I’m very excited to offer this link up as a place to not only build new relationships between bloggers but also by providing an awesome resource of information for my readers!

Here are the rules of this link up:

1. You must link directly to your post (no homepages, please).
2. Please link up no more than 2 posts each week and please do not link up the same post week after week.

3. For every link you add, please visit the link before you and one other of your choice. If your links are consecutive visit the blogger before you and your choice for the 2nd link. It’s impossible to build relationships when no one communicates! Please don’t link and run!

4. By linking up you give me permission to share your posts and photos on this blog and social media. Each week I will choose a featured post. I will only feature and pin your post if you have followed the rules. All features will be linked back to the original source.
5. You also give me permission to email you a quick reminder that the party is live. You may opt out anytime. I don’t spam my readers with emails.
6. Answer the community building question below so we all get to know each other! That’s the purpose of being here! 🙂

In order to help grow this community with great posts and relationships, I would love it if you would add the party button to your sidebar, your blog directory page, or a text link at the bottom of your post. This isn’t required to participate in the link-up but I would really appreciate it!

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If you were featured be sure to grab a button for your site! Thank you for linking up and sharing your great posts!

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Community building questions of the week: First, what do you look most forward to celebrating the holidays.  Second, what do you dread about the holidays?  Family? Debt? Shopping?

My favorite part is celebrating the birth of our Savior and the pure joy of Christmas.  I dread the crazy holiday schedules with concerts, parties, engagements.  I have vowed to be more intentional with my families schedule this year to focus on what matters most and to enjoy the season as a family.

Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!