Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Category:
Personal Finance Tips
Christmas is coming, and whilst the geese are getting fat, are you getting ready??
With the festive period looming, it’s time to commence those all-important Christmas preparations. This will typically involve hunting for the perfect gifts for dear friends and family, which will then need to be carefully wrapped up to make them all the more enticing. But where will you store all of these lovely gifts until December 25th?? Under your beautiful Christmas tree of course! The one that you will have to dedicate several hours to, so that it can be put up and decorated to perfection… after all, it is going to be the focal point of your home for a few weeks. And whilst you’re at it, don’t forget to put up all those other Christmas decorations around your house!
As if that isn’t enough to contend with, your Christmas preparations will also need to include that vital trip to the supermarket… the one where you load the trolly up with Christmas puddings, mince pies, mulled wine, yule logs, chestnuts to roast on an open fire (if you have one), and so on. Oh, and don’t forget to buy your Christmas cards, which will then of course need to be written and, in some cases, posted before the mailing deadline.
With Santa’s arrival just around the corner, some householders may decide to have a clear-out in order to make way for the arrival of all those lovely gifts. Any unwanted belongings could be taken to a charity shop, or sold at a car boot sale to raise some extra money to put towards the festive expenses that lie ahead. When the task of sorting through and re-organising cupboards is complete, attention could then be turned to re-arranging household furniture in a bid to maximise the use of space. For example, do you need to push settees or coffee tables back a little to create larger areas for opening presents on Christmas morning? Would it be better to move that cabinet in the living room upstairs to make way for the Christmas tree? Could the dining room table be better positioned to fit everybody around it for Christmas dinner? Furthermore, do you need to prepare a spare bedroom for any overnight guests?
There’s lots to do, but it doesn’t end there! With just weeks to go until we start visiting our nearest and dearest… and they start visiting us… many people will also want to set time aside to get their house in order, to avoid being caught out by any impromptu visits. For some, this will simply mean a thorough cleaning session – perhaps even steam cleaning the carpets, and kitchen and bathroom tiles for that pristine look. For others though, getting the house in order may mean a little more work, maybe even a spot of DIY. Quick-win DIY projects could include re-touching any scuffs on walls or skirting boards, although some may wish to completely re-paint the rooms that will be most used over the Christmas period.
There is a lot to think about during the course of the next few weeks, but then you should be able to have yourself a merry little Christmas!
