Yes, I know. It’s only October, but this is the time of year that I start planning for my holiday shopping. Between gifts, get togethers, and special events, I use this time to map out my holiday finances.
So, in this blog post I’m sharing my holiday shopping process and how I keep my finances in check.
STEP ONE: PREPARE MY HOLIDAY BUDGET
No surprise there. The first step to holiday shopping is creating a budget. A budget helps me avoid overspending and reduce financial anxiety from holiday shopping. I start by making a list of everyone I need will be shopping for, including Sugar. Then I set a specific amount of money I want to spend for each person and dog. Here are a few tips I use to set up my holiday budget.
Prioritize Spending – I list the people and dogs I’m shopping for into gift groups. This can include family, friends, colleagues, donations/volunteer giving, associates, etc. Then I prioritize spending for each group. For instance, family, including Sugar, are in the first group. I shop for them first. This way I can make sure I get their gifts without counting whether I have enough in my budget to purchase from them. Once I’ve finished shopping for them, I move on to my next group.
Plan for the Experience – My holiday shopping includes more than just gifts, it’s about the experiences. So, I budget for items such as decorations, gatherings, and any other holiday items or activities I may attend. Before I purchase anything, especially with decorations, I always check to see what I have before I buy something new.
Track Your Spending – Since I have been known to go overboard, I’ve used an Excel sheet to track my holiday spending. There are also apps like Mint or YNAB (You Need A Budget) can help you keep track of your spending, ensuring you stay within your budget.
Include Hidden Costs – Remember to budget for hidden holiday costs such as wrapping paper, shipping fees, holiday potluck contributions, and even those baking supplies for your pupcakes.
STEP TWO: STRETCH YOUR MONEY
My grandma used to say, “It’s not how much money you have. It’s what you do with it.” Same goes for holiday shopping. Once you’ve created your budget, you want to find a way to make it stretch and get more bang for your buck. Here are a few tips I used to help me stretch my money for the holiday season.
Shop Sales and Use Coupons
Black Friday & Cyber Monday: These are some of the biggest shopping days of the year. In fact, Bains & Company estimates that this year Black Friday & Cyber Monday will reach $75 billion. Many retailers offer discounts on items from dog toys to kitchen appliances. Plan by making a list of items you want to purchase and tracking prices.
Use Cashback Apps: Apps like Rakuten and Honey can help you earn cash back on your purchases, which you can put towards other holiday expenses.
Stack Coupons: Combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons to maximize savings. Many stores also offer loyalty programs that can provide additional discounts.
Buy in Bulk – If you’re planning on baking pupcakes this holiday season, buying ingredients in bulk can save you money. Look for bulk deals on items like flour, oats, and dog-friendly peanut butter, which are common ingredients in pupcake recipes. Also, buying in bulk on some of those items such as wrapping paper, ribbon, decorations, may help reduce costs.
Take Advantage of Free Shipping – Many online retailers offer free shipping during the holidays. Consider shopping on days when free shipping is available to save money on delivery fees.
STEP THREE: PREPARE FOR HOLIDAY BAKING
The holidays usually mean more cooking and baking. As a dog mom, I always include Sugar in the mix and have a few holiday menu items she can enjoy as well. Not only is baking a fun holiday activity, but it can also be cost effective for your budget. Especially, since you may be shopping for ingredients anyway. To shop for ingredients here are a few tips.
Make a List – Before heading to the store, make a list of the ingredients you’ll need for your pupcakes. This will help you avoid impulse buys and stick to your budget.
Look for Sales – Many baking ingredients go on sale during the holiday season. Stock up on essentials like flour, oats, and applesauce when you find a good deal.
Consider Substitutions – If an ingredient is expensive or hard to find, consider cost-effective substitutions. For example, pumpkin puree can often be substituted for sweet potato in many pupcake recipes.
We offer more tips on shopping for pupcake ingredients in our blog post The Dog Mom’s Guide to Baking Pupcakes with Clean Foods for Her Dog.
Pupcakes can also make great gifts for other dogs in your family or friend groups. Package them in festive boxes or tins and include a copy of one of your favorite pupcake recipes from our eBooks. It’s a thoughtful and personal gift that any dog mom would appreciate.
IDEAS FOR DOG MOM HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
Holidays are about traditions and family. Sometimes the best gift is quality time. My mom and I love baking and certain dishes have become a holiday tradition. In fact, when I got Sugar, I wanted to include her in the family tradition as well, which is what inspired our recipe eBook, Pupcake Soul: Recipes to Celebrate Us and a Few Love Stories to Go with Them.
All the recipes are inspired by dishes from my favorite dishes made with dog-friendly ingredients. And, since dogs are family too, here are some ways you can incorporate your dog into your holiday food traditions.
Host a Pupcake Baking Party – Invite one or two friends who are dog moms over for a baking day. They can bring their dogs with them as a fun way to socialize. However, if you’re like me and don’t want to host a lot of dogs in your house, you can invite the dog moms over to bake without their dogs. It gives you a great way to bond with your friends and make some special homemade treats to give to your dogs after the party.
Create Christmas Pupcakes for Santa – Bake a pupcake recipe for “Santa” and take your dog’s picture in front of it. These photos make great holiday cards or social media posts.
Bake a Special Holiday Pupcake – Create a unique pupcake recipe that you only make during the holidays. This could become your dog’s favorite treat that they look forward to each year. My go-to recipes are my Soul Holiday Pupcakes & Mac & Cheese Pupcakes for Sugar from the Pupcake Soul: Recipes to Celebrate Us and a Few Love Stories to Go with Them. Sugar loves them and she gets to eat some of the holiday food she smells us cooking.
SOUL HOLIDAY PUPCAKES
MAC & CHEESE PUPCAKES
DOG MOM HOLIDAY MONEY LESSONS
Let’s get back to the money. One year, I overspent during the holidays. Between parties, gifts, decorations, and Sugar’s first Christmas tree, I spent way more than I should’ve. But I learned. So, I decided that I was going to put a little bit of money away each month towards the holiday season. It helped a lot because it gave me a base I needed to budget when it was time to go holiday shopping.
Save All Year – Put a little money away all year towards your holiday budget. Identify how much you plan on spending this year and use that to set your savings goal for next year. Your goal will help you determine how much you need to save throughout the year.
Buy Gifts Early & Throughout the Year – There’s no rule that says you must wait until the holiday season to purchase gifts, decorations, or other materials for holidays. Buying items before or after the holiday season may help you get items cheaper and save money expensive items.
Do It Yourself – Don’t be afraid to DIY. You can make your decorations, gifts, etc. to save money. It also adds a personal touch to your holiday items, which allows you to customize your holiday experience for you and your dog.
HOLIDAY SEASON FINANCIAL PLANNING
Holiday season is a great time to celebrate. Preparing yourself financially helps alleviate some of the stress that may come with it. It also helps avoid overspending so you can use the money to support your financial goals.
We’d love to hear your pupcake story. How do you prepare for the holidays? Stay connected and share your pupcake stories with us @pupcakesugar.
Check out our pupcake recipe eBook, Pupcake Soul: Recipes to Celebrate Us and a Few Love Stories to Go with Them. This eBook includes pupcake recipes for the Soul Holiday and Mac & Cheese pupcakes in this post and 8 other pupcake recipes inspired by my favorite soul food dishes for you to try at home with your dog.
You’ll also get a chance to step into Sugar’s world. I love my dog, Sugar, and her daily shenanigans make me laugh. So, I created an illustrated character inspired by her and her love of pupcakes. Sugar’s character is a “pupcakepreneur” that owns and operates her own pupcakery called Pupcake Sugar. It’s a tongue twister, but it’s amazing what you can create when you let your imagination lead the way.
