Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
Merry Day After Christmas, friends! I’m praying your days were filled with joy and precious time spent with family. The day and week after a holiday can be a let down. However, it also presents the best opportunity to get organized, take inventory, and set yourself up for success. Best of all, doing all of the above doesn’t have to take too much time. Here are 5 things to do the day (or week) after Christmas that I’m guessing will take you less than an hour and pay in unmeasurable dividends when it comes to your budget, state of household, and peace of mind.
Enter Your Receipts
The week before Christmas yields a high volume of unusual buys, last minute splurges, and unexpected needs (hello, this girl went out to buy butter on Christmas Eve at 6 PM). So it’s a good idea to clear through your wallet and purse, locating those receipts. Enter them into your budgeting software or checkbook register or whatever you use to manage your money. Double check the bank account, reconciling all of the expenditures. Even though I had a fistful of register tape this morning, this took me only 25 minutes. After I was finished, I had a much better handle on what we have left in the grocery budget and paid a couple of bills, too. Note: This is also a great time to organize gift receipts and decide what if anything needs to be returned to the store.
For more ideas, read: How to Organize Your Monthly Finances
Wash New Clothes & Declutter Drawers
Get a new sweatshirt for Christmas? Kids score some new threads? Rather than wait for weeks to take off the tags and launder them, go ahead and knock out that task today. But first, before you removing the tags try on everything to make sure it fits. Then get down to business washing, drying, and folding the new items. As you put them away, remove items at a 1 to 1 ratio. As a new pair of PJs goes into the drawer, take out a pair that doesn’t fit or has been worn down to donate or pass along to someone else. New jeans means you should remove a pair, too. This simple task will keep you from “growing” out of your storage space. This task might take a few more minutes total, but luckily as your washer and dryer do the heavy lifting for you, you can fit in the other objectives on our checklist.
For more ideas, read: 31 Debt Free Missions: Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
Consolidate & Organize Your Fridge
The delicious dinners and bountiful breakfasts consumed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day might mean your refrigerator is bursting at the seams. Take 15 minutes to pair down large casserole dishes into smaller leftover plasticware. Put items that need to be eaten first toward the front in see through containers so that you remember to fix them before they spoil or you simply forget about them. Spending 10-15 minutes on this task will help you make the most of your holiday grocery budget.
For more ideas, read: Your Mess Fridge is Costing You Money
Put Away 4-5 Pieces of Decor
I know some people take their tree down on December 25th, but I love leaving up our Christmas tree and decor until after New Year’s Day. There’s just something special about the sparkle of lights as you countdown to a new year. However, it’s a good idea to go ahead and start the clean up today. Choose 4 or 5 items to stow away or at least organize into one place. I tucked away our advent wreath and took some of the smaller knick knacks from our kitchen. You may want to leave up your tree with its twinkling lights but take off the ornaments. Today spend 10-15 minutes putting away a few pieces of decor so that you’re not left with a mammoth task on January 1. You can repeat this effort each day between now and NYE and your final clean up will be a snap.
For more ideas, read: Money Saving Cleaning Tips
Plan Your Christmas Cash/Gift Card Attack
If Grandma and Grandpa hooked you up with some spending money this year, you need to be smart about making the most of it. The day after Christmas is the perfect day to total your haul and make a concerted effort toward managing it well. Take into consideration your financial situation (pay off that debt, yo!), current needs, and upcoming expenses. Don’t let the dollars and sense burn a hole in your pocket. Instead take charge of your blessings, channeling how you use them wisely.
For more ideas, read: What to Do with Christmas Cash
It’s easy to get caught up in celebrating the season and forget vital tasks like these. Your new year will thank you if you spend just a few minutes getting organized today!
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
