Once you’ve got the regular expenses in the budget, add a Christmas budget category! Under that, you’ll need budget lines for gifts, decor and ingredients for all those delicious Christmas dishes you make every year.

Extras (entertainment, restaurants, etc.).Other essentials (insurance, debt, childcare, etc.).Your Four Walls (food, utilities, shelter and transportation).Giving (this should be 10% of your income).

Now it’s time to write down every expense you know is headed your way. What counts as income? Any and all money your household brings in each month is income-including any side jobs you picked up for the holidays! Here’s how to get started in three easy steps: Now, to set up a Christmas budget, you also need to set up your monthly budget (which, by the way, is much easier with EveryDollar). What’s our point? Well, just like Kevin, you need a plan-and that’s what a budget is: a plan for your money (no swinging paint cans required). In the classic Christmas movie Home Alone, Kevin McCallister makes a plan for how he’s going to tackle the intruders in his house-a little glue here, some glass ornaments there, and a couple swinging paint cans for good measure. How? Set up your Christmas budget, save up a Christmas fund-and then stick to your plans. Good news: You can enjoy the gift-giving season without any guilt-ridden overspending. But unless you plan on skipping Christmas this year, you’ll find yourself a part of that $886.7 billion machine too. Did you know Americans spent $886.7 billion on Christmas last year? 1 That’s a lot of photo cards, personalized stockings, candy canes, Christmas music, Santa hats and sparkly ornaments.

List 3 budget planning tips