holiday spending, fall spending, fall budgeting RESET Budgeting & Financial Coaching holiday spending, fall spending, fall budgeting RESET Budgeting & Financial Coaching

5 Ways to “Autumn-Proof” your October

As the leaves begin to turn and the cool breeze of autumn sets in, it's not just your wardrobe that needs a seasonal transition – your budget does too! Autumn brings its own set of expenses, from back-to-school shopping to early holiday preparations. But fear not! With a touch of foresight and strategic planning, you can prepare your finances for the season ahead. Dive into our latest blog to discover five essential tips to autumn-proof your budget, ensuring you're not caught off guard by those unexpected fall expenses.

Happy Fall Resetters! Welcome to the last 90 days of 2023!

With just three months left before 2024, I’m mindful of the triggers that come up for me around this year… 

Specifically, holiday spending, and retailers know just how to entice us into their biggest revenue-generating quarter of the year. If you've had an Amazon package delivered in the last month, you’ve seen their advertisement for October Prime Big Deal Days printed right on the box tape. Didn’t we just have Prime Days?! And there’s even some stores online that are running “Black Friday” sales already! What?!

-Sidebar- Black Friday is reserved for Thanksgiving night, after you have enjoyed your family, thank you very much (just my personal opinion).

Retailers create their marketing plans months in advance to tug at our “purse/wallet” and heartstrings, which can result in added debt in an effort to tangibly show our “love” to those we care about. I understand this now, but for many, many years I went into debt in the name of “love”, but really it was to avoid embarrassment.


Honestly, I couldn’t fathom telling my family that I couldn’t afford gifts for them.

My budget showed me this truth, but it also showed me what I still could do. My gift-giving just had to look a little different than all the money I was used to spending and financing.

My BUDGET and my commitment to my GOALS had to be bigger than my pride.

This may not be your story, and that’s OK. But, if you can relate, and just thinking about this time of year is starting to stress you out, remember, your budget is YOUR PLAN, and the way you have decided to spend YOUR MONEY, taking into consideration the goals you want to achieve. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, unless that’s your personal decision.

If you want to take advantage of Black Friday - PUT IT IN THE BUDGET.

If you want to splurge on holiday dinner this year - PUT IT IN THE BUDGET.

BUT, if this spending will jeopardize your financial goals, you gotta ask yourself, “Is it worth it to set myself up for even more debt in the new year?”

Looking at your past spending habits every month can be tough, but also worth it to get to the other side of your goals. I promise.  

Check out the 5 ways I’ve figured out how to  manage my fall spending and keep myself financially on-track:

5 Ways to Autumn-proof your October so you won’t get sucked into the hype!

  1. Create your budget for October - FOR REAL. On paper or digitally - not just in your head. After you’ve accounted for your responsibilities, just how much do you have left over to spend? Start putting away small denominations of money to spend in November & December when the Christmas deals really get cookin’! Not sure where to start, RESET BFC can help!

  2. Evaluate your “spending why”. Even though you may have the money to spend, should you? What else could you use that money for? And if you don’t, why do you want to spend money you don’t have? Like me, this will require you to do a little soul searching to evaluate your spending triggers. 

  3. Share the load - My family and I have mastered sharing the load around Thanksgiving. We collectively create our Thanksgiving menu, with each person volunteering to bring 1-2 items. No one is responsible for the entire spread. This works well for most occasions and gatherings, including Friendsgiving, etc.

  4. Plan your spending in cash. During this season, it's even more enticing to get your “overswipe” on with debit and credit cards. Cash stuffers, keep doing your thing. If you’re not a cash stuffer, plan on using cash for your holiday spending to prevent overspending.

  5. Don’t use credit cards - Trust me on this one.  Those shoes and that toy, etc. won’t feel so “worth it” when you’re still paying for them into the new year.

Make sure you come back next month for  “Understanding Financial Stress and How to Overcome It”. You won’t want to miss it!

Have an amazing October - you got this!

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