subject: I Needed A Debt Management Plan After Valentines Day [print this page] If you take note of the commercials and marketing, Valentines Day can cost you thousands. From expensive jewelry to lavish dinners, love is going to really cost you. Needless to say while an extravagant Valentines Day might make your Valentine happy within the moment neither people will be happy the following month when the credit card bill comes due and you cant afford to pay it.
Regardless of what retailers are attempting to get you to believe, Valentines Day doesnt need to be a costly holiday. From the gifts to your date plan, everything can be achieved on a tight budget without accruing a mountain of credit card debt. You simply need to determine your financial allowance then use a little planning and creativity to make the day special.
Start by creating your Valentines Day budget. Assess your monthly expenses and figure out how much cash you have left over to spend on the day. Its also a wise decision to evaluate your credit card debts to figure out if you possess the means to spend anything on credit and if so, how much. Bear in mind the Valentines Day budget you create must cover not just the gifts you purchase, but also any meals, outings, and even transportation costs.
As you build your plan, estimate the cost of the activities first. Pick restaurants and calculate how much youre likely to spend on the meal. You can add in the price of movie tickets, drinks at a bar, or whatever else you plan to do after the meal. Also estimate the incidental costs you may have like cab fare, buying flowers from a street vendor, and anything else you can imagine thats likely to cost you on that day.
Once you have the total cost of what youll be doing on Valentines Day, subtract this money out of your total Valentines budget and anything remaining is really what you have available to purchase gifts. Stay within your budget while you shop and avoid using credit-pay in cash or with your debit card to prevent spending more than you have. In case your budget is tight, dont just go with something like expensive diamond jewelry; instead take your time picking out a thoughtful and affordable gift. Look for something that holds a special meaning in your relationship.
You can also buy a small item and then give it to your Valentine with other gifts that dont cost anything. You can make vouchers for romantic dates or coupon booklets for everything from free back rubs to washing your Valentines car for a year. Dont forget your own talents either-from a song you play to poetry you write, you can use your personal skills to do something that will be even more memorable than diamond jewelry.
Using the right mixture of careful budgeting and creative planning you can make Valentines Day special without amassing excessive credit card debt. If youre not sure whether youve got a good budget in place, many credit counseling agencies will give you a free budget analysis. They are able to offer free suggestions about how to enhance your budget to better stay in your means.
