How To Survive After The Holidays Leave You Broke

It must be January! After spending at Christmas, you may feel broke and drained right now. However, here’s how to survive being broke after the holidays!

How to Survive Being Broke: How To Survive After The Holidays Leave You Broke

It’s a feeling many of us know all too well. The holidays are over, we had good food, fun and plenty of cheer. The kids and our friends and relatives enjoyed all the gifts we gave them. The house is starting to get picked up and back to normal and our wallets are looking a bit empty, yet we still have to get by until things settle down in January.

Here are some tips for getting by financially if the holidays leave you broke and you need to be able to survive being broke

1. First of all, don’t panic, but be aware that you are on a restricted budget. Being honest with yourself will get you by. Check out some of the weird ways you can save money to help those dollars stretch.
2. Shop after Christmas sales. It isn’t just gifts you will find at a discount, but food as well. Many retailers offer Christmas/Holiday themed products that are just as good as any others as well as meat and other perishables that they have overstock on right after Christmas to clear it fast. Look at what you should be buying in the month of January.
3. Look at your financial situation honestly. Did you over-spend on credit cards? To get back on track, this might mean going without for a month or two to avoid further financial dismay. What can you do without? Can you cut back the cable package and go with a streaming service instead? Can you spend a quiet evening at home watching the ball drop on New Year’s to cut out an expensive night out?
4. Re-use those leftovers! You probably have leftover roast, ham, turkey or another protein that you ate on Christmas. Find ways to use the leftovers to create dishes for the next week or so. Freeze whatever won’t get used in the next 3 days.
5. To help avoid a financial issue next year, consider buying some generic gifts and decorations now that they are on heavy clearance.
6. Sell some of your stuff that you no longer need. Did you get a new set of tools when nothing is really wrong with the old one? Did you get duplicate gifts? Sell the items you no longer need on Craigslist or eBay for a little extra cash and to clear the clutter.
7. Did you get gift cards you won’t use? Cash them in on websites that buy them back for a large portion of the amount left on them.
8. Try to find free things to do with your kids in the week or two before they head back to school to avoid spending even more money.