The wind was howling last week during Halloween and you may not have heard the starting gun for the Season of Excess. That began with Halloween and includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and other holidays and ends with a bang on New Year’s. It’s a season that often lightens our wallet, tightens our pants and adds more stuff to our homes, which we admittedly had too much of already.

This may sound like a bit of an exaggeration on my part. But consider this:

• Americans spent $8 billion on Halloween this year between candy, costumes and parties
• On Thanksgiving, the average American consumes 4,500 calories
• On Black Friday—followed by Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday–Americans will spend $90B shopping literally the day after a day where you spend being grateful for all the things you do have.
• Finally, the Christmas/holiday season, where 28 percent of Americans will enter the season paying off debt incurred during the previous holiday season.

When the dust finally settles from the holidays and one grand shebang for New Year’s, we’ll stand on the scale, open our credit card statement, or take one look around the house and realize that change is necessary.

The reality is the change should start now. It may be too late with regard to Halloween. You can set some boundaries on what you do for the remaining Season of Excess holidays. And it doesn’t have to impact your enjoyment of the holidays one bit.

You can start by going easier on all the food at Thanksgiving. Buy turkey for the number of people you have. Maybe have one dessert rather than several.

For the holidays, set a budget for how much to spend per person. If it’s family and you buy for each other, you may want to set up some guidelines for giving. Perhaps a $20 per person limit so nobody feels like they have to outdo each other. Even better, create a fun get together event like a Yankee swap. That way you have gift-giving and, unless it gets ugly as some Yankee swaps can, you have a fun memory as well.

For gift-giving, focus on experiences rather than things. Gift cards to the movies, theater tickets, dates to go ice skating, etc. offer the dual benefit of being a gift and creating a memory. These gifts also take up very little space in your home.

For New Year’s, again focus on the experience. If going out on the town is your idea of fun, go for it. Budget for your night ahead of time so you’re not feeling the financial sting for the rest of the year. As an alternative, you might want to consider a small, potluck gathering of family or friends. Or perhaps you can host a neighborhood potluck/BYOB. This cuts on costs and, if your home is walking distance, you and your neighbors can enjoy New Years without driving.

The holiday season is upon us, people. The holidays can be a success without excess. It just takes planning and a few boundaries. Are you ready? If you need some help, please give me a call at 508-246-6120.