For anyone who feels overwhelmed or wants to master their finances, taking control begins with a simple yet powerful habit: holding a weekly financial and administrative meeting. Deciding in advance when and where you’ll hold this meeting can significantly increase your chances of success, a concept known as implementation intentions. Research has shown that forming specific plans about when and where to act can double the likelihood of following through on your goals (James Clear).

For most of us, we don’t know what it costs to be us, and figuring out our true monthly cost is a headache. It involves some guesswork, and often forgetting all those expenses that only hit once or twice a year, and infrequent expenses consume 20–25% of our income. These infrequent expenses are not an “if” but rather a “when.” They will come up, and you may or may not know when you can expect them. 

Holiday spending often feels like a race against the calendar and your wallet, leading to post-holiday debt and “January regret.” But what if there was a better way? The key isn’t to set a Christmas budget but to create a long-term “Christmas savings target.” This simple shift in perspective can transform your holiday season from a stressful financial scramble into a period of joy and peace.