Our monkey brain gets really excited during the holidays.
And like that one guy at the office holiday party, he’s not thinking about the violent hangover that awaits.
But with 4 easy steps, you can trick your monkey brain into enjoying the holidays, while your grown-up mind sticks to a budget and enjoys a spending-hangover-free January.
4 steps to sticking to your budget this holiday season:
Step 1) Write down all the people on your gift list (don’t forget your financial planner! I kid, I kid).
Step 2) Next to each name write how much you want to spend on them.
Step 3) Go to the bank and withdraw your entire holiday budget.
Step 4) Go shopping. If you’re going to stores, pay in cash. If you’re shopping online, remove whatever you spend and put it in a separate pile to pay off your credit card next month.
Even the most disciplined of us hate budgets.
So don’t try to will yourself to stick to a budget. Your monkey brain won’t let you. It’s an exercise in futility.
Instead, trick yourself into sticking to a budget. Your monkey brain will be too busy enjoying the holidays to notice.
