How to Stay in Control of Your Money During the Busiest Time of Year

👉🏻 The TL;DR (7 minute read):

The key to staying financial sane during the holidays is a little bit of intentional planning. Update your numbers, reflect on what worked, and set a realistic budget for travel, gifts, and fun - before December sneaks up on you.

🚨 There are only 2 months left of 2025! Don’t let your goals get away from you! Check out the Personal Finance Dashboard or the Basic Budgeting Template! 

MONEY
The holiday season is here - and it’s officially the spendiest time of year.

We’re officially in the final stretch of the year, which means there are two kinds of people right now:

👉🏻 those who are ignoring their budgets until January (hopefully not you)

👉🏻 those who are getting ahead of them now (us <3)

If you keep up with your monthly money reviews, you already know how powerful this reset process is.

Every month, I sit down with my Personal Finance Dashboard to do three simple things:

1️⃣ Update my numbers (income, expenses, savings/investments, debt, and net worth)
2️⃣ Reflect on how I spent my money and how I feel about it
3️⃣ Set a plan for the month ahead based on what’s coming up in my life

That’s it. It works because it keeps you proactive instead of reactive.

So whether you have been doing your reviews all year long, or this is the first month you are opting-in, it’s time to dig into our spending from the last few weeks and really get clear on where we stand BEFORE the spending spree begins.

So pull up your Personal Finance Dashboard (or Basic Budget Template!) and let’s get into it!

(BTW - if you want to do your review along with me for accountability, check out this weeks Youtube video because I walk through each step live!)

🧾 Step 1: Update Your Numbers + Financial Admin

I pull up my credit card statements, update all of my transactions, check my paychecks, and log any transfers into my savings or investment accounts.

If you’re self-employed like me, this also means paying myself (a business distribution) and double-checking that my Solo 401(k) contributions and sinking funds are on track.

I also like to take a few minutes to pay off my credit cards, because I prefer to start the month off with a totally clean slate. Then, I will pay my rent! These two quick steps help me close out the month completely.

Remember, tracking your numbers is meant to bring awareness to how you are using your money. It is a form of accountability, because you have to actually acknowledge how you spent and where your money went!!

💭 Step 2: Reflect Before you Reset

This is where most people skip ahead, but this step is so important!! I like to look at how my spending compared to my plan and ask myself a few honest questions:

• Where was I over or under budget?

• Were those decisions intentional?

• How did my spending make me feel?

In October, my goal was to stay under $5,000 in total spending, and I did! I’m proud of that, especially because I was able to:

✔️ Contribute to my retirement accounts
✔️ Move extra cash into my holiday sinking fund
✔️ Take a business distribution and invest in my brokerage

Plus, I was able to say YES to plans and really enjoy my month socially. When you know your numbers, you can actually enjoy your daily life without constantly feeling the nag of being financially stressed.

💸 Step 3: Plan for What’s Ahead

For November, my priorities are all about balance and preparing for the holidays without overspending. I know I’ll be traveling and buying gifts, so I’m padding those categories early. Luckily, I already booked my flights (yay points!) and I also have already set money into my Gifts Sinking Fund so I am already feeling pretty good about November.

I’m also being honest with myself: November and December are high-spend months, and that’s okay as long as they are planned high-spend months. Although honestly I think this year they may be pretty normal! Here’s hoping!

One tool that helps me a lot this time of year is Rakuten. Basically with Rakuten you can earn cash back on your purchases, and if you’re already going to be shopping during the holidays, you may as well earn while you’re doing it. Plus, this time of year they always offer higher rates and more promos!! You can get $50 in cash back on your first purchase with this link!

The Bottom Line

The holidays can make your money feel messy, but that’s only if you go into them blind. This review is designed to give you direction and create the space to spend more intentionally, save strategically, and enter the new year one step ahead!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, join me on your money review in this weeks youtube video!

💡 Not sure how much you’re spending? Start by tracking your numbers in a tool like the Personal Finance Dashboard!

WEEKLY RECOMMENDATION

The Difference Between Being Frugal and Cheap: I was recently featured in CNBC Make It where I shared about my experience in my early 20s being super cheap, and how I have transformed my relationship with money to approach spending decisions with a more frugal-forward mindset. If you are interested, check it out!!

RESOURCES
What’s Happening This Week at Break Your Budget

• This week on Don’t Depend on Daddy: We’re chatting about influencers and how influencer culture has rewired our brains to constantly want more. TL;DR - it’s allllll about dopamine and social media acting as a “slot machine” to keep us totally hooked!

• October to November Reset: If you enjoyed this newsletter, work on your monthly money review alongside with me!

LOOKING FOR MORE?
Check out ALL of my Money & Career Resources!

• Read by books, Own Your Money and Own Your Career!

• Take your financial power back with The Personal Finance Dashboard, my comprehensive money management tool!

• Up-level your career and get promoted with the Own Your Career Template!

• Just getting started on your financial journey? Check out the Basic Budgeting Template!

• Learn exactly how to put together a plan for your finances with the 4-Week Financial Plan!