Holidays Archives - Page 3 of 3

How to Celebrate any Holiday on a Dime

Celebrate any Holiday on a Dime

Celebrate any Yom Tov on a Dime

How I’m Celebrating Purim on a Dime

With Purim coming and Pesach (Passover) soon after I’ve been a bit busy but I wanted to share with you how I’m planning on handling it financially.

Two words: tax refund. I use Turbo Tax to file my taxes because I have been using them for years and I’ve always been happy. Why mess with a good thing?

Thanks to the earned income credit and the child tax credit we are lucky enough to get a nice chunk back from the government.

Maaser

We always give Maaser (charity) from the refund because we consider it income. We try very hard to always give Maaser even though things are tight: I think it’s important to remember that even though we aren’t rich: we do have everything we need and a lot of what we want. Not everyone is so lucky. We transfer the money into a separate account and give it out as the opportunities come up.

Purim and Pesach on a Budget

How To Budget for One Thing After Another

Fighting Budget Fatigue

When a few big scheduled events happen in close succession it poses a bit of a budgeting challenge.

how to budget for one thing after another

Do you budget one big lump sum?

Do you budget for each event separately?

Do you even budget at all or just throw money into an account and then hope for the best?

The latter may seem like the best approach especially when you’re probably going to spend the money regardless of whether you have it or not. After all, you are not going to cancel a holiday, especially if you have credit cards available.

The High Holy Days

Jews around the world are getting ready for the High Holy Days which are coming really soon. This poses a real challenge, especially since it usually coincides with the beginning of the winter season which includes its own set of expenses and planning.

Although, I am going to be talking about the High Holy Days specifically these ideas can be applied to any set of events that happen in close proximity to each other.

In past years I have usually set aside money for all the holidays and clothes shopping at once and did a one lump budgeting method. What usually happened, is that towards the end of the “season” we would run out of money and put some on the credit card. When that happened, “budget fatigue” set in.

What is Budget Fatigue?

Budget Fatigue

Passover is behind us and with it all the myriads of expenses associated with celebrating this, and any, holiday. Passover may be one of the most expensive Jewish Holidays and, therefore, probably causes the most stress! Passover is also a … Read More

Celebrating Purim on a Budget

noisemakers on a wooden table. Purim on a budget

I love Purim! Just like any other holiday, Purim can be quite costly if you don’t prepare and plan. Here is how I am celebrating Purim on a budget. Holidays are important. Spreading joy is important. Holidays are not a … Read More

Do you have your holiday list done?

Holiday Budgeting Fun! I’m being sarcastic. There is nothing fun about trying to fit the joy of the holiday season into a meager, or any, budget. I’m Jewish, so I am super lucky to have fewer expectations upon me this … Read More