Do you find that every January, you stare at your credit card bill and your bank balance in horror, shocked at how much money you spent in December on presents, holiday treats, decorations, special outings and more?

The holidays can be a very expensive time of year, and many people tend to get carried away and sentence themselves to a January of barely scraping by. However, if you plan ahead for next Christmas, you will be able to buy all of the presents you need without even batting an eye or seeing your bank balance dip even once. How can you do this?

If you are short on funds this holiday season, there is no reason why your festivities have to be any less merry! You can still have a great time enjoying the season without having to spend a fortune. Here are some tips that will help you save money this holiday season:

It’s not how much money you earn that will make you rich; rather it is your spending habits. How aware are you of what you spend on a daily basis? Do you ever think you have a certain amount of money in your account and then realize that you have a lot less? Noticing how much you spend can be the first step to learning how to manage your money better.

Here are three useful tips for becoming more aware of what you are spending:

Do you gulp with fear every time you approach the checkout at the supermarket?

Do you end up spending a huge amount on grocery shopping every week, yet only coming home with a few bags of items?

It is possible to cut down your grocery bill drastically; you just need to know how to outsmart the supermarket and get more for your dollar.

Imagine a full time job is like a large flowing river of income. With this one source, you have all of the financial flow that you could possibly need, and your expenses are covered in comfort. However, what about when something happens and the river ceases to flow? Your industry could experience a drought, or you could lose your job, causing the flow of that river of income to be dammed up forever.

Perhaps you have won the lottery, received an inheritance, or cashed in one of your investments, and now you have a large sum of money you don’t know what to do with. Although it is tempting to cruise around town in a brand new sports car it is important to think carefully about how to spend your new found cash.