Banks for You!

I just saw a press release brightly warning that the holidays were only 12 weeks away.

That can’t possibly be right, I thought, but it is: Hannukah starts Dec. 2 this year. Those who celebrate Christmas have a little more time to prepare: Dec. 25 is 15 weeks from today.

For most of us, the Big Spend starts earlier, as we gather friends and family for Thanksgiving.

So it’s a great time to open a savings subaccount earmarked “holidays” at your favorite online bank or credit union, and start shoveling in the cash. If you spend what the National Retail Federation said was average last year for the holidays–$683–you’ll need to put aside $45.53 a week between now and Christmas (or $56.92 if you celebrate Hannukah).

Also read this great post from Trent at Simple Dollar about stopping, or altering, traditional gift exchanges.

This year, it looks like the extended Weston clan will be skipping most adult-to-adult gifts in favor of a trip together to a favorite national park. Given that experiences and relationships contribute more to happiness than stuff, I think we made a great choice.

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