The holidays are officially over, and it is time to get back to routine, work, school, saving money and paying off debt accumulated last few weeks. As we do every year, we spent December acting as personal charity with our time and money, giving to family and friends, helping those in need, attending parties and get-togethers, even as a detriment to our health in terms of bad diet and many sleepless nights. In other words, December wasn’t the time to hold back, as we were in festive and giving mode.
No more: January is here to hold us accountable and ensure we are transitioning from being selfless to being selfish. Going from ‘less to ‘ish is a big transition that some may not be able to handle properly.
We prioritized others through acts of kindness and giving in December, all in the spirit of the holiday season. But now that December and the Christmas season is behind us, let us focus more on our personal goals and well-being in January, aligning with New Year resolutions or self-improvement efforts. Specifically, January is the time we clean up our act with money and try to get back on track. More than just spending on gifts, December is when we go to lunches and dinners with friends, host others, buy new clothes, all things that would have cost us significantly more money than we usually spend. Now that January is here and the weather is usually cold and with not much to spend our money on, it is time to hit the reset button with our finances.
One thing you can do as a start, is commit to a saving goal for the year, even if it is a small amount. Next, go over your credit card transaction for December, add it all up, and then make an effort to pay it off as soon as you can in January. The idea is to fix any damage you caused in December and move on quickly to work on other personal areas and strictly focus on yourself.
You were generous enough in December and prioritized others. It is now January and the focus should be on you. Go ahead and be selfish, you deserve it and you will be thankful you did the rest of the year, especially once December rolls around again.