Budgeting is already hard enough, and the holidays don’t make it any easier. Download this holiday shopping budget template and follow our step-by-step guide to keep yourself from overspending and falling into debt this year and every year.
1. Enter Your Total Budget
This can be adjusted later, but it’s better to have a set limit in mind as you create your gift list. This helps you maintain your overall budget and avoid falling into debt. The “spent” line as well as the “remaining budget” will update automatically as you add or subtract the gifts’ costs.
2. Enter the Name of Each Person Receiving a Gift on the “Summary” Sheet
To add more recipient rows, go to the bottom right corner of the table, hover until you see the double-sided arrow cursor, and click and drag down until you have the desired amount. Add the additional names under “recipient” in each row.
3. This Planner Breaks Down Your Total Budget by Allocating a Percentage of It to Each Person
The question “adjust budget if % of planned budget exceeds 100%?” is asking if you want to adjust the budget automatically in case your allocations go over 100%. This will keep you within your budget. If you select “no,” then the percentage allocated to each person can exceed your budget and may cause you to spend more than you can afford, making debt this holiday season a bigger possibility.
4. “Remaining Money Allocated” Shows How Much Money You Have Left to Spend on Each Recipient
The cost you enter under the “gift list” will directly affect the “remaining money allocated” on the summary sheet of the holiday shopping budget template. It’ll show you how much you’ve exceeded the planned percentage of your budget or how much money is left to spend on that particular person. This is a great tool to make sure you’re staying on track and staying away from debt.
5. Enter the “Planned Number of Gifts” for Each Recipient
You don’t necessarily have to do this right away, but it helps visualize how many gifts each person is receiving. The “gifts remaining” column will automatically update as you purchase and wrap gifts.
6. Once You Determine How Much of Your Budget You Want to Spend on Each Recipient, Head to the “Gift List” Sheet to Enter the Gift Details of Each Person
The names option comes from the summary sheet. To add the names from the summary list onto the gift list, click a recipient box, and then click the small down arrow that appears. There you can choose from the list of names on the first sheet.
7. Each Gift Needs Its Own Row
To add more rows to your holiday shopping budget template, go to the bottom right corner of the table, hover until you see the double-sided arrow cursor, and then click and drag down until you have the desired amount of rows. Add the additional names in each row.
8. Update the List as You Purchase Gifts and Keep Track of What’s Wrapped
When filling out the “purchased” or “wrapped” sections, don’t write it in. Make sure to click the down arrow and select yes, if you’ve purchased and/or wrapped the gift. After determining the gift and its cost, the budget summary sheet will update accordingly. A nice feature of the holiday shopping budget template is that, once you’ve purchased and wrapped the gift, it’ll cross it out to show that gift is finished. It’ll also update the summary sheet to show how many gifts you have left to get each person.
This template allows you to be in control of how much you want to spend, with flexibility for any necessary last-minute changes. This season, use National Debt Relief’s holiday shopping budget template to stay organized, stress-free, and out of debt.