Starting off the Year on the Wrong Foot

According to a British psychologist, today (January 24th) is the most depressing day of the year. This is due to many factors converging this time of the year - among them is the realization of the debt accumulated from overspending during the holidays.

I tend to overspend like everyone on the holidays, but I do set a budget for holiday shopping and try not to exceed it by very much. Overall I think I do pretty well and my credit card bills this month are just about inline with any other given month of the year. I think it helps that while my gift giving and travel expenses go up for the holidays, I try to reduce my entertainment, dining, and other discretionary expenses for a while to offset some of these additional costs.

For me the worst part about overspending during the holidays would be kicking the year off on the wrong foot with my savings goals. There is nothing worse that setting a new goal for the year and in the 1st month discovering you are further behind on your goal at the end of the month instead of closer to it.
How depressing.

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Comments (1)


DATE: 8:11 PM
Thanks! Every year I forget that this is the most depressing time of the year, and sit there wondering why I'm so incredibly bummed out. Then I read an article whihc reminds me of it, and I immediately feel better to know that I'm not psychotic or alone. LOL. I think the money-blues get us all, even those who don't do the whole Christmas-credit-card-debt thing. I mean, this is the season of co-pays, employers re-adjusting benefits packages (usually for the worse), income taxes, property taxes . . . blech!So I always appreciate it when some article reminds that there's a good reason I feel down, and that this too shall pass. This year it was you. Thanks!

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