Date Night Club (November 2020): Santa’s Coming to Town

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Whether we want to admit it or not, the holidays are right around the corner. If your situation is anything like mine, our celebrations are going to look A LOT different this year, but we still plan to make them special. In this month’s bite, I encourage you to share your grief and hope for this year’s holiday season. In this month’s date, you’ll outline your financial plan for this holiday season with these hopes in mind. Acknowledging the emotions you’re carrying at the outset will make it easier to create a clear-headed plan.

Here's why this month's topic is so important ...

Take a Bite:

What’s one thing you’re grieving about this holiday season? What’s one hope you have for this year’s celebrations?

DATE NIGHT MATERIALS LIST:

  • Paper and pen for each of you

  • A copy of last month’s budget (if you plan to do a budget check-in)

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15 MINUTE SNACK:
HOLIDAY MONEY MADLIBS

Begin by each making a list of words separately:

  • Adjective

  • Food

  • Number

  • Adjective

  • Noun

  • Adjective

  • Verb ending in -ing

  • Noun

  • Noun

  • Place

Read your respective responses to this Madlib:

The theme for this year’s holiday season is: __________. We’re going to make it special by eating  _____________.  We have a budget of _______ dollars. When it comes to gifts for each other we are going to take a ______ approach. The perfect holiday gift for me would be: ____________. When it comes to gifts for family we are going to take a ______ approach. In the midst of our celebrations, we plan to remember those in need by: ___________. We’ll ensure we won’t get too carried away by remembering our most important goals: buying a _________, repaying our _____ loan, and traveling to ________.

Work through this adapted version of my holiday madlib together with your real answers:

The theme for this year’s holiday season is: __________. We’re going to make it special by _____________.  We have a budget of _______ dollars. When it comes to gifts for each other we are going to: _____________. The perfect holiday gift for me would be: ____________. When it comes to gifts for family we are going to: __________________. In the midst of our celebrations, we plan to remember those in need by: ___________. We’ll ensure we won’t get too carried away by remembering our most important goals: ________, _________, and ________.

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If you like, you can take this month's topic deeper ...

MAKE IT A MEAL: APPLY WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED TO YOUR CURRENT BUDGET

Check out this blog article to help you round out your budget and create a detailed holiday gift strategy you can actually follow!

MONTHLY BUDGET CHECK-IN

Take a moment to look back at last month's budget together.

  • Did you stay on track?

  • If you got off track, what 1-2 steps can you each take to get back on track again?

  • Did any surprises come up - positive or negative?

  • Take a look over the expenses, did the way you used your money align with your values?

  • What changes will you make for next month?