The theme this week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast is: How To Minimize Financial Stress During The Holidays

Today, I’m talking about saying no more in order to say yes to what matters most. 

A few years ago, I heard it phrased this way when you consider your priorities & what’s on your calendar - that when you say yes to something, you inevitably say no to something else. 

If I say yes to going on a walk outside with my kids, I might be saying no to getting the laundry done that day. So I have to weigh the thing that matters most in that moment. And I want

Now that doesn’t mean that it’s ok for my house to be a mess either. Sometimes, it’s the better choice to say yes to the laundry, and no to the walk. But when I weigh decisions - both small and large - with the idea that by saying yes, I’m also saying no to something else, it helps me to choose the better option more often than not. 

I struggle a lot with piling too much on my plate, getting to the point of being burned out, then having to dial things back, and then I fall into the same patterns again. It’s especially challenging with 3 young kids during the holidays, because I want to do so many fun things with them and help make this time of year special for them, but if I really reflect on some of the things that I sometimes load onto our plate this time of year, it just adds stress for all of us. 

Because I’m 8 months pregnant this year and my baby is due right after Christmas on January 1st, I’m forced to slow down this year, which helps. 

And in 2020, because of Covid and having a newborn that year at Christmas, I found that I did miss some things we didn’t get to do, but overall, I found that doing less that year and living at a slower pace helped me appreciate the things we did even more, and it made me be intentional about only adding back the activities and events that matter the most.

So I’m slowing learning to say no to more things and not load up our calendar, especially during the holidays when the temptations to do ALL THE THINGS is stronger than at any other time during the year.

And of course, by doing less and only what matters most to you, you’ll spend less money this season and only on the things that you really care about. 

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening! My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the Retirement Quick Tips podcast.  

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance