Blog

Practical, step-by-step articles with worked examples on budgeting, holiday planning and pricing. Some articles link to my own paid templates on Payhip; each one says so clearly. For baking, see the sourdough guides and the free calculator.

• Christmas Planning Timeline: What to Do From November to Boxing Day

  A week-by-week Christmas planning timeline for 2026, from early November to Boxing Day, covering gifts, cards, food, hosting and the post-holiday tidy-up.

• Thanksgiving Menu Prep Timeline: 3 Weeks Out to Dinner Time

  A Thanksgiving prep timeline for Thursday, November 26, 2026: menu planning, shopping, turkey thawing (USDA times), make-ahead dishes and a timed plan for the day.

• Real vs Fake Holiday Discounts: How to Track Prices Before Black Friday and Boxing Day

  How to tell a real holiday discount from an inflated one: record usual prices before the sales, set a target price, and check the maths on 'was' prices, bundles and stacked discounts.

• Sourdough for the Holidays: A Bake Schedule Working Back From Serving Time

  Plan a sourdough bake for Christmas or Thanksgiving by working back from serving time: starter refresh, levain, bulk, cold retard and bake, with temperature-dependent time ranges and verified amounts.

• How to Run Christmas Bingo for Family or the Classroom

  How to run Christmas word bingo at home, at a party or in a classroom: setting up, calling, choosing a winning pattern for the time you have, handling ties, and adapting it for younger players.

• Ugly Sweater Party Ideas and How to Run the Voting Fairly

  Ugly sweater party ideas for home or the office, plus a simple way to run the sweater contest: numbering sweaters, ballots, categories, counting votes and breaking ties.

• Holiday Meal Cost per Guest: How to Estimate It (With a Worked Example)

  A step-by-step way to estimate what a Thanksgiving, Christmas or Friendsgiving meal will cost per guest, counting children as part-portions, rounding up to pack sizes and separating what guests bring.

• Winter Bucket List for Kids: 50 Ideas and How to Actually Use It

  A winter bucket list for kids and families with 50 mostly free or low-cost ideas, plus how to plan a realistic number of activities and spread them across the winter break.

• How to Plan a Wedding Budget, Step by Step (Any Currency)

  A practical method for setting a wedding budget: decide the total, set aside a buffer, split it into categories, work out cost per guest and track estimate vs actual vs paid.

• Debt Snowball vs Avalanche: A Worked Example With Real Numbers

  How the debt snowball and debt avalanche methods work, a month-by-month worked example with three debts, and how to choose between them.

• How to Set a Christmas Gift Budget (and Stick to It)

  A step-by-step way to set a holiday gift budget you can afford, split it by person, plan for the extras like wrapping and postage, and track spending as you go.

• How to Split Bills as a Couple: 50/50, by Income, or Equal Leftover

  Three fair ways for couples to split shared costs, worked examples for each, and a simple way to settle up when one of you pays more of the bills.

• Chore Chart by Age: Ideas for Toddlers to Teens, Plus a Simple Pocket Money System

  Age-by-age chore ideas, how to set up a chore chart that kids actually use, and a worked example of points, pocket money and a save/spend/give split.

• How to Price Handmade Products: Materials, Time, Fees and Margin

  A step-by-step pricing method for makers, covering cost per unit, paying yourself for your time, allowing for platform fees, and the difference between margin and markup, with a worked example.