Christmas is just around the corner

Not much blooming in northern Illinois in the middle of January. A few short months ago these anise hyssop plants with fragrant leaves smelling like licorice were visited often by honeybees searching for a meal. But even now spring is not really that far away. In just a couple months we'll be seeing spring’s first crocuses. Shortly after that will come the daffodils, dwarf crested iris, Virginia bluebells, wild geranium, celandine poppy.

So while we're waiting for spring flowers let’s talk about Christmas past. How do you feel about your Christmas spending this year? Are you feeling a financial holiday hangover from all the unpaid credit card bills? If so, let's work on a plan for next year.

How much did you spend on Christmas? If you don't have receipts or don't want to sort through credit card statements, make a guess. Was it $500 or $5000 or somewhere in between? Let's say $1200. What I want you to do is open a new checking account at your bank and start depositing $100 in that account every month. Then next December you'll have $1200 saved for Christmas and there will be no credit card bill for you to face.

Do it now. Don't wait. Soon the daffodils will be blooming, then the coneflowers and goldenrods and before you know it the asters will have come and gone, Thanksgiving will be over and you'll be hunched over an amazon.com website wishing you had some money to spend on Christmas.