December Reset Crew: Let’s Start Today and End the Year Strong December 1

December has always been a circus in my house. Between the shopping, wrapping, baking, holiday parties—and my son’s birthday on 12/29—I’m usually running around like a maniac. Every year, I somehow end up eating everything in sight, spending money I definitely didn’t plan to spend, and then waking up on January 2 like, “What just happened?”
Bills behind. Exhausted. Ten pounds heavier. A whole mess.

Not this year.
I’m done with that routine.
And if you’re tired of it too, come join me.

I’m taking control of my December so I can walk into 2026 feeling good instead of frazzled. Today is Day One, and I’m doing this right alongside you.

Step 1: The Lists (Yes, I’m That Person Today)

Before I take a bite of holiday treats or spend a single penny, I’m grabbing a notebook and making four simple lists:

List One:
All my bills + their due dates.
At the bottom: what I need for gas, groceries, and everyday stuff (lunch money, random Target emergencies… you know).

List Two:
Every gift I still need to buy, with the actual cost—including tax. Plus wrapping supplies because somehow I never have enough tape.

List Three:
Everything I’m planning to bake + my Christmas dinner menu. Then I’m writing down what the ingredients will realistically cost, not what I wish they cost.

List Four:
How much money I actually have on hand, and what’s coming in between now and December 31.

And listen… when I added it all up?
Yeah. I’m short.
By $549.
(We’ll figure that out tomorrow together.)

Step 2: Tracking My Eating—But Not Dieting

Next up, I re-downloaded the free Lose It app. I’m not trying to lose weight this month—December is not that girl—but I am trying to not roll into January feeling like a stuffed biscuit.

My goal is to keep my calories around 2,000 per day. Enough room for cookies, but not so much that I gain my usual 10 pounds. Your number might be different, so adjust however you need.

Step 3: Planning the Month Without Losing My Mind

Now for the calendar.

I’m writing down:

• All the events I have to go to

• What I need to bring or buy for each one

• Bill due dates

• Paychecks

• Four 30-minute workouts a week (literally anything counts—walking, biking, dancing around my kitchen)

• Baking days

• Shopping days

• Wrapping days

• And yes, a little self-care—haircut, at-home facial, something that makes me feel like a human

Breaking everything into small chunks makes the month so much easier instead of one long, overwhelming blur.

Tomorrow, I’m taking on that $549 shortfall and figuring out a plan. Where can I save? What can I tweak? How can I earn more? What can I skip?

If you have any genius December hacks, budgeting tips, or ways you stay sane this time of year, drop them in the comments. Let’s get through December as a team.