1. Santa Spends More Than He Makes

Santa's paychecks are nothing to sneeze at, but he stays focused on his next raise. (Yes, of course Santa gets a raise each year!) He has no idea what it costs him to live the Santa life. He doesn't track his earnings nor his spending. Santa's got to provide for his reindeer, his horse and his North Pole home - just like the rest of us.

2. Santa Has No Emergency Account

Santa's transportation tends to break down right in the middle of major blizzards. Only last week, he had to whip out his credit card to pay for sleigh-towing. When Santa finally made it to the repair shop, he again had pay for the sleigh repair with credit. Just last year, he nearly had frost bite after his brand new sleigh had broken down.

3. Santa Lives Paycheck to Paycheck

Santa cashes his paycheck at the North Pole Bank, but most of the money gets spent before it makes its way to his checkbook. If it makes it there, most of the money is already owed to the credit card company. Santa has no other money set aside.

4. Santa Doesn't Enjoy Balancing His Checkbook

Santa forgets to balance the checkbook. He spends money, but is never sure what he has available to spend. Santa doesn't know how to build in some fun to help him enjoy working in his checkbook.

5. Santa Spends His Raises and Bonuses

Santa got a nice raise back in January, following his Bonus check in December (bonus based on number of chimneys completed for the year). He thought he'd have plenty of money this year. But Santa likes nice, updated equipment at all times. He bought brand new gear for all his reindeer, even though last year's would have done the job.

6. Santa Eats Most of His Meals Out

Since Santa's job requires that he spend a large amount of time traveling, Santa tends to eat out way too much. He also has to feed his reindeer each time he sits down to eat. The tips alone are enough to keep him in the poorhouse.

7. Santa Lives on the Edge

Santa keeps himself so busy that he can't sit down and plan his life. He hasn't set up a plan to build extra money into his checkbook, nor has he made a decision to actually save any of his money. Even setting up automatic deposit would be helpful. Another emergency could wipe him out. (No more Santa?)

8. Santa is Not Preparing for the Future

Santa, jolly fellow that he is, has no money set aside to work for him. He may end up working until his hair is much whiter (or gone). It's pretty much a given that Santa will need to replace that sleigh and maybe even some of the reindeer over the years. Because most of his money now goes to pay off credit cards, Santa just can't picture tucking away any money.

9. Santa Spends Too Much on R & R

Even Santa needs a little rest and relaxation after all that hard work. If he runs out of cash, he charges it. (No, I promised not to tell what Santa does for R & R. He does know who's been naughty or nice ...)

10. Santa Can't Stay Motivated

Santa gives himself a good lecture from time to time. He knows he should be doing better, but he just can't get any traction. Saving his money seems like an overwhelming obstacle. Santa hasn't discovered there are tricks out there to make saving money a fun thing, something he can look forward to doing.

Darlene Arechederra offers simple, unique strategies to help you become a saver. She believes the trick is to discover which ideas work best for you -- because your money is not one-size-fits-all. Discover your *own* unique strategy today! Free weekly newsletter. http://www.RatRaceRemedies.com