38: How to Budget for the Holidays and Give Meaningful Gifts Without Going Into Debt

The holidays don't have to mean financial stress. In this episode, we talk about how to plan and budget for the holiday season before it arrives — so you can give generously and celebrate meaningfully without starting the new year buried in credit card debt. Smart planning makes all the difference.

Season 4 Financial Podcast Resources

Thanks for spending time with us today on Stacked Intent. If this episode added something to your life, we'd love it if you left a review and followed us on Instagram — it helps more people find the show. For resources, tools, and more visit us at www.stackedintent.com. New episodes drop every Thursday. Because when you choose to authentically be you, you are always enough.

Transcript

 Introduction “Welcome to Stacked Intent, where we discuss and drop tips on how you are going to intentionally stack your life. I’m Becca Stackhouse-Morson – owner of Stacked Intent. Today, we’ll be talking about Holiday Spending by being Money Smart with our guest, Lindsey Ciarrocca. Let’s get started!” 

 
Brief Summary of objectives (3):

• OBJECTIVE 1 - Empowering listeners to create a budget-friendly holiday season.
• OBJECTIVE 2 - Providing practical tips and strategies for smart holiday shopping and gift giving.
• OBJECTIVE 3 - Encouraging meaningful experiences over materialistic spending.

Topic 1: Holiday Travel 

• Determine what your budget is for travel before you start planning. How much are you comfortable spending on travel this year? How do you come know your numbers? It is about knowing your numbers and not just charging it all. 
• How do I spend the lowest amount of money possible? Embrace free or low-cost activities - this time of year is about being with family, which doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton on activities. Try a game or movie night or a winter hike with hot chocolate to warm up afterwards.
•   If your schedule allows you to be flexible, you may be able to find more affordable options. Can you fly on Christmas Day or New Years Day, for example? Looking for better deals by flying on the actual holiday. 

Topic 2: Gift Giving 

• Plan your gifts and your budget for each person. Helps to find the perfect gift in August rather than standing in the store scratching your head. Sitting down and who do I want to give gifts to this year.   
• A lot of us have too much stuff… does the person need or want another thing? Or would you rather give an experience. Remember experiences also create memory. 
• Brainstorm ways to give meaningful gifts that don’t require spending a ton of money. Do you love to bake? Share your cookies or fudge and include the recipe on a pretty card.  
• Think about practical gifts that the recipient will get a lot of use out of, rather than a toy that might get lost once the new year comes around.

Topic 3: Meals 

• Host a potluck meal and ask everyone to bring a dish so no one must shoulder the burden of the entire meal. Helps for one person to make the main dishes and everyone brings a side.   
• Check out your local grocery store, by being loyal to the grocery store. Start earning points for a free turkey! Just make sure you’re buying items you need or want, not just buying things so you earn points.
• Gather with friends or family at off-meal hours. Sharing some afternoon cookies or morning coffee will stretch your dollars farther than a full lunch or dinner.

Call to action: I have a full guide that I’d like to give away to your listeners for free. It’s called Thrifty and Merry: A Guide to Celebrating the Holidays on a Budget and it goes into more detail on everything we’ve talked about today. Plus, it includes a fillable budget and spending plan worksheets, a gift planning worksheet, and a holiday timeline checklist! Grab the FREE resources here