The holiday season is a time of celebration.
Employ ‘creative thoughtfulness’ to avoid overspending this holiday season
Two out of every three surveyed in Thrivent’s 2024 Holiday Spending Survey expressed concerns about how they’ll manage their holiday expenses this year.
For the Minnesota Star Tribune
November 30, 2024 at 1:01PM
The holidays are also when many of us use our credit cards more frequently than usual, a practice that can be hard on household finances. A handful of recent surveys suggested people expect to spend more and borrow more than they would like during the holidays,
For instance, 2 out of every 3 people surveyed in Thrivent’s 2024 Holiday Spending Survey expressed concerns about how they’ll manage their holiday expenses this year. The credit reporting company Experian published data showing nearly two-thirds of those surveyed say they spend too much during the holidays, and 56% report they’re feeling stressed about their finances.
There is a lot of pressure to spend during the holidays. For one, it’s fun to give and receive gifts from people we know and love. For another, you can’t escape the drumbeat of holiday deals and discounts from retailers. Black Friday will be in the rearview mirror by the time you read this column, but for the next few weeks, retailers will relentlessly bombard us with enticing deals.
There’s nothing new about the risk of suffering from borrower’s remorse in the new year when the credit card bill comes due. The cycle happens every holiday season. Yet, according to the Nerd Wallet 2024 Holiday Spending Report, only 27% of holiday shoppers have developed a strict budget for the amount they’ll spend on gifts this year.
What to do? Here are five simple-to-follow and time-tested steps: Make a budget. Make a list. Check the list twice. Think creative generosity. Stick to your budget.
These steps are self-explanatory except perhaps creative generosity. By that I mean measuring the true cost of the best gifts often comes in thoughtfulness and time, not dollars. Giving a handcrafted gift you know the recipient will use is an example of creative generosity. So is following through on a long-promised walk around a lake, organizing a book swap among friends and similar acts of sharing and connection.
The most famous lines in personal finance are from 19th century novelist Charles Dickens in “David Copperfield.” The debt-ridden Wilkins Micawber advised a young David, “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”
You can avoid developing a case of the credit card blues early next year with a budget, a list and some creative thoughtfulness.
Chris Farrell is senior economics contributor for “Marketplace” and a commentator for Minnesota Public Radio.
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