When determining how much to spend over the holidays, begin with your budget, suggests Jason Speciner, a certified financial planner at the firm Financial Planning Fort Collins. Align your holiday budget with financial goals The small end-of-the-year window can offer some time to make money moves that help prevent a holiday debt hangover. But it’s not too late to come up with a last-minute plan to save money for the holidays. When that’s the case, lacking a strategy for holiday spending can leave you vulnerable to debt and overspending that delays financial goals. Factoring holiday expenses into your budget all year long is effective for avoiding debt, but it’s not always feasible with a limited budget or unforeseen expenses.
