{"id":22582,"date":"2025-12-12T01:18:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T01:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/budgetadirect.com\/?p=22582"},"modified":"2025-12-12T01:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T01:18:09","slug":"when-did-christmas-cheer-get-so-pushy-how-to-get-offline-and-save-your-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/budgetadirect.com\/?p=22582","title":{"rendered":"When did Christmas cheer get so pushy? How to get offline and save your money |"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s easy to get swept away in the latest viral holiday trend or marketing push. This year, it\u2019s a Ralph Lauren Christmas. Don\u2019t miss the Viral TikTok garland. Stuff your stockings with lippies, digital cameras and ice rollers. Hide the elf on the shelf in a new place every day.<\/p>\n

But many of us can\u2019t afford a whole new haul of holiday decor or check every item off the kids\u2019 wish lists.<\/p>\n

Data shows our feelings about holiday spending are grim. 29% of people say holiday shopping will strain their budget and 27% are stressed about the cost, according to Bankrate\u2019s 2025 Holiday Spending Report.<\/p>\n

And nearly 1 in 3 shoppers (30%) plan to spend less this season.<\/p>\n

To learn how we\u2019re avoiding the online push to splurge, I spoke with a young mom who\u2019s thrifting decorations and budgeting for gifts so she can pay off debt. Plus, a Certified Financial Planner gave me advice for how we can retrain our brains on social media.<\/p>\n

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Grace Waterman, 27-year-old mother of two in Kansas City, Kansas, realized last year that her family\u2019s spending was unsustainable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t handling our money well, I wasn\u2019t sticking to a budget,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

Like many of us, Waterman was in the habit of scrolling on social media and being tempted to buy things simply because another creator posted about it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Waterman thinks it\u2019s become the norm. \u201cWhen you see something, you automatically think you need it,\u201d she explains. \u201c Or you get used to treating yourself every single time you get paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as with most marketing, the push to spend ramps up around the holidays. Adobe found social media was a main driver behind Cyber Monday purchases, up 57% from last year in terms of revenue share. Social media influencers were also\u2026influential, included in the 7.4% increase in revenue share this year driven by affiliates and partners.<\/p>\n

Elaine King Fuentes, MBA and Certified Financial Planner, sees her younger clients spending impulsively on small luxuries to cope with their stress about housing unaffordability and other high living expenses. And social media preys on that.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost humans buy and make financial decisions at an emotional level,\u201d she explains. Social media ads and influencers inject a sense of FOMO \u2014 fear of missing out \u2014 into our everyday scrolling.<\/p>\n

Fuentes also thinks the prevalence of credit cards and buy now, pay later (BNPL) services make it easier to overspend. For example, people might buy Christmas gifts with money they don\u2019t have yet. \u201cWe live with the paycheck of next month,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In fact, more than 1 in 4 holiday shoppers (28%) told Bankrate they plan to take on debt this season, either with a credit card they\u2019ll pay off over time or a BNPL service.<\/p>\n

How to save money by deinfluencing Christmas<\/h2>\n

Deinfluencing breaks the cycle of overspending online with a mindful approach to consumption. You might unfollow influencers or brands and limit your scrolling. And you can make thrifting, reusing and staying out of debt cool again.<\/p>\n

Here are a few pieces of advice Fuentes offers her clients around the holidays:<\/p>\n