Skimm Your Holiday Spending

Keep the
holiday magic. Skip the
January bill.

The holidays are, more or less, magical. The January credit card statement? Not so much. Last holiday season, 37% of consumers took on holiday debt, averaging $1,223. And 41% of those borrowers were still paying off the previous year’s holiday bills. Q4 is the gift that keeps on billing.

Now for some good news: You can keep the parts of the holidays you love without saying yes to every expense. Here’s how.

Skimm'd by: Kamini Ramdeen-Chowdhury, Marisa Iallonardo, Jordan Mamone, Barbara Kean, and Sara Tardiff

In this guide

01 Plan Ahead 02 Nail the $ Talk 03 Get the Right Gift 04 Ship It on Time

Step 01

Track Your Spending

Who’s on your list? What can you actually spend? And where should you splurge? These were the questions that drove us to create our Holiday Gift Tracker. It lays out your personalized spending plan in black and white, so you can set your number, stick to your budget, and buy all the best gifts for everyone on your list. Enter your email and we’ll send it to you for free.

Free template

Get Your Holiday Gift Budget Tracker

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  • Track every gift, who’s buying it, and how many days you’ve got left to shop
  • Set your budget and keep tabs on your spending in real time
  • Make splitting gifts easier than ever

Step 02

Talk About It Without Making It Weird

Knowing what to spend is one thing. Telling everyone else is another. Whether you’re bowing out of the gift exchange or proposing a lower spending limit, finding the right words can be tricky.

We asked three money experts for scripts for the most common holiday-gifting situations. Their big tip: Be clear, kind, and direct.

“You don’t have to justify your financial choices for them to be valid.”

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, financial therapist

Meet the women behind the advice, then pick your situation, flip the card, copy, paste, and hit send.

The women behind the advice

Swipe for more.

Bola Sokunbi

Bola Sokunbi

Founder and CEO, Clever Girl Finance

Heather Boneparth

Heather Boneparth

Lawyer and coauthor of The Millennial Money Fix and Money Together

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin

Author and financial therapist at Cash App and Afterpay

Pick your situation

Swipe for more.

I'm not exchanging gifts this year.

Flip for the script

Can we do Secret Santa instead?

Flip for the script

Can we lower the spending limit?

Flip for the script

I'm being asked to contribute more than what feels fair.

Flip for the script

Can we stop exchanging gifts between adults?

Flip for the script

Can we do one gift per household?

Flip for the script

Can our friend group do something together instead of gifts?

Flip for the script

My partner wants to spend more on our families' gifts than I do.

Flip for the script

My friends can afford pricier gifts than I can.

Flip for the script

Someone got me a gift, and I didn't get them one.

Flip for the script

Woman in reindeer ears smiling as she opens a holiday gift with a friend

Read next

Get Inspired by These Gift-Splitting Hacks

We asked millions of Skimm'rs for their holiday spending secrets — and dozens shared the creative ways they save each year.

Get Their Tips

Step 03

Pick your price-to-effort ratio

Now for the fun part: buying the stuff. Every gift costs you something, whether that's money, time, or both. Figure out which one you've got more of this year, then pick your quadrant.

Easy, Not Cheap gift ideas: headphones, backpack and cookware set (high $, low effort) Major gift ideas: puffer jacket, e-reader tablet, rolling tote, UGG slippers and hair dryer (high $, high effort) Small but solid gift ideas: claw clip, padded sleeve and eye masks (low $, low effort) Made with Love gift ideas: striped vases, beaded bag and plush peanut (low $, high effort)
Need more gift ideas? See what’s on our editors’ wish list 🎁

Step 04

Skip the Rush Fees

Your list is set, but waiting until the last minute to ship that gift can turn a reasonably priced present into an expensive expedited-shipping emergency…and blow up your budget in the process. Mark these in your calendar:

Last day to ship so it arrives before December 25

USPS

  • Ground Advantage
    Two to five days     Dec 17
  • Priority Mail
    Two to three days     Dec 18
  • Priority Mail Express
    One to three days     Dec 19

*This is for the continental US. For Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and US territories, you can calculate the Ground Advantage shipping timeline here. The rest of the deadlines are the same as listed here.

FedEx

  • Ground Economy
    Two to seven business days     Dec 15
  • Express Saver
    Three days     Dec 21
  • 2Day/2Day AM
    For AM, it’ll get there by 10:30am on the second business day     Dec 22
  • First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight Extra Hours Dec 23
  • SameDay Dec 24

UPS

  • 3 Day Select Dec 21
  • 2nd Day Air Dec 22
  • Next Day Air Dec 23

For ground shipping (aka the cheapest option), it’ll depend on where you’re shipping to and from, but you can calculate your timeline here.

Psst… If this list made you say “Ooo,” sign up for the Skimm calendar. We map out the month ahead so nothing sneaks up on you.

Designed by: Allie Hoey