How to Not Be An Idiot With Your Spending This Holiday Season

The holidays are supposed to be a joyous, festive, fun time spent with the people you love. 

And yet, every holiday season, I find myself having at least 10 conversations with someone who tells me how expensive the holidays are and how they have to cut back on things they love/want/need to get through it.

That fucking sucks.

There are definitely things that are expensive and unavoidable – most commonly, travel and hosting costs. I have no advice to help you with those.

BUT! I do have a lot of ideas about costs associated with dressing and gifting.

Before you freak out – I’m not going to tell you not to buy anything. That’s not fun and for most people, it’s not a reasonable solution. 

What I will do is give you some things to think about before you buy anything. (Hence why you’re seeing this in October!) There are a lot of things we feel like we have to buy over the holidays that we don’t actually need.

Work Holiday Party

Every year I hear from clients and friends about their quest for a dress that’s hot but not sexy, just the right amount of sparkly, feels fun but is still appropriate to wear in front of the Head of HR.

Let me burst this bubble for you right now. While this dress definitely does exist, it is not worth your time or money. You’re not going to get a promotion for being best dressed at the holiday party. 

Wear something you already have. I promise you, you have something that works. You can’t go wrong with all black and some sparkly jewelry. You can throw a fun party dress over a ribbed turtleneck and tights. I know you have a couple fun pieces that you can make work.

If you really feel the need to buy something new, here are a few accessory ideas that are versatile enough to be worn again.

Click the image and scroll down to shop!

Another thing to consider –

Have you ever heard of a man buying something new for a work holiday party? Just sayin.

Thanksgiving Meal

This holiday means many things to many people, but the thing we can all agree on, is that Thanksgiving is about food.

My philosophy with Thanksgiving outfits is the same as my philosophy with concert outfits – optimize for comfort but still look nice. 

It’s going to be a long day. You’ll have fun catch ups and awkward conversations with people you haven’t seen since last Thanksgiving. At some point you’ll probably be on the floor with a pet or a child. You’ll be eating and drinking all day. Photos will be taken!

So what does that mean for your style? 

It really depends on what you find to be comfortable. For me, it means a tent dress or leggings and a long flowy top. No hard pants. I wore high waisted jeans Thanksgiving 2011 and it’s one of my biggest regrets to this day.

Most of us have at least a few outfits in the “comfortable yet cute” category. If you don’t have this category in your wardrobe, I highly encourage you to figure it out for this Thanksgiving. Once you have it, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.

Night Out at Your Hometown Bar Where You See People You Haven’t Seen in A While

You decide to go to this after all and now you’re FREAKING OUT about what to wear. Sound familiar?

This is a situation where I encourage you to plan in advance. If buying something will new make you feel confident and secure, DO IT. When picking out an outfit for this event, don’t channel your nervous high school self or think about what the cool girls are going to wear. Wear something that makes you feel like the best version of the you that you are today. And hey, that’s an outfit you’ll wear again and again.

And last but certainly not least…

Gifting

I will start by saying that there’s a lot of nuance that goes into gifting. Unfortunately, I cannot solve each of your personal gifting dilemmas here but I’d like to share some general gift categories you may not have thought of. These may not necessarily save money but they will highly increase the chances that the money you spend makes a big impact.

For Your Inner Circle: Everyday Upgrades

Does your mom drink her daily coffee out of a “World’s Best Mom” mug that the dishwasher has melted the ink off of? Buy her a chic new mug that still shows you love her, like this one.

We all have things we use regularly that erode over time. Noticing that someone in your life is using a shitty thing daily shows how much you consider them. Being thoughtful enough to upgrade that item is the gift that keeps on giving. 

For People You Like: Sensory Luxuries 

Items whose sole purpose is to feel, smell or taste good are the perfect gift. For people you know well enough to have a general sense of their tastes, these types of gifts are where it’s at. And if you’re not totally sure, include a gift receipt. No one is ever mad at a gift receipt. 

Here are a few things I’d gift people in this category:

Click the image and scroll down to shop!

For Anyone You Don’t Know Well: The Easy Answer

If you don’t know someone very well, don’t try to guess their taste or, God forbid, their size. Just buy them a Barefoot Dreams blanket, or for a lower price point, Barefoot Dreams socks. They’re neutral and super luxurious. Everyone will love this.

Happy (and thoughtful!) holiday shopping!

If you want more personalized help, let’s connect ASAP before holiday slots are filled 🤗