Saving Money – Simple Tips for a Rich Life

3 tips to help you save on gifts this holiday season

Assuming you’re in the privileged, fortunate position to be gifting at all this year… Because let’s face it: 2025 was a gut punch to most of our wallets.

Tips to help you save on your generosity this season:

1. Make a list of everyone you plan to shop for.

This puts a visual reality to that nebulous universe of family, friends, loved ones and randos that you feel obligated to gift this year.

2. Set targets for the amount you want to spend per person.

This does the most important job of all: allowing you to guesstimate how much you’ll spend this season on gifts alone, before you actually.

Put another way, when you eventually find yourself in that hole, you will have seen it coming this time around. At least if you do this next part.

3. Track what you actually spend for each person.

Seeing this in real-time will give you space to adjust as you overspend (likely), and more chances to get creative with how you stay under budget. You can’t save money without knowing how you’re spending it.

Does this advice feel too clinical, or un-jolly? Well remember the alternative is winging it with your shopping. If you’re serious about trying to grow your money and save in 2026, might as well use the end of 2025 as your pre-season training.

Jolly-o,

Dee

p.s. You can do this with pen and paper, or a spreadsheet. Check out my template on Etsy for a super affordable way to start. 👇

Pumpkin spice won’t get me this season.

Oh, Fall. That time of year when the air feels crisper, the hoodies start to come out, and pumpkin spice returns to coffee shops everywhere. For better or worse.

It’s my favorite time of year for all these reasons….maybe you too. Which is why if we’re not careful, it can also be an expensive time. (Those PSLs add up. And they cost more right now simply because it’s September. Those evil geniuses.)

Some ways that I’m watching my wallet as I get ready for spooky season:

How I’m Saving Money This Summer (Food Edition)

In list form, because I haven’t the patience to make this more fun. And let’s be honest: lists are most fun.

Keep in mind that my vice is food, gang. I don’t do food or grocery delivery, so I’ve at least got that going for me. But this gal loves to eat, and loves to be outside in the summertime. A financially lethal combination.

So instead of blowing all my money on patio meals, here’s how I’m trying to save in the moment when temptation strikes:

Maybe the most important financial advice ever?

No matter if you’re dirt broke, rolling in money or just doing okay. This bit of wisdom is something that’s always stuck me – and it comes top of mind anytime I see news stories about financial ruin.

The wisdom is this. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

This is the typical punch line to every scam story. The retiree who was sold a dream that cost them their life’s savings, and now has to go back to work. The business savvy investor who took a bad bet on a ponzi scheme, and is now out millions of dollars. The army vet trying to find herself, who devotes years of her life to a multi-level marketing scheme that pressures her into taking on tons of debt – with nothing to show for it. And all these people were promised that their investments were either secure or bound to reap the rewards….if they only keep pushing.

You might even consider the people who unwittingly wire thousands to bad actors on the internet, simply because they’re in love. Even the human experience of finding love can be rife with scam potential.

Which brings us back to the wisdom above.

There’s no shame in not knowing.

Gang, the financial fitness journey is challenging enough. The combination of mentality and behavior change alone can is new for many of us. And the consistency and diligence required to build wealth is a marathon all on its own.

Let’s not add shame to the mix.

If you’re someone who’s embarrassed that they don’t understand how credit card debt works, yet you have tons of it, let go of that shame now.

If you’re someone who has a mortgage, and you’re embarrassed because you don’t understand how escrow works or if you’re still paying PMI (private mortgage insurance), let go of that shame now.

If you pay for any kind of insurance – health, automobile, etc – and you’re embarrassed to admit that you don’t understand how deductibles or premiums work, let go of that shame now.

And so on and so forth.

Being “good” with money isn’t just about having it.

Let’s get one obvious thing out of the way here. Having money is pretty great.

Being able to pay your bills – without worrying how you’ll afford the rest of your life – is critical for our well being. Having extra money on hand to enjoy hobbies, care for loved ones and treat ourselves from time to time – pretty awesome. And getting to a place where you can smartly put away money into savings or investments? That’s the dream right there.

And sure. It would be cool to get massively rich somewhere along the way.

But let’s not hold our breath on that last one, to decide that we’re “good” with money. Let’s not even hold our breath that we’ll hit a certain amount in our bank accounts or with our debts, before making that determination.

Instead, let’s decide right now that we’re good with money.

If all your money goes to food delivery- the temptation just got worse.

The Scoop: Doordash plans to offer an ‘Eat Now, Pay Later’ plan for those who’d prefer not to pay upfront for their food. Frankly, I’m not sure what to think.

The Pro: On the one hand, giving people the option to pay for purchases when they’re financially stable enough to do so always sounds great.