TikTok creators share how to keep the holidays affordable in 2024

A handful of TikTok creators have ramped up content related to budgeting around the holidays in the hopes of easing the stress of those who struggle around this time.

There was once a time that Amanda Maze, a home health nurse and mother from Kentucky, took out loans to pay for her family’s Christmas presents — a decision she said caused a “vicious cycle” of year-round payments and debt.

Now, she’s teaching her half-million TikTok followers that the holidays really can be priceless, or at least closer to it. Through sharing her own experience thrifting festive decor and budgeting gifts for her and her fiancé’s five children, Maze offers an alternative to an otherwise spend-heavy holiday season.

“I think my goal is just to help people understand that things in life are only temporary,” Maze said. “You don’t have to live such a materialistic lifestyle.”

She’s among a handful of TikTok creators who have ramped up content related to budgeting around the holidays in the hopes of easing the stress of those who struggle around this time.

Holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah are often synonymous with elaborate meals, aesthetic decor and over-the-top gifts. Though Americans are projected to spend over $17 billion more than last year on gifts alone, more than half of the people surveyed by NerdWallet’s annual holiday spending report said holiday spending “stress[es] them out.” The study also found that roughly 1 in 10 people may prioritize buying gifts over paying their bills.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-affordable-holiday-recommendations-budget-rcna184015

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