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133. Five ways to reset holiday expectations
Oct 19, 2025

The holidays are meant to be about joy, but somewhere along the way, we’ve let them become a source of stress, guilt, and financial and emotional strain. We’ve all felt the pressure to overspend, over-commit, and keep up with picture-perfect social media feeds. We offer a practical antidote to the madness, with five actionable ways to reset your holiday expectations using an “inside out” approach that prioritizes your peace and financial well-being. Learn how to identify your true core values and use them as a simple filter to cut back on time, money, and emotional spending that doesn’t align with your goals. We also provide clear, direct scripts for navigating the awkward “gift-free” conversation, setting necessary boundaries with family.

Erica joins this week’s podcast as we talk about:

– How to identify your core values and use them to guide your approach to the holidays

– Conversation scripts for shifting away from physical gifts without the guilt

– Creative alternatives to traditional gift-giving

-Setting boundaries on time, energy, hosting, and travel

– A social media cleanse to eliminate comparison and emotional overspending

– Turning off marketing emails and throwing out catalogs

– Creating a “Follow-Thru Fund” to intentionally save the money you didn’t spend 

 

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