Holiday Spending Cuts: Gift-Free Vacations & Seasonal Work

Many Americans are cutting holiday spending due to financial pressures. Options include gift-free vacations, skipping Christmas trees, and seasonal work to ease financial stress. Rising inflation impacts holiday budgets.

While 36% of participants will be putting a strict restriction on gifting spending plans, one in 7 (14%) are taking it a step additionally and doing a “gift-free” vacation. Around one in five will skip purchasing a Xmas tree this year (17%) or won’t be doing a large, expensive vacation meal (21%).

Seasonal Work and Financial Relief

“One thing we consistently see is individuals adding extra work around the vacations and using seasonal work to help them make ends fulfill and ease a few of the monetary pressures they feel this moment of year,” Bruehl added.

Supporting Seasonal Employees Financially

“But beyond recognition, it’s much more essential that seasonal employees have accessibility to banks that support them not simply throughout the vacations, but year-round. Having accounts that give very early access to their paychecks, fee-free overdraft protection, and supply higher financial savings rates can make an actual difference in helping them maximize the effort they’re putting in throughout the period for the whole year.”

Seasonal Employees: Holiday Backbone

“Seasonal employees are the backbone of the holiday,” claimed Bruehl. “They maintain shops running, distributions moving, and services gotten ready for the busiest time of year. For lots of, the pay they receive throughout this time around is vital for covering expenses and supporting their families, which is why it’s so essential they get the recognition they are worthy of for the crucial duties they play.

Talker Research study evaluated (1) 1,000 Americans and (2) 1,000 Americans that have, or plan to have, seasonal jobs. There were likewise quotas in place to make certain 200 respondents, minimum, per generation. The study was appointed by Existing and provided and conducted on the internet by Talker Research in between Sept. 17– 24, 2025.

Holiday Expenses and Financial Difficulties

“The vacations are an expensive period for every person, with expenses piling up between gifts, food, travel, and decoration, however, for Americans living income to paycheck, the stress is even greater,” stated Erin Bruehl, vice president of communications, Current. “After a year with financial difficulties, including individuals still really feeling the impacts of rising cost of living on the prices of everyday fundamentals, several Americans are especially stressed this year about just how they can pay for to celebrate within their currently limited spending plans.