Some exceedingly savvy people start Christmas shopping as early as possible, snapping up deals and offers throughout the year. However, not everyone can be so organised, especially when juggling jobs, families and everything in between.
If you, like many of us, haven't ticked every box off of your Christmas shopping list, don't worry: noney mentor, Santis O'Garro, is in the same boat.
The financial educator joined the Jennifer Zamparelli Show to share her money tips ahead of the Christmas season, from planning the dinner to buying gifts for loved ones.
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Managing spending once the thrill and rush of Christmas sets in can be a challenge, and O'Garro said it all comes down to mindset.
"You're going to get so much coming at you, telling you what you need, telling you how you should show up, telling you what you should be buying for people, and it has to be a personal decision where you have to say, enough. I'm done."
Highlighting the cost of living crisis, she added: "We have to be mindful that we don't know everything that's happening as well, with everybody's situation."
Her biggest tip for Christmas spending is to "be honest" with friends and family, and have the conversation about what is or isn't feasible for you when it comes to money at this time of year.
"Meet people at your level, not where you think their level should be", she said, recalling how she once bought a friend a €200 voucher because she thought that's what she'd want.
The next year, she bought her a book on a topic she was interested in, and got a much more heartfelt thankful from her friend.
"I couldn't afford that €200, I was just trying to keep up with the Joneses and impress her. She was like, I just wanted my friend to be listening to me."
Keeping costs in check when it comes to the Christmas celebration is another area many of us can struggle with. O'Garro suggested using a meal plan, and reminding yourself that you don't have to cook everything yourself.
"You shouldn't expect one person to be struggling for the whole day, as well", she said. On top of that, be mindful of waste and realistic about how much of the big Christmas shop you're actually going to eat.
"There's only so much turkey sandwiches, turkey curry, turkey fajitas that you can make, so you don't need the biggest turkey."
O'Garro is a true believer in a plan, often turning to them to help juggle being a mother of two and a working woman.
A key part of that plan is getting up much earlier than everyone else at home, a tip that might come in handy this Christmas.
"I was diagnosed this year with ADHD so my mind is going at 2,000 miles an hour all the time. I get up really early because I don't get a minute to myself during the day."
She fills her early morning with the things that bring her joy, she said, and uses it to make time for herself: "It gives me a little bit of control."
To listen back to the full interview, click above.
