<description>&lt;p&gt;In this week's solo episode, I'm diving into something many of us feel, but don't always say out loud holiday money anxiety. This season can be full of joy, nostalgia, and family connection, but it can also bring up guilt, pressure, overspending, and emotional triggers that hit our wallets hard. So today, I'm sharing honest reflections on the expectations we carry, the emotional weight of holiday giving, and how I personally navigate the overwhelm of gifting, family obligations, and wanting to "do enough" without draining my finances or my energy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I walk you through practical strategies for shifting your mindset, breaking old patterns, and giving yourself permission to rethink how you show up this season. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In this episode, I discuss:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Guilt-free gifting: How to focus on intention instead of price tags, and ways to simplify gifts especially for kids who may value the moment more than the item itself.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Setting family &amp; personal boundaries: What to say when you want to keep things simple, stick to a budget, or opt out without shame.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Overspending triggers: Why boredom, stress, nostalgia, and scarcity mindset push us to buy more and how to create friction to avoid impulse purchases.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Reframing the season: How to shift from "stuff" to connection, small rituals, meaning, and presence.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Planning ahead for next year: Using what you spent this season to set realistic expectations and savings goals for the future.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;div class="c-message_kit__gutter"&gt; &lt;div class="c-message_kit__gutter__right" data-qa= "message_content"&gt; &lt;div class= "c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text"&gt; &lt;div class= "c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text"&gt; &lt;div class="p-block_kit_renderer" data-qa="block-kit-renderer"&gt; &lt;div class= "p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first"&gt; &lt;div class="p-rich_text_block" dir="auto"&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style= "font-size: inherit; background-color: transparent;"&gt;Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li data-start="3060" data-end="3110"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.yourjourneytofinancialfreedom.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Get your copy of &lt;em&gt;Your Journey To Financial Freedom if you haven't already&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Apply to Share Your Journeyer Story, &lt;a href= "https://forms.gle/tuEo3AAmXgxW4aaA7"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="color: initial;"&gt;Join the Journey to Launch&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size: revert; color: initial;"&gt;Book Club to dive deeper into financial freedom with guided discussions and resources&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a style="font-size: revert;" href= "http://journeytolaunch.com/bookclub" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="116" data-end="166"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style= "font-size: revert; color: initial;"&gt;!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Join The &lt;a href="https://www.journeytolaunch.com/join" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Weekly Newsletter List&lt;/a&gt; to get updates, deals &amp; more!&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href= "http://yourjourneytofinancialfreedom.com/review"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;Leave &lt;em&gt;Your Journey To Financial Freedom a&lt;/em&gt; review!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://journeytolaunch.com/secretbudgetbootcamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Get The Budget Bootcamp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;span style= "color: initial;"&gt;Check out my personal website&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href= "https://jamilasouffrant.com" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.journeytolaunch.com/voicemail/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Leave me a voicemail&lt;/a&gt;– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast!&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://journeytolaunch.com/ynab" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer"&gt;YNAB&lt;/a&gt; –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my &lt;a href="https://journeytolaunch.com/ynab" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;referral link&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out &lt;a href= "http://journeytolaunch.com/mystage" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style= "font-size: inherit; background-color: transparent;"&gt;C&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: inherit; background-color: transparent;"&gt;onnect with me:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/journeytolaunch/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Instagram: @Journeytolaunch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/journeytolaunch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Twitter: @JourneyToLaunch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/journeytolaunch/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Facebook: @Journey To Launch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/Journey2launch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Join the Private Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.journeytolaunch.com/jtfi-waitlist/"&gt;Join the Waitlist for My&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href= "https://www.journeytolaunch.com/jtfi-waitlist/"&gt;FI Course&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.journeytolaunch.com/jumpstart/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Get The Free Jumpstart Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt;</description>

Journey To Launch

Jamila Souffrant

Episode 456: How to Manage Holiday Money Anxiety

DEC 10, 202521 MIN
Journey To Launch

Episode 456: How to Manage Holiday Money Anxiety

DEC 10, 202521 MIN

Description

In this week's solo episode, I'm diving into something many of us feel, but don't always say out loud holiday money anxiety. This season can be full of joy, nostalgia, and family connection, but it can also bring up guilt, pressure, overspending, and emotional triggers that hit our wallets hard. So today, I'm sharing honest reflections on the expectations we carry, the emotional weight of holiday giving, and how I personally navigate the overwhelm of gifting, family obligations, and wanting to "do enough" without draining my finances or my energy.

I walk you through practical strategies for shifting your mindset, breaking old patterns, and giving yourself permission to rethink how you show up this season.

In this episode, I discuss:
  • Guilt-free gifting: How to focus on intention instead of price tags, and ways to simplify gifts especially for kids who may value the moment more than the item itself.
  • Setting family & personal boundaries: What to say when you want to keep things simple, stick to a budget, or opt out without shame.
  • Overspending triggers: Why boredom, stress, nostalgia, and scarcity mindset push us to buy more and how to create friction to avoid impulse purchases.
  • Reframing the season: How to shift from "stuff" to connection, small rituals, meaning, and presence.
  • Planning ahead for next year: Using what you spent this season to set realistic expectations and savings goals for the future.

Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode:

Connect with me: