<p>The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also the most expensive. Between gifts, food and travel, people can end up spending a lot of money this year. The Financial Times’&nbsp;consumer editor Claer Barrett explains why people are feeling the pinch this season and what they can do about it.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Mentioned in this podcast:</strong></p><p><a href="https://on.ft.com/498NxCW" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economists warn of flaws in US inflation report</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/ft-seasonal-appeal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FT Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign</a></p><p>Find Claer Barrett on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@claerb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/claerb/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram&nbsp;</a></p><br><p>Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts&nbsp;</p><br><p>Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by <a href="https://www.ft.com/marc-filippino" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marc Filippino</a>, and produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval and Victoria Craig.&nbsp;Our show was mixed by Kent Militzer. Additional help from Michael Lello. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.</p><br><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c71c4f32-ab9a-432e-ad80-1def8b3fc454" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</strong></a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>