Expert holiday savings secrets

With travel, gifts and festivities, staying on budget this time of year can feel impossible—but it’s easier than you may think! On a recent episode of the Happy Money with Woman’s World” video series, our Digital Director Julia Dennison sat down with Sean Pyles, CFP, host of NerdWallet’s Smart Money,” who shared strategies to help you spend wisely, save big and start 2026 feeling financially confident.

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Woman’s World: Let’s start with holiday travel. What tips do you have for booking travel around the holidays that can help you save money?

Sean: I would say plan early. Step on it and know what the flight prices might be, or decide if you might want to drive. For me, I typically drive for Christmas, and one of my easiest ways to save money is honestly just using cruise control. You’ll be amazed how much gas you can save by improving your mileage with cruise control, and it also makes the drive a little less stressful.

WW: So tell me about booking flights, because I never know if you should book it way ahead. Are there ever last-minute deals with flights?

Sean: There are rarely last-minute deals because everyone is traveling at that time. It’s smart to look into and keep an eye on things in advance so you can know when might be a good time. I’m a fan of Google Flights because it will tell you if a price is good for your specific flight or if it’s getting more expensive, and you can see how that will change over time. If you find that the flight you want to your destination is at a decent price, I recommend going ahead and getting it.

WW: Should you book directly with the airline? Or book through a third party?

Sean: I typically book directly through the airline because that way, if something goes awry, you don’t have to deal with a third party. But if you can find a better deal through a third party and don’t mind a little more hassle if you need to change your flight, that’s a personal choice you can make. I would say try to use a credit card that earns a good amount of points for your purchase, because that’s how you can offset this expensive time of year and get value for the money you’re spending.