The holiday season can invite many reasons to spend. There are flights to book, gifts to buy, special outfits for parties, extra food for visitors, and the allure of seasonal discounts. Many people may have to stretch their budgets to attend the celebrations, whether they can afford it or not.

“Even as credit card debt exceeds $1.14 trillion, holiday shoppers expect to spend an average of $1,778, up 8% from last year,” he said. CNBCDeloitte’s holiday retail survey is cited. These spending plans are in place even though an estimated “28% of holiday shoppers didn’t pay for gifts they bought for loved ones last year,” according to another holiday spending report by NerdWallet.