Survey: Many Workers Struggling to Afford Holiday Expenses This Year

Black Friday is in the books, and Cyber Monday has come and gone. The holiday spending season is officially in full swing.

A new survey from ResumeTemplates.com finds that many American workers’ wallets are already feeling the strain.

In a recent poll of 1,000 full-time U.S. workers, 61% of respondents said its harder to afford holiday expenses this year than it was in 2024, with many saying their spending habits will change this holiday season.

For example, 35% of full-time workers said they will spend less on gifts, with 29% and 26% saying the same about décor and travel, respectively. Another 25% intend to reduce spending on food around the holidays.

“It’s not unusual for people to feel financial pressure during the holidays, but this year the stress seems even higher,” said Julia Toothacre, chief career strategist at ResumeTemplates.com, in a statement.

The deeper issue at play, she said, “is that full-time employment no longer guarantees financial stability. Wages aren’t keeping pace with costs, and many people are being forced to find extra income just to maintain a basic standard of living.”

Indeed, more than a third of respondents (36%) said they’re already earning additional income to help pay for holiday-related costs, while 29% plan to do so. Only 34% say they don’t intend to take on extra work.

The poll found that, among those seeking additional income, the most common approach is working more hours for their current employer (46%), followed by delivery services (33%), seasonal retail jobs (30%), ride-sharing (23%) and freelancing (23%).

Others are turning to social media (16%), pet sitting (14%) and babysitting (12%) for extra income to get through the holiday season.

Carrying a larger workload comes with its own cost, however. More than one-third of workers who are taking on more work (39%) say that doing so has or will likely hurt their productivity at their full-time job.

“Employees taking on extra work need to stay mindful of their energy and mental health. Overworking can quickly lead to burnout, fatigue and declining performance in both their main job and side work,” said Toothacre, who also stressed the importance of building in time to rest and recharge, “even if that means scaling back productivity to a sustainable level.

“In some cases, doing ‘enough’ to meet expectations, rather than constantly overperforming, might be the healthiest choice,” she concluded. “Balance looks different for everyone, but being realistic about your limits is what keeps you going [in the] long term.”