Gen Z’s financial transparency could ease holiday money stress

Gen Z’s openness about money is helping reduce some of the pressure and shame many people feel around holiday spending, and adopting similar transparency can make holiday finances less stressful for other generations too.​

What Gen Z Is Doing Differently

Gen Z is far more willing than older adults to talk openly about their financial situation, including with friends, family, and even co‑workers. Surveys show that a majority of Gen Z adults discuss salaries and budgets and view money talk as normal conversation, unlike Baby Boomers who are much less likely to share these details. This cultural shift makes it easier to set realistic expectations about gifts, travel, and celebrations.​

Younger adults are also approaching the holidays more cautiously: many plan to cut their holiday budgets, choose cheaper or secondhand gifts, and prioritize essentials over extras. At the same time, a large share of Gen Z reports feeling anxious about holiday costs, which helps explain why so many of them are making budgets, seeking deals, and trying to avoid overspending.​

How Transparency Eases Holiday Stress

Talking clearly about what each person can afford reduces the unspoken pressure to match others’ spending. When people share their real limits, families can agree in advance on things like price caps, fewer gifts, or alternative celebrations, which lowers the risk of resentment or post‑holiday debt. This openness also normalizes financial struggle, so individuals feel less isolated or ashamed about saying no to certain events.​

Gen Z’s example shows that acknowledging money stress does not make it worse; it creates space to solve it together. Surveys of Americans consistently find that holiday finances are one of the most stressful parts of the year, but experts advise that early, honest conversations about budgets are one of the most effective ways to bring that stress down.​

Practical Ways To “Copy” Gen Z

• Start talking about budgets with family and friends before shopping or booking travel, including what you realistically can spend and what you can’t.​

• Agree on specific boundaries, such as gift price limits, drawing names instead of buying for everyone, or replacing some physical gifts with shared experiences.​

• Use simple budgeting frameworks (for example, assigning fixed portions of income to needs, wants, and savings) and carve out a defined holiday amount so spending feels intentional, not chaotic.​

• Be willing to decline events or purchases you cannot afford, as many Gen Zers already do, and frame it as a normal financial choice rather than a personal failing.​