If Christmas always seems to end up on a card, or follows you into January, this one's for you. I used to be the person at the bank extending overdrafts at this time of year. This is how I'd pay for Christmas before it arrives, even if you're starting late, and set it up so next Christmas, and every birthday and holiday after it, is already paid for.

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Want the maths done for you? Make the Memories is my holiday and celebration budget planner: your Real Number, every big event in your year on one page, the gift list, the hidden costs, the conversation scripts and the review page → https://mariecowgill.com/0021-planner-podcast

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💛 FREE UK DEBT SUPPORT

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If you're struggling to cover essentials or keep up with repayments, you don't have to figure it out alone—or wait until things get worse.

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StepChange — free debt advice:

https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-advice.aspx

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MoneyHelper — find free, confidential debt advice:

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/dealing-with-debt/debt-advice-locator

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📚 SOURCES

One in five UK adults borrowed to cover Christmas 2025 (YouGov, January 2026):

https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/53851-one-in-five-uk-adults-borrowed-to-cover-christmas-holiday-spending-in-2025

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What makes for a merry Christmas? Kasser & Sheldon (2002), Journal of Happiness Studies 3, 313–329:

https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jhappi/v3y2002i4p313-329.html

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Still carrying a bit of last Christmas? The system I use for paying off debt → https://youtu.be/sT4KCwi3WA8

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This video shares my personal experience and general information. The right route depends on your circumstances.

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MORE FROM ME

Start here → https://mariecowgill.com/starthere

All free resources → https://mariecowgill.com/resources

The Freedom Playbook → https://mariecowgill.com/playbook

Work with me → https://mariecowgill.com/workwithmarie

Everything else → https://mariecowgill.com/start

Earning decent money and still can't get out of debt? This is the debt payoff plan I use myself, step by step, built to survive real life instead of a perfect month.

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Paying off the smallest balance first is the advice you'll hear everywhere. It helps, but not much if you're still spending more than you earn each month, or a big chunk of every payment is going on interest.

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So this covers the whole picture: debt snowball vs debt avalanche, which debt to pay off first, whether a 0% balance transfer or a debt consolidation loan would actually save you money (with the maths on screen), and how to work out what your life really costs each month. Plus the one situation where I wouldn't throw every freed-up pound at the next debt.

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It's UK-based, so you'll hear council tax, StepChange and MoneyHelper. If you're somewhere else, the steps still apply; look for the free debt advice service in your own country.

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Before you pick your first move, it helps to see where your money is actually going. The Freedom Leak Map is a free workbook that shows where your money, time, energy and opportunities are quietly leaking, and which one to fix first → https://mariecowgill.com/0020-leakmap-podcast

⠀

💛 FREE UK DEBT SUPPORT

⠀

If you're struggling to cover essentials or keep up with repayments, you don't have to figure it out alone—or wait until things get worse.

⠀

StepChange — free debt advice:

https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-advice.aspx

⠀

MoneyHelper — find free, confidential debt advice:

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/dealing-with-debt/debt-advice-locator

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📚 FURTHER READING

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Balance transfers — fees, eligibility and what happens when the introductory rate ends:

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/credit/deciding-whether-to-transfer-your-credit-card-balance

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Debt consolidation — affordability, total costs and risks:

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/credit/debt-consolidation-loans

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Which bills and debts to prioritise:

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/cost-of-living/bill-prioritiser

⠀

This video shares my personal experience and general information. The right route depends on your circumstances.

⠀

MORE FROM ME

Start here → https://mariecowgill.com/starthere

All free resources → https://mariecowgill.com/resources

The Freedom Playbook → https://mariecowgill.com/playbook

Work with me → https://mariecowgill.com/workwithmarie

Everything else → https://mariecowgill.com/start

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This channel is education and general discussion. It reflects my own experience, research and opinions — not personalised financial advice.

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I am not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and nothing here should be treated as a recommendation to buy, sell, hold or avoid any specific investment, product or provider. Any numbers or examples I share are illustrative of my own situation, not a guarantee or projection for yours. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future results, and all investing carries risk, including the risk of loss.

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If you're making a decision about your own money, please get regulated financial advice specific to your circumstances before acting.

It's the final quarter. If your January goals quietly went poof somewhere around March, you're not lazy and the goal probably wasn't wrong. This is a coaching session to set one you'll actually carry to 31 December.

For five years I sat in the one-to-ones in a business accelerator, watching up close who hit their goals and who didn't. This is what I used with them, alongside what the research says. By the end you'll have one stretch goal, three actions you control, and a 15-minute check-in each week to keep it going.

Grab a pen and paper. You'll need it.

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If you'd like help picking the one move that matters most, The Freedom Build Plan is free. It has you choose the kind of freedom you most need right now, then turns your goals into one clear 90-day move. One move, one system, one clearer direction.

→ https://mariecowgill.com/0017-buildplan-podcast

For the bigger dream behind your next three months → https://youtu.be/ZvUaM5Xv1gc

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SOURCES

Bonezzi, Brendl & De Angelis (2011), Stuck in the Middle: The Psychophysics of Goal Pursuit. Psychological Science

Dai, Milkman & Riis (2014), The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior. Management Science

Locke & Latham (2002), Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation. American Psychologist

Sitkin, See, Miller, Lawless & Carton (2011), The Paradox of Stretch Goals. Academy of Management Review

Seijts & Latham (2005), Learning Versus Performance Goals: When Should Each Be Used? Academy of Management Executive

Harkin et al. (2016), Does Monitoring Goal Progress Promote Goal Attainment? A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin

Brendl, in Kellogg Insight (2012), Mastering Motivation: the "track what you've done, then what's left" tip, from a co-author of Stuck in the Middle

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MORE FROM ME

Start here → https://mariecowgill.com/starthere

All free resources → https://mariecowgill.com/resources

The Freedom Playbook → https://mariecowgill.com/playbook

Work with me → https://mariecowgill.com/workwithmarie

Everything else → https://mariecowgill.com/start

What's your one goal for 31 December? Tell me in the comments.