December has a way of making money feel heavier than usual. Between the pressure to buy, give, host, and keep everything running, spending can quietly shift from intentional to emotional.

On this episode of The Wallet podcast, Emilie Bellet speaks with psychotherapist Holli Rubin about the psychology behind holiday spending. Together, they explore what is actually happening in the brain during December, why spending can offer short-term relief, and how stress, shame, family expectations, and old money stories shape our behaviour far more than logic alone.

This conversation is not about doing Christmas “properly” or cutting back for the sake of it. It is about understanding your responses, recognising when spending becomes a nervous system reaction, and approaching the festive season with more awareness, clearer boundaries, and less pressure.

Our monthly Vestpod Series Event at Huckletree East

From re-usable coffee cups to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, it seems we are finally waking up to the need to use our money wisely to protect the future of the planet. We’re recognizing that by matching up small gestures to big policy that we might actually achieve this goal.

They may seem small, but mini-hacks like these can add up to save a decent pot of money at the end of the year and perhaps even more importantly, engender in you the right saving mindset. So here are my favourite ones:

If you’re an online shopper, you have probably seen the name “Klarna” popping up on the payment pages of sites like TopShop and JDSports. It’s a lending bank branding itself as a smart, funky new payment option for those of us who just can’t wait til payday to buy that new pair of trainers.

We've rounded up eight of the best money saving tips for spring. Start now!

You might have heard the term “circular economy” when reading one of those articles about families who only generate one small bag of rubbish per year, or who haven’t bought anything other than food for the last six months. That level of eco warrior-dom might seem out of reach for most of us, but what if we told you the circular economy could save you – and everyone – money, as well as saving the planet?

The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

Apps.. new habits.. it’s quick to make changes that really work

Forget About The Marshmallow Test and Find Your Drive

Save for your vacay the right way

It’s never too soon to start

a) It’s not helpful and b) we don’t believe you!

Lately, there’s been a lot of investor attention surrounding robo-advisers. We’re seeing more and more of these platforms and some of the UK’s biggest banks are now planning to launch robo-advisers for their existing clientele.

You’ve got to negotiate to accumulate

Living paycheck to paycheck might sound like the preserve of the low paid, but a recent report reveals that high earning millennials are the worst hit by the cycle of having nothing left at the end of each month.

If you are reading this it means that you managed to stash some money aside and build your saving nest. That’s great, you’ve done the hard part.