St. Mary’s Community Center offers free financial coaching to assist you year round 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, except maybe for your wallet. Trying not to blow your budget and save money this time of the year can be hard for anyone. There are gifts to buy, gatherings to cook for and traveling to see family and friends.

“Budgeting during the holidays is very hard because holidays are a time for giving,” says Shana Ellington, career and money coach at St. Mary’s Community Center. “It’s a time when our hearts and minds are set on making sure our loved ones feel loved by the things we give them, so we tend to go over our budget.”

As a money coach and an accountant, Ellington does one-on-one financial assessments with clients at St. Mary’s Community Center. She helps people create a realistic budget based on their goals.

She offers some advice on ways you save at the holidays.

First, make a plan – and don’t wait until the week before Christmas. In fact, if you can, Ellington encourages you to start early.

“Sometimes the easiest thing you can do is if you have in mind what you want to give your children, your spouse, your parents is buy it throughout the year,” Ellington says. “We all know around Christmastime prices go up.  You have time to plan for it and that can help make it easier.”

Yes, we realize this blog was first published in late November, so keep that in mind for 2026. In the meantime, Ellington has these other suggestions:

• Consider making something such as a frame or care box or coupon book your loved ones can use throughout the year. It doesn’t always have to be an expensive gift, Ellington says.
• If you get together with family or friends consider a gift exchange. That way you don’t feel the pressure to buy for everyone.
• Look for sales and special deals. While prices go up this time of year on certain items, a lot of stores will run specials, such as 40 items under $40. Consider this not only with gifts but with your groceries as well.
• Make a list; write down who you are buying for and what you have in mind to buy them. Then, be sure to take that list with you when you go shopping. Don’t forget the little things too like wrapping paper and tape, Ellington says.
• Consider starting a Christmas savings account. If you are able to put even $20 a way per paycheck, consider how much that would add up to by November or December. 

More about St. Mary’s Community Center

St. Mary’s Community Center is dedicated to serving and empowering people struggling with unemployment, limited healthcare and housing instability. Some of the services offered at St. Mary’s include:

• Career development, including resume building and job readiness training
• Financial coaching, such as creating budgets, starting a savings account and understanding 401Ks
• Free tax assistance (January-February)
• Eye clinic for affordable vision care
• Public benefits assistance, including SNAP, Medicaid and Social Security
• Computer lab

St. Mary’s is open to the public, and Ellington says she is always happy to help anyone with any career or financial guidance they need. The center is located at 812 W. 36^th Street in Savannah. Call 912-447-0578 for more information to request any of our services.

Learn more here.