The holidays are meant to be a joyful time, but they can also be financially stressful. Despite happening at the same time each year, saving up for holiday expenses can feel tricky. From gifts and dinners to parties and travel, the bills pile up easily.

According to a survey by PwC, shoppers plan to spend an average of over $1,600 on gifts, travel, and entertainment for the holiday season this year—an increase of 7% from just last year.

So how can you make sure you’re budgeting for the holidays and sticking to it?

In this week’s episode of Money Glow Up, host Tiffany Aliche speaks to Michael Liersch, Head of Advice & Planning at Wells Fargo. Liersch offers insight for managing financial stress, budgeting, and why people so often find themselves financially strapped during the holidays.

Liersch earned a PhD in Cognitive Psychology studying how the brain works when making money decisions, and he draws on this insight to reveal helpful tactics for holiday spending.

“Humans like this idea of uncertainty reduction. We like certainty,” Liersch says. “By doing the same thing every year, it creates this element of certainty—even if the certainty doesn’t lead to great outcomes. So we have to really push ourselves to do something different.”

According to Liersch, doing things differently can include setting a budget, prioritizing quality over quality when giving gifts, and being open with your loved ones about what you can afford.

Liersch tackles all this and more in his conversation with Tiffany Aliche on this week’s Money Glow Up.

Together with Yahoo Finance, Tiffany Aliche creates a space to share real and inspiring money stories, learn financial fundamentals, and build your future. Step into the classroom with Money Glow Up every Thursday at 12 pm ET with Tiffany Aliche—aka The Budgetnista—to jump-start your financial journey.

Money Glow Up is produced by Lauren Pokedoff and Shelby Boamah.