11 Smart Ways to Budget for Your Health This Holiday Season

11. SPLURGE: Year-End Health Screenings and Preventive Visits

Year-end screenings and preventive visits often make sense to schedule before insurance plan year changes or deductible resets, and they can cost $300–$800 depending on services and coverage. Using remaining flexible spending or insurance benefits before year-end is fiscally smart: if you have covered preventive services available, use them rather than letting the benefit lapse. Common year-end actions include routine bloodwork, medication reviews, and age-appropriate screenings recommended by your provider. If costs are a concern, call your insurer to verify coverage and ask your clinic about bundling tests in a single visit for efficiency. Discuss which screenings are most likely to change care so you prioritize the highest-value tests. Investing in prevention now can avoid downstream emergency expenses and supports steady health for holiday travel and family obligations. Planning these visits into your holiday calendar also reduces last-minute healthcare stress and helps you enter the new year with a clearer health plan. (NIH; AARP)

Wrap-Up: Turn Choices into a Simple Holiday Health Budget

Turn these 11 ideas into a budget that fits your values and finances. Start by listing three non-negotiables: an emergency fund amount, one preventive visit, and one mental-health support action. Set a weekly savings target—$25 or $50—that’s feasible for you and automates those non-negotiables. Triage other items by time horizon and impact: splurge on what prevents crisis or improves daily functioning, and save on one-time fads or impulse gifts that won’t last. Use telehealth, community resources, and insurance verification to stretch dollars. Keep a simple checklist: confirm coverage for year-end screenings, book a pre-travel appointment, set aside emergency funds, and pick one sleep or stress investment. If you plan to gift wellness, favor experiences and useful tools over trendy gadgets. Finally, be gentle with yourself; budgets are guides, not moral tests. Small consistent steps will protect your health and your finances, so you can enjoy the season with more presence and less worry. For quick action: schedule that preventive visit, open a labeled savings account, and sign up for a short teletherapy check-in if the season brings stress. Sources: CDC, NIH, AARP, PwC Holiday Outlook, National Retail Federation, Kiplinger, WCVB.