While we are harking the herald angels who sing, most of us are also trying very hard not to hark a bank account that weeps. The holidays can take a real hit on your finances, if you aren't budgeting. But what if — plot twist — you budget for the holidays, and then discover you have money leftover? You could just spend it on yourself (get it), or save it for later (boooring), or you could do what you're doing half the time anyway, and follow Chrissy Teigen's lead. And Chrissy Teigen's tip for what to do with leftover money during the holidays is one that we can all get behind.
"Growing up, we've always had like a family jar, where any loose change, any extra money would go in this jar, and you get to spend it as a family together," Teigen tells Bustle at Chase's #OneLessThing holiday pop-up shop in New York City. "Whether it was like going to a cheesy restaurant, like something medieval times, or doing something as a family, using that jar and coming together — and like any, truly, all that drawer change, any of that extra, extra cash, anything where you were getting you know, finding some extra money around — you put that towards the family."
The model, designer, known foodie, and author of Cravings and Cravings: Hungry for More shares that this tradition wasn't just one that her family observed during the holidays, but that they worked toward year-round.
"We always did it — like, there was always this giant jar around, and I'd get excited to hear the clicking of the change going into it, and then really seeing something come out of it after," Teigen shares with Bustle. "[Y]ou know, it's like, such a small amount at the beginning of the year, and by the end of the year you have like this amazing family experience."
"I'd say that's honestly a tradition that I want to be able to bring back, is when we used to things like that," says Teigen.
If you're looking for more Chrissy-related holiday inspo, she and husband John Legend recently shared more of their family's holiday spirit in the NBC special A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy (which this editor thinks was an extremely missed opportunity to simply call A Legendary Chrissy-mas, but alas, I am not the one calling the shots). If you missed the show and its star-studded guest appearances, you can still watch it on NBC's website and achieve your fully festive bliss.
Teigen also recently revealed to TODAY that her family tends to order McDonald's and go to the movies on Christmas, which may be both the money-saving and holiday-saving hack we all need in our lives. Heck, if you're looking for a way to spend the money in your own end-of-the-year family jar splurge, there's probably no better way to celebrate than by hitting up one of the theaters playing Elf on the big screen and taking a bunch of Mickey D's french fries to the face. Merry Chrissy-mas to us all, and to all a good fry.
