How to use AI to budget for the holidays without overspending

(InvestigateTV) — Holiday expenses often extend well beyond gifts and food, and those additional costs can add up quickly. Cherry Dale, vice president of financial education at Virginia Credit Union, said the first step to managing holiday spending is a simple list — before ever opening an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude.Dale recommends listing everything planned for November and December spending, including travel, decorations, gifts and hosting costs. She said AI can help organize a budget, but personal information such as a name or banking details should never be entered.Dale said general, non-identifying details can still produce a useful, personalized budget.“You can put generic things like, ‘Hey, I’m hosting eight people for Thanksgiving, and I have six adults, two children. I would like to create a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Can you map out a budget for me with all of this information?’” Dale said. “And it will spit out approximate cost per person.”Dale said AI tools can sugg