Welcome to Money and Change on the Trim Radio Network! As the dust settles from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this episode provides crucial financial insights and warnings for the holiday season and beyond.

Your host dives into the perils of impulsive holiday spending, the importance of debt management, and the looming financial impacts of government intervention and new technologies. Learn actionable steps to secure your financial future, no matter what economic shifts are on the horizon.

Holiday Spending Traps: Discussing the rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with a warning that some "deals" might be inflated prices. Includes top tips on creating and sticking to a Christmas budget, prioritizing experiences over gifts, and avoiding carrying debt into the new year.

The Power of Cash & Debt Reduction: A firm reminder of the host's mantra: pay down debt, avoid credit card interest, and build a significant emergency fund.

Essential Prepping for Rough Times: Practical advice on personal preparedness, including storing long-term food and water (using filtration systems like a Berkey), securing medications, and having household emergency supplies (like batteries and blue tarps).

Communicating Off-Grid: A look at alternative communication methods like GMRS radios for staying connected with family when cell towers fail, discussing licensing and range benefits.

Unaffordable America: Examining how government intervention in housing, student loans, and healthcare has historically led to massive cost inflation.

Housing: Tracing the link between low Federal Reserve rates, Fannie and Freddie Mac policies (like "ninja loans"), and the surge in average home prices.

Education & Healthcare: Highlighting the explosion of student loan debt and the astronomical growth in Medicare/Medicaid costs since the government took control of financing these systems.

Immigration and SNAP Benefits: Discussing the contentious political and financial debate over non-citizens' access to government subsidies like SNAP benefits (food stamps), arguing for resources to be preserved for U.S. citizens.

Job Growth Outlook: Sharing analysts' predictions for continued, albeit slower, job growth in 2026, particularly in cyclical sectors like retail and manufacturing.

The AI Impact: Raising concerns about the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers to increase household electricity and water costs due to their massive resource demands.

The Growing National Debt: A sobering look at the current U.S. Debt Clock figures, highlighting the massive debt load per citizen and taxpayer, and the urgent need for politicians to curb spending.

Hedging Against Calamity: Monitoring the current high prices of precious metals (Gold and Silver) as a potential safeguard against economic volatility.

Don't forget to check out the Money and Change / Financially Prepped Facebook page for all the videos and articles referenced in this week's discussion!