Careful Holiday Spending North Carolina Public Radio WUNC

Careful Holiday SpendingFriday, December 16 2011by Leoneda Inge David Brower: Holiday spending money or a lack of it is on a minds of many people this time of year. There is a group of North Carolina state employees whose job is to make sure budgets are balanced and audits are perfect. More than 300 of these fiscal agents collected in Raleigh this week. So Leoneda Inge asked them how they were planning on spending their holiday money this season. Scott Ralls: Scott Ralls, Im President of a North Carolina Community College System. I guess this will be a fourth, a fourth holiday or a third holiday since a recession set in. So, I have a feeling for both my family but for families across North Carolina, a challenges are still there. Jill Tasaico: Jill Tasaico with N-C State University. I would say in a past five years I have increased my charitable giving spending in taking my daughter to get a name off a tree and giving gifts to other kids. Shes in college now, so most of my money on her is spent on a tuition, so. LaToya McCandies: My name is LaToya McCandies and Im from Guilford Technical Community College. Well, Im not really a big spender for a holidays anyway. So things wont change too most to me as far as cutting back. Brittany Spragins: Brittany Spragins. Leoneda Inge: So where do you work, what do you do? Brittany Spragins: I do federal grants management at a Department of Justice. Leoneda Inge: How has your holiday shopping changed these past few years? Brittany Spragins: Ive cut back a lot. Weve set a budget, my husband and I set a budget every year and we stick to it. This year we had a few unexpected occurrences come up in October and November so weve had to cut back. We set a $150 budget for a two of us. So we really, really cut back. David McCoy: David McCoy and Im a State Controller. Well Im spending my money on my two daughters, they are my two sweeties, my M and Ms, Meredith and M! elissa. Meredith is involved in a Teach for American project up in Nashville, Tennessee, teaching at-risk children in an inner-city school. Shell be coming home for Christmas and I want to make sure she understands how most I appreciate her service. Melissa is an NC State grad, this last year, and shes working with a little bitty tiny critters a one-year-old, two-year-old, three-year-olds. And were so very pleased that she has chosen that as an area she wants to spend her energy and so were going to take care of her too, to make sure she has what she needs to feel good about what she is doing and enjoy a holiday season.Listen Now!Download