LAKEWOOD, N.Y. — The 2022 holiday-shopping season was record-breaking.

Parents budgeted an average of $220 per child this past holiday, according to The Toy Association. That's a 3.5% increase from the same period in 2021.

Adobe Analytics says consumers spent nearly $212 billion from Nov. 1 - Dec. 31.

That kind of spending can lead to a bit of stress. However, a practical approach to saving money now can avoid some of the holiday stress later.

Michele Albaugh of Youngsville, Pennsylvania has four daughters, four grandchildren and one on the way.

"Family's everything right?" said Albaugh. "It's about legacy. It's about fun. It's about sharing joys and having each other to work through all of life's challenges."

One of those challenges is making sure there's enough money come the holidays, because as her family grows, so will her budget.

While many of the Christmas decorations around her office in Celoron, Chautauqua County have been put away, it's never too early to think about this year.

"You certainly want to make the holidays a special thing for everybody that's important to you, and so expenses certainly do go up," said Albaugh.

That is why she opened a Christmas Club at her local credit union in Lakewood about 35 years ago.

"For me, it's just about planning," Albaugh said. "A little bit each pay versus trying to come up with a whole big chunk of cash in December."

"If it's $25 a week, that's $1,300. That's a lot of money," said Kim Woodfield, branch manager, at Greater Woodlawn Federal Credit Union in Lakewood. "What I see with a lot of people is that they buy one big gift, they don't buy a lot of little stuff."

Customers can contribute as little as $5 a week and either sign up for a payroll deduction or bring in the cash to deposit.

Woodfield says customers are not permitted to withdraw the money until it's released, otherwise, the account is closed.

"By the time November 6 comes around, they have a nice paycheck," Woodfield said. "Christmas, taxes, all that fun stuff coming up. It's just like another tax check at the end of the year instead of one at the beginning."

With her new grandchild due in March, Albaugh recently stopped in to increase her contribution.

She upped her amount, as the teller updated the account, already off to a good start, with several months ahead of the November payout.

"It's a good surprise to see what you've accumulated," said Albaugh. "[I'm] very relieved and it's a great feeling to know that I can go shopping and just have fun shopping, not worry and stress about getting the gifts I want to get for my family and friends."

Albaugh says she'll likely be back to do it again, as she hopes for more grandchildren down the road.

In addition to most credit unions across the state, many banks offer Christmas Clubs as well.

All you have to do is put aside any amount of money you want, either weekly or monthly, until you're ready to go shopping with the cash.