Whether you’re feeling a nip in the air or it’s still sweltering hot where you live, fall is upon us. The changing colors bring changing demands on your wallet. Some of these costs can be avoided or reduced, but others won’t be scared off this spooky season. These higher expenses lead some Americans to turn to credit, but many have been relying on credit even before fall costs hit. Cue the need for a fall money plan.
NerdWallet’s September 2026 Financial Resilience Index finds that 40% of Americans with a household income of less than $50,000 say they’ll likely need to lean on credit to manage at least some of their expenses this month compared with 33% of those with a household income of $100,000 or more.
Parental status may drive a sharper divide than income when it comes to credit reliance. According to the index, 44% of Americans with children under 18 say they’ll likely need to lean on credit this month, compared with 31% of Americans without minor children.
If you’re relying on credit for any reason in September, it’s a good time to take stock of your spending. Expenses tend to pile up in the last few months of the year. Here’s how to get ahead of autumn costs.
1. Prioritize, reduce, skip or defer
Some of your seasonal expenses are probably nonnegotiable: Heating bills generally tick up, working parents may need to pay for child care during school breaks, and kids need replacements for outgrown winter coats and hats. Other costs, like Halloween costumes and holiday gifts, are more flexible in terms of how much you choose to spend. And then there are costs that can be avoided or postponed, like home improvement projects, family vacations and nonessentials.
Make a list of the ways you expect your expenses to change over the next three months. Consider what must be prioritized, what can be reduced, and what can be skipped or deferred until a less expensive season. For anything that can be deferred, decide when you can reasonably expect to pay for it, and make a savings plan.
2. Sync your BNPL payments to payday
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) usage has grown rapidly over the past few years, and if you have BNPL balances due, it’s smart to get organized so you don’t miss a payment and incur late fees. Be sure not to use BNPL as an excuse to overextend yourself financially during this spendy season, particularly for holiday shopping.
According to a 2025 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), nearly two-thirds of BNPL borrowers had simultaneous loans in 2021 and 2022, and around a third of borrowers didn’t limit their usage to just one service. Multiple payment dates across different platforms makes it easier to miss one.
BNPL services typically allow early payments without penalty, and some even let you set a preferred payment day so you can decide when your installments come out. Check to see what your BNPL lenders offer, and sync your payments to hit on a day when you know you’ll be able to cover them, like near payday.
3. Adjust your W-4 if you’re expecting a tax refund
One way to free up cash for fall expenses is to increase your take-home pay. You may be able to do that by assessing your tax situation for the year.
Let’s say you got a big refund last year. That’s not a gift from the government; you just overpaid taxes during the year. This could mean that your W-4 — the IRS form you submit to your employer that determines tax withholding — no longer matches your tax situation. In particular, parents who haven’t adjusted their W-4 since before having children might get a refund for this reason.
A large influx of cash may feel like Christmas on its own, but if you’re using your tax refund to pay off debt from the season before, it’s probably better served hitting your paychecks and avoiding potential interest costs.
You can submit a new W-4 with your employer at any time. To stop adding to a large refund and keep more money in your paychecks through the end of the year, consider reviewing the following sections on your W-4:
- Step 3: Do your dependent credits match the dependents you have? Dependent credits should equal $2,200 per qualifying child under 17 if you meet the income limits, plus $500 for some other dependents.
- Step 4(a): Do you have income without taxes withheld? This could be interest, dividends or retirement income, not wages or self-employment income. Lower this if the amount you entered previously is now too high.
- Step 4(b): Do you itemize your deductions or have adjustments? If you itemize, the amount you enter here should be the amount your deductions exceed the standard deduction. Even if you don’t itemize, you can include adjustments, like your student loan interest and IRA deductions.
- Step 4(c): Are you withholding extra? Some people elect to withhold additional taxes from each paycheck. Reasons to do this may include side-hustle income or capital gains. If you’ve previously withheld extra taxes but no longer need to do so, reduce the extra amount withheld.
Adjusting withholding is a risky move unless you expect a refund when you file your 2026 tax return. Determine your correct tax obligation by using the IRS’ tax withholding estimator. If you make these moves without a planned refund, you could get hit with a tax bill and even underpayment penalties.
The bottom line
If a normal month already requires credit, an expensive season only piles on. But fall costs more or less land on a schedule, and these three moves help you get ahead.