Santa Baby

Affluent Dallas suburb leads list of lavish holiday spending budgets in U.S.

Presents for everyone!

As the most wonderful time of the year approaches, holiday shopping budgets are in the spotlight, and a study from WalletHub lists Flower Mound as one of the top cities where Santa doesn't need a whole lot of help.

According to the personal finance website, the average holiday budget in Flower Mound is $3,531 per person, the third highest in the nation.

The town's 2021 population of 77,243 (per the U.S. Census) boasts a median income $139,703 and earlier this year was named by Ventured.com as the richest city in Texas.

In spite of an increase over last year's gift list totals, Flower Mound dropped to the third spot after being ranked No. 1 last year with a budget of $3,427. Newton, Massachusetts (budget $4,233) and Palo Alto, California (budget $3,920) edged out the Texas city this year.

Flower Mound was the only Texas city in the top 10, but there's plenty of holiday cheer to be found in the report, and not just for Flower Mound Santa fans.

Each year, WalletHub calculates the maximum holiday budget for over 550 U.S. cities "to help consumers avoid post-holiday regret," the website says. The study factors in income, age of the population, and other financial indicators such as debt-to-income ratio, monthly-income-to monthly-expenses ratio and savings-to-monthly-expenses ratio.

Despite nationwide focus on inflation strains, holiday spending is expected to be healthy, and higher than last year.

"The seeming social upheaval in recent times may lead households to spend more in an attempt to take some control of the environment which they can control," says Robert Wright, University of Illinois, Springfield professor emeritus who was among five experts consulted for advice about holiday shopping.

This could be good news if your Christmas wishes are on local shopping lists. Eight other North Texas cities landed in this year's top 100 heftiest holiday budgets:

Allen, No. 17 , $2,670
Frisco, No. 37, $2,150
McKinney, No. 45, $2,070
Plano, No. 50, $1,999
Carrollton, No. 55, $1,837
Richardson, No. 58, $1,823
North Richland Hills, No. 81, $1,658
Lewisville, No. 90, $1,630

For comparison, the website provided an average consumer profile for Dallas:

Average Consumer Profile of Dallas:

Monthly Income: $4,833
Monthly Expenses: $3,755
Savings: $12,846
Age: 33.7
Monthly Income-to-Monthly Expenses Ratio: 1.29
Savings-to-Monthly Expenses Ratio: 3.42

This landed Dallas at No. 401 out of 558 cities with an average holiday budge of $845, while Fort Worth landed at No. 318 with a budget of $986.

Elsewhere in Texas, spending in the Austin area won't be ho-hum with the Capitol City's budget of $1,705 ranked at No. 78. One Austin suburb, Cedar Park (budget $2,855) ranked No. 14.

Santa's bag could be a mixed bag in the Houston area with four suburbs in the top 100, but the urban center falling behind:

Sugar Land, No. 15, $2,793
League City, No. 20, $2,541
Pearland, No. 36, $2,172
The Woodlands, No. 71, $1,733
Houston, No. 366, $890

Things don't look too jolly for San Antonio, ranked at No. 431 with an average budget of $803 or Pharr, which was the lowest ranked city in Texas.

At No. 553 with a budget of $487, the city came in just a few spots ahead of last place Hartford, CT with a budget of only $211.

holidays shopping

In from the cold

Warming centers open across Dallas-Fort Worth during weekend winter storm

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Warming centers will provide blankets and meals to those in need.

As Dallas-Fort Worth braces for brutally cold temperatures, freezing precipitation, and possible power outages this weekend, local city buildings and nonprofits are opening their doors as warming shelters. Here is a running list of places where people can go to safely warm up and rest. The list will be updated as more are announced.

Austin Street Center, in partnership with the City of Dallas and OurCalling, is activating an Inclement Weather Shelter at Fair Park’s Automobile Building, at 1010 1st Ave., Dallas, beginning at 4 pm Friday, January 23. It can accommodate 1,200 individuals and will offer shuttle service, meals, restroom facilities, blankets, and a safe, heated space for those experiencing homelessness. (Note: Austin Street's shelter location at 2929 Hickory St. will not be in operation this weekend.)

Dallas Public Libraries and Recreation Centers are open during regular hours as warming and charging stations.

The Office of Homeless Solutions provides help for unsheltered individuals in Dallas.

The Salvation Army has several warming stations available across Dallas, Tarrant, and Denton Counties. They'll provide shelter and warmth, food and drink, emotional and spiritual care, and additional supplies to anyone in need. Locations are:

In Dallas County, the Garland Corps Community Center (451 W. Avenue D, Garland) and Carr P. Collins Social Service Center (5302 Harry Hines Blvd.)
In Tarrant County, the Arlington Corps Community Center (712 W. Abram St., Arlington) and J.E. & L.E. Mabee Social Service Center (1855 E. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth)
In Denton County, the Denton Corps Community Center (1508 E. McKinney St., Denton) and Lewisville Corps Community Center (880 Fox Ave., Lewisville)

The City of Arlington has additional overnight shelters available:

First United Methodist Church, 407 N. Mesquite St. Open on dates when overnight temperatures reach 32 degrees or less for four or more consecutive hours.
Nations Church Arlington, 1013 W. Park Row Drive. Open continuously from noon Friday-Monday as both a warming center and an overnight shelter.
All Arlington Public Library locations and recreation centers are open to the public for warming, in designated areas, during standard operating hours.
The Arlington Animal Services Shelter accepts pets of homeless individuals as capacity allows.

The City of Fort Worth manages an emergency overnight overflow sheltering program when temperatures reach certain thresholds and regular emergency shelters are at capacity. If regular emergency shelters and beds are full when people arrive, they will be relocated to available overflow beds at one of the available additional emergency shelter locations, the city says.

They advise that individuals experiencing homelessness should first access one of the regular emergency shelters:

Union Gospel Mission (1321 E. Lancaster Ave.)
Presbyterian Night Shelter (2400 Cypress St.)
Families should go to the Salvation Army's J.E. & L.E. Mabee Social Service Center (1855 E. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth)

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