(NewsNation) — Shoppers are looking to cash in on gifts and some financial relief as the holiday season heats up.

The National Retail Federation reports that 91% of Americans plan to celebrate the holidays, with consumers budgeting an average of $890 for gifts and seasonal items.

This year’s Black Friday weekend drew more than 80 million in-store shoppers and 85 million online buyers, and retail sales are expected to grow around 4% this holiday season.

Online shopping has been bigger than ever, with Adobe reporting that the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday generated more than $44 billion in online sales, up 7.7% year over year.

Retailers are expecting the Saturday before Christmas, also known as “Super Saturday,” to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. With the Fed’s third rate cut since September, now down to 3.5% from 3.75%, shoppers may find a bit of relief at checkout.

A growing number of Americans grapple with growing “affordability” concerns. According to USA Today, a new poll by progressive think-tank Century Foundation found:

• 64% of respondents have reported buying cheaper or less food.
• 34% said they have skipped a meal to save money.
• 48% reported using savings to meet daily expenses.

Earlier this week, Politico released a new poll that found nearly half of Americans believe groceries, housing utilities and health care are getting harder to afford.

Economist Mitch Roschelle told NewsNation that holiday shopping isn’t a sign the economy is strong; it could just mean people are loading up credit they’ll have to face in January.

“Even in good times or bad times, when people are bullish on the economy or bearish on the economy, it’s the holidays, and by golly, they are going to go out and buy stuff,” Roschelle said.

The National Retail Federation is set to release new numbers on Monday documenting how big this last-dash shopping push will be.