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Household Finances

Christmas shopping

11 years ago

How is everyone doing with their Christmas shopping?
Staying within budget?
Spending more, less or the same this year?

We are pretty much done, and it is all wrapped.
We spent about the same amount as last year.
Everything is on the credit card, but will be paid in full before the end of December.

Comments (9)

jannie
11 years ago
Done, I shopped online, stuck to my budget $15 per person. Everything got shipped last week, through both the Post Office and one of those Mailbox franchise places. Now I can relax and enjoy the holidays.
LuAnn_in_PA
Original Author
11 years ago
Good for you, jannie!
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It's our consumerism lifestyle that is to blame. I was just discussing this with a friend-back in the day when you went to the grocery store to buy peanut butter, you got Jiff or Skippy. Now there are 18 different brands, varieties and sizes to chose from. We bought one winter coat and wore it till it fell apart (or we ahem-outgrew it). I currently have 5 different coats in my closet. We traded quality for quantity and manufacturers have gone the cheapest route so they can change the style/inventory constantly to keep us buying. NEWNEWNEW=us handing over our money. I try to shop artisnal any more. I KNOW I'm getting a quality product-I have to pay more, but it's the item that meets my ethics. And it's hard to support small business when they're up against big boxes and on-line shopping. My DD's in-laws have owned the only fine jewelry store in their area for many years. But when a big box multi-stop store moved in with their own fine jewelry store, they took a big hit and had to expand to gifts and opened a boutique. Lately they've been having to add more mass produced items-not necessarily junk, but still stuff that is available everywhere (Pandora bracelets for example). Good luck with your shopping and thank you for trying to support local.
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How wonderful! I so miss my gal pals from my school days and from South Carolina. There's nothing like being able to laugh until your sides ache. Very cute selfie.
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Satine, I'll be happy to share about Chanukah later today when I have time. I'll start a new thread. I like giving gifts. Getting them too, but that's the least of it, for me. I know a guy who does the guy Christmas Eve Christmas shopping because he just can't be bothered having to think of nice presents, so he goes to Walgreens and buys random stuff. A lot of As Seen On TV items. :) Some of them can be funny, and sort of the comic relief in a sea of presents, but he totally doesn't get the heartfelt part. I started buying the same thing (different colors/styles but same) for all those girls once they'd outgrown individually chosen toys and things. They're happy to have nice wrapped packages to open. I sent WrapSacks one year, cloth bags for presents, and they were disappointed not to have paper and ribbons. In the scheme of wasted packaging, a few wrapped presents aren't that big a deal and I save my eco-efforts for the poor sufferers at home. :) We always have a book and a toy for all the kids, and a book and something more grown up for the teens. At a certain point, the local kids drift into adulthood and get whatever little something the adults get. We make a big donation to the food bank or somewhere similar in honor of our family's get together, and just have a token beyond that for the adults. Last year, everyone got a Seed Gem in a little organza pouch. Pretty. Fun to open. Reusable. :) Each pretty hexagon box comes with a few seeds and a growing medium in a little plastic bag. You put the seeds in the medium, in the bag in the box, and water it as directed until you have a good start, then pull out the plastic and plant the whole thing, including the box. They have flowering plants and herbs. We do personal presents among the adults in the immediate family, and often draw names for one adult in the larger family. Nice things that we've chosen specifically to please someone. It's not about what someone can afford, but taking the time and interest to get or make them something nice. There's a price limit on the exchange, but I can always find something cool. I'm not expressing this well, on how to do it or anything, but one of my great joys is finding gifts for people that are intriguing and enriching.
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I just have one more thing to get for my daughter in law and my son today and I'm done. It gets harder and harder every year to pick out gifts I know everyone will like. I don't buy what I like for them, I go out of my way to make sure what I buy they'll use. That way nobody gives me the gifts back. I've thought about drawing names for Christmas but everyone said, "NO!" so we do the whole 9 yards every year. I really don't mind but as the kids get older and they buy whatever they want throughout the year, it makes it a little hard to find something special. I understand how you feel about your first Christmas without your husband. I felt the same way the first Christmas after my son died. But I did my best not to let my feelings affect how everyone else felt. Let them pamper you. Put on that brave happy face. Your husband wouldn't want you to live out the rest of your life being sad on special holidays without him. Would he?
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john_wc
11 years ago
Just bought the last gift online with free overnight shipping. I buy everything online. Have not set foot in a retail store in years. Fortunately, my better half has and does and is an early shopper. She has been done for weeks. We spent a little more than last year but still within budget.
jannie
11 years ago
One of my online gifts hasn't arrived yet. I ordered a gift card from Dears for my SIL who lost her apartment in Hurricane Sandy. In her case, I spent $100. But it hasn't arrived yet. If it doesn't get here in time, I'll give her a check instead.But except for that I'm totally done. All gifts ready, all food is here, except I'm picking up my ham on Monday. But with my brother's recent passing, it won't be a Happy Christmas.
azzalea
11 years ago
We've really cut back this year. My siblings have all decided not to exchange gifts. I just gave to the nieces and nephews and their children, and I went for something fun but not expensive in almost every case (did give the one niece I'm especially close to a nicer gift.)

DD asked her dad to build a cover for her heating unit, so that will happen after Christmas and won't be too expensive. DH and I already exchanged--he got a portable scaffolding, I got some body work done on my car--both were things we needed and probably would have spent the money on anyway.

I really feel that this year, we've spent a lot less, although I don't really keep track.
phoggie
11 years ago
This will be the first since DH passed away...and my house is not complete yet, so going to a daughter's house....so it won't be the same...everyone, except for a GD who is still in grade school is getting cash...and I did spend more than usual...but I just am not in the "spirit" to do any shopping.

But I hope each of you have a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!
emma
11 years ago
I don't do any Christmas shopping except for a gift for myself. I bought a new calculator and I received some flowers from my sister in Tenn. When people hear that I am spending the holidaze alone, they go awwww.... I tell them "don't feel sorry for me, it is my choice, I turn down invitations". I do miss the family dinners but the last time I accepted an invitation to my Sis's home, I found dog hair in my food. No thanks.............
kittiemom
11 years ago
We're giving homemade limoncello to our friends & most of the family. We decided to cut back on gifts this year & give something consumable. We didn't set an exact budget, but we haven't spent a lot. We're giving small gifts to my dad & sister instead of the limoncello.
miscindy
11 years ago
We paid cash and stayed within budget. We even found some ways to give nice gifts for free. Bonus points from our debit card gave us $100 gift card to Home Depot which we gave to my brother who could really use it and a $25 Walmart card we used to buy a grandmother's gift. I had $20 more in gift cards from participating in an educational research study which bought a grandmother's gift. My husband had earned Amazon points through an incentive program at work which he used to buy me an accessory for my Kitchen Aid. We also received a $50 rewards card from Men's Warehouse which I used to buy 4 men's shirts from the clearance rack which happened to be buy one get one free.

This was a rare blessing for us and my husband just took a very large cut in pay so we appreciated all the free stuff and even though I could have used the Home Depot card to buy the drill for my husband I decided to pay forward some of our good fortune, by giving it to my brother who we usually just get a couple of tshirts for. He was surprised and thankful!

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