How much is too much for Christmas?
Find a Conversation
How much is too much for Christmas?
| Thu, 11-20-2008 - 11:21pm |
OK - So I have a question about the holiday season - How much is to much?
| Thu, 11-20-2008 - 11:21pm |
OK - So I have a question about the holiday season - How much is to much?
Pages
I am sure this will not help you. But here is my story The second year we were married I got this Speigal book in the mail and an offer for a credit card to go with it. I can't remember the interest rate because that was around 39 years ago. But I remember ordering and ordering. I ran that bill up to like 1000.00 I got all kind of things for his family and my family and Michael who was only like three months old. And of course the house.
Well it took me like two years to pay that bill off. Some of Michaels little things was already falling apart and the curtains I bought had dry rotten from the sun coming through the window. I made up my mind then That if it went under the tree on Christmas day it had to be paid for. All these years except for last year they have been. Last year I charged Michaels present off line and didn't pay for it until Jan.
One year I made tie quilts for everyone another year I made this apron for my mother in law that had all these pocket in it. She was always saying that she hated picking up the house because she never had any pockets in her dress to put things.
Thanks Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
I like your story.
Your kids are young adults. What can you afford to spend without using credit cards? What do you normally spend? One of our best holidays, we had no money, so had to get very creative. I remember my DH opening gift after gift and finally saying, "You said we didn't have any money!". I had only spent $50 on him by shopping at thrift stores for old books, a $10 shirt that he LOVED from K-Mart and a few other things. It was a lot of fun.
Teaching your kids to live within their means is a great gift. I encourage you to give them the insight to determine needs vs. wants and to enjoy life's simple pleasures.
The "guilt" is all commercially driven. People who make much more than you or I want you to feel guilty and spend, spend, spend.
Good luck.
Dee
All my best,
Danni
Your kids are certainly old enough to understand finances and to appreciate and respect your desire to improve your financial situation and break the credit card cycle.
I don't post much, but I'm here all the time.
This post hit close to home. I've been making GREAT efforts since July to NOT charge a thing. I have succeeded and have been very proud of myself and my DH. PROBLEM: Holidays to ME means charging. SOLUTION: Can't do it. Bottom Line. I want to soooooooooooo bad. I see things I know people in my family would love. But, I didn't buy them. THankfully my DH got a great overtime check in October and we went out and bought gifts with that money. Everyone is done except for the extended family grab bag which we pick on Thanksgiving and I have a few things I'd like to buy for my DH. But all that money comes when we get paid out of our checking account.
I have two little kids. A five year old and a one year old. The one year old would be happy with a box. She is getting a few little toys and she will be happy with that. The five year old is getting a few toys and a TV/DVD player. This was a "splurge" for us to buy him ($150) but it came from my DH's overtime check so it was paid for in cash.
Christmas is what it is. We always do a gingerbread men decorating day with my sister, young niece and my neighbor and her young daughter. My son looks forward to that. I also do a large baking day and bake for family and co-workers. I want my kids to know those traditions over the ones that involve gifts.
It's hard to break that habit of wanting to GIVE GIVE GIVE big gifts. I am dealing with that daily. I see big things and want to buy them. But as I hear about friends who have gotten laid off or are facing layoffs I am thankful that we had the money to buy gifts and I am happy that my family knows times are tough for all.
When I was in my 20's I can guarantee you that if my parents didn't have money to buy me an extreme xmas gift
Since your kids are young adults, they're old enough to be told that this year you are starting to treat Christmas differently.
When I was in my late teens, my family started changing our Christmas traditions. We started going to a late Christmas eve mass, then we'd come home and have a big fish dinner with lots of wine and laughing, then we'd open presents, go to bed at 2am, and then we'd all sleep late on Christmas morning. It took the emphasis off presents and made it just a wonderful evening. A little strange for us younger folks the first year, but it became a tradition of its own. The hardest part for me as a teenager to give up was the stocking, but I wish we'd give it up in our house. You can spend way too much on silly stocking things, but DH loves to buy those things and actually what he gets is usually useful.
My parents have not spent more than $150 on each of us, ever. They give great gifts though. They'd ask us what we wanted - as many things as we could come up with - and pick from the list. If I asked for a white sweater, they'd make it a beautiful cashmere one that they got a great deal on, and give me maybe 2 or 3 other things. I think when a family gets older, it's definitely time to defocus on gift-giving. I'm very fortunate that my family and my DH's family all agree on this!
And I love your family's "pickle hunt" tradition! :)
Kelly
Pages