I’m all for stimulating growth. Boosting GNP. Or GDP. Or the S&P! Spending, by any other name… especially at holiday time. But not when you don’t have the bucks!
Hey – I’m just like everyone else. The credit cards get plenty of action when I can’t cover expenses any other way. Sadly (or thankfully), that has included groceries and clothes for my kids. And yes, a bottle of perfume for me twice a year, which I use sparingly to make it last.
This season?
I’m as frugal as a… church mouse? No, that’s not it. Scrooge? No. That’s wrong, too. He’s curmudgeonly and ungenerous. Let’s just call me the Budget Queen. And proud of it!
Ready, set, spend!
Well, as long as there aren’t designer shoe sales involved (or art books), I’m quite the disciplined shopper. So there.
Now as for the official go-go-go of Holiday Shopping Madness, the bottom line is… Black Friday and Cyber Monday managed quite nicely sans yours truly and any of my plastic pennies, thank you very much.
Now, I’m certainly not alone musing on this subject today. And plenty of you were out there! According to some news sources, the sums were summarily sumptuous (near prerecessionary levels, at least where card spending was concerned), while other reports took a more conservative view – and it’s always entertaining to see how data can be manipulated, isn’t it? Just like the public consciousness?
Crowd control?
Whatever your preferred stance on the improving (?) nature of the economy, did you brave the crowds and score a treasure or two? Did you tap-tap your way to a few online purchases, from the comfort of your home?
- Do you plan on spending more freely this year? Or are you erring on the side of caution?
- Have your habits changed even at holiday time, or is it a matter of what’s left in the wallet and the credit line?
- Do your children understand the concepts of budgetary constraints? Not only in holiday spending, but in daily life?
My beloved ragamuffins
As for this little household, I handed each of my stalwart (and scruffy) sons a small sum of cash on Saturday afternoon, with the motherly mandate to go forth, to Targét – where we always find deals and sizes that fit – and to return with jeans, pants, sweaters, and gloves – to their liking, and to my relief as the parental unit.
They came home having shopped smartly (and frugally), content with their purchases, and that was that.
No fun, you say?
Christmas comes but once a year
Now where did that statistic come from that says it costs $200,000 to raise a child to age 18? I think that factor is off. Considerably. With or without Christmas shopping or college in the picture… And shouldn’t we carry Christmas in our hearts, not our Coach bags?
At this point – while there will surely be a few surprises beneath the tree for my young men – given tuition, SATs, AP exams, IB exams, senior dues, art supplies… I dare say, the twinkle in the Christmas lights and my motherly eye will have to suffice.
So I hope those of you who have the means (and the energy) to get out there and shop go for it! Have fun! Then report back. I’ll live vicariously through your exotic and clever purchases. And as for me and my crew – we have everything we need. Each other.
I have been remiss in getting to your blog lately – to any blog for that matter. So, imagine my surprise as I am reading away and get an email saying there is a ping back to my blog.
Hope you are enjoying the season, BLW!!!
You, too, Nicki! (And we haven’t really begun the season around here. Can you tell? We’re in college application and portfolio madness… All things pale next to that right now.)
Hoping we find a sprig of holly or two in the next weeks – to put somewhere! 🙂
I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t even know Cyber Monday existed! What hole have I been living in? Sheesh.
Every year before Christmas, the girls go through their toys and pack up things they no longer use/play with and we donate them. I tell myself that I’m “doing good.” In essence though, I’m just making room for more crap. Sigh.
I think all our kids could probably do with a bit less “stuff.” There’s so much pressure though. I love the idea that you weed through toys with your kids and donate them! Excellent! (And if it makes room for more crap, if that “crap” gets reused as well, that doesn’t sound so bad.)
Kitch – I love the idea of donating toys to kids who need them. I instills some selflessness into a holiday that (for kids, at least) can be all about “what I want!”
BLW – No shopping here yet, though I’m about to get started. I’m going to try to toe the line this year. Not super budget conscious, but not free spending either. At this point I’m thinking I’ll probably spend the least on my son, since he get so many gifts from aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. And I’m doing as much shopping online as possible. Crowded malls make me batty…
@Gale – I just know you’re going to sneak in some hot heels for yourself, no? 😉
I worked some overtime over the Thanksgiving weekend and that will be my budget. Only to be spent on a precious few. Even my sister and I agreed to not exchange gifts this year!
Impressive, April! (It feels so much better when we’re reasonable about all this. Well, for some of us!)
I did not succumb or fall this year and I am very proud of myself. Of course, Hanukkah is early this year, so I had to buy when things WEREN’T on sale!
No shopping on this front. My husband and I are constant clutter removers and minimalists so we try to watch what we spend. I’ve found in the past I’ve bought stuff that I don’t really need. I am trying make a conscious effort to ask myself before a purchase whether or not I need it or want it. My daughter is very observant and I want to serve as a good role model, teaching her that the most important things in life are ones that you cannot purchase.
In a rare act of preplanning, I finished my Hanukkah and Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. I spent modestly – and none on my sons, who will make out like bandits anyway as the only grandkids on either side of the family.
Now that our older son is 3 and semi-rational, we’re trying to instill in him the idea that December isn’t just about getting. I like Kitch’s idea and will try to incorporate that into our holiday cheer.
@Kristen – I’m impressed! (And Kitch’s idea is terrific, isn’t it?)
@Rudri – Glad to know I’m not the only one not quite shopping-ready…
@Lee – Latkes, latkes, latkes. (Tied with ribbon?)
I didn’t go shopping last weekend, but I planned what we’re shopping for and as I’ve found good prices, I’ve bought presents. Almost done. The girls are helping me pick a few gifts because giving is fun and I’m making some of their artwork into a calendar. My husband and I are getting each other books to share. No new shoes here, but I did find an old pair of black heels that made my day.
Almost done! Oh, you should get gold stars for that!
From the movie Confessions of Shopoholic, there is a difference between COST and WORTH. (I don’t recommend the movie, but I do recommend the moral of the story). Happy Anti-Shopping Season!
Anti-Shopping Season! (Great acronym by the way ;)) Yeah, not a great movie, was it…
I’ve never been a Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopper. I’m not a huge fan of shopping on the best of days and when you throw in a crowd – no thank you! Absolutely everyone on my list this year is getting something knit by my own two hands, whether they want it or not! My son may be an exception but I’m not even sure about that. As the deadline looms large the possibility that I may not make it on time makes me glad that most of the recipients are grown ups!
Handmade gifts are the best. Don’t you find you cherish them when you receive them? What a wonderful reminder that we can actually take the time and thought to make something special.
“And as for me and my crew – we have everything we need. Each other.”
Amen to that… and to realizing that our crew may be bigger than we thought—perhaps much bigger… and learning to shop for themselves at that.
Happy everything.
And shouldn’t we carry Christmas in our hearts, not our Coach bags?
Could. not. have. said. it. better. I categorically DO NOT participate in Black Friday. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, in a store that will get me there at 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7am. I think Cyber Monday is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. I ordered a bunch of stuff online on Tuesday and Wednesday, got them on sale…plus free shipping. I try very hard not to get caught up in the contagious chaos of the season. Contagious panic…yes. 😉