Holiday Shopping/ Are You Going to Spend More? Less? the Same as Usual?

My household is not having financial trouble, but we have decided not to buy any Xmas gifts this year. It just doesn't seem right to spend hundreds of dollars on crap that we don't really need right now.

I've been pushing for this type of plan for the Holidays for years (since I'm an atheist, it has never really made sense to buy Xmas gifts to me, but my SO has never let that slide), and now it's finally happening. This will be the best Holiday season ever!

Us too. We might be able to buy gifts but we don't want to put ourselves close to the edge over Christmas presents. The little one will be getting a few small things to open but not a ton.
She's young enough that she still doesn't notice anyway.

I too do not celebrate Christmas, but I usually buy my son and daughter-in-law a little something.

Personally, that would not change, although I too am not in any grave financial straits. I am wondering though. Would being frugal ultimately backfire on the economy, causing more store bankruptcies? I think that the country now is in a "damned if we do, damned if we don't" situation. What do you think?

It will hurt some businesses, but such is life.

You need this type of financial situation to happen every decade or so, it helps thin the herd and keeps businesses innovating and producing goods that customers want/need. It also keeps employees motivated to improve themselves and stay one step ahead of their peers.

What's the alternative? Massive government monetary injection to each and every business that threatens bankruptcy? Not worth it in my opinion.

Yeah, we've been getting there gradually. My dad and his wife aren't doing Christmas for grownups at all anymore (as in, to them or from them), but they're still giving presents to sozlet (and I have to help her get stuff for them -- usually not that hard though, on the order of kid-painted birdhouses).

No gift exchange with siblings-in-law (as of a couple of years ago). No gift exchange with my mom's extended family (my aunts, uncles, cousins) as of a few years ago.

Gift exchange with my mom but she has asked for things like donations to charities in her name -- she says she has enough stuff.

Leaves presents for:

sozlet
E.G.
various small kiddos in the extended family
E.G.'s grandma
and minor gifts for neighbors, kid's teachers, etc.

Not bad.

Will spend about the same as usual I expect, but I always spend far less than the averages I've seen. We make a lot of stuff.

One thing I'll be making for grandparents (and one great-grandparent) this year is photo notepads from Shutterfly -- $8/ ea (ending today, usually $10/ea).



Very customizable, and consumable/ useful.

We've been giving lip service to replacing gift-giving with charitable donations for years. This year we're going to implement it. Everyone on my gift list will be asked to name the charity of their choice and a donation to that charity will be made in their name.

Nice idea, soz!

I like it JPB. I'll suggest to my SO doing the same.

As I've mentioned on other threads - very little spending at our house. We've been doing the homemade goods and charities for years. Only young children get gifts in our immediate family. If I do any shopping it will be at businesses that are small, local, offer craftsman type quality and have as few items from China as possible. I might buy a couple things on line that I can't get locally, I like Etsy-shops for quality handmade goods.

I think we have to get over this idea that the economy has to grow, grow, grow and every year we have to spend more, more, more. We need to focus on a sustainable economy - not infinite growth. I like the idea that people are starting to think before they spend. Many families just run around buying gifts because they feel obligated to do so. I hope this downturn will make people focus more on quality than quantity. I think it will lead to a shake down in our retail stores, but the strong will survive. Other than the fact we will have vacant brick and mortar buildings in every town, I think this was just a long time in coming and we need it to happen. Maybe we can knock down some of those empty strip malls and replace them with parks.

Hello Phoenix32890
Usually by this time of the year, I see Christmas trees being sold on many corners. Have seen none yet. I'm wondering if the Christmas tree will be cut out of many struggling families budget.
Edible gifts are fun to give, and receive. I just purchased a pound and three ounce can of snails, from igormet. Saved a bundle.

We don´t give gifts to extended family - only ourselves and some friends.
I love to buy, wrap and give and I don´t think I will pay more or less this year than other years. I usually shop all year round for things I think will be welcome.
Books for the book lover, elephants in one way or other for the elephant lover,
unusual decorated bridgecards for the bridge player, home made cards for the letter writer, something about trains for the train lover. One drugstore gives me a free calender another one sells them for about a dollar. These items are always welcome. I also give Christmas cards so they have for next year - especially nice wrapping paper,which is always handy to have in the house. Food items you can only buy in one country is welcome in another.

Don't know where you are alex, but trees are not cut until right after Thanksgiving. A cut tree will start to seriously drop needles within two-three weeks, most tree farmers want their stock to look good until Xmas eve. Even cut your owns don't open until the weekend after Thanksgiving. Overall, I do think fewer people are doing trees. Anyone with children over the age of 12 seem to be giving it a second thought. A basic tree in my area is going to cost $50 this year. A fancy fir or white spruce could be over $100.

I think some people might not be doing the big front lawn light extravaganza because of the power expense. I would love to see less of this kind of energy waste.

Uh oh, with sentiment like that I can feel the economy swirling around the bowl as we speak.

On the other hand, it might be the people with good finances who are more frugal, and the ones who are living on the edge who will bankrupt themselves with christmas gifts but save the retailers.

Do not start blaming me or my sentiment with the economy. I never wanted our economy to be based 70% on consumer spending. I should be able to save money w/o getting a guilt trip.

The people living on the edge will be paired nicely with the companies who are living on the edge bankrupting themselves.

Our family never spent much at Christmas time, and this year will be no different. By not much, I mean under $60 for all.

We'll still spend money but not like in the past. We all need some new clothes, basics, etc. My daughter has lived for two years in her new room without a dresser, and she's sick of boxes. Hell we're all sick of boxes.

I just put new tires on the girls' Jeep. That has to be considered a Christmas present to some extent.

What I really want I probably won't be able to get simply for financial reasons. You can guess what it is.

My only non-401K mutual fund investment is off 40% from a year ago when I bought it. Just great.

Our family christmas has changed gradually over the last couple of years. At first we would get gifts for all the 'couples' , then it went to a drawing the name of one person to give to with a $$ limit. Last year we had a simpler exchange where everyone bought a generic gift with a $ limit and made it into a mystery present exchange. We all drew numbers and either choose a gift someone had already opened or a mystery one from the under the tree.

This year (because I'm not sure if I will have a job come the new year) MrMBC and I are not getting each other gifts at all and we are forging the live christmas tree. The family is doing an 'elephant exchange' where they have to pick something that is already in their house. For us Christmas is not about the 'stuff' it's about getting together, having good eats, and playing trivia or some other such fun.

I'm in kind of a weird spot - I've just started a new job after a downsizing - so my salary is actually doubled up for the balance of the year. So money's not the issue. We're just not big Christmas gift exchange people. I've been picking little things up for the hamburgers for about 6 months now - can't tell you what they are - you never know where hamburger might be reading. My main gift to Set will likely be an appointment with my opthamologist - veterans affairs is still being a pain in the patoot.

I knit a bunch of shawl/scarf/hood things for friends over the past few months - they expressed interest in one I'd knit for myself, so I made custom ones for them.

The only gift I haven't really decided on is for one of my neighbours. She'd like another pic of the dogs - I was thinking having a custom mug made for her with their pic - and some interesting tea to go with it.

Beth- Mr. P. and I took some pics of each other, and had mugs made from the pics. Uploaded the pics to Kodak. The mugs are great quality, and we each use the mug with the picture of the other.

I think mugs are a great idea!