'Tis the Season to Be.... Broke

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Have you started your shopping yet? The stores started in early on us this year, trying to suck our money out from under us before we got smacked with this winter's first $459 heating bill. I am trying not to think about the high cost of things, as I love buying gifts and wrapping them up. I love waiting for the look on someone's face when they open up my gift. I am an extremely deliberate gift buyer. It takes me a month at least to get all my gifts perfect so yes, I have started.

I have made the strict rule that this year, no credit cards. I can use my card to purchase something on line but I have the money sitting right next to me ready to be transferred to payment on the credit card. I can't do what I did last year and overspend only to pay for the next 3 months on Christmas gifts already used and forgotten.

I have 10 people to buy for this year. We cut out brothers and all cousins except for one, who is the little angel of the family and is spoiled rotten still. My goal is to spend under $1000 this year.

So, have you started? Who do you buy for? Do you plan on remortgaging your house to pay for Christmas this year or have you decided, like so many, that Christmas just can't be as big as it used to be?

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I started on Saturday and surprisingly managed to sort out 2 pressents with no hassle or pondering.
But to add to any left over pressure i have 2 family members who have birthdays a few days before/after christmas so I have to really put my thinking cap on.

Weve kind of got to the point were we ask/say outright what we/others want.

I have about 15 people to buy for and im gona try to do it for around £200, luckily I dont have bills to pay for so you have my sympathy.
Ive just worked out that £13 per person, change that to about £20 per person so.....gets calculator out....thats £300.

Would have been nice to have been paid for October but no sign of that and November pay is due in a couple of days!!!

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I'm nearly done!

Yipee.

I don't have many to buy for anymore. Our rule is -- once a kid is out of school they go on the "grown up" list, which means no gift.

We only have five kids, including Mo, to buy for this year but we do have 4 birthdays too!

I usually indulge my family with photos of my grand-niece but that is more of a "thank you" for putting Mo and I up for several weeks during our summer vacation.

My mom and Mr. B's parents usually get a nice photo of Mo.

From Mo's perspective it gets a bit more complicated. I buy a gift for him to give to his little sisters and also do a nice framed photo of him for him to give to his bio-family members.

This year too I think he'll be making "Mo Bubbles" to give out. If I can find some bubble wands, that is!

I only put online shopping on credit cards. This year I think I'm down to two items, less than $100. Everything else is strictly cash and carry.

I really need to get finished up with all the photo stuff. Thanks for the nudge.

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my mother always made a big deal out of christmas.

I kind of miss that now.

But i think I am going to take a minimal stand point on christmas for myself and my family.

Ian s family never celebrated anything.
They are a bunch of fuddy-duddies.
Christmas was an exchange of cards over a meal.
And always reluctant.. it seems.

With my mom, it was the HUGE tree and PILES of gifts.. and it seemed that christmas was defined nit by a family gathering.. but by how far away from the tree you had to walk to not trip over the presents.

oh wait.. the original question was have i shopped yet?
Duh... NO.

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I love piles of gifts, even if they are only little ones wrapped individually. My mother and MIL know this and always wrap everything seperately for me. I just love opening gifts. I am like a little kid.

I also tend to wrap everyone elses gifts seperatly like that too.

The tree goes up this Saturday (yikes!)...my hubby's idea. I will be ornament shopping on Friday. (God help me then....) If I am not back on Monday, you know I was mowed down by some crazy day after Tgiving shopper.

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I am not really getting big into Christmas this year... I'll get my immediate family and friends something, but nothing big... I don't have the money and I don't like the crowded stores at all....

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I start months ahead of time.

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I've always wondered what kind of knuckleheads go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and now I know - it's the Deas and their ilk.

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Usually I won't go but because my hubby is wanting to put the tree up on Saturday, and many of our christmas decos got lost, broken or otherwise maimed during the two moves we had this summer, I have to get some. And the "sale monger" in me can't fathom buying decos now when in only 3 days they will be on sale. I might just break down and go tonight to save my saity. But.....then again....

Normally, I can't stand going out of the house that day and reserve driving for life threatening emergencies only. But this year, it looks like I will be (gulp) out and about.

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Every year I vow I will not go nuts, and every year I do. Then I'm a little disappointed, because I drag 4-5 presents for sister, mom and dad, nephew all the way from the states, add more little things i buy just before or on the day of christmas, and i get only a thing or two in return - due to my sincere loud advocating of 'humble christmas, this year for real'.
i'm gonna try to limit it to 2 gifts per person this year... gonna be tough.

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I take my time because I like to find the right gift to fit the personality. This works for me because I'm not that broke come the holidays. My boyfriend leaves his shopping to me, and he is usually happy with my purchases.

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I HATE crowded shops too!!!

Can somebody please explain to me why some people think its a good idea to completely block up an aisle by standing in the middle of it, or placing the trolley at an angle so nobody can get by!!!!??

I have been known to walk into a shop a couple of steps, seen that I cant actually get anywhere in it and walk staright out again.

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Okay Bella, you're off the hook for being a knucklehead.

I am always amazed at the after Thanksgiving shoppers. I know people who stratagize for weeks prior. I can only sit in dumbfounded silence as they hatch their plans.

I like a good price as much as the next guy but bargains lose their flavor when mixed with crowds and long lines.

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I love a good bargain.I like to see my money streeeetch.
But yes, the soooooo annoying shoppers can really get on my wick!!

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We shop for (next) Chrismas right after Christmas. Bargain toys for the girls for next year, bargain clothes for us for right now.

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Then we invariably find "irresistable" bargains during the year. The girls make out like bandits.

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Oh yeah, I save money too on some purchases.

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Thats a good idea shopping in the sales.

We have sales going on all the time for one reason or another.Its getting quite odd.

Clothes shoping is ruined by the fac some shops only allow youto take in a limited number of items at a time, I need 2 differnt sizes to see what fits best and the queues for the changeing rooms are horrific!!

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Yeah, I get really claustrophobic when surrounded by people so this time of year really sucks when you need to do normal shopping and can't. I think that perhaps next year I will just stock up with enough dry goods to get me through, say February so I don't have to go shopping.

I also live very close to a mall so....this year is going to be hell on wheels. I might kill someone. If you hear about a crazy lady gone mad and smashing her car into as many other cars as she could before being brought down by the SWAT team, you'll know it was me.

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material girl wrote:

Clothes shoping is ruined by the fac some shops only allow youto take in a limited number of items at a time, I need 2 differnt sizes to see what fits best and the queues for the changeing rooms are horrific!!

And there is always the a**hole who takes 6 garments in but has someone standing out side of the room to hand in new ones, so they end up with 45 garments to try on while the rest of the people wait to try on 3.

Once, last year, while looking for my New Years Eve dress, I got so mad at the people trying on clothes, taking their sweet ass time even though there was a huge line up that I just said f*ck it and changed right there in the dressing area. Everyone was looking at me of course, like I'd lost my mind but I just said loudly "I've been standing here for 20 minutes and I am not going to wait another 20 to try on 2 dresses."

I guess the holiday's do get to me....

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