How are you economizing this Christmas?

[WeLoveLilo05]

2 years ago me, my aunt & uncle, and brother decided not to exchange, we are all very close but we decided we didn't need anything and to just get for the kids, so thats what we do and we spend the day together.

I told fiance that since we're saving for a wedding and a house that maybe he should tell his aunts and uncles (he has 8) that we didn't want to exchange, just get for his cousins who are still little and his sister, mom dad and grandparents.

I think I cut back on DD this year, her big gift is an AG Doll and a piece of furniture, and I got her some AG things from a consignment shop (furniture, clothes, and I found another retired doll that my mom is going to buy off of me to give to her). Got her a free scooter from disney movie rewards and a free DS game from swagbucks. She is pretty much done. Our problem if her birthday is right after Christmas so we always spend a bit due having 2 celebrations back to back lol.

 

[Pigeon]

We've cut way back on the number of people we exchange gifts with. Dh and I have huge families. We stopped exchanging on my side years ago. The people on dh's side were more resistant, but last year I just put my foot down and we stopped. (The people who put the least thought into it, and who bought the crappiest stuff were the ones who complained the most.)

It was great. IMO, it's far better than just trying to buy less expensive gifts or do crafty stuff nobody wants. We don't need more junk and neither do the relatives. While I appreciate the thought behind the homemade gifts, usually they get thrown out ASAP.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

We've cut way back on the number of people we exchange gifts with. Dh and I have huge families. We stopped exchanging on my side years ago. The people on dh's side were more resistant, but last year I just put my foot down and we stopped. (The people who put the least thought into it, and who bought the crappiest stuff were the ones who complained the most.)

It was great. IMO, it's far better than just trying to buy less expensive gifts or do crafty stuff nobody wants. We don't need more junk and neither do the relatives. While I appreciate the thought behind the homemade gifts, usually they get thrown out ASAP.

This is our issue, DD gets regifted items each year. I know this b/c DD is 5 and she is average, yet every year she gets an outfit that didn't fit fiance's cousin, (ex. last year she got a HS Musical sweatshirt size 14/16, year before, another HS Musical sweatshirt size 10/12). So his aunt regifts for my DD, yet I go out and try and get something cheap but something his cousin would like. I think they won' argue with us about not exchanging, but we'll be the talk of the family for requesting that we don't exchange this year.

 

[Pigeon]

I think they won' argue with us about not exchanging, but we'll be the talk of the family for requesting that we don't exchange this year.

Yeah, the BILs and SILs were annoyed that we wanted to stop, but let them talk about us... Who cares, really.