X-mas blues/budget?

[dreamin_disney]

Hello. I dont know if it's just me or if me being in a buget mood causing x-mas blues.

I went shopping for shampoo, toilet paper etc and only a lil bit of x-mas stuff was out ...thank goodness. I started thinking about x-mas shopping and I'm just not in the mood. Previous years x-mas stuff was out in July and wow! I think i was more excited then-lol!

I made $310 at lastweeks yardsale, another $50 for the barstools sold on craigs list today, I have a $220 x-mas club check coming 1st week of nov.


Dh and I bought dd a leather type looking jacket that was on sale for $30 and we used khols free $10 so we got it for $20. dd saw a wallet @ wal-mart that she wanted $5 so we got that.

I'm in budget mode and dont want to spend any of it. I just want to save save save! Is this normal?????

anyone else feeling the same way?

 

[gracie1]

No christmas blues here. I love, love, love christmas and would have the house decorated year round if i could!!

 

[beansmom]

my feeling is that if your DD is old enough to want a leather jacket and a wallet, then she's old enough to understand that xmas isn't about what you get but about something much more meaningful. We have purchased some things for our small ones but our grown children and family members are getting baskets of homemade goodies.

My personal feeling is that Christmas has become almost the opposite extreme of what it was supposed to be. It's, imho, a time to give not 'gimme, gimme, gimme'.

 

[lyncecelia]

I had the Christmas blues for a while. More people to shop for and less income will do that to you. However, what's more important is the feeling I get. So this year, I'm hand-making a lot of stuff. I look forward to decorating etc.

 

[gracie1]

my feeling is that if your DD is old enough to want a leather jacket and a wallet, then she's old enough to understand that xmas isn't about what you get but about something much more meaningful. We have purchased some things for our small ones but our grown children and family members are getting baskets of homemade goodies.

My personal feeling is that Christmas has become almost the opposite extreme of what it was supposed to be. It's, imho, a time to give not 'gimme, gimme, gimme'.

I don't think $25 on a coat and wallet is bad

 

[arminnie]

IF - and it's a very big if - my new kitchen is finished in time I want to make Christmas cookies for gifts. Hardly anyone has time to make them anymore so they are really appreciated. Even those not eating sweets love having something to put out for guests.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Beansmom -opps! I mean i do have money . The $200 from x-mas club was saved for her x-mas. I also retired my car and got $1000 for it so I put that monthy into an emergency saving acct. This Friday I will have paid off another cc so i will only have two left but those are at 0% one until june and the 2nd until 3/13.
I do agree with you about x-mas has become more about gifts. Luckily my dd has her B-day and x-mas the same month and requested only an Ipod .She said she'd buy her own itune cards. She was going to buy her own ipod a few months ago but we told her to wait so we could get it for her.


Now that I'm on the right path with my budget, I guess I'm worried about getting off the path again. In the past I would always get into more debt at x-mas. Could it be I associate X-mas =debt lol!

The weather here has also been cold and gloomy so that might be it to.


To those that are in budget mode or have gotten out of debt do you notice this around x-mas when its shopping time????

 

[hpfan100]

IF - and it's a very big if - my new kitchen is finished in time I want to make Christmas cookies for gifts. Hardly anyone has time to make them anymore so they are really appreciated. Even those not eating sweets love having something to put out for guests.

I love to make cookies for gifts. That's what I have done the past few years and it is always a good time. I'm able to give more gifts since the cookies don't cost so much. I give them to the office staff and all the teachers that I work directly with. This year I might try and make cupcakes or other little treats. HO HO HO!!!

 

[Terry36]

IF - and it's a very big if - my new kitchen is finished in time I want to make Christmas cookies for gifts. Hardly anyone has time to make them anymore so they are really appreciated. Even those not eating sweets love having something to put out for guests.

I love to make cookies for gifts. That's what I have done the past few years and it is always a good time. I'm able to give more gifts since the cookies don't cost so much. I give them to the office staff and all the teachers that I work directly with. This year I might try and make cupcakes or other little treats. HO HO HO!!!

I like this idea. So if you don't mind can you please elaborate on what type of cookies you make. Can you please share your recipes?

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I am struggling a little bit with my Christmas budget this year. Not so much that we don't have the cash set aside as I just don't want to go out and spend it on stuff we don't really need. I did order a couple hoodies from the Disney Store this week and I have my squenky (sp?)supply! But I think it will be a smaller gift season for us. Maybe just a couple fun things and a couple needs. I just don't feel like this is the right time to go over the top with a lot of stuff.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I am struggling a little bit with my Christmas budget this year. Not so much that we don't have the cash set aside as I just don't want to go out and spend it on stuff we don't really need. I did order a couple hoodies from the Disney Store this week and I have my squenky (sp?)supply! But I think it will be a smaller gift season for us. Maybe just a couple fun things and a couple needs. I just don't feel like this is the right time to go over the top with a lot of stuff.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I was starting to worry. When i do go shopping I will look for coupons, khols money and their $10 off coupons.
This is the 1st year I didnt decorate for halloween so the day after Thanksgiving I plan on decorating for x-mas.

To those that mentioned cookies is there somewhere we can post cookie recipes?? I could use some new recipes or ideas. For x-mas I usually make huge trays of different goodies to take to x-mas eve party and x-mas day get together.

 

[DawnM]

I am making some gifts this year. I have an embroidery machine and will be making Christmas ornaments for quite a few folks. I need to get started on it soon though!

Grandparents are getting photo albums (maybe creative memories type if I find the time) and a small gift.

DH and I don't buy for each other. We just don't. When we need/want something, we go get it ourselves. DH is a golfer and VERY particular about the things he wants, so it isn't even worth shopping for him (and a gift card to the local golf shop is pointless as he can order what he wants online for about 25%-50% less cost).

So, really, it all goes to the kids. This year I think they are getting passes to fun activities though. I may try to get the Costco Universal passes and they want to go to Magic Quest, so I may get passes to that.

We don't need more toys!

BTW: Several of my friends give a total of 4 gifts, as follows:

Something you want
SOmething you need
Something you wear
Something you read

We haven 't really done that, but it is a good idea.

Dawn

 

[Soben]

I know this is spending more money, but what gets me in the Christmas mood is buying presents for a needy kid. The trees aren't up yet, but you can mentally pick an age/sex and go with it. I budget $100 and like to see how I can stretch it with clearance/doorbusters. The kids help me find stuff and it makes me happy to know I'm making someone's Christmas. It's more of an impact on their lives than on my kids who really have everything they need.

 

[beansmom]

I don't think $25 on a coat and wallet is bad

oh, not at all. I think I was responding more from a philosophical standpoint. So many people go overboard for Christmas (and I can be one of them) whether they have the money or not. And we somehow seem to think we always have to 'top' last year. I fall into that catergory as well.

I'm just saying sometimes I think we forget Christmas is supposed to be more about your faith (and I'm not a holy roller in any way) and brotherhood and caring for all of mankind. I LOVE Soben's idea of helping the needy...we should all do that, imo. And it should be year-round...children get hungry and need shoes in July, too.

My thought is if you give a 7 year old an ATV, what do you give them next year? A Mercedes??? People used to be happier with much less 'stuff'...our expectations, IMO, have become much higher and sometimes harder to meet.

*Crawling off her soapbox now.*

 

[nowellsl]

I felt like that when I was getting out of debt. Now that I am (out of debt) I have so much more disposable income that I just buy presents whenever I find them at a good price, all year long. I don't take money out of savings although I may not put as much in during Nov. and Dec. to finish up last minute things. This year all the adults in the family are doing a gift card exchange, each buying one card and then doing a swap/steal game. The rest that we would have spent is going to our favorite charity - which is a scholarship fund set up in my father's name to send a local high school student to college.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

BTW: Several of my friends give a total of 4 gifts, as follows:

Something you want
SOmething you need
Something you wear
Something you read

We haven 't really done that, but it is a good idea.

Dawn[/QUOTE]

This is what we do for DD13 and it works like a charm. That and some gift cards and bath stuff in her stocking and she's a happy camper.

By the way I just got a groupon in Vegas today for $20 for $40 worth of stuff at the body shop.
http://www.groupon.com/las-vegas/

And a 50% off coupon for old navy from face book.