Comments on: The Totally Free (or Nearly) Christmas http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html Bridging the gap between saving money and investing Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:48:43 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: MizPat http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-509359 MizPat Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:07:30 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-509359 Now that the holidays are over, I'd like to give my feedback on Christmas. My biggest expense was gift cards for 5 nieces/nephews and my sister. $20 apiece for the two little girls at Walmart, $20 apiece for the boys at Amazon, $20 for the oldest girl at a vegan website and $25 for mom at a beading site. And I got my dear next door neighbor a gift card for barnes and noble which we will spend hours and hours invading the store and looking at specials over. I know that the kids were excited and pleased with the gift cards and felt they were very mature and worldly wise. I had a specific budget for people at work and found tons of wonderful $5 gifts at Ross and Kmart. I received a MP3 player from one boss, diabetic candy from another and a desk fountain from the other, and 3 gift cards, which I'm hording against emergencies. The rest of my budget was spent on ME, to get shoes, new work clothes and the cheapest, uncoolest television in the world that will work with a dvd player so i can play dvds for exercises, and my few dvds that I enjoy watching. And you know what, it was absolutely a wonderful Christmas. I went to free Christmas concerts, a christmas parade, and church. I got sick and didn't go to the nutcracker so lost $23 bucks, there, but i drove around, looked at lights, put up my own lights and felt the wonder of Christmas. My total budget was $600, and most of it was things I really need, and the wild tv expenditure ($250). I didn't buy anything that I felt like I owed, I just enjoyed giving useful little tokens of my appreciation. And I kept in my budget. Now that the holidays are over, I’d like to give my feedback on Christmas. My biggest expense was gift cards for 5 nieces/nephews and my sister. $20 apiece for the two little girls at Walmart, $20 apiece for the boys at Amazon, $20 for the oldest girl at a vegan website and $25 for mom at a beading site. And I got my dear next door neighbor a gift card for barnes and noble which we will spend hours and hours invading the store and looking at specials over. I know that the kids were excited and pleased with the gift cards and felt they were very mature and worldly wise.

I had a specific budget for people at work and found tons of wonderful $5 gifts at Ross and Kmart.

I received a MP3 player from one boss, diabetic candy from another and a desk fountain from the other, and 3 gift cards, which I’m hording against emergencies.

The rest of my budget was spent on ME, to get shoes, new work clothes and the cheapest, uncoolest television in the world that will work with a dvd player so i can play dvds for exercises, and my few dvds that I enjoy watching.

And you know what, it was absolutely a wonderful Christmas. I went to free Christmas concerts, a christmas parade, and church. I got sick and didn’t go to the nutcracker so lost $23 bucks, there, but i drove around, looked at lights, put up my own lights and felt the wonder of Christmas. My total budget was $600, and most of it was things I really need, and the wild tv expenditure ($250).

I didn’t buy anything that I felt like I owed, I just enjoyed giving useful little tokens of my appreciation. And I kept in my budget.

]]> By: Mike http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-499540 Mike Mon, 22 Dec 2008 07:35:48 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-499540 Where was this story back when the stupid people at the NE church were making commercials, forcing kids to say that Barack Obama would make Americans get rid of Christmas? I agree with the author, and have been feeling the same way about Christmas gifts since I have started having to actually buy those gifts fro people. (All the years before, Mom bought them and put us kids' names on the tag.) It's just too hard to buy gifts for everyone, especially since our family has exploded. We've only lost two people over the past 15 years, but there are 8+ new members now that my generation is old enough to marry and have kids. I don't expect anything from my immediate family, either. I just want to have a nice breakfast like Mom used to make us before we opened presents (I just want the breakfast, though!). A nice cup of coffee and a conversation, along with a morning paper. We never had much spent on us as kids, maybe $50 bucks each at the most. When I read stories about people scaling back their Christmas spending from $6,000 to $2,000 during these poor economic times, it makes me want to puke. What kid deserves those kinds of presents? Hasn't s/he received anything during the course of the year? No family should be obligated to waste money on presents that could otherwise be used to fund a college education. Where was this story back when the stupid people at the NE church were making commercials, forcing kids to say that Barack Obama would make Americans get rid of Christmas?

I agree with the author, and have been feeling the same way about Christmas gifts since I have started having to actually buy those gifts fro people. (All the years before, Mom bought them and put us kids’ names on the tag.) It’s just too hard to buy gifts for everyone, especially since our family has exploded. We’ve only lost two people over the past 15 years, but there are 8+ new members now that my generation is old enough to marry and have kids.

I don’t expect anything from my immediate family, either. I just want to have a nice breakfast like Mom used to make us before we opened presents (I just want the breakfast, though!). A nice cup of coffee and a conversation, along with a morning paper.

We never had much spent on us as kids, maybe $50 bucks each at the most. When I read stories about people scaling back their Christmas spending from $6,000 to $2,000 during these poor economic times, it makes me want to puke. What kid deserves those kinds of presents? Hasn’t s/he received anything during the course of the year? No family should be obligated to waste money on presents that could otherwise be used to fund a college education.

]]> By: ash http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-499520 ash Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:03:20 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-499520 Beautifully said. I'm at the animal shelter too! I like the gift exchange games with family. One gift per person, less than $20. My girlfriends and I did a game with a $5-$10 limit. The gifts I bought came from www.theanimalrescuesite.com. There are many charities that benefit from buying there, and the amount you spend translates into bowls of food to animal shelters. Double good! Beautifully said. I’m at the animal shelter too!
I like the gift exchange games with family. One gift per person, less than $20. My girlfriends and I did a game with a $5-$10 limit.
The gifts I bought came from http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com. There are many charities that benefit from buying there, and the amount you spend translates into bowls of food to animal shelters. Double good!

]]> By: Dotty Lowe http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-499367 Dotty Lowe Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:01:11 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-499367 Hurrah! You have expressed the sentiments of many people. Many people are having a hard time or anticipating a hard time coming. To go further into debt is insane. For what? A loving Christmas with family and friends, a holiday meal, that's where it's at. Every year consumerism seems to grow. It's time for a slow down. Hurrah! You have expressed the sentiments of many people. Many people are having a hard time or anticipating a hard time coming. To go further into debt is insane. For what? A loving Christmas with family and friends, a holiday meal, that’s where it’s at.
Every year consumerism seems to grow. It’s time for a slow down.

]]> By: Joni http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-499290 Joni Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:57:13 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-499290 I'm a Wiccan but love Christmas as much as Yule. But this year the retail shopping on my part stopped! I was beginning to hate Christmas/Yule and found that sad. So we bought a few gifts for our kids and left it at that. Best Yule ever! I’m a Wiccan but love Christmas as much as Yule. But this year the retail shopping on my part stopped! I was beginning to hate Christmas/Yule and found that sad. So we bought a few gifts for our kids and left it at that. Best Yule ever!

]]> By: Senator Government http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-499284 Senator Government Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:38:31 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-499284 Here here. While you seem to have had a very hard time with the exfil from commercialism gone completely insane. For my part, I played that game for a minute, but quickly snapped back to reality when bills pile up. I used to watch a show on PBS called 'Keeping up Appearances' it was ridiculously funny and really overplayed the aspect of what folks do to keep up with the joneses, to the point of absurdity. But the real truth is, most people don't even know what Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving are SUPPOSED to be about....that's why we got into all this financial debauchery in the first place. Posiive from bad economic times: It gives people a chance to come back to reality and realize what Is important and what is Not. Here here. While you seem to have had a very hard time with the exfil from commercialism gone completely insane. For my part, I played that game for a minute, but quickly snapped back to reality when bills pile up. I used to watch a show on PBS called ‘Keeping up Appearances’ it was ridiculously funny and really overplayed the aspect of what folks do to keep up with the joneses, to the point of absurdity. But the real truth is, most people don’t even know what Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving are SUPPOSED to be about….that’s why we got into all this financial debauchery in the first place. Posiive from bad economic times: It gives people a chance to come back to reality and realize what Is important and what is Not.

]]> By: Tina Adams http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-499274 Tina Adams Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:11:13 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-499274 Thank you Jennifer, I feel just like you about Christmas. Besides, I rather make a phone call to friends overseas and to family here in the USA. When you are on a limited budget and refuse to borrow money for gifts that might be exchanged later, it is way too stressful to be enjoyable. I wish you a very blessed Christmas and all the best for 2009. Tina Thank you Jennifer, I feel just like you about Christmas. Besides, I rather make a phone call to friends overseas and to family here in the USA.
When you are on a limited budget and refuse to borrow money for gifts that might be exchanged later, it is way too stressful to be enjoyable.
I wish you a very blessed Christmas and all the best for 2009.
Tina

]]> By: Gail http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-494356 Gail Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:50:23 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-494356 I've been enjoying making some presents for a few people in my life. I haven't decorated or gotten caught in the crush of Christmas madness (sometimes it pays to be chronically ill). That doesn't mean we can't have some special times. I know my DH can hardly wait to see what I've made him. He usually makes me a present every year. I’ve been enjoying making some presents for a few people in my life. I haven’t decorated or gotten caught in the crush of Christmas madness (sometimes it pays to be chronically ill). That doesn’t mean we can’t have some special times. I know my DH can hardly wait to see what I’ve made him. He usually makes me a present every year.

]]> By: Holiday Saving Strategies - Debt Reduction 101 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-491950 Holiday Saving Strategies - Debt Reduction 101 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:22:27 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-491950 [...] out there who are better at this sort of thing than I am. Jennifer Derrick wrote an excellent article called “The Totally Free (or Nearly) Christmas” where she voiced some of my frustrations [...] [...] out there who are better at this sort of thing than I am. Jennifer Derrick wrote an excellent article called “The Totally Free (or Nearly) Christmas” where she voiced some of my frustrations [...]

]]> By: Linda http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/12/08/103557_the-totally-free-or-nearly-christmas.html/comment-page-1#comment-490817 Linda Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:58:42 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3557#comment-490817 This article says it ALL for me and how I've been feeling this year. Thank you for expressing it so well! Linda- Seattle This article says it ALL for me and how I’ve been feeling this year. Thank you for expressing it so well!

Linda- Seattle

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