Please vote in this poll using the sidebar.
Are you cutting back Christmas spending this year?
- Yes. (69%, 141 Votes)
- No. (31%, 64 Votes)
Total Voters: 204
This poll will be active and displayed on the sidebar through 11.29.2008.
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Don’t know about the rest of you, but we’re finding that focusing on local thrift stores, like goodwill, is helping. Part of it is that hunting for stuff that’d work is fun, but it’s also a cost saving measure.I’d be interested in hearing what everyone is doing to cut back on cost.
We are doing the following:
- Cutting images out of old book from goodwill to make Christmas cards to mail and To-From cards for presents (we found gardening books can have a lot of nice drawn images).
- Making a few “cookie mix in a jar” with thrift store jars.
- Hot coco mix w/ a nice tea cup & saucer -> also from a thrift store.
- Instead of wrapping presents, using old cookie tins from goodwill.
Of course!
The price of coal has been falling nicely.
On a more serious note…it’s not about how much you spend on a gift, rather the thought that goes into the choice that counts.
And no…although fruitcakes may be inexpensive, they’re not very thoughtful.
All xmas shopping this year (and the last 4) was done at Costco and Walmart in less then 2 hours. However, I do grab the usual Lunch Break at the Costco Snack Bar which usually causes a delay. Easier on the pocket book and it appears less gun fire then the malls. Next year I will attempt to do it all on-line. But, then I will miss it out on the Costco snack bar. Dang……….
We’re not cutting back (keeping it about the same), but then again, we’ve always had a budget and…….never bought what we couldn’t afford.
Not cutting back, but I never spent too much anyway.
We are trying to keep it mellow this year, same as last year. Christmas, to us at least, isn’t all about gifts. Although, we just had our first child three months ago. I suspect as the years pass we may spend a little more:)
I’m cutting back a little bit — though I am lucky, my family has never been lavish at Christmas — but what I’m hoping to do is buy everything from from local and independent businesses, deploying my cash with care. I would much rather prop up places that give their neighborhoods some personality and/or where they know me and treat me nice than fatten a corporation’s bottom line, however incrementally — I think that sale price and cost are not necessarily the same thing. We’re still going on vacation, too, but will aim to get max utility out of the in-room refrigerator.
Everett Tom, I love your idea about handmade cards. Thanks for the tip, and see you at the Goodwill maybe.
Well, we do our xmas shopping all through out the year, concentrating on clearance items, of course. In our closet we have a small collection of boy/girl toys and clothes for b-days and holiday giving.
But this year we decided to cancel cross-country x-mas; trying to save shipping costs (FL-WA). Shipping was always more than the cost of the gifts. We’ll probably carry the gifts next summer during our yearly rehab trip to Seattle.
No. It’s kind of the whole idea with being conservative with the fixed expenses aka debt, that you have strong cash flow and can enjoy things like christmas full out while still keeping up with savings. We are going to treat our kids since they’ve been real good and then we are going to have a nice vacation in the sun to treat the whole family.
Oh c’mon. you’ve all been saving. Do your part to help the economy!
I’m getting an Escalade with flat screen monitors in the back seats. Or maybe a hummer. I haven’t decided yet.
;^)
CHEAP GIFT IDEA
Go to the US Government converter box $40 coupon website, get yourself a couple $40 coupons to get free coverters….great free gifts for friends still using outdoor antennas….lol
Civil Servant @ 7: Thanks! Though it’s not originally my idea.. I’d never considered cutting up old books till I saw this post on another blog. (Oh, and I’ve already got more then enough images from the books I picked up, gardening books seem to be the best bet for lots of simple, nice images – So the rest are yours).
deejayoh @ 10: Oh, I plan to help the economy with my savings….. around the time the housing market bottoms out, and starts rising / staying flat again.
I don’t know if I’ll be spending more or less. I budget as I go along. But, here are some great ideas that I use to help me stay on budget.
I swapped out some new things I had for some of my friend’s new stuff (neither of us were using) and we both got what we wanted for other people. That’s how I got hubby’s almost new snowboard gear for $50. Originally $450. Yeah! If you don’t have immediate friends put the word out on what you’re looking for or try Craigslist. Lots of people don’t end up using the things they thought they would or their lifestyle changes so they just want to get rid of some things.
I also always go to Big Lots. They have great stuff for home, gift wrap, and toys that rival thrift store prices. Plus, it’s a business model I really support. They buy up excess inventory from other struggling retailers and pass the savings on to consumers. We also find tons of great stuff for our charity work at this time of year without breaking the bank.
In addition, I love Half Price books. Great NW cookbooks for all my chefs back home for like $5. Also other books make great stocking stuffers. They carry cute stationery and kids books too.
ROSS is great too, but watch the quality.
Bought $100 worth of Starbucks gift cards for $80 at Costco when I was with a friend – saved 20%. Don’t know if they still have that special but it’s worth a try.
Also I’m making keepsake gifts this year. We had visitors this summer and I’m making movies for them of their trip here. Found scapbooks for $7 with cute little DVD holders in the front. That way they can make their own memories too. I already had the DVDs and I’m using software to make the movies. I have a color printer at home for the jacket covers. Unfortuately this will take more of the other expensive asset-TIME
I was overseas earlier this year when the dollar rallied hard so I bought some unique gifts over there for not much money.
I don’t know if other people count travel money in their Christmas budget but we have to because neither of our families are here. So, we have to shop for airline tickets way ahead of time.
Can’t cut back on nothing. I quit giving/receiving Christmas gifts about a decade ago. I love Christmas time, but not the commercialism associated with it.