Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Christmas…

Christmas is just around the corner and it’s beyond time to prepare for it. My sister threw out the idea of a grab bag which I think is a good idea but we don’t have a large family to come together anymore and the members who do join us may or may not come. So, I think a grab bag is an excellent idea but not one that will work particularly well for my family. Likewise, Secret Santa would also not work.

ANY IDEAS???

For Christmas, I generally budget the most for my boyfriend and my parents. My sister and I have a pact and since we both have birthdays in December, we just give each other $25 gift cards to our place of choice and just a card for our birthdays. I may see if she would like to forgo the entire gift giving this year especially since I have a new brother-in-law this year to add to the Christmas list. I think she/they will be just fine with that since they had a very nice wedding to pay for just 2 months ago and I’m sure that building back up their savings is priority for them right now.

As I get older, it is much more fun to sit back and watch the kids tear through all the wrapping paper. I am amazed that as I get older, I am less enthused about getting gifts as I am about giving them. I love seeing the smile on someone’s face when they get my gift. But, on the other hand, my bank account is screaming, “don’t you want me to be happy too?”

I haven’t saved at all this year for Christmas and judging by what I spent last year, I would need at the very least approximately $1,300 for gifts. I sure wish I would have put aside $100/month into an ING or HSBC account to pay for gifts. Hindsight is well….hindsight.

My current budget includes $500 for my boyfriend. I am going to talk with him to see if he would like to spend less on Christmas this year. We’ve been together for years and he also had an expensive year with my graduation, buying his first place, and buying a car. He may be inclined to reduce the amount we spend this year too. Hmm….sounds like dinner conversation to me.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

In my family, we don't buy presents, but we spend the money on an outing. Why don't you take the money you would have spent on presents and go out to a nice brunch or even dinner and a movie as a group? It's cheaper than buying presents, it's less stress, and it's fun just to hang out.

Anonymous said...

You are crazy to spend $1,000 for Christmas. You are in too much debt to spend that kind of money. If you family and bf cares they would want you to pay off your debt instead of spending that much for gifts. My opinion is that is just plain nuts. Start to listen to Dave Ramsey. www.daveramsey.com.