Retailers Want You To Waste Money On Christmas. I Don’t!

Christmas is coming – it’s that crazy time of the year again; here come the in-laws, the grandparents and cousins. Bring on the ham dinner, the candy canes, parades and traditions! This is what the kids (young and old) wait for all year long — it is the perfect time for giving and sharing of gifts with family and friends. However, as much as we want to celebrate this exchange and be truly jolly during this festive season, we should also want to make sure that we are extra careful about spending so that we don’t spoil the festive mood this time of the year usually brings (we’re still in a bad economy, remember?).

From past experiences, my ultimate challenge with Christmas shopping has always been overspending (and as I understand it, most people are in the same boat [or sleigh to keep with the holiday theme. It’s a stretch, I know]). The reason for this: retailers love to set up roadblocks for us, and are extremely good at running lengthy promotions and coming up with the latest “kids have to have this” gift ideas to entice shoppers into spending more money than they are comfortable with doing. The way I truly see it: we’re constantly being bombarded with opportunities to “buy, buy, buy” and almost without realizing it, our multiple small purchases start accumulating into big amounts of debt, which always gives us a big shock when the credit card bill come rolling in. Sound familiar? Well …

This year, why not be prepared for your Christmas shopping adventures by having a shopping list, a budget and the following list of tips with you before you head over to the mall? I can’t speak for your list or budget personally, but I can tell you that the tips will keep you from overspending and emptying your pockets this holiday:

Don’t buy gifts for every jerk off the street. Just because “they” say you are supposed to give a gift to the mailman, paperboy or the trash man doesn’t mean that you really have to or should. I once had a garbage man that was so awful, that I had to call his boss several times to complain about him. Why’d I do that, you ask? Well, he was lazy, messy and super rude (not to mention that he swore like every third word. I later found out that he was stealing from his company and got s$%t-canned). I really felt no obligation whatsoever to give him a gift (unless it was a knuckle sandwich, of course). The guy that eventually replaced this bully was the nicest guy in the world, and I did give him a Christmas check every year. Just goes to show you that kindness will get you lots of things in life!

Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to have to tell family members or friends that you can’t afford the expensive stuff they have on their list this year! Most people will understand, because they have probably been in your shoes at one point in their lives — so it really isn’t as big a deal as you’re making it out to be. If you say to most parents, siblings or friends, “I just don’t have the money” or “I am trying to get my finances under control”, they usually won’t say, “We don’t love you anymore.” If they do, that’s just messed up (you might want to disown these a-holes)! One more thing: never pretend to be someone you’re not (think about it).

The real truth: it really is the thought that counts (don’t let anyone tell you differently, because they are probably in debt past their eyeballs anyway). Gifts don’t have to be terribly expensive to mean something to its new owner. Remember this, as well: the price of a gift is not the scale by which to measure your love for that person (corny, yes. True? Of course). Love is better than priceless, so stop trying to buy it from people with expensive gifts (Psst … don’t tell the marketers that. They hate this fact).

Figure out how much you can reasonably afford this year? Now, take that number and make it your budget goal for buying all the presents you will need. This will give you a general idea of what you have to spend on each person. This doesn’t mean that it is set in stone — you can make adjustments to it as you get closer to Christmas. (BTW: if you manage not to spend it all, don’t go overboard looking for ways to blow the rest — like most people do.)

Just remember this (if anything): the true meaning of the Christmas isn’t about who can put the most presents under the tree (it’s not a contest, in other words). Times may be harder this year for you (thank Congress, Bush and speculators for this) but that should give you all the more reason to remember the true spirit of the Season (you can’t buy love. I think Jesus said that. Or it could have been the Beatles. Ok, someone said it). Christmas shopping is tons of fun, and it’s always great to give and receive, but the true message of Christmas shouldn’t be lost in the mix. That’s all I’m saying!