All Posts Tagged With: "Christmas"

Remember Cabbage Patch Dolls, people? Or Tickle Me Elmos? Furbies even?

Well from that same corporate greedy well has sprung up a new plastic hunk of junk named the Zhu Zhu pet … and it’s the talk of the town this holiday season! This plastic hamster is the hot new “here today, gone in a closet tomorrow” product that the media is telling the general public they want and need for Christmas, so they can call the toy stores daily (to see if they came in yet) or spend countless hours online looking for them like little sheep? What a sad, and very pathetic, society we live in when we don’t even realize that these hunks of junk are going to go on sale December 26th, when they’ll be found everywhere (for less than their regular price, I should add here)! Continued

It’s that time of year again people …

Christmas is right around the corner (I bet your kids know this all too clearly … am I right?)! Now, I don’t care who you are, what religious background you have, your political beliefs, where you live or any of the other stuff that makes us only slightly different from each other, but when it comes to one thing in this country we can all agree on this (at least those of us whose last name isn’t Scrooge): Christmas trees are awesome … I mean really totally awesome!

Don’t you just love the smell of them? Or the way they brighten up your day when you see them all lit up in your living room … or in a store display somewhere while you’re out shopping? I mean, I could be wrong about all of this, but really I don’t see how I could be … Continued

Well folks, it’s that time of the year again …

There’s a little over a month to fill the “simple” requests from our children who are way too young to get the fact that Santa doesn’t really make those expensive toys they’re begging us for, or from our wives, husbands or family members who are old enough to know better, but still don’t seem to get “it”! Yes, welcome to America … a country that doesn’t care how much you make during the rest of the year, as long as you have enough dough in your pocket to blow it all the products the marketers and advertisers profess that you must buy to keep the peace!

Yet, the cold hard truth remains: You honestly don’t need this stuff … Jesus Christ himself didn’t have a Christmas tree, did he (probably because he wasn’t a 5th century German tribesman)? Really … at a time of mass lay-offs, a weak U.S. dollar and general uneasiness about our economic future, does spending hard-earned cash on shiny new (fill in this blank with whatever they’re begging you for) make any sense to you? God, I hope not! Seriously, how can anyone on a budget justify splurging on a 50” plasma TV or a $500 Coach purse when this country is in near financial ruins? Continued

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: Continued

“The Week in Review: Money Issues” is my weekly blog research on financial topics that define us as Americans, and shape the way we should do business.

Hey everyone … Ready for the weekend?

I sure the heck am! Tonight is our office’s holiday party and we’re doing it right: casino-style at a fancy hotel! I can’t wait to win a lot of stuff (I’m very competitive) and hang out with the crew after work (maybe show them a little bit of my dance moves, of which I don’t have any). Next Friday is the start to my Christmas vacation, and I’ll be off from work for a bunch of days (ten to be exact, if you count the weekends) but don’t fret: I am pounding out articles right now to fill in those spots. God, I can’t wait to relax!

Well, until they blow the whistle at the end of the day (if they do that at your place) please enjoy the blog articles that I dug up today: Continued