AudreyNicole Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Last year by this time, I was done shopping. This year, but budget hasn't allowed for much shopping yet. I just don't know how I am going to get it all done and paid for in time. We don't have credit cards, so Christmas is cash only. My sons are asking for lots of things, most have a minumum of $30 pricetag. I am worried that we will buy for them, spend our budget, and because of the cost of things, it won't look like much. I remember being a kid and my parents spending about $300 each on us, and we got a TON of stuff. With the cost of video games and such, it will be a tiny Christmas, especially with so little shopping time left. I am not having much luck with the BF ads either... I hate holiday stress!! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy4Matt Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I was just explaining to my 11 year old...the more expensive things are...the fewer gifts you will get. He said he understood..but I HATE HATE HATE to only give a few gifts to him..even if they are very pricey. I am steadily checking Amazon..hoping I see some great deals there soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_jenni_jocelyn Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I am kinda worried as I am trying to use my pt job to pay for the holidays. My boys Lucas and Carter are sooo easy to buy for. As long as it is a monster truck, motorcycle, train, it will be ok. My daughter Jocelyn is a different story. She wants items that cost a little bit more and I want to give them to her and will find a way but man. I was warned that the older they get, the price on the things they want goes up but i didnt know it started at age 8, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abentley Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I am not panicked, but not excited either! All the kids are older and the little boys are getting Ipads, video games and ski season passes for the larger ticket items. A plane ticket and a breifcase for my 20DS doesn't leave many fun ideas. DD22, SIL and baby are finished(except for suprises I might find on BF). Appreciate the season when they are young!! I am waiting for Wa!mart's ad, and I hope it generates some fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamonhuskies Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Last year by this time, I was done shopping. This year, but budget hasn't allowed for much shopping yet. I just don't know how I am going to get it all done and paid for in time. We don't have credit cards, so Christmas is cash only. My sons are asking for lots of things, most have a minumum of $30 pricetag. I am worried that we will buy for them, spend our budget, and because of the cost of things, it won't look like much. I remember being a kid and my parents spending about $300 each on us, and we got a TON of stuff. With the cost of video games and such, it will be a tiny Christmas, especially with so little shopping time left. I am not having much luck with the BF ads either... I hate holiday stress!! LOL!I was upfront with my teen boys this year and told them it was maximum $100 each, so to give me their lists and I would pick and choose up to that dollar amount. This is up from last year when dh was laid off during the holidays, but less than previous years when he had a well paying job. I told the boys it doesn't reflect on them, its just the way things are. Dh and i are only trading $40 gifts between each other. We cut back on the other people we usually give to, and the ones we still will buy for we have $5 each for, and its usually a gift bag/basket filled with homemade soaps, jams, coffee mixes, dried fruits and dollar store holiday mugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansieDZ Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I explain to my little ones who still believe in Santa that he doesn't bring EVERYTHING on your list,just the ones he knows you really would treasure and that are right for you. It is much harder when they are younger and still believe that "well,Santa isn't poor like Mom and Dad so he will bring me what I ask for!" If you are wanting a quantity of presents under the tree (and the little ones do love to see a pile a presents with their names on the tags!),then wrap up every little thing you buy for them so it looks like more and they like unwrapping many things. Try not to let the stress prevent you from enjoying the season :) Take a little time each day to just breathe in the smells.listen to Christmas songs and look at the lights & decorations and remember that the loving home you provide for your family the whole year long means more than a few minutes spent unwrapping gifts. Peace and blessings to you this holiday season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scanner420 Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Last year was real stressful for us. I missed work for half the year because I went into a Hypertensive Crisis, that turned into a Hypotensive Crisis a month later! Just in my immediate family, I had 4 kids to buy for, along with my DW's holiday and Birthday!! We just stretched out our budget a bit, clipped coupons and cut costs by not eating out and brown bagging stuff to work! I also changed my W-4 status from Single 2 to Married 6 to get less taxes taken out. I worked...we were done shopping a week before the Holiday and had everything wrapped by X-Mas Eve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcplwinkerswife Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I have a few things for my DD and one thing for my DH but im nowhere near being close to done... Im hoping i can get what i need to but if i cant i cant, im the most giving person and i hate when i cant do something just because of finances. :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeddiva Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I'm doing good this year. Between all of DH's OT & the Christmas fund I started last year, The kids' presents are 90% bought and that's all I really care about. My kids are all teens now, so I told them this year they can ask for 1 'big' gift and don't expect to get everything they ask for anymore. Thanks to Amazon's awesome prices, I've managed to get everything so far and I still have almost half of my budget left so I'm thinking of splurging on the DSLR I've always wanted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingerlakesmom Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Oh yeah.... thankuflly my two oldest undertand mom didn't have any daycare income over the summer gramma got cancer lots of extra gas to go visit her the tranny went in the van had to gtea new vehical afetr borriwing form oterhs for two months with all that I only haeva couple thigns tucked away and those are for the littlest..then throw in we did lose gramma welll and my x juts lost his job however the oldest will get twelve botles of hot sauce and the middle ahs 5 boxes of girl scout thin mints :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogiporkchop Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I'm not - thanks to the ads being blah it's going to be easier to keep the gift buying to a minimum. I've got kids who get excited over basics and are relatively easy to please so that helps too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyzmom Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I am usually done shopping and almost done wrapping at this point. I only have a couple of small things for each of my sons. We have told them over and over that this year will be SMALL. I have one big item that I bought at the end of last year (a projection machine to hook movies and video games to), and a couple of books. They are making lists...I hadn't thought of telling them the dollar amount for the limit (ours is also $100 each), might have to do that. At one point I considered giving them the few small items I have for them and just giving them the cash to shop after Christmas...still unsure... dh had an interview on Tuesday...he's been unemployed for 18 months....unemployment runs out 4 days before Christmas...praying he gets the job.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kibit13 Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I am usually done shopping and almost done wrapping at this point. I only have a couple of small things for each of my sons. We have told them over and over that this year will be SMALL. I have one big item that I bought at the end of last year (a projection machine to hook movies and video games to), and a couple of books. They are making lists...I hadn't thought of telling them the dollar amount for the limit (ours is also $100 each), might have to do that. At one point I considered giving them the few small items I have for them and just giving them the cash to shop after Christmas...still unsure... dh had an interview on Tuesday...he's been unemployed for 18 months....unemployment runs out 4 days before Christmas...praying he gets the job.... Prayers and good wishes that the interview goes well and he gets the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tn20 Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I can really sympathize with so many of you! Times are rough. My DH lost his job last January and we decided he needed to go to school. In our 8 year marriage he has been laid off, I think 6 different times, due to lack of work (all of his jobs have been tied to the housing industry, so when that went down, so did he!). He is currently in school and we are pinching pennies to get through. I think the thing that I need to remember (and I really struggle with this!), is that Christmas is GREAT, even without lots of spendy gifts under the tree! I am really trying to focus on memories and experiences, instead of pricey gifts (and am buying clearance/CHEAP stuff to make my money go further on the gifts I am buying- I'm pretty suprised at how much I've managed to get with my small budget). My DSs wanted several spendy video games, but instead are getting a few DS games (cheaper than Wii) that I think they will enjoy, but they weren't the new releases that they asked for. I am making gifts (the ribbon wreaths and marble magnets listed on the craft thread!) for anyone outside of our immediate family (or they have a $5 limit)- we had been planning on a bigger budget for a few of them, but DH's police academy classes have gotten even more expensive than we were counting on, so we had to rein that back in. When things started getting tough for members of my family a few years back, we decided, instead of nice gifts we would do a $5 limit gag gift exchange. It is SO much better than getting more pricey gifts because we all sit down for about an hour and laugh hysterically about what everyone else has gotten. We REALLY enjoy giving the gifts, and that feeling really seems to get lost easily so often. I got my mom a book one year that was nothing but pictures of bunnies trying to off themselves in various ways. This year, I think my step-dad, who happens to be 6'6" and hate vegetables, is getting a sign that has a picture of the Jolly Green Giant that says, "Remember to always eat your veggies!" that I found at a second-hand store. I had bought things recently and kept the receipts in case the items were cheaper on Black Friday, but as it turns out, I'm glad I bought them before, because BF is turning out to be a dud for me, as far as what I am interested in buying. When I come online sometimes its hard because there are always people who have much more and it makes me feel bad because I cannot provide for my children as well as they can provide for theirs, but then I see that there are people with much less, and I really try to count my blessings! Christmas is about much more than gifts and I really need to work on enjoying the season more and stressing out about number of gifts, cost of gifts, etc. less. This is the first year we weren't planning on picking a child off the Angel Tree (our kids probably qualify to be on that tree this year- LOL), but now I'm second guessing that decision. I hope everyone here has a blessed Christmas, whether they can afford to give their child everything or can only afford a few gifts under the tree. Drink lots of cocoa, cuddle on the couch and watch Christmas movies, put Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD on and sing at the top of your lungs in your best Chipmunk voice, but most importantly, remember the Reason for the season and enjoy your loved-ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy4Matt Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Beautifully said! I can really sympathize with so many of you! Times are rough. My DH lost his job last January and we decided he needed to go to school. In our 8 year marriage he has been laid off, I think 6 different times, due to lack of work (all of his jobs have been tied to the housing industry, so when that went down, so did he!). He is currently in school and we are pinching pennies to get through. I think the thing that I need to remember (and I really struggle with this!), is that Christmas is GREAT, even without lots of spendy gifts under the tree! I am really trying to focus on memories and experiences, instead of pricey gifts (and am buying clearance/CHEAP stuff to make my money go further on the gifts I am buying- I'm pretty suprised at how much I've managed to get with my small budget). My DSs wanted several spendy video games, but instead are getting a few DS games (cheaper than Wii) that I think they will enjoy, but they weren't the new releases that they asked for. I am making gifts (the ribbon wreaths and marble magnets listed on the craft thread!) for anyone outside of our immediate family (or they have a $5 limit)- we had been planning on a bigger budget for a few of them, but DH's police academy classes have gotten even more expensive than we were counting on, so we had to rein that back in. When things started getting tough for members of my family a few years back, we decided, instead of nice gifts we would do a $5 limit gag gift exchange. It is SO much better than getting more pricey gifts because we all sit down for about an hour and laugh hysterically about what everyone else has gotten. We REALLY enjoy giving the gifts, and that feeling really seems to get lost easily so often. I got my mom a book one year that was nothing but pictures of bunnies trying to off themselves in various ways. This year, I think my step-dad, who happens to be 6'6" and hate vegetables, is getting a sign that has a picture of the Jolly Green Giant that says, "Remember to always eat your veggies!" that I found at a second-hand store. I had bought things recently and kept the receipts in case the items were cheaper on Black Friday, but as it turns out, I'm glad I bought them before, because BF is turning out to be a dud for me, as far as what I am interested in buying. When I come online sometimes its hard because there are always people who have much more and it makes me feel bad because I cannot provide for my children as well as they can provide for theirs, but then I see that there are people with much less, and I really try to count my blessings! Christmas is about much more than gifts and I really need to work on enjoying the season more and stressing out about number of gifts, cost of gifts, etc. less. This is the first year we weren't planning on picking a child off the Angel Tree (our kids probably qualify to be on that tree this year- LOL), but now I'm second guessing that decision. I hope everyone here has a blessed Christmas, whether they can afford to give their child everything or can only afford a few gifts under the tree. Drink lots of cocoa, cuddle on the couch and watch Christmas movies, put Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD on and sing at the top of your lungs in your best Chipmunk voice, but most importantly, remember the Reason for the season and enjoy your loved-ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottsie66 Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I hope everyone here has a blessed Christmas, whether they can afford to give their child everything or can only afford a few gifts under the tree. Drink lots of cocoa, cuddle on the couch and watch Christmas movies, put Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD on and sing at the top of your lungs in your best Chipmunk voice, but most importantly, remember the Reason for the season and enjoy your loved-ones! Couldn't agree more! It has been an extremely rough year here, too. Long story short - eldest adopted child falsely accused us of all kinds of garbage, we were investigated & cleared of everything, paid child support in the meantime 'cuz she chose to go to foster care, paid attorney fees (believe me it is awful what you have to pay to defend your innocence!!!!!!!!), but the emotional toll it has taken on the entire family was the absolute worst!!!!!!!! I can't even begin to tell you of the emotional scars she has left us with. So . . . moral of the story - enjoy each day that comes your way because none of us knows what's headed our way in the future! Only by the grace of God did our family survive this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudreyNicole Posted November 14, 2010 Author Share Posted November 14, 2010 Thank you all for your words... it makes things a little easier. Since my boys are small, and still "believe", the pressure to keep the magic alive can be alot sometimes. I had the boys rewrite their lists, and choose 3 things that they would REALLY like from Santa. I think that is do-able. Plus they will get smaller things from DH and I, and then a ton from my sisters and my mom. I think I am going to wrap smaller things in bigger boxes, and maybe put boxes inside boxes to make things more fun for them. :) Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I will not let anything get me down. We are blessed to have so much more than so many. We have a beautiful home, our health, and eachother. Really, we need nothing more. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuggaD Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 (edited) I told DD11 that it would be a smaller Christmas and she was fine with that and only asked for a pillow pet. This is the first year since she was 1 that I've spent so little and she has gotten so few items. But I just don't know what to get her as she has everything and don't want to spend as much as usual. This is also the first year we're not pretending there is a Santa. We'll do more things around the holiday, bake more, and receive less stuff. I am actually looking forward to it. And I don't feel pressure to buy tons of stuff to fill up under and around the tree. Edited November 14, 2010 by SuggaD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peppysfireball Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 I was just explaining to my 11 year old...the more expensive things are...the fewer gifts you will get. He said he understood..but I HATE HATE HATE to only give a few gifts to him..even if they are very pricey. I am steadily checking Amazon..hoping I see some great deals there soon. No matter the price, I always buy about a dozen gifts per child. If one child wants real expensive stuff, he gets some real inexpensive stuff to make up the amount. If the other wants cheap things, there are still same amount of boxes, but some boxes have more itms in them, like books or movies. My youngest wanted expensive stuff last year, like camcorder and guitar hero and other expensive things. I don't buy cheap electronics so I bought the 2-- Sony handycm. This year he doesn't want much, so he needs a new portable dvd player and I"m getting him a more expensisve one to make up the difference. I've never understood giving less presents because they cost more. It hurts the child's feelings and they don't really understand when they are young. I don't care if it's a dollar, they get more presents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy4Matt Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Peppy- Lets just say he wants more than real expensive...like ends with three zeros expensive...his top item is a dirt bike. Great..I want him to have it..but he will have less gifts than my three other children. He can like it or just not get the dirt bike. Quality over quantity is what he cares about. No matter the price, I always buy about a dozen gifts per child. If one child wants real expensive stuff, he gets some real inexpensive stuff to make up the amount. If the other wants cheap things, there are still same amount of boxes, but some boxes have more itms in them, like books or movies. My youngest wanted expensive stuff last year, like camcorder and guitar hero and other expensive things. I don't buy cheap electronics so I bought the 2-- Sony handycm. This year he doesn't want much, so he needs a new portable dvd player and I"m getting him a more expensisve one to make up the difference. I've never understood giving less presents because they cost more. It hurts the child's feelings and they don't really understand when they are young. I don't care if it's a dollar, they get more presents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamonhuskies Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 I can really sympathize with so many of you! Times are rough. My DH lost his job last January and we decided he needed to go to school. In our 8 year marriage he has been laid off, I think 6 different times, due to lack of work (all of his jobs have been tied to the housing industry, so when that went down, so did he!). He is currently in school and we are pinching pennies to get through. I think the thing that I need to remember (and I really struggle with this!), is that Christmas is GREAT, even without lots of spendy gifts under the tree! I am really trying to focus on memories and experiences, instead of pricey gifts (and am buying clearance/CHEAP stuff to make my money go further on the gifts I am buying- I'm pretty suprised at how much I've managed to get with my small budget). My DSs wanted several spendy video games, but instead are getting a few DS games (cheaper than Wii) that I think they will enjoy, but they weren't the new releases that they asked for. I am making gifts (the ribbon wreaths and marble magnets listed on the craft thread!) for anyone outside of our immediate family (or they have a $5 limit)- we had been planning on a bigger budget for a few of them, but DH's police academy classes have gotten even more expensive than we were counting on, so we had to rein that back in. When things started getting tough for members of my family a few years back, we decided, instead of nice gifts we would do a $5 limit gag gift exchange. It is SO much better than getting more pricey gifts because we all sit down for about an hour and laugh hysterically about what everyone else has gotten. We REALLY enjoy giving the gifts, and that feeling really seems to get lost easily so often. I got my mom a book one year that was nothing but pictures of bunnies trying to off themselves in various ways. This year, I think my step-dad, who happens to be 6'6" and hate vegetables, is getting a sign that has a picture of the Jolly Green Giant that says, "Remember to always eat your veggies!" that I found at a second-hand store. I had bought things recently and kept the receipts in case the items were cheaper on Black Friday, but as it turns out, I'm glad I bought them before, because BF is turning out to be a dud for me, as far as what I am interested in buying. When I come online sometimes its hard because there are always people who have much more and it makes me feel bad because I cannot provide for my children as well as they can provide for theirs, but then I see that there are people with much less, and I really try to count my blessings! Christmas is about much more than gifts and I really need to work on enjoying the season more and stressing out about number of gifts, cost of gifts, etc. less. This is the first year we weren't planning on picking a child off the Angel Tree (our kids probably qualify to be on that tree this year- LOL), but now I'm second guessing that decision. I hope everyone here has a blessed Christmas, whether they can afford to give their child everything or can only afford a few gifts under the tree. Drink lots of cocoa, cuddle on the couch and watch Christmas movies, put Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD on and sing at the top of your lungs in your best Chipmunk voice, but most importantly, remember the Reason for the season and enjoy your loved-ones! I thought I was the only one that felt like I was so pathetically poor compared to others online lol......................like everyone ekse's gets were getting such cool stuff and I am soooo tight.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamonhuskies Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 No matter the price, I always buy about a dozen gifts per child. If one child wants real expensive stuff, he gets some real inexpensive stuff to make up the amount. If the other wants cheap things, there are still same amount of boxes, but some boxes have more itms in them, like books or movies. My youngest wanted expensive stuff last year, like camcorder and guitar hero and other expensive things. I don't buy cheap electronics so I bought the 2-- Sony handycm. This year he doesn't want much, so he needs a new portable dvd player and I"m getting him a more expensisve one to make up the difference. I've never understood giving less presents because they cost more. It hurts the child's feelings and they don't really understand when they are young. I don't care if it's a dollar, they get more presents.But that is not how life really is. Its unrealistic. If I have $20 to go to the store with, that means I only have $20 to spend, not make sure I come home with 12 grocery items no matter what the cost. If I have to spend $10 on a expensive item that still only gives me $10 for other things. That's the real world. Dh grew up in a large farming family where they each got one store bought toy and a few homemade and used gifts. None of the kids ever had 'hurt feelings'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgmckny Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 But that is not how life really is. Its unrealistic. If I have $20 to go to the store with, that means I only have $20 to spend, not make sure I come home with 12 grocery items no matter what the cost. If I have to spend $10 on a expensive item that still only gives me $10 for other things. That's the real world. Dh grew up in a large farming family where they each got one store bought toy and a few homemade and used gifts. None of the kids ever had 'hurt feelings'.I'm 1 of 4 kids and a product of a stay at home mom. We didn't get a lot of what we asked for and we survived. My kids understand that with a stay at home dad due to disability that they won't get a lot of things they want. And with electric bills on the rise, not to mention the added fees and taxes thanks to our idiot mayor, they will get less than my best laid plans projected. But they will deal with that and being teens they understand although they still feel jealous when they see what others get...I can't keep it even, I do try to have a couple of things for each, socks and underwear a lot of times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessity Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Panic, yes. Also not as "into" it as I feel like I should be but then I think maybe I'm just thinking about it TOO much. And then there's "I set aside money for this, it's going for that other unexpected thing that came up..." and that kind of thing. I work as a waitress right now, I'm in school and I find myself obsessing over "What will tonight at work be like?" as if I can control the number of customers or dollar amount that I make -- it's additional stress that I don't need on top of studying and taking tests and trying to finish my quarter. So I'm kind of just ugh about everything right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Mommy Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 YES!! We are self employed in the HVAC business. Like anyone else in the building industry we are not doing as good as we once were. Last year we had a lite Christmas..I think this year will be a little better. The boys are use to a lot more but we had a great time last year even with not a lot of gifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingerlakesmom Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Oh I should day my boys will be very thankful in fact te oldest who is 16 refuses to ask for naything for christmas and would be fine if he had nothing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coleman4905 Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 my kids made out lists but i told them to be reasonable. Their dad/my husband died Jan 16th of this year so they know how tight things have been so as we made out lists i had them remember things they like : axe gift sets, purfume sets, belts, c.d."s, movie tickets etc..i get these items put them in a bigger box or whatever and wrap. They are excited becuase it looks like a decent amount under the tree and they got what they wanted. They get 1 bigger item which i try not to spend more than 100.00 on and then like 6-8 smaller things. the smaller things cost anywhere between 5 and 10.00 dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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