Aug 11 2009
Holiday Shopping in August?
You might think I’m crazy but I’m already thinking about my holiday gifts. But that’s 4 month’s away… precisely! In times like these, when money is short, you have to budget expenses like holiday gifts. Actually, I kind of have always done this, no matter how good or bad economy is. At home we are 5 and buying for 5 can be expensive; especially when giving your kids a “rattle” is no longer acceptable. There are so many choices out there and so many things kids want but, we have always opted for long lasting gifts. This is where budget and research come in.
Now this year my kids turned 10, 11 and 17. They can ask, but they pretty much know that getting the “most amazing video game” is kind of out of the question. We might still surprise them and get a game, but really I leave those gifts for the family… you know aunts, uncles and grandmothers; I ask them to buy one game for the three boys. That way they get what they want, family members are happy to have pampered my kids and the expensive useless spending is cut down to a minimum.
Anyway, coming back to what we are planning on getting the boys for the holidays… watches . Yes, you read right. Watches have become an afterthought to dressing. But, it’s one of the only accessories that men can wear that is never outdated. All of my children can now read time and all are now responsible enough to have good watches . The kind that last, not the Mickey Mouse or Sponge Bob kind that they eventually grow out of. It’s hard to give boys things that they can use as accessories. Watches are perfect. Ok, so my 17 year old has a couple of them already but that’s what made me think about it. The other two have never had a real good, long lasting watch.
So what do you think? Am I crazy? Every watch ranges from $35 to $200 so it is expensive to buy three; about $150 total ($200 watch for my kids is still too much). So what I’m going to do is chose one every two months and that way, I will spend the $150 in the span of 4 months equaling about $37.50 dollars a month. See that’s cheaper than buying three Xbox games or PC games that cost on average $50 or $60 each (totaling $150 anyway and will be outdated and in a drawer in two weeks tops). Now doesn’t a watch sound much better? So now it’s shopping time.
We get to buy one this month so… on your marks, get ready, GO! Start planning; it’s so much easier and much better for your wallet.
2 Responses to “Holiday Shopping in August?”
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Great idea! I never seem to get much done early in the year, but we have a family tradition that has cute the “gimmes” to nothing.
I myself get my kids to give me a “wish list”, then I ask them to shorten it to a ” need list” . I let them think about it for a while, then I have them go through all their belongings and clean, fix, fold, and donate what they have not used or needed in 6 months.
It’s amazing what they “needed” and don’t use. We then decide who we will pick off our giving tree at church and school and we discuss what their family may be like, and what we would like to purchse for them.
We try to do all our Christmas shopping for the giving trees together before we think of ourselves. It’s a very humbling experience. By the time it’s time for me shop the lists are short, manageable, and much more thoughtful than when they started.
It’s so difficult to raise our kids these days with good morals, like we were raised, best of luck to you, and have a Merry Christmas!
Stop in some day for tea and sympathy…..
Thank you for your comment. You are so right and I think your system is very good.
There is so much to teach our children about giving. I do believe that giving is so much better than receiving and that in part that’s why so many parents lose the battle. Everyone wants to see the excitement while unwrapping a gift and how those little faces light up when they see it.
I’ll stop by by the way thanks for the invite and you are always welcome to come back and chat