Will you splurge on gifts this year?

With the economy as shaky as it is, regardless of the media's insistence that "ALL IS WELL", do you plan on giving out lots of gifts this year?

I'm just trying to keep my gas tank full.......

Am giving my other DVD player to my parents.

But I won't be spending much.

I took some great shots in New Orleans a few weeks back, and everyone is going to get some framed art shots. People seem to like them, and they are most affordable!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I go to consignment shops -- the ones that mark down the items monthly due to no sales.

I've picked up some beautiful picture frames for little or nothing.

A lot of times the pictures in them suck -- but that's ok cause I just want the frame.

Throw the pictures away, but keep the matting and the frame.

we have a nice place down the road that donates proceeds to the children's hospital. that's SO VERY holiday :)

edit for spelling

yep, gots to be careful about the spelling around here :D

feelin' a bit sensitive and vulnerable now ;)

" I will not do business with anyone who supports the Republican party" That limits a lot of Christmas shopping. Oh WELL so be it.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that has typing troubles -
Learn to read typonese, life is to short to backspace!

Mostly because I am so depressed about the state of the country. I am also worried about our economic future - money I save from not splurging might be needed to feed my kids later.

what's this about "typonese"?? :shrug:

and you move on anyway, because you don't want to waste time making correction. (You typed slurge instead of splurge)

until you bought it to my attention.

thank you.

I assure you it was not because I was too lazy to backspace, or some sinister reason.

Sorry if you thought I was implying something like that.

I tend to just slurge wherever I hafta when the time comes. ;-)

... nothing but food & drink between adults though

:hi:

It may be all that's left of us after the next couple of years.

to my family, which consists of six people-I put this all in a box, unwrapped, no tags, said take what you want:

2 boxes low carb chocolates from Russel Stover outlet
1 insulated bag for said chocolates
1 emergency light/radio, which I got free from opening a new account at a bank
3 packages of postage stamps

I'll make something for the neighbors, and give my husband some help with medical stuff. That's it for holiday spending, except the spittoon I got my boss-I'm tired of him chewing and spitting anywhere in the office, and feel it is as much a gift for me as for him!

There would be no gifts this year.

That's for 11 people. I'm fortunate that I haven't been hit too hard by Bush's economy, but I'm not going to get carried away with buying gifts this year. I know doom and gloom could be just around the corner.

Or the next 4 years.

since i lost my 21 dollar an hour job,splurge is not a word often heard at my house.

by shopping on ebay. And just think if it hadn't been for our idiot VP, I wouldn't have realized how patriotic it is to shop on ebay.

:D

...so we're going to pack up some outgrown toys and books to give to another single mother who has younger kids. I hope to do it in such a way that she can wrap them up as Christmas presents if she chooses without her kiddos knowing where they came from.

Right now I don't want to do Christmas at all, but we may do what we did last year and fill the stockings with travel sized toiletries, candy, little minor luxuries like that.

The hard part is keeping the grandfolks from charging up their credit cards with things that aren't appropriate just because they think they have to.

Sensible solution to the overflow of toys and a kind gesture for someone else. Very nice.

...spluge on my gifts? Makes them kinda worthless doesn't it?

some people live to splurge.

I'm one of them.

However, it's getting harder and harder to reign myself in.

Everything is going up so fast, and my poor paycheck just can't keep up.

blessing because the selfish little nephews just fight while watching TV every moment of their lives, including when they open their presents! Some recent nephew quotes:

"Didn't you get me anything?" (an hour after opening 150$ worth of gifts +cash)
"Why don't you tell Aunt B to go back to Toys R Us?, Mom?"
"I already haaave that!
"Shut up. I'm watching TV!"
And this is when I am fuly funded and spoiling them.

They are not going to be cool about it, and it may get ugly, because I ain't taking shit off 8 year olds with no manners anymore! . Luckily, we rescheduled for tentatively Saturday. But I feel some PMS seriously coming on, and I have not yet had the job loss or the election day melt down yet. So shit is going to fly at some point, probably this weekend!
Watch for my thread where I wallow in pity and beg for hugs. Not there yet, but I'm approaching fast!

:hug:

they will be ecstatic. Energy costs are soaring over here.

I donated money in their names to charities -- the Red Cross for hurricane relief for one and dang! I can't remember which one I used for the second. The look of shock on their faces was priceless! I had always given them cool presents that took a lot of thought... so did that one. They were speechless.

But I generally try to send some nice gifts to my children and grandchildren. This year it will be difficult and I don't know how I'm going to handle it. I think likely I will try to get a few items for my 3 grandkids and my 17 year old son (whose birthday falls on New Years Eve, adding to the crunch) but I'm going to have to skimp on my two adult daughters. I have some jewellry that I picked up last spring on a journey through the southwest and I think I'll send them each a piece of that. They will understand but it makes me feel kinda low. Hubby and I agreed when we first met that we would not exchange gifts on Christmas - only birthdays. Keeps the stress down and he is gift enough for me. :)

Sorry, mr. media, but my personal economy says I must not spend more than needed... house, utilities, gas, food, and essentials... some gifts for kids, but not much... adult friends will get cards and cookies (home baked), family phone calls... nope, no major shopping for me.

very much at all.. The company my husband works for is closing on Dec.23.. So I will only buy a few gifts for my son from a locally owned toy store.

damn, that sucks!!!!!!

Sorry, Libpunkmom

:hug:

So very sorry.

In fact, my friends have all agreed to just focus on our families and just have a christmas party someplace instead of a gift exchange.

I'm flying out to Los Angeles this year to be with my sister's family, and their gift to me is to take a few days off and drive up to napa valley for a long weekend for some amateur wine tasting and full time surviving.

I might splurge a little on her kids (my nieces) but not too bad.

instead of each other and it's much easier and gratifying. I'll buy a few things for those special to me, but not nearly what I used to do.

That would make them all sticky and stuff

Bought my parents a new 32" TV. Told them it was for Christmas. Their old one was so bad, they really needed a new one, and I'm lucky enough right now to still have my job, so I can afford it. Next year? Maybe a different story.

Can you believe they still got into an argument on how to put it into the cabinet?:eyes:

Can you believe they still got into an argument on how to put it into the cabinet?

yes. yes I would.

Ain't parents great? :D

might be even broker next year

My Mom gets the same thing every year (addition to her collection) as requested, but nothing for anyone else but food and cards...

So I suppose I will and I won't at the same time.

right?

:D

:hi:

I work for this company:

http://www.thetrain.com

We sell videos... but of vintage locomotives. :o :hi:

I try to put a decent Christmas under the tree for my kid, and as for the rest of my family, I usually make them some fudge.... and a nice Christmas dinner.