Comments on: 10 Tips for a Financially Stress Free Christmas

By: ME

ME — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:15:44 +0000

I have a gift shelf, for when a store has something that would be free after rebate, really cheap after a coupon, or going out of business, I don’t buy junk. For example last year CVS had Johnson and Johnson liquid bath soap and lotion, after the sale, coupon and my ECB they were free. I wrapped them in a nice bag and the person who received it loved it so much she buys it herself when it goes on sale. I’ve also put together bags for pasta dinners, jar of sauce, pasta, cheese, etc. in these times I don’t think gifts like these are out of line at all and of course because I started looking at the end of the summer I was able to get most of the items free or near free after coupon. At the end of this season I will be on the look out for great deals, I picked up the socks with tread on the bottoms for .25 a pair after christmas, I bought them all and because I keep them in a sack on the shelf they didn’t get dusty, everyone is getting socks this year.

By: RC

RC — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:19:45 +0000

@Happy Rock- Buying used is a good idea. I have done that a few times in the past, but like you say I think it depends on the person.
Sounds like you have a pretty good system going there.

By: The Happy Rock

The Happy Rock — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:12:58 +0000

By used if you know the people you are buying for would appreciate it. I know I buy a few gifts off ebay.

For us, we decided on a number, $500, got out the cash and when the envelope is empty we are done, so we need to plan accordingly.

We did have the money saved ahead of time, which helps. It is much easier to save $40 a month than come up with $500 on demand.

By: RC

RC — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:21:02 +0000

@Armen- I am sure there are quite a few people who will be doing that- reducing the overall # of gifts in order to maintain the quality for the remaining participants. Interesting point!

By: RC

RC — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:19:20 +0000

@FixthePig- I think you are right about that. The price of gifts has skyrocketed of the last 5+ years! It may just be that people keep raising their spending limits as well.

By: Armen Shirvanian

Armen Shirvanian — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:37:15 +0000

The point about eliminating certain gifts was also brought up on a TV news broadcast, as the newscaster was talking about how people appear to be buying products of the same cost as in past years, but that they are buying gifts for less people overall. People tend to want to either send a gift that sends a well-received message, or not send a gift at all, in order to point out to others that there is a level of respect they are trying to maintain.

By: FixThePig

FixThePig — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:18:27 +0000

I think that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas and the fact that people have to even worry about buying gifts is a shame. The bottom line is that x-mas is suppose to be a time of getting together with family and friends to enjoy quality time, not quality gifts.
Since when did it become the norm to get a $300 dollar MP3 player?

By: Follow Me on Twitter and the QuickHits | Prime Time Money

Follow Me on Twitter and the QuickHits | Prime Time Money — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:20:48 +0000

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By: Personal Finance Buzz

Personal Finance Buzz — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:12:21 +0000

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