The Christmas 2014 thread

 Want to share your Christmas stories here?  Happy/bad/sad/unforgettable .......  here's the place to do it.  

Holiday spending mistakes are like fruitcake: They reappear, year after year.

Buying out of guilt? Confusing spending with celebrating? Blowing your budget on trivial items? Or maybe you're putting gifts on credit cards because that seems easier than admitting you can't afford presents in the first place?

Instead, enjoy the holidays for a change and ditch debt-related stress. Here are five holiday spending mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Some good advice from Dana Dratch - Bankrate.com


Mistake No. 1:  Extravagance with gift wrap

Shoppers tend to buy expensive wrapping paper or gift bags impulsively, says consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow, a professor at Golden Gate University and author of "Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail."

"This is the one that I hear about most often, and it costs people more money than they realize," she says. During a holiday season, it's easy to rack up $100 in gift bags, wrapping paper and wine bags, she says.

Reuse instead. Recycling bags and ribbon is "perfectly acceptable today," Yarrow says.

Recently, a guest presented her with a hostess gift, announcing, "The bag may be recycled, but I assure you the wine is not," Yarrow recalls.


Mistake No. 2:  Charging too much

To cut the cost of Christmas, keep the credit cards under wraps.

"Tons of research shows that people spend more money when they charge things," Yarrow says. "If you can pay with cash, you'll always be a little more aware of what those gifts cost."

If you don't feel safe with greenbacks in your pocket among the holiday hordes, then use a card, but keep a running tally in a notebook or smartphone. That way, you're less likely to add to your list of recipients or buy impulse gifts, she says.

Rather than adding everything up as you go, set a total budget, then subtract what you spend, Yarrow says. "Dwindling balances tend to be more real."

Going into debt is a holiday mistake, says Doug Borkowski, director of the Iowa State University financial counseling clinic. "Don't put Christmas on the credit cards," he says.

And don't get "an interest-free, 15-month loan so you can overspend on Christmas," Borkowski adds. That sort of long-term borrowing sets you up for financial failure.


Mistake No. 3:  Shopping while guilty

Shopping and negative emotions -- guilt, panic or a mob mentality -- make an expensive combination.

Many consumers budget more "out of guilt," Yarrow says. "What people have to remind themselves is that money doesn't equal love or affection."

Short-term sales create an emotionally charged situation. Whether it's a flash sale, a Black Friday deal or a weekend special, the fear of "missing out" can override common sense, Yarrow says.

Being in a crowd can also change the way we think, she says: "When everybody is grabbing for something, we feel we should be grabbing for it, too."

Online shoppers aren't immune. Surfing late at night when you're exhausted or after a few glasses of holiday cheer can get expensive, she says.

The solution in any venue is to take a timeout.

Put the item in your cart, but wait at least 20 minutes to buy it, Yarrow advises. If it still appeals, "It's probably something you want."


Mistake No. 4: Not trimming gift lists

Long before you trim the tree, trim the gift list.

If money's tight, it's likely not a secret. Announce how you'll handle holiday gifts this year -- whether it's no presents, children only, exchanging names, buying a group gift or whatever works for you.

"For some people, their love language is receiving things," says Michelle Singletary, author of "The 21-day Financial Fast: Your Path to Financial Peace and Freedom." "You have to give them notice. You don't have to tell them your whole business, but just say, 'I have assessed my financial life, and it's a mess. And this holiday, I have decided to straighten it out.'"

And you can still find ways to let special people know they matter. One option is gifts of food that you enjoy making, says Mary Hunt, founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of "7 Money Rules for Life."

Borkowski recommends sending a card with a note -- a real, handwritten note with just a few lines to say what this person has meant to you this year or in general.

"It shows you're thinking of the person," Borkowski says. "That's huge."


Mixing buying with celebrating

"Separate shopping from the entertainment of the season," Hunt says. She follows this advice with her family.

"The sights and sounds of Christmas were the reason they loved the mall," Hunt says. "So I would just take a few bucks in my pocket to get a hot chocolate and a cookie. Our purpose was to go see Santa, or to go see the decorations and ride the train."

What do you like to do during the holidays? Listen to live music? Drive around to ogle lights? Get together with family in the kitchen?

Singletary says, "The best Christmas we ever had was when we decided to spend $100."

She adds: "The $100 goes fairly quickly. So what do you do for the rest of the season? You visit, you make hot chocolate. We spent the holiday with people and not in the stores. It was, by far, the best holiday ever."

Well, that was a not so smart move ......

Meant to put up a 45 seconds clip, but somehow managed to put up the whole Simon's Cat series (over 2 hours).



It's been fixed now. This is a 45 seconds clip!

Last year was the first Christmas I can ever remember in my whole life where there wasn't a cat around the place.  This year is the same.  

One good thing to come out of that, however ..........  

(original video got deleted. Violated copyright!   Shame, cos was so funny ...
but here's another one)




In memory of Pepsi and Poppy.

I'll say a quick MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone and hope you all have a great day.

I'll be visiting my bro in a hospital ward tomorrow, but as he's getting better and doing well, that's enough to make my Christmas.

Very Merry Christmas from me too.  (Where are the Christmas smileys KK?)  This is the nearest one I could find.  

Umberto, I hope your brother will be home from hospital by the time the new year comes around.

Behave yourself with those nurses, Umbo.  You know what nurses can be like when there's mistletoe around.  

 

This is one place where I would so love to be for New Year's Eve.

Edinburgh prepares for Hogmanay     http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30623465

A beautiful city in itself, I have been there only once - during the Edinburgh Tattoo, about 10 years ago.
That was a truly unforgettable visit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  

Same to you, Jamboree.     Good to see you're still around here - we've not heard from you in awhile.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2015.

Not been around so much of late as I am currently not in the UK and have to rely on a very shaky communal wi-fi system.     Some days grateful to get a full hour or so, other times zilch internet for days, weeks on end.  Reminds me a bit of this creature here    

Ladder kept permanently on site to reach the wi-fi to administer a good shake, thump or twiddle as appropriate.

U.C. - I hope your brother is back on his feet now and to all here stay healthy and happy.  

Jamboree wrote:Not been around so much of late as I am currently not in the UK and have to rely on a very shaky communal wi-fi system.     Some days grateful to get a full hour or so, other times zilch internet for days, weeks on end.  Reminds me a bit of this creature here    

Ladder kept permanently on site to reach the wi-fi to administer a good shake, thump or twiddle as appropriate.

U.C. - I hope your brother is back on his feet now and to all here stay healthy and happy.  

That sounds pretty frustrating - but adventurous, Jamboree!  So whereabouts in the world are you and what exactly are you doing there?  I would so love to hear all about it.  (Now that I am no longer in a position to travel to such an extent, I have to compensate by listening to and reading about the tales and adventures of others).  Still, could be a whole lot worse, I suppose.    

Hope your year is a happy one, wherever you are ...  and I hope you don't have to wait too long before that little green fella    pops up again!  

Jamboree wrote:U.C. - I hope your brother is back on his feet now

That would be great - he couldn't walk before he went into hospital!

Thanks for the sentiment though - much appreciated.

Umberto Cocopop wrote:

Jamboree wrote:U.C. - I hope your brother is back on his feet now

That would be great - he couldn't walk before he went into hospital!

Thanks for the sentiment though - much appreciated.

I do apologise!     I hadn't realised that.  Anyhow, good to read in another thread that he's doing fine now.