Last night I was up until midnight looking and purchasing Christmas gifts when I probably should have been in bed. I always find myself searching and searching for hours for the perfect gift....for free shipping...for the best online coupon codes...which can lead to hours and hours of Christmas shopping!
My husband and I both come from families that have always had BIG Christmases. And even though I know the real reason of Christmas is not gifts...I do really like finding special gifts for people. I really find joy in the gift of giving more than receiving.
However, as a SAHM that can get expensive on just one household income. So I try to shop for the best deals but also a gift they will really like.
I find it really easy to find gifts for the boys and my husband...but it can get really hard to find items for my parents, his parents, my brother and his wife, his brother and his wife, my aunt, and my grandmother. I also do like three gifts per person because I feel bad if I do any less because the get me so much.
Do you feel stressed out at Christmas? Have you found the perfect balance of budget and gift giving?
I think I'm ready for January!
Setting a budget is one thing that I'm going to have to do this Christmas just because of the medical issues going on with my foot cost a fortune. But I'm stressing too this year because I have no idea what to get for ANYONE! The only person I have down easy is my Dad. And now M knows the ONE thing that I got him that I thought was going to be a surprise..fail.
ReplyDeletedefinite dilemna in our one income household too. we struggled to maintain the gift buying for a few years, but we finally just had to say, "we'd love to get together, but please - no gifts, cuz you're not getting one from us!" LOL
ReplyDeleteWe only buy for the children of those close to us. Or we get a "Family" gift: like a DVD and some fancy popcorn, or stuff for a Wii game night. Instead of buying a separate gift for each person (that gets really expensive since everyone we know has at least 3 kids like us!)
In the end, you can't get blood from a stone - there simple isn't the money to buy. And we refuse to go into debt over Christmas. that's just insane! I'd rather my kids learn to be happy with what they have.
Ughh.. Christmas sure is stressful for us too. We are lucky enough to be blessed with big families but with that comes lots of people to buy for. It has become increasingly more difficult. I love being able to give gifts that people want and will enjoy and it bothers me that I can't do more, but I can only do what I can do. :)
ReplyDeleteChristmas can be stressful
ReplyDeleteWhat we do is set a budget for each person. With the kids they have a bigger budget. My problem is I keep finding more stuff to get the girls
I do feel very stressed at Christmas. This year is different. I decided (not all the family is a fan of this decision) to adopt a family in need and buy presents that this family truly needs, as opposed to "stuff" for my own family. It's just for this year and I feel so good about it.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
So far I haven't bought a single gift and I know the stress is coming. I don't know why I take so long to get going... ugh! I better get cracking!
ReplyDeleteI'm almost finished my Christmas shopping. I wanted to get it done early, because of being pregnant and not wanting to stress :) But I do feel bad because the gifts aren't much this year. I am unemployed and budgeting is tight on one income.
ReplyDeleteMy parents are the most difficult to buy for. But not my Mom, as I can make her jewelry and know that she will appreciate the time I put into it. I always make her something pretty fancy that took a while to do, to make up for the lack of money. I love to find the right gift to give that makes a person really smile.
i hear ya- i'm ready for January! even when i try to budget, i almost always end up going over!
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel the stress. I usually make out my list of who to buy for & what to get them & then stay up all night online shopping. And YES, I'm trying to get that free shipping and sale coupon to go with. It's stressful & time consuming, but at least its once a year! =)
ReplyDeleteoh man it can be so stressful! My issue is the amounts other spend on us verse what we can afford to spend on others! I am usually done by Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the season but I am really behind this year!
ReplyDeleteOh girl, I totally search and search and search for the best bargains too. It is hard on one income. I like using the site RetailMeNot b/c they have a lot of coupon codes and sometimes free shipping deals. I have another site I use where I can get a % of the money back. I'll email you the link.
ReplyDeleteI try to hit Etsy for those hard to buy for people especially! Finding unique handmade things can be special and way less expensive! As my girls get older the gifts are harder to chose and come at a higher price. So I start a holiday fund in january and stash a little dough in it each month to help cover december!!! Also a great time to cash in on credit card points (assuming you use your card and pay it off each month!!!) for gift cards that can be used to purchase gifts with or for teachers!!!
ReplyDeleteAhhh christmas budgets - yuk!
ReplyDeleteI find as the older I get the less people I buy for.
We are trying to incorporate 'experiences' into our christmas and not so much the stuff.
That said I do love getting and receiving a good gift :-)
We are totally over the budget I wanted this year which stresses me out. I feel like we need to have discussions with the family about it all. Simple is better!
ReplyDelete