Bankruptcy and christmas

MicheH

Lost2 wrote: »

When I went BR in March, I joined the sealed pot thread.
It's where you have a home made money box, and you drop in any money that you have spare. I usually put the money I have left at the end of the week from my shopping money and at the end of the month I put all the change I have left from my purse. We are going to have are big count up on December 1st so it will be interesting to see what is in my pot & money box.

Ooooh exciting! A good idea, I'll do that next year.

MicheH

I think we have to be careful when we're talking about Christmas and 'greed' and 'want'.

As i've said I have little ones for whom it's all very magical still. I don't think you can compare that with teenagers and 'piles' of presents. So maybe a little less critical of wanting to make Christmas exciting, all warm and cosy. Brilliant for those of you who can enjoy christmas with your family and enjoying going out to Januaray sales and giving them treats. I can't and will not give my 5 year old a slip of paper with IOU on it or not buy them anythinf at all. I have put my point across without being negative towards your way of Christmas, there's nothing wrong with my way or your way, just personal opinion and preference. Just because we're on a bankruptcy board doesn't mean we have to be all 'teach children about the value of money or kids will be greedy and spoilt' That's not fair.

Each to their own. There's many of us who get up and daft o'clock to still get excited about Christmas, why? Because of bloomin' good memories as kids. Let you hair down, enjoy yourself. We all know it doesn't have to be expensive.

Bohemian_Raspberry

Lost2 wrote: »

When I went BR in March, I joined the sealed pot thread.
It's where you have a home made money box, and you drop in any money that you have spare. I usually put the money I have left at the end of the week from my shopping money and at the end of the month I put all the change I have left from my purse. We are going to have are big count up on December 1st so it will be interesting to see what is in my pot & money box.

We've been doing something similar for the past couple of months. We're trying to spend just £25 a week on shopping now but being careful we usually come in at a few quid less than that so as soon as we get home whatever is left out of that £25 gets put into a pot which will be opened the week before Christmas. This way we'll hopefully have some money to get ourselves a few treats to enjoy over the holidays.

seven-day-weekend

MicheH wrote: »

I think we have to be careful when we're talking about Christmas and 'greed' and 'want'.

As i've said I have little ones for whom it's all very magical still. I don't think you can compare that with teenagers and 'piles' of presents. So maybe a little less critical of wanting to make Christmas exciting, all warm and cosy. Brilliant for those of you who can enjoy christmas with your family and enjoying going out to Januaray sales and giving them treats. I can't and will not give my 5 year old a slip of paper with IOU on it or not buy them anythinf at all. I have put my point across without being negative towards your way of Christmas, there's nothing wrong with my way or your way, just personal opinion and preference. Just because we're on a bankruptcy board doesn't mean we have to be all 'teach children about the value of money or kids will be greedy and spoilt' That's not fair.

Each to their own. There's many of us who get up and daft o'clock to still get excited about Christmas, why? Because of bloomin' good memories as kids. Let you hair down, enjoy yourself. We all know it doesn't have to be expensive.

OK sorry - you asked for advice on how to do 'cheap' for Christmas, that was merely my suggestion. My son was 12 when I gave him the IOU and we explained it beforehand and he was fine with it.

I still think there is no need for loads of presents and believe that Christmas can be 'magical' without it.

But I agree each must do it their own way and my way is not to spend money I don't have, whatever the age of the child. As I say, purely a suggestion.

Have a good one!

lee316

Miche, have a nice :coffee: and I'm sending you a :grouphug: (lol that looks weird). I'm sensing you are a bit on a defensive, noone is having a pop at you here. There is also nothing wrong with your way, we have had plenty od xmasses when kids were smaller when we scoured the 99 p shop for presents, and they loved it. If mine were little I would do the same as you, I am lucky now that they are teenagers and therefore xmas is not such a big deal for them any more. Nor they are greedy or spoilt, otherwise they wouldn't be so understanding.

Seven-day-weekend, nothing wrong with IOU's neither. Both of mine got them this year for their birthdays.

MicheH

Defensive yes, you have to be when you dare post on here about spending money when you're br. I would normally just ignore stuff that annoys me but as i've already commented in the early part of the thread I wanted to stand up for those who want to continue with how they had christmas with their loved ones and shouldn't feel that because of the BR that they should somewhat feel like they have to do without this year or dissapoint their children. Like I said, sledge, paints and knitting kit.

joobie538

This will be my first christmas after my br. and to be honest I will probably have more spare money to spend than last year! My gift to my family last year was the fuel in my car to visit them, and they were thrilled!

This year they expect nothing, and the only gifts i intend on buying are for the under 10's (my neice and nephew). In my family it's the being together the fun and the games that make christmas, and if i'm truely honest my best christmas present as a kid was the 2nd hand dolls house i got one year.

Who here actually remembers the expensive gifts they recieved when they were little? thoughtful gifts mean more.

Not meant as a critical post against people, more of a reassurance that you shouldn't feel guilty for not giving loads of gifts. The people old enough understand and the younger ones are happy with little / more thoughtful gifts.

seven-day-weekend

Well said joobie, no child of any age is going to remember not getting the latest wii game; they are however going to remember fun, love and laughter, all of which are free.

MicheH

This is the last i'm going to say on it because it's not worth my head space and i'll say it in laymans terms this time.

'laughter' 'love' all of which are free and yes we'll have them in abundance.

My child has had a little pile of presents from Santa Claus every year and is now 5. I cannot and will not sacrifice her face and just get her one or two presents as she remembers that Santa brings her because it's absolutely morally wrong to do so because Christmas should be about love and laughter not gift giving. Well I do it my way, Christmas for us is about our children, their faces when they see what Santa has left them and the play oreintated day when we all play together. Now is this wrong?

It seems that you are not even reading my posts as you will see I have not mentioned wii or anything expensive. I'll write for a 3rd time.. sledge, paints, knitting kit. A pile of presents which arn't expensive as I've already said, a pile of thoughtful presents which my child will use, knickers, socks and ear muffs. Do you not see? Why should I be scolded and commented upon because I choose to give my children presents on the pretense that magical Santa Claus has left them. They're under 5 for goodness sake. I have already commented on that once my children are non believers then they will not get a 'pile'. For now Santa leaves them a pile, within reason. I have not wrote anything in this post which I have not written before. I'm not going to comment any more only to add fingers crossed for a white christmas!

skylight

I do not care how much people do or do not spend at Christmas. If you can do it without getting into debt over it then whats the problem?

I remember some years back, a spot on a news feature. It showed a Mum (smoking) standing in her kitchen against an empty space where her washer and dryer should have been because she sold them to buy Christmas presents. She had borrowed so much the year before she was still paying the debts back, so decided to sell what she had to give the kids whatever they wanted. Then she was going to get a crisis loan in the new year to replace the items she sold! I know it was sensationalist journalism at its finest, but I could not believe this woman would do that.

I will not get into debt for anyone anymore. But I do give my kids as much as I possibly can (within reason). Its how I go about getting them thats the tricky part; and its this that you need to look at spreading over the year, uping income and starting a savings pot. There is nothing wrong with quantity - its the red you have to avoid.