Great 'Biggest Christmas waste of money?' Hunt

leonotis

Someone once described Christmas to me as "enforced jolification" and I do wholeheartedly agree. Most kids these days get far far too much all year and so I am sure don't appreciate the vast amount unnecessarily spent on them.
Also it can be the saddest time of year for many people.

SugarSpun

leonotis wrote: »

Someone once described Christmas to me as "enforced jolification" and I do wholeheartedly agree. Most kids these days get far far too much all year and so I am sure don't appreciate the vast amount unnecessarily spent on them.
Also it can be the saddest time of year for many people.

I agree that it can be an incredibly sad time of year, but on a serious note, my pre-SAHM job was in a psych unit and Christmas itself was normally reasonably quiet because people often have a rush of willpower to "get through the holidays". It's in the few weeks after Christmas that we always get an influx of people who've managed to "get through the holidays" but find they have nothing left for afterwards.

If you know anyone who's struggling, please try and make sure they know they're not alone and help's available if they need it in the empty days after the decorations have come down.

henmuffin

I like Christmas as it means time spent with my family that I don't often get.
What I dislike about Christmas:
People who expect expensive presents for themselves or their off spring. My children rarely ask for anything and I think that is much politer.
Anything that encourages materialism. Having more objects will not make you happier.
Anything that is environmentally wasteful. Wrapping paper, cards, wasted food etc.
When I was a young child we were quite poor but I always had plenty of presents (often second hand) but I was happy enough. Now I am much better off but have never embraced the idea of consumption. I hope my children can be the same.
This Christmas I have got the children a couple of presents that they really want but won't waste money on things to pad them out.
I am thinking of donating to a charity on their behalf. Maybe one that adopts animals etc. I think this will be much better!

*Louise*

carolinehopkins wrote: »

It's gift tags, they bring out the scrooge in me, I have never bought them, I figure people will remember who they received their presents from.

??

I use them so when it comes to christmas day I know which gift is which when I take them all out from under the tree.

If it wasn't for tags, we would just have a free for all :rotfl:

Savvybunny2009

*Louise* wrote: »

??

I use them so when it comes to christmas day I know which gift is which when I take them all out from under the tree.

If it wasn't for tags, we would just have a free for all :rotfl:

One year my nan (rest in peace) wrapped all the presents up and then decided to put the tags on afterwards, she must have gotten confused with which was which and when we visited for Christmas it was a free for all, one year I was 8 and ended up with a posh photo album :rotfl:bless her.

I love the family spirit at Christams and seeing relatives that normally we wouldn't see. I'm also a December baby (14th) and so is hubby (19th), sadly my family ALWAYS forget my Birthday and then if/when they do remember they make up an excuse so it doesn't look like they had forgotten and stop off at a shop on the way to give me a card and a box of chocolates and money if I'm lucky. Hubby's family always remember which is lovely

I much prefer Christmas though as we get to see family we normally wouldn't see much during the year. I hate it when people give gifts that have had no effort or thought put into them, we always find something that the person will love and it can be a bit of a disappointment to receive a cheap box of chocolates with foreign writting on it when I don't eat chocolate. One year my brother bought a childs selection pack (5 bars?) and said to the family Merry christmas, help yourselves' :eek: I sometimes wonder why I bother when other's don't.

I also don't usually buy tags, I bought some in the january sale and bought some wrapping paper last week, luckily they don't look too odd together but being very MSE with Christmas sometimes means mis-match is inevitable

salski

I love Christmas and everything associated with it! This year I am not sending cards other than to close family and I cant wait for my baby to come (due in Feb) so I can make cards from now on with her on the cheap!
I love crackers and although they are always filled with rubbish - I still love pulling them and wearing the crappy party hats! Haha
I love receiving all the bath and body bits and I make sure the few months before Christmas I dont buy anything so I can use my Christmas presents for the remainder of the year!
I dont like the waste - food wise and wrapping wise and this year I have not bought tags or bows etc - Just used backs of envelopes, cut them to size and stuck them on the front to know who's is who's.
We always go for dinner at Aunties and there is 16 of us - I dont like leaving my doggy at home as she comes EVERYWHERE with us - I mean EVERYWHERE and she has to stay at home whilst we go out for dinner.
I made sure I did all my Christmas shopping in Oct and Nov and just had to get bits on December - and we started a budget as we were always skint in Oct - so we have enough pennies for the first time in years
With baby due - Im so looking forwards to next year and next Christmas

nikkynoo_2

I love christmas. But to me is about getting together with friends and family that we love and car for. We do have a daughter but we dont spend loads on her. She knows that money does not grow on trees and does not expect to recieve a huge amount of gifts.

Christmas dinner isnt a huge fuss, after all its just a roast dinner that we have with close family.

Claire_Bear

One of the biggest money wasting things that I can think of is the stocking filler tubes of sweets, you get about the same amount as a regular sized bag. I looked at a Haribo one the other day, you got 5 of the little 10p bags inside and it was 99p, would rather just buy a big bag of Starmix and put it in someone's stocking than pay all that money for packaging. Same goes for selection boxes. Another one is advent calendars, I always have one but when you think about the amount of chocolate you actually get it's not good value at all, they were extra tiny this year too.

tinkerbellsmum_2

I love christmas cause I have children I love the planning and looking for the perfect gift for people.
I hate christmas cards there a waste of money and just keep falling down.
I hate gift sets they are for people who haven't put any though into what the other person would like and if you are gonna do that you might as well not bother.
I hate how much food we consume when since has christmas been about getting fat.
I think some people have lost touch with what christmas is about (that for me is being with family and making them happy and saying thank you for everything they have done for you in the year) lots of people buy gifts for the sake of it put no thought into it spend far to much money when they should be spending it else where and don't spend enough time with the family instead they see it as a must do or they are to busy shopping in the sales on boxing day (i used to work in a shop and hated working boxing day and would sooner be at home with my family)
I make my own crackers or like this year I buy cheap and add my own personal gifts cause my kids love crackers.

Logie143

I think there's something to be said for having some of the little things around christmas. My parents have always been excellent with money and I think, bar a few additions, the decorations are the same they had in their first house in the 70s.

One big waste is always the turkey so we have started buying the butterfly instead- not the crown as the bone is just an !!!! to carve around. Much nicer meat, easier to keep moist and no waste!