NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Effyb4

Thanks everyone. I will go to some charity shops on Saturday to see if there is anything suitable. We will be spending Christmas with family and be having lots of fun with them. The boys will be getting presents from other people (or possibly money as they are only really interested in computer games and music), so I don't think they will feel too left out.

I might do some baking with them as well. They love home made cakes and biscuits. One year we made a gingerbread house and had fun decorating it.

Roadside

Effyb4 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I will go to some charity shops on Saturday to see if there is anything suitable. We will be spending Christmas with family and be having lots of fun with them. The boys will be getting presents from other people (or possibly money as they are only really interested in computer games and music), so I don't think they will feel too left out.

I might do some baking with them as well. They love home made cakes and biscuits. One year we made a gingerbread house and had fun decorating it.

My kids do not remember the times we had to reign the spending in, nor do they really think to much about the times we went totally overboard, what they do remember is the silly games and laughter, of spending time together with close family and friends, one year us oldies wanted to forgo the annual car crash that is charades, we nearly got lynched, they (aged between 12 and 17) said it was a tradition they were not prepared to let go.

girlinayellowdress

My favourite christmas memories was the annual visit to the oh-so-posh neighbours, we visited as a family as did the neighbours on the other side, 5 children in all, our neighbours were elderly and childless and loved our visits. We played tale on the donkey and we were allowed to have a snowball fights across their lounge with white Pompoms. Dread to think if we done any damage as their house was full of ornaments.

thriftwizard

Just had a conversation with our old next-door neighbour, who works in the nearest little supermarket. She's clearly stressed to death by the amount she is "having" to spend on each of her 3 boys - otherwise it's not fair - what with main presents (electronic gadgets) & stocking presents, not to mention having to buy something for all their girlfriends too. "Where does it all end?" she asked plaintively. "We can't keep going like this, we won't be able to pay the rent, but we can't let them down either."

When we collectively put our feet down & refuse to play along with it any longer? But then, what about retail jobs?

My DD1 works PT in a fairly upmarket clothing chain. She's seeing customers wincing as they proffer their credit cards to pay, and worry on the faces of management because even with massive "flash" sales & discounts, they're failing to improve on last year's figures. Don't know how it looks elsewhere, but here it's beginning to look as if they've squeezed the consumers until the pips squeak, and we're all running out of juice. if their sales figures aren't massively better than last year, they've "failed" and jobs will be at risk - but how much more can the customers afford to borrow in order to buy? Never mind where they're going to put it all?

It does look like a form of collective madness, when you stop to think about it.

GreyQueen

Collective madness, indeed.

Commercial interests can't continue to expand the retail sector indefinately and expect that there is gong to be the ability to buy-buy-buy and to hell with the consequences.

I feel that a lot of people are already at the point of diminishing returns. The new toys' lustre fades even faster than the older toys, the snazzy Christmas jumper pills and plucks by Boxing Day, we're bloated in body and sickened to the very marrow by excess.

I don't want more of more, I find myself wanting more of less, if that makes sense.

purpleshoes_2

I actually really like giving and receiving Christmas presents. But, I like it because my family put a lot of thought into what they buy me and vice versa and we dont need to spend tons to do it

I remember a few years back when I was working full time but still on a rubbish wage I bought my pal stuff, a lot was from charity shops, topped up with a couple of charity gifts like the oxfam goat and she loved what I got her. She was skint too so it was fine:)

I dont have kids and neither does my brother, his gf has a son but hes grown up, so I dont have the pressure of trying to keep kids happy, but to me, I just like going to my mums, seeing my bro on xmas eve, he comes up every year and we swap the presents and then I spend a couple of days with my mum and we sit on our bums and do very little

My gran had a massive stroke 4 years ago, her funeral was the 23rd of Dec so we just got through that Christmas and no more. I do like going out although Im quite a shy person really and Ive had a few tough years so Ive had to force myself the last while, but last year I did my last night out at the end of November and didnt go out again until the beginning of Feb and its going to be more or less the same this year

Im old enough that Ive done all the standing in pubs being squashed like a sardine that I want to be.

I actually like going out and buying what I can from charity shops and pound shops and if someone got me a present that cost me 99p Id receive it with thanks

Its more about being with the people I care about than anything we give one another, last birthday my brother bought me a couple of bottles of wine and they must have cost him £5 each but it was appreciated.

Its the thought that counts.

fuddle

It makes complete sense.

We're teaching our children that you get lots just for the sake of it with Christmas and that sentiment will not be part of my ethos for bringing up my children. Nothing in life is free, nothing is a right and nothing is deserved. Thinking like that leads to financial ruin. That's my opinion based on life experience.

My children have had to grow up with a smaller pile (isn't that crude... pile) than friends and friendly and now we're a little more stable we're not indulging them. I dread Christmas Eve on facebook as I see photo's of the huge piles friends and family have got for their children and I wince at what I can only interpret as bragging.

purpleshoes_2

fuddle wrote: »

It makes complete sense.

We're teaching our children that you get lots just for the sake of it with Christmas and that sentiment will not be part of my ethos for bringing up my children. Nothing in life is free, nothing is a right and nothing is deserved. Thinking like that leads to financial ruin. That's my opinion based on life experience.

My children have had to grow up with a smaller pile (isn't that crude... pile) than friends and friendly and now we're a little more stable we're not indulging them. I dread Christmas Eve on facebook as I see photo's of the huge piles friends and family have got for their children and I wince at what I can only interpret as bragging.

That cant help, Im old enough to have grown up in times when there was no facebook.

I remember when I was wee getting excited about getting up on christmas day and having a stocking at the bottom of my bed complete with chocolate and satsumas

In fact I might ask my mum to get a stocking together for me this year

fuddle

and a piece of coal... always a piece of coal! It was thought, where I came from, that if you had coal you were reminded that what could have happened but er, I never understood it (and still don't) as my village was a mining village and coal would have paid for the gifts!

TudorRose

I work part time in retail.
Yesterday I had a customer wanting to buy an item for just over £5.00. She tried 2 cards and both were declined. She then went outside to get another card from her husband and said that they had both been declined because she had spent so much at the Tra!!ord Centre. I would be mortified to have 2 cards declined and worried sick how I was going to pay the bills on 2 maxed out credit cards. No Christmas can be worth the worry that would bring in the New Year - well that's what I think anyway.