Sorry for my absence yesterday, I was with my mom, my future maid of honor and my insurance agent. OK, Denise is an old family friend, my insurance person AND a stalwart member of the shopping club that meets every December at the Mall of America for two purposes: Much needed girl time and to get a huge chunk of Christmas shopping done.
It’s funny to sit here and reflect after a couple days with these women who are so important to me. For me, this annual trip is more about being with my loved ones these days than it is about spending money. For Denise and my mom, this trip is about getting a ton of shopping done in two whirlwind days at the largest mall in America and doing some serious damage to their families’ Christmas lists.
But not this year.
I should have known that something was different when I was sitting in the lobby of the same hotel that we stay at every year, mowing down the same Belgian waffle that I always get from their continental breakfast (hell, the breakfast lady has been the same lady for the past three years. She may not recognize me, but she’s a champion in my mind.) and watching TV while I mindlessly prepare for the day – like I always do. Well, what was different? First and foremost, the government has finally stated the obvious. America is in a recession. And the media have duly followed with what the frugal bloggers have been telling you folks for years – buy what you need and do not spend more than what you can afford.
The Today Show: How to save up to $1,000 by using coupons! (I am a little critical of the media, but Denise and I saw this segment and immediately ran to the complimentary in-hotel computer and printed off coupons to the places we frequently shop.)
Dr. Phil - “Marriage Crisis: Drowning in Debt.”
I will admit that as a blogger who writes about my struggle with credit card debt, a person who has shown the blogosphere that she has a latte factor of ridiculous proportions and has recently started to shop more at Savers, it was pretty ironic to be at the Mall of America, that 1990s paean to exorbiant spending.
I can’t tie this up in a neat bow. I can’t even tell you if the numbers of shoppers dropped from years before or if I pulled people aside to see if they were spending less money. I know in my family we are spending less money than we have in previous years and if MY family is trimming the presents under the tree than I know that we’re probably in the majority this year.
So I ask the rest of you – are you trimming your Christmas budget this year? What kind of cost-saving measures are you taking?
I wouldn’t say I will have “less” for my children this year. However, the source of where their gifts come from has changed. The bulk of their gifts (well, probably 60-70%) I got off Craigslist…used gifts, recycling their way into another child’s heart.
C’mon – it’s all about having something to open.
I also bought them each some clothes – discount knock offs from Target and Marshall’s. They are able to wear them now – but a few days before x-mas I will hyjack them and wrap them up for the kids to open.
To have some extra money to spend I also sold some kids’ clothes and toys on Craigslist. The clothes are taking a while to get rid of, but the toys FLEW away like hotcakes.
I think my procrastination around the holidays helps. I usually don’t get around to shopping until a week before I have to actually give the gifts. I might not actually shop around to find all the best deals, but it does keep me from picking up all the extras.