12-09-2008, 01:46 PM
What I've heard so far is most people are cutting back or being very careful to stay within a budget.
If someone spent $50 dollars last year, then $40 this year, etc.
We have a big Christmas Eve get together every year at Mom and Dad's, then Christmas Day is with our respective families and in-laws.
With now having 12 grandkids (between us brother and sisters) and a brother and sister on reduced salaries we've decided to pool the kids names and each buy 3 of the 12 and put Christmas Eve Santa on the tag from instead of our names. They're all under 5 except 2 of them. We also picked exchange names out of a hat like an office pool for all us brother and sisters. Seems odd to me because I can afford Christmas, so I keep imagining being broke and still having to make Christmas happen. It's really shaping up to be more about getting together and it's actually kinda nice this way. We'll see. That's our cutback this year.
Went through Macy's to get a pair of shoes at J.C. Penney and both store were fairly empty. No lines. One thing odd I noticed at Macy's was 50 and 70% off signs. On Summer clothes. Like they never disposed of the Summer stock last Fall.
As far as Christmas I just got decorations up and the tree(s). Seems like most of the stores were careful this year not to have leftovers, especially Lowes. and Lowes had a 50% off on Christmas lights last weekend and had nothing left. (I was looking for another 18 foot red light rope to extend the one I have that has actually been too short. )
If someone spent $50 dollars last year, then $40 this year, etc.
We have a big Christmas Eve get together every year at Mom and Dad's, then Christmas Day is with our respective families and in-laws.
With now having 12 grandkids (between us brother and sisters) and a brother and sister on reduced salaries we've decided to pool the kids names and each buy 3 of the 12 and put Christmas Eve Santa on the tag from instead of our names. They're all under 5 except 2 of them. We also picked exchange names out of a hat like an office pool for all us brother and sisters. Seems odd to me because I can afford Christmas, so I keep imagining being broke and still having to make Christmas happen. It's really shaping up to be more about getting together and it's actually kinda nice this way. We'll see. That's our cutback this year.
Went through Macy's to get a pair of shoes at J.C. Penney and both store were fairly empty. No lines. One thing odd I noticed at Macy's was 50 and 70% off signs. On Summer clothes. Like they never disposed of the Summer stock last Fall.
As far as Christmas I just got decorations up and the tree(s). Seems like most of the stores were careful this year not to have leftovers, especially Lowes. and Lowes had a 50% off on Christmas lights last weekend and had nothing left. (I was looking for another 18 foot red light rope to extend the one I have that has actually been too short. )