The Christmas mania has only just begun and I'm already feeling depressed. This has been a really tough year for my little family. We have a 1 yr old and another one on the way. Hubby and I have always been quite comfortable financially but health reasons have forced hubby to take a much lower paid casual job. We are now doing everything we can to avoid bankruptcy and we are just scraping through with our basic living expenses. We just simply can not afford Christmas this year. Our families do secret santa gifts to keep costs down but I can't even see us scraping together enough to afford this. I am grateful for everything we have and I know that the best things in life are free but I am still struggling with emotions of guilt, embarrassment and disappointment. Please give me some positive thoughts and frugal tips to get me through this silly season.
4 Replies
Of course. You could make presents this year. Get your 1 year old to do a hand print on canvas, children seriously are happy with a pack of textas. For your 1 year old wrap up boxes of things he would need anyway as 1 year olds are way more interested in the box and wrapping than the present! You could also make some nice biscuits or something similar you made yourself. I always love it when someone buys me a packet of timtams for christmas, and I eat them ALL on my own :)
Your family will understand x
I can relate, in feb this year my hubby lost his job and with that we lost 75% of our income. We lived a comfortable life but now we are on a health care card. You may not know about this particular payment but enquire at centerlink about parenting payment. We went 7 months before someone told us we might be eligible and it's an extra $300 a fortnight so I'm very grateful for it.
I was also very depressed for a while as it's a huge adjustment, but now it's just normal as it's been so long. A few tips to make a few extra $$ to get you through Xmas perhaps join a local buy swap sell page on Facebook and have a good clean out a garage sale or start selling on eBay. Last week for groceries I spent only $80 for 4 of us, that's to free up some $$ for Xmas shopping.
There's no shame in saying you can't afford Kris Kringle, my family does it too and we have to spent $200 but I find that much cheaper than buying for each individual person.
You will be ok, I actually grew up in poverty and I can tell you first hand it's not about the amount of money you spend but the time you spend with your children. Best wishes and merry Christmas
Perhaps you could make Xmas presents? Fudge, cookies ect :) I made my friends children a t shirt each (just a cheap $4 one from target and I stitched their name on it) as my friends buy for my children and I wanted to still give them a gift, it's not about missing out just adjusting things to meet your budget
My friend at work had the same problem so as a gift she offered free babysitting for 1 night so I could go out. It was the best gift ever! Better then some crap I wouldn't use. Why don't you offer some kind of free service? Or just buy something 2nd hand that's cheap?? Or make something from hand
I've been all around the financial spectrum. At my best was on my way to being a self made millionaire. At my worst homeless. I remember after some bad financial advice, I ended up $450 per week (was the avg weekly wage at the time) going backwards. I spent $2.40 on my daughter for her second birthday, she got a Mr Squiggle Melamine plate and a soft little bear from the $2 shop. It was literally all the money I had left. I cried and cried and everyone told me she wouldn't remember blah blah, and I knew that but it broke my heart.
I later become a single mum and have spent many a Christmas eve in tears because of my meagre offerings to my children from Santa, everything came from Santa and mummy couldn't afford to give them anything as I didn't want them to think they were naughty that's why Santa didn't bring them lots like other kids and wouldn't you know, every christmas day, they were sooo excited and beamed as if I'd spent thousands on them.
They got their school bags and lunch box for the next year as a christmas gift, pencils colouring books, bubbles, socks, a beach towel, and their dad usually pitched in with a dvd each and a couple of little things. Oh and every year some Cherries!
Now they are older and I'm no longer financially stressed, I am giving them experiences, they don't need more trashy crap that ends up in landfill, so this year we are seeing the lion king together as their xmas gift, and still only spending $55 on them each. (the ticket price) I just don't see the need to go all out and spend thousands like many parents do. It's a day about being with family, not gifts. It's about being with Family!, not gifts. So I agree with the other IM's. Make gifts. Google Home Made Christmas Gifts and see what takes your fancy. As long as you have your family on the day, you are way ahead of many people in this world - Not that that makes it easier, but helps a little to remember that, just positive self talk yourself through this, and when it's all over, breath a sigh of relief and you'll be fine.
Just a funny thought, I remember exactly what my daughter got for her second birthday, I have 3 daughters, and a baby son, I can't remember what the other kids got on their second birthdays.