Are you going into debt this Christmas to buy gifts?

These days the only reason I would buy gifts is if I happen to see something that screams that it belong to so and so. And to keep up morale. Between it being winter dark hours and being holidays I sometimes go though the motions of gift giving and putting up Xmas tree. A forced cheer to beat back the depression. It's kinda of lame because it's just me, hubby and the mutts. Mom sometimes gets involved. I remember the whole family (10-20 people) gathering around the Xmas tree and exchanging gifts and eating good food all in our PJs. And we had multiple family separate gatherings mom's side, dads side, grandma and then great grandparents.

No way. We started picking names at Christmas and it takes away from the stress of shopping and spending. It’s fun and better for everyone in the family. Kids still get a present but they are at the age they just get cash. I like the holidays so much better now.

You don't have to do gifts for adults at all really. Since I'm already the rebel of the family, one year I suggested that we have a no-present-for-adults year, and everyone actually agreed. My step mom even thanked me afterwards! And we've done it most years since then. Christmas is so much more genuinely fun for me when you take the stress of buying presents out of it. I think a lot of people actually hate the tradition of gift-giving, but they are too afraid to go against it....

No. It took 6 years to rebuild my credit.

This year I been thinking as a gift to myself I was going to donate to an animal rescue that I am currently following, beauty and beasties Inc.

Nope

In a word. No!

No, I will not go into debt for buying gifts. No one should ever feel as if they have to live above their means.

People should not feel like they have to keep up with the Joneses to be accepted or that they have to make to make a ‘good’ impression for others.

We don’t need to impress others by being extravagant. We can choose to live according to your own values.

We don’t have to be influenced by what others do. What they do is their business and what we do is our business. We don’t have to care about what other people think about the matter.

Going overboard helps no one. I certainly don’t want anyone to overspend on me and go into debt. I love receiving gifts from the heart. Those are the most special gifts to me.

I cherished the sweaters, hats and scarves that my grandmother lovingly made for me. Or the delicious bread that my neighbor bakes for me.

If people can afford expensive gifts, great! I appreciate those too. But I have never measured a person’s worth or love by what they gave.

I learned the credit card lesson, even when paying it off each month, when doing the business taxes a few decades back and saw to $800 plus dollars that sifted through our hands. I use only debit cards and live within my means.

I'd never go into debt for buying gifts. I do a tree that we go out and cut from the local area, I bake some very special and fussy cookies, and make a special holiday meal with plum pudding for dessert. The gifts are practical and learning tools (books, crystal growing sets, etc.), a few smallish toys, and yet, the kids love Christmas. We are not Christians, we practice traditional Lakota Ways and the feasting is the focal point of holidays.

The commercialization of these holidays is a crying shame!

Like Grandma I also shop all year round, and hit the after Christmas sales for birthday gifts.. They no longer seem to have Christmas clubs around here, but I use my health insurance reimbursement plan (My company has this) for my Christmas money. It;s not worth going into debt for,,

I've never gone into debt for gifts, nor would I. My kids all seem to be into that minimalist thing now, so I don't have many gifts to buy now. They get a check, and that's it.

I sort of got forced into retiring two years ago due to the pandemic. I wasn't comfortable with my financial status. It was the first time in almost thirty years I was without a job but received serverance pay for about seven months. I tried working on a case, but I got sexually harassed by a client. I found myself without a case and applied for unemployment. Later, I got hired by another agency and had the client from hades. I started having spikes in my blood pressure and stopped working for that client. I have been at home for a year recuperating from health issues. I signed up for Medicare and hope to get some more of my health issues under control. I finally retired with social security and pension. It is not enough; so, I'm going back to work hopefully before Christmas.

I will cook the dinner, but gifts are going to be minimal. I'm just glad that we are all alive and healthy. That is the greatest gift for me this year. As long as there is Amazon and Collections ETC, I can get some good gifts at great prices. I buy gifts all year long. So, Christmas is no exception. It's not about the materialism, but I respect the spiritual aspect of the season and what it represents.

I would NEVER go into debt for Christmas or any other reason.
The debt I have is house and car. Credit cards get paid off each month as do all other bills.
Is that wise of frugal? Or both?
If a gift can be made I will do so. (I bake for friends and give baked goods as gifts) I also buy throughout the year when I see something that I know so and so would like I buy it then. That way the cost is spread out over the year. (Some gifts for next year will be purchased on sales after this Christmas is over.)

I never went into debt for Christmas. I used to have a Christmas Club with the bank when I worked. I have cut down a lot over the years. My DH and I never exchanged because we got what we needed thru the year. (I did fill a stocking for him) Since siblings lived in other States, we stopped that exchange. My problem was though, a friend gave me a present so I thought I needed to reciprocate. Then that started the gift giving every year. It did stop and I can't remember why but good thing. The one SIL I enjoyed giving to and her me, we stopped a couple of years back. Both in our 70s and don't need anything. If anything, we r cleaning out. But it was fun.

I used to bake a lot. No more. Everyone gets 1 favorite thing and thats it.

Amen Funkygrandma59!!

That would be a BIG NO! I am debt free and plan on staying that way.