Posted on 11/09/2009 1:56:12 PM PST by Chickensoup
So, are you doing anything different economically?
Are you cutting back?
Will Christmas and Thanksgiving be any different?
Are you spending, saving, paying down?
I hear you! Hubby & I have six kids between us - all four of his quite liberal due to mom’s influence. We are going to Texas for Christmas. Might even make them wait for “gifts” until we get back. Nothing with an “on” button this year for sure!
Now, I’m hoping for a gun shop gift cert from my daughter & son-in-law for Christmas.
I admire your willpower! Teenager would think he was being starved.
Anyway, don't plan on treating this year any different than past years. :)
Here and shrugging. Will just enjoy the opportunity to spend time with the family during the holidays this year. We have all agreed to that.
Bottom fishing for X-Mas gifts, taking advantage of collapsing economy. Just picked up a stack of PS3 games for the kids for $12 a piece (normally $50 a piece) from Blockbusters (3 of them) that all closed on same weekend. I fully expect this X-Mas to be worse than last year as far as the retailers are concerned. Next few months will strip away the illusion of the government subsidizing Wall St. as Main St. curls up into fetal position. Paying for everything in cash, planning on further reducing my credit cards (already paid them off).
Wife and I bought a year’s worth of food (vacuum sealed and freeze dried) for our X-Mas family gift.
Paying down debt. Christmas gift giving will be a contribution to the USO and Salvation Army in their names.
My present from Santa will be a Tactical Mini 14. Buying American.
It will be a cold day in hell before I tell my loved ones I won’t be giving them Christmans presents. Geesh! It seems selfish to me to spend money on my own needs and let Christmas fall by the wayside. I am broker than ever but I spent as much as I ususally do this year. Nothing would make me feel more poor than to show up at Christmas with no gifts! That’s lame to me. Now my husband and I won’t give each other anything but no way am I not going to give my loved ones gifts at Christmas.
I’m definitely an outlier on this thread.
When I downsized the house last year, pulled out all the equity I could and got a 30 yr fixed rate loan at 5%.
I see this as a replay of the Carter years.
Inflation rewards fixed rate borrowers.
I do believe energy costs will go up rapidly.
My new place is small and very well built.
I keep an old hi mpg Saturn around as a mpg hedge.
I am not renewing my Costco membership because of this.
Then it turned around and we seem to back on track again, although I am guarded.
We are paying off debts and are watching our dollars more carefully. We save every month also. We are not buying big ticket items or indulging as much in luxuries. We dine out less.
Thanksgiving will be the same. Christmas will probably be about the same as last year. It isn't about the presents anyways. A nice meal with family is all we ask for.
Wife and I are:
1. trying to stay employed
2. paying off the mortgage as fast as possible.
3. Everything else (except for ammo) on hold.
Have to be ready for serious economic problems and i’m not where I need to be, which is 100% debt free, stocked with food and ammo.
Paying down debts and hoping to pick up a discounted foreclosure property within the next 6 months so I can watch my mortgage (effectively) shrink as inflation starts hitting harder.
Christmas has grown steadily smaller for the last few years and Two Kids’ Mom always takes advantage of the Black Friday deals after Thanksgiving.
We are in a paradigm shift in our household.
The ONLY new items we have bought in the last year is computer parts and guitar strings and tires for the SUV.
Clothes, Furniture, DVDs, CDs, shoes, etc. All bought 2nd hand. We've started bartering heavily for services with our flooring business and we are starting new CASH business ventures that require no employees. (E-scraping, swap shop, etc.)
Our customer base has changed buying habits those who do buy our goods and services are using cash AND they are stretching their dollars as far as they will go. We always ask if they have anything to trade that we can use.
We are now putting up signage in the flooring store listing items we need. Its starting to work very well. We still need cash to pay utilities and taxes and for most of our stock but even our suppliers are starting to do some barter.
Our main supplier for adhesives and tack strip etc. has been taking our extra Season tickets we have to the Browns games. I am getting sometimes 500% more than we paid for them in trade value. (which is a shock being the Browns suck stump water this year!)
The wife and I own a small business (well, two if you count my daughter’s music career). Our business is way down, especially the last two months. I’d like to invest in our business to increase traffic but really can’t. We eat in, stay home and are only buying necessities. We’ve cut expenses to the bone. Both our vehicles are paid for (and old). Just had our 20th wedding anniversary and we stayed home. Christmas? The kids will get a little something but we’ll skip gifts for each other.
Zero debt. Zero new purchases for Christmas (all used or homemade ... and nicer than ever thanks to the time invested). Zero transactions with the thieves at TARP/Bailout companies. Savings way up. Taxes owed WAY down due to reduced work hours. I’m on strike as a consumer until we get a real American in our White House.
No Christmas presents this year, saving every possible dime for coming collapse.
BTTT for later
So I’m the only one here getting a new rifle for Christmas? What Christmas would be complete without a new gun or a case of ammo?
I must confess that I agree with you. That 5% fixed rate will be paid for with much cheaper dollars if inflation rises as some suggest. Credit card debt is definitely bad, as always. Cash in a jar in the yard is a terrible idea. Gold in a jar in the yard is slightly better.
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