If you were to buy something for yourself/husband/family that was needed and you would have bought anyway, but call it a Christmas gift, do you claim the money spend as 'household needs' or 'Christmas gifts'?
This is for anyone who has a specific budget (or semi-specific) OR anyone who calculates what they've spent on Christmas.
(Could be kids clothes, work clothes, underwear, dishes, bed linens, whatever you need and would have bought at some time in the next month or two anyway)
Shopping - where does the money come from? 46 votes
Specific needs for specific person
I don't know what you're talking about
Pink polka dots and blue stripes
^^ checking to see if you're paying attention
Re: Shopping - where does the money come from?
We buy what we need and gift what we find that we like to give.
We need new bedding for ourselves, so if we can find some we like before Christmas, that will be our gift to ourselves. (We will call it a Christmas gift when people ask what we got)
When we buy the kids clothes that they need, and toys for fun, we call them Christmas gifts.
We buy what we need when we need it, so if it happens to be near Christmas, that's what we call it. (But we don't specifically allot money)
I am no longer in that situation, but there was a time that some months I literally had $10 at the end of the month. (Pre kids)
I tried to do something nice for myself - a new top, a meal at the food court (I always packed my lunch for work and ate at home otherwise), a bottle of wine...whatever I wanted that month that was less than $10.
As for Christmas during that time in my life, I saved like hell to have $50 when December hit. I went to the dollar store, bought supplies and crafted gifts for my family.