Buying TOO Much for the Holidays

Does anyone feel like they're just buying too much?

Especially after yesterday's post on all the deals I (so far) this season, I'm wondering if I already bought too much. For me it's a weird mix of getting good deals and needing to get gifts for friends and family.

Whenever I buy something for our house, I ask myself, do we need this? Or is this just a nice to have? And if so, is this a good gift?

NYT wrote an article on buying too much for children and I admit that we too have bought a lot for our niece. NYT's Motherlode argues that though income has increased 4x, prices on toys and clothing has stayed fairly close to the 70's.

This is a generation of difference. And the prices are close to the same. The gifts my parents were buying me are close to the same prices that I would be buying for my niece! It seems nuts.

She also brings up the fact that when we were children, we got a few toys as gifts but most of the gifts were actually usable items such as clothes, socks and underwear. But these days, those items wouldn't be considered gifts!

I still recall the Christmas that I opened a gift of a wallet with a dollar bill in it. I was ecstatic because it meant I was old enough to be responsible for my money (and that I would have my own money). What happened to those days?

Do I think we'll be able to return to those days? Who knows. As our dollars go farther, we'll have to control ourselves vs have our budgets control us.

The one place I can control is the gifts I get myself. :)

NYT Article: Too Much Stuff Last Year

Things I bought for myself so far:

Great deal on Rue La La and I've wanted them FOREVER (only 60 bucks for six!)

As noted in yesterday's post

Gap on mad sale so it was less than $30

In black and rose from same mad sale for less than $20

I feel like all the purchases were great for what I need in my life but it still seems excessive. But I'm keeping them all! And I know, I'll probably buy more. Sad but true. Perhaps I should have the same reminder that Motherlode has and send it to myself on Black Friday - LESS STUFF!