It has finally reached the time of the year when many of us are thinking about what gifts to give for Christmas. For some, choosing a gift for a friend, family member, husband or wife is easy. However, there are others that are brought to a boiling point when the gift-giving season comes around. Understandably, Christmas season has the potential to be very stressful and thought provoking, especially if you get caught in the position of choosing a gift for someone that enjoys the “finer things” of life. If you are in a similar predicament, don’t worry help is on the way. I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a list of four suggestions on how to shop for someone that enjoys expensive items.
Buy what you can afford
Let’s face it! You have bills to pay and basics necessities to purchase before and after the gift-giving season. If after State, Federal, Johnson Day Care Center, Social Security and Medical taxes have been deducted from your paycheck you can only afford to give a gift that cost Ten Untied States dollars. Buy it, and don’t leave yourself penniless or depress after Christmas just because you wanted to please a materialistic individual.
Get Creative with your gift
I’m sure that most of you could find something around the house that looks “like new” or think of a few decorative ideas to make a gift look presentable and attractive. It might take a little time and effort decorating your gift but anything that involves saving money, especially in this day and age should be explored. And for someone that is experiencing financial difficulties should explore all the possible ways to avoid spending what they can’t afford without a Credit Card. Needless to say, the last thing you want is to entertain someone else’s obsession with the “finer things in life” at the expense of your Credit.
Just because she hints it doesn’t mean that you have to buy it
Most guys could perhaps relate to the method their wives or girlfriends use to hint that they want a certain gift. For example: “honey, would you believe that I saw this really gorgeous Hand Bag with the Shoes to match for ONLY $299.99″ or “my neck and finger feel a little dry.” It’s not that your wife or girlfriend is outraged by the extremely high cost of the Hand Bag and Shoes to match nor is she in desperate need of a little lotion to moisturize her dry neck and fingers. In fact, it’s her “subliminal” way of hinting to you that she wants you to purchase the Hand Bag with shoes to match and Diamonds for her “dry hands and fingers.” A guy that isn’t financially capable of buying all those expensive gifts should let his girl know that he can’t afford it or try to change the topic as soon as possible in order to avoid the “dry” weeks ahead.
You are not cheap to give recycled Gifts
Do you remember that heart-shape lamp or the “Juice Mixer Magnum 45 Blender” you got from your lazy cousin two Christmases ago? You might not have a Juice Mixer Magnum 45 Blender or a heart-shape lamp locked away in your closet or basement. But I’m sure if you look deep enough you would be able to find a couple past gifts you can’t stand and would love get rid of. Who ever said that it was cheap to give a recycled gift to someone as a Christmas gift? Needs to have their head checked, because in this day and age all unnecessary spending should be avoided at all cost. And I’m sure your Mother-in-law and Father-in-law would love a couple of those locked away gifts for Christmas.
In conclusion, the commercialization of Christmas has caused us to forget the real reason why we celebrate. Instead, we sometimes unconsciously put ourselves in the never-ending race to see who could buy the biggest and most expensive for a friend or family. A true friend or family member will show appreciation for any gift you give them for Christmas and will never use it as a way to measure strength of your relationship. We all have to pay for certain basic necessities needed to sustain our livelihood, so while it is nice to give or receive the “best” gift, it is important that we give what we can afford.
About The Author: Mark Dixon is owner and senior webmaster of www.WeJamaicans.com (Online Community for Jamaicans!). If you have any questions or comments about this article email him at mark(@)wejamaicans.com
Avoid Becoming Penniless after Christmas
Buy what you can afford
Let’s face it! You have bills to pay and basics necessities to purchase before and after the gift-giving season. If after State, Federal, Johnson Day Care Center, Social Security and Medical taxes have been deducted from your paycheck you can only afford to give a gift that cost Ten Untied States dollars. Buy it, and don’t leave yourself penniless or depress after Christmas just because you wanted to please a materialistic individual.
Get Creative with your gift
I’m sure that most of you could find something around the house that looks “like new” or think of a few decorative ideas to make a gift look presentable and attractive. It might take a little time and effort decorating your gift but anything that involves saving money, especially in this day and age should be explored. And for someone that is experiencing financial difficulties should explore all the possible ways to avoid spending what they can’t afford without a Credit Card. Needless to say, the last thing you want is to entertain someone else’s obsession with the “finer things in life” at the expense of your Credit.
Just because she hints it doesn’t mean that you have to buy it
Most guys could perhaps relate to the method their wives or girlfriends use to hint that they want a certain gift. For example: “honey, would you believe that I saw this really gorgeous Hand Bag with the Shoes to match for ONLY $299.99″ or “my neck and finger feel a little dry.” It’s not that your wife or girlfriend is outraged by the extremely high cost of the Hand Bag and Shoes to match nor is she in desperate need of a little lotion to moisturize her dry neck and fingers. In fact, it’s her “subliminal” way of hinting to you that she wants you to purchase the Hand Bag with shoes to match and Diamonds for her “dry hands and fingers.” A guy that isn’t financially capable of buying all those expensive gifts should let his girl know that he can’t afford it or try to change the topic as soon as possible in order to avoid the “dry” weeks ahead.
You are not cheap to give recycled Gifts
Do you remember that heart-shape lamp or the “Juice Mixer Magnum 45 Blender” you got from your lazy cousin two Christmases ago? You might not have a Juice Mixer Magnum 45 Blender or a heart-shape lamp locked away in your closet or basement. But I’m sure if you look deep enough you would be able to find a couple past gifts you can’t stand and would love get rid of. Who ever said that it was cheap to give a recycled gift to someone as a Christmas gift? Needs to have their head checked, because in this day and age all unnecessary spending should be avoided at all cost. And I’m sure your Mother-in-law and Father-in-law would love a couple of those locked away gifts for Christmas.
In conclusion, the commercialization of Christmas has caused us to forget the real reason why we celebrate. Instead, we sometimes unconsciously put ourselves in the never-ending race to see who could buy the biggest and most expensive for a friend or family. A true friend or family member will show appreciation for any gift you give them for Christmas and will never use it as a way to measure strength of your relationship. We all have to pay for certain basic necessities needed to sustain our livelihood, so while it is nice to give or receive the “best” gift, it is important that we give what we can afford.
About The Author: Mark Dixon is owner and senior webmaster of www.WeJamaicans.com (Online Community for Jamaicans!). If you have any questions or comments about this article email him at mark(@)wejamaicans.com