Advent - Do you have to spend a penny?

So, the first day of Advent. Over the last few days I have been contemplating the dark, gaping maw of the helter skelter ride to the longest night and the festivities that follow and wondering how many are going to survive with their emotional equilibrium (and bank balances!) intact, ready to move forward into the growing light.

At a time of year when perspective (especially financial) should be kept in tight focus, many find themselves urgently grabbing items that, at any other time of year, they would not even begin to consider buying for themselves, let alone others.

The cheap, the tawdry, the plastic tat - these often end up adding to the growing pile of unrecyclable landfill on the very day they are opened.

So, perhaps now would be a good time to review the list of people due to receive gifts and consider:

I. Can I afford to buy gifts for all these people?

If not, can you prune your list? Would changing what you are due to give people reduce your Credit Card bill or overdraft, thereby reducing stress in January (and ongoing)?

If you can knit, sew or otherwise create items, have you considered making gifts? Finally, if you know people who 'Have everything' and are really hard to buy for, perhaps they would be happy to receive a tin of sweets or biscuits, whether home made or bought?

Many charities also have giving gifts, where you buy an item to help people in difficulty around the world (such as clean water) and the recipient receives a card telling them what you have purchased - here are a few ideas: 

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/oxfam-unwrapped

http://shop.gosh.org/catalogue/alternative-gifts

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/charity-gifts

II. Is what I am buying for this person something that they really want, or is it just something I am getting because I think they want it? Or worse – someone has given me a gift that cost £x and so I must buy a gift of the same, or greater, value.

This is a really bad place to get into as gifting should be a happy occasion, not a stress filled one. No-one should feel obligated to buy a gift for anybody. So, don't do it. Nowhere is it written that if someone buys you a gift you must buy them one in return of equal or greater value, that is why it is called gifting and not obligating.

III. Family Gifts - do you have to buy gifts for every family member?

There is nothing quite like the pressure of gathering with close and/or extended family at times of celebration to make folk feel like they have to spend, spend, spend.

Often this means lots of socks, toiletry sets and weird items are given to unsuspecting and innocent elderly relatives.

A family Secret Santa with adults drawing the name of the relative they are to buy for, with a price limit, could be a good way of reducing the gift bill.

This is really weird, I only meant to write about the beginnings of the Advent period and run up to Yule. Obviously, I must be worrying about Christmas gifts as that seems to be where my focus ended up. I'd better go and take some of my own advice then!