I'm sitting here now, and, from what I'm seeing, either the Black Friday Sale depleted everyone of ready cash/credit, or this may be The Year That Santa Passed by a LOT of Homes.
What gifts are heading out in carts are leaning towards the practical/educational, not indulgent. And, the shoppers are stocking up on toilet paper, water, and other bulk purchases.
I never understood the rush to buy bottled water (other than to prep for a natural disaster). It makes a lot more sense to buy a water filter - either Brita (cheap, small footprint, and easy to use), Berkeley (for SERIOUS preppers), or LifeStraw (for those who might find themselves needing to bug out).
It's as though the buyers have never heard of refilling containers. I buy Frosh carbonated drinks, which have a heavy plastic bottle, and refill them 10-12 times before tossing the bottle into the Recycle bin. Heck, every resale shop or garage sale has oodles of plastic water bottles (usually with cheesy logos and ads on them), and the cost is usually $0.25 or less.
The TP makes some sense. I buy in quantity whan there is a sale, and store them in a spare closet. When there are a 1/2 dozen or so left, I start checking for sales.
A great app for the phone that helps you find the cheapest source is Flipp. Yeah, it probably tracks my purchases, but I save substantialy on staples.
My kids and grandkids are mostly practical. They occasionally add some off-the-wall indugence to the list, but most requests are sensible. Even the 17 year-old, heading to college in the fall, is asking for things he can use in his dorm room.
Did I mention that the combination of financial aid - grants and scholarships - will pay all but about $500 of his yearly costs? This is the kid whose combination of grades and grants made his selective private high school essentially free.
I'm so darned proud!
But, the outlook for this Christmas may make this a Slim Christmas. I know I plan to spend most of my gift budget on locally sources gifts.
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