Five Hunned Dollahs

I’m cheap. I’ve said MANY a time, I don’t pay retail for anything unless it’s an absolute must. However, as part of that creed, I participate in a lot of cost-savings groups and websites. One of them is all Amazon discount codes.

I use them judiciously because they aren’t always the best deal.

Yes, boys and girls, coupons and discounts that are promoted are not always the best deals. In many cases, the code is a discount on a massively jacked-up price for the item, and the code brings it more in line with what other people are selling it for. Always search for lowest price.

You’re welcome.

Ahem. So the subject today is only partly about savings. See that photo at the top of this entry? That’s the actual survey results from one of the groups where I’m a member. I’ll grant you, it’s a relatively small sample of American people, but I’m flabbergasted at how many people spend over $500 for each kid in their family. (I assume if they spend that much on teens, they spend comparably on other ages.)

This year I gave my husband $100 cash toward his computer fund. It’s what he wanted and I was happy to be able to drop that much into his hand. Last weekend I got a cash bonus from work and gave him half of that to add to the kitty. I literally couldn’t do it without him, so the bonus is as much his as mine. This was my second year with the company, second such bonus, and the second time I split with the spousal unit.

No, he didn’t ask. I just did it. And he stared at me both times like I’d grown an extra three or four heads.

Also, yes we COULD have just ordered him a computer and paid it off in increments. He didn’t want to do that. He wanted to save up cash and build his own. His “kitty” is over $1000 now so he can build himself a pretty sweet machine. Except the components he wants are all sold out at the moment.

The kids and grandkids did NOT get $100 each. Last year I think I spent about $25 apiece on the grands. This year was about $15-20. I cannot fathom dropping over $500 on any child, of any age, on a regular basis – which, from the comments, I gather was the case for these families. I’m guessing that means designer clothes, electronics – whatever you do to blow that kind of money on a kid.

Now, if one of the kids legitimately needs something for school or work – or if they need food or other necessities – we deal with it as needed. I have spent more than $500 in some cases. For one daughter, it was a new stove when the one she had became unusable. For the other, it was a computer when her husband’s company went on strike and they needed to track down resources. (Grandson broke their computer. It was an all-in-one, big sucker, and shattered when it got hit with a ball that bounced in from another room.)

G and I aren’t bottomless pits of money, but we find ways.

This year has been good in many ways, challenging in others. But I’m still not spending $500 apiece on ANYBODY for Christmas.