# Holiday Excess and Waste.



## Kitties (Dec 7, 2015)

Sorry for a downer thread. But does the excess this time of year bother anyone else? I hate waste.

I buy few gifts. I bought a small painting for a dear friend from Etsy. I bought small gifts for my nieces at the annual craft fair this last weekend. Plus they get cash. I also bought two pottery items from a nice man that was selling there. There were a lot of nice gifts for sale at the fair and it makes me wonder why so many people are at the mall.

I try to save with wrapping too. I have plain brown paper, from the dollar store I decorate with rubber stamps, then tie with yarn. I'm reusing the paper my friend wrapped my gift in last year, to wrap my nieces presents. I make envelopes from a template I got from free off the internet. I use some pretty paper I got cheap at Tuesday Morning. A discount store.

Then last night I realized I didn't have gift tags and my printer isn't working so no freebies off the internet. Today I bought a suitable card at the thrift store today for 25 cents and will cut tags from that. I save received boxes and padded envelopes to reuse and I'm never at a loss for mailing and packing materials

Maybe not so downer, I actually have fun being thrifty and reusing with what little I do with the holidays. Anyone else? Or am I being too cheap.


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## tnthomas (Dec 7, 2015)

Kitties said:


> Sorry for a downer thread. But does the excess this time of year bother anyone else? I hate waste.


I'm with ya, the excess and waste just makes my teeth hurt.  But, I go along with it, and look forward to January 2nd, and a return to normalcy...


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## jnos (Dec 7, 2015)

The wrapping waste doesn't bother me nearly as much as the *low quality* products made by laborers paid next to nothing, and the item ends up in the dumpster within days, weeks or months. Ridiculous waste!


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## Ameriscot (Dec 8, 2015)

I'm defintely not guilty.  We don't go to the US any more at xmas but visit the family and grandkids in the summers instead.  I've discovered from experience that choosing gifts for my granddaughters is usually a waste of money.  If it's expensive it gets broken, or I pick something they don't want.  So the solution to this has been sending enough money to my son for his entire family.  Last year they chose a family gift, this year everybody is picking their own with their share.


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## hollydolly (Dec 8, 2015)

I don't send gifts to anyone any more...I don't wrap things anyway, it's a horrendous waste of a tree...it drives me crazy. We buy something for each other if it's something we each want, and will use, but there are no ''extras' just for the sake of filling up a Christmas present box...and I don't send Christmas cards at all...and I don't like receiving them either because of the aforesaid waste of paper...send me an electronic one I'd be much more happy with those 

It was different when my daughter was small...I'd had a horrible childhood with very few gifts, so when mine came along, she was spoiled beyond belief,..I don't regret that at all because I knew what it was like to grow up without anything..so I'm happy I let here have anything I could afford...but she knows the value of money to this day, and  is a successful businesswoman in her own right.

My daughter and son-in-law get the gifts they ask for...but usually they want nothing because they can afford they're own things...so I send money to them towards the upkeep of the the many animals they care for...and this year as a gift to me my daughter is naming one of her Pet lodges after me...I couldn't ask for a better gift, I love those animals as if they were my own..


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## Karen99 (Dec 8, 2015)

I admit I love real Christmas cards and few people send them.  I only send to very close family or friends with gift cards or cash.  I have bought my mom a pretty robe and a very cute sweater.  I know her taste and she loves to get things I pick out.  My husband and I don't normally exchange gifts anymore we just buy what we want.  I tried to convince him to get a new watch this year and he's all..no no..I'm good.  I did treat myself to my favorite perfume 

i used to wrap endless packages..those days are gone.


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## fureverywhere (Dec 8, 2015)

I'm not working yet so I had to be frugal this year. But actually the dollar stores are great for wrap, gift bags, bows and tape. They have a great variety too. It's silly to go to Hallmark and spend like twenty bucks for two rolls of paper and the same tape they have elsewhere...it's paper for pitties sake.
There's also used clothes stores and Jembro. Flannel PJ's are always a good choice. Oh and I found a one of a kind robe for my daughter. Warm and fleecy with pug faces printed all over it! I would have bought that new. Gently used and it was $5. The gift tags I bought after the holidays last year. 25 cents a sheet, you save where ya can.


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## Shalimar (Dec 8, 2015)

I love Xmas cards, I buy funny ones for family, this year cat themed-one has cats meowing to jingle bells--how awesome is that? For friends, I have some beautiful gold cards, very expensive elegant paper, which I picked up for a loonie (Canadian 

dollar, no comments on the mental health of my friends. Lol.)  at the local Hospital Auxillary second hand store. Family is getting money, and care parcels, friends plates containing an assortment of homemade Xmas goodies, each with a whimsical 

verse I personally invented just for them. So far no one has committed to buying me Shalimar perfume as my present. Hmmm. 
I know none of the food will go to waste--any extra is going to Thailand for Annie! Lolol. How much of my signature fudge can you eat??


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## Kitties (Dec 8, 2015)

Thanks for the nice replies everyone. I too don't like to receive gifts anymore. I'd rather buy for myself. I've thought about this in the past, gifts I've received and I don't have them anymore.

I agree with jnos post too. It's why I try to avoid the made in china and buy something else. Sometimes, sadly, it's almost impossible not to buy something made in china. But I won't be the one at the mall buying tons of junk.


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