Have you ever watched your family open up Christmas gifts while mentally calculating how much each gift cost and comparing that against the amount you have in your checking? Have you dreaded opening the bills in January because you know the credit card statement from holiday shopping will be coming soon and you do not have the money to pay the balance in full?
When my husband and I were newly married and dirt poor, we carefully planned our Christmas purchases to fit within our meager budget. We didn’t buy many gifts, but the ones we bought were well thought out. When we went to visit my mom over the holidays, she kept telling us about all of the presents she had bought for us. There were so many under the tree! Because we are the only people to buy gifts for my mom because my dad has passed, we started feeling guilty about the few presents we bought her. Noticing that her bathroom towels were worn, we went out Christmas Eve night and bought her an entire set of 6 new bath towels including hand towels and washcloths with money we did not have. Then we bought her some jewelry. We charged everything knowing we didn’t have the money to pay.
On Christmas morning, she delighted in her presents. When we opened ours, we were in for a surprise. . .
To continue reading, head over to Beating Broke where I am a staff writer.
Leave a Reply