Whatever little money you have, make sure you spend it…

This old chestnut is from the first year I started writing here, it’s a little rough around the corners, but I like the thematic premise.

That’s a paraphrase from the latest George Carlin book, but it is certainly what our society and certainly the retail stores we frequent want us to think. If you don’t spend all your money at Christmas, you are a cheapskate or a communist. The South Park episode where Mr. Hanky teaches the true meaning of Christmas (buy presents) really does sum up what the owners of Wal-Mart hope will happen.

Bankrupting yourself for Christmas or on the Boxing Day sales does not help you. If you worked out and got in shape all summer and then ate as much crap for December and put on 25 pounds, would you be ahead? Nope, and the same is true for your Fiscal Planning (unless you planned to splurge a huge amount of cash that you saved, then I guess it’s ok (no, it’s not, I am facetious)). Keep living to your plan, it may not be fun, but in the spring, you’ll be happier for it when you have money.

Oh, and if you feel you have to blow large amounts of ca$h, please drop some in the Salvation Army kettle (evidently, they are only halfway to their goal in Ontario, and there are only 3 days left in their canvassing). Give to a homeless shelter, give to your Church, or keep the money and give it later. Give of yourself, don’t dig a financial hole that will make you Grinchy in the new year!

Christmas Wishes from the Past

I seem to do this a lot, so here are my Christmas wishes from years gone by:

• Joyeux noël 2023 Enjoy your Family, Friends and Festivities. If you are working today, thank you. If you are alone, it will get better.
• Christmas 2022 was after a rough year for many folks including me. Inflation, COVID, and dealing with losing family members was a bit much really.
• Merry Christmas 2021 was another COVID crisis time. Omicron hit and Christmas became much more closed up. Maybe the last one of these, but we thought that last year.
• Merry Christmas 2020 ! Do you see the pussy cat in the tree? An odd year with a Pandemic and all. Make sure you pop those Christmas Crackers.
• Christmas All Year Round ? Yes, it does feel like that these days doesn’t it? The 12 Days of Christmas Debt ? What the heck ? That isn’t Christmasy at all!
• Merry Christmas 2017 ! That was a year of fun videos that I found to help celebrate the holiday. Love that old CFCF fill.
• Merry Christmas, Highspeed Internet a right, Inflation at 1.2 and #MoneyTalk 2016 ! Sheesh, I couldn’t even be bothered to send a message that year, how Grinchy.
• Merry Christmas 2014 ! A lovely quote from the King James bible for that year. Seem to have done nothing for 2015. This year I even had a Christmas Eve post.
• Happy Christmas 2013 ! I loved the photos of every years Christmas Tree, very festive. Another Christmas Eve post too.
• Merry Christmas 2012 ! You see the hideous curtains we had in the den back then. That year we had the $150 Christmas challenge too.
• Merry Christmas 2011 ! The tree moved back to the front room and I used Google Translate to create a festive message. Think I was on French training that year. Also At Christmas Why Not Just Give Cash ?
• Merry Christmas 2010 has some very deep philosophical commentary in it. Must have been hitting the Christmas cheer early. Christmas Eve that year must have been a Friday.
• Merry Christmas 2009 and all you got was an NFB short? Not that bad really. There was also Christmas Eve thoughts too.
• Merry Christmas 2008 ! That was the year of the infamous Financial Advent Calendar too.
• A few last Yuletide Thoughts was what I had in 2007.
• Merry Christmas 2006 ! A quieter year I suppose.
• Whatever little money you have, make sure you spend it was my first year writing here. Quite gruff and grinchy.
• Advent, it begins again, is when the Christmas season begins