Call me stingy if you want, but I think most people (Americans in particular) just try to come up with excuses to get to the shopping malls. Especially now during holiday season, when Christmas music is on every radio stations, and the weather in many places start getting chilly, our hearts also melt in beautiful memories. So we tend to relax our mood, and our pocket! “Let’s sit back after a long hard-working year and enjoy all the best things the holiday season can bring about…” What else? All right, let’s go to the mall and get something while it’s on sale. Well, it’s not for me, it’s for my lovely wife/hubby and kids, they deserve it, they’ll be so happy… ah, that’s my noble cause, to make others happy! And while I’m at it, get something for mom/dad, sisters/brothers, and my best friends too.

That sounds like everyone’s plan, except the WHAT and HOW MUCH. Under this economic condition when so many people lose their jobs and their shelters, it makes us pause and ask the basic question “how much can I afford?” I heard somebody said “In December it’s Ho Ho Ho…, then in January it’s Owe Owe Owe…” That’s very true for the majority of us who live from paycheck to paycheck. We put all our shopping on credit cards, and then surprise ourselves to look at the monthly bills. So, except for the super rich, it’s practical to set up a restricted spending plan and stick to it.

The very first step of this kind of plans is to answer the question “How much income will I bring home in January and every month after that?” Suppose that you’re already notified of a layoff and you don’t really have a sizeable saving, it makes no sense to spend any money on gifts right now. Ask yourself how easy it will be to get another job when you lose the current one. Keep in mind that as more and more people lose their jobs, it gets harder and harder to find employment these days. As a matter of fact, while I’m writing this, Citi Group already announced a massive layoff of 53,000 workers in the matter of weeks, and the fate of the Big Three Auto Makers is still in question, which threatens more than one million jobs in America. So yes, it’s a very good question to ask yourself, how secure is your position in the next few months?

But here’s the good news, you don’t have to spend big to enjoy your holiday season! Here’s your slogan: “It’s the thought that counts.” So instead of getting a fancy handbag for your wife, settle for a small box of chocolate candies. She’ll understand, and perhaps will love you more for thinking about the future. In a smaller scale, you can even save on greeting cards by creating simple ones online and print them out. Sure they may not look nice and professional, but who would care that much? Again, it’s the thought that counts. If you used to buy a big, fresh Christmas tree every year, now you may consider getting a smaller plastic kind so you can use many more times (size may matter, but not such a big deal). In a bigger plan, instead of making a vacation trip far away to a foreign country, consider a shorter camping trip near home. It not only saves you big money, but also helps your local economy (instead of some other country’s economy).

That’s my “stingy” thoughts. Happy Holidays!