They just don’t call it the terrible twos for nothing, but there are defiantly some financial decisions to be made about how your little guys expect you to give. Things are different now than they have been in the past for sure, and many of us experienced the crash of 08-09 as the first major economic downturn in our lives. Now more than ever is a good time to examine what the season of giving is teaching our kids, and making sure we don’t spend the entire year paying for it as well or figuring out how to become a millionaire overnight.
Okay, so we are talking about kids under the age of, say, six. They do not need a cell phone period, let alone a smart phone that is, say, Droid compatible. If you are like many of us looking to save a few dollars, but then you are dropping five hundred on a toddler’s Christmas gift, I figure the solution is self explanatory. Kids at this age tend to have very little comprehension for value, meaning if you go crazy on their Christmas gift, they likely are to perceive that as “normal”. And expectations as they age will only increase, paving the way for more spoilt behavior and a lack of work ethic. I think a few reasonable gifts at Christmas are a good thing for children, provided that whatever you buy them can be paid for with cash, and that they fit the age appropriate heading of the child they are going to. If you are on a tight budget looking to go tighter, try old time favorites like funnies wrapping paper and homemade Christmas ornaments. Kids love the time, and if you spend time with them at Christmas that will mean worlds more as they age than a phone that is out dated the minute you buy it.
Remember that whatever your budget, to try and set reasonable expectations for giving every year. No promising ponies or puppies if you can’t deliver, and especially no buying so many toys that older ones with no flaws need to be thrown out.