Christmas Finance 101

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Christmas season will not be complete without the traffic jams everywhere. You can really feel the spirit around you people rushing to complete their Christmas list also consider the snatchers, bag slashers, thieves around.

Only in the Philippines we spend the longest Christmas celebration that starts September 1,setting the mood with Christmas Carols and the nice advertisements on the good stuff we need for Christmas. Truly the holidays are all set for consumerism btw Consumerism is a social and economic order based on fostering a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts(Wikepedia). Everything around us has been designed for us to want things that we do not really need. Add to that phenomenon, are the credit card companies offering 6-mos , 12mos,3 years payment at 0 interest. It artificially fosters that short term point of view that we can enjoy now and do the hard labor later. What a perfect mood set to plan for luxury purchases though you don't need but the offer is far too tempting to resist.

I love shopping. It is a wife's best therapy. The perfect stress reliever for a spouse that is looking for a past time. Name it we have all the right justification for being shopaholics. I love to swipe my cards...here there and everywhere... may it be in shops, classy restaurant, travels...name it I will use it for as long as card payments are accepted. I was also a true blooded shopaholic who ended up with closet of clothes still with tags on it, shoes never worn, stuff bought because they are on SALE a FAD or just because it was CUTE. I am so empowered by my card to buy anything and everything. I have been there, I have done that and I truly regretted all waste of money. I promised never to fall prey on consumerism and credit card debts.

I finally had my self-realization while watching Oprah Show years ago with a topic on "what if tomorrow you are out of job?" How will you pay your bills and how you can go on with life with no savings and all debts. It really struck me and led me to educating myself by books, seminars on how to handle our finances. I learned to buy only from my needs list and not from my unending wants lists. It pays to go back to live on the basics and be able to fully give importance to what is really, really significant in my life. Now I know better and have changed. I became more practical and conscious even with my gift giving for the holidays.

For the past several Christmases I spent more time on the most important reason why I live...for God...Family...friends. Truly it was a well spent holiday full of memories I can cherish forever.

Have a Merry and Meaningful Christmas everyone...God Bless!