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5 Money Saving Questions to Ask Before Buying Christmas Gifts

December 15, 2021 by 12 Comments

My wife and I never go shopping for Christmas gifts on Black Friday. I don’t care how good the deals are the crowds are just too much for us. We are more Cyber Monday or wait until the last minute type of people.

christmas giftsBuying Christmas gifts is always fun for us though because we love to spend money on the people we care about. It’s become even better recently since we’ve learned how to save money throughout the year to spend at Christmas. Now all of our Christmas gifts are paid for in cash and we never see a credit card bill come January.

While we all get excited about spending money on the people we love, it can get seriously out of hand. What happens in December can have short and long-term financial consequences if you don’t keep your spending on Christmas gifts in check. So here are five simple questions you should ask yourself as you buy Christmas gifts for those special people in your life.

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Filed Under: Spending Tagged With: , ,

How Your Gifts Are Also Fit for a King (Matthew 2:11)

December 22, 2017 by 7 Comments

If you could give a gift fit for a king what would it be? You may think you would have nothing to offer such an important person. I’d suggest though, that no matter what your personal or financial status, you always have something to offer. I base that challenge on one of the more intriguing stories that surrounds the birth of Jesus.

fit for a kingThe book of Matthew tells us that Jesus received some special visitors shortly after he was born. We know them as the Magi, or the wise men from the East. We don’t know exactly where they came from although many speculate ancient Persia. The Bible doesn’t state how many there were. We do know they arrived sometime after the birth of Jesus because they came to visit Mary, Joseph and the boy at a house (Matthew 2:11) not in the stable, which many traditional Christmas scenes depict.

The Bible tells us that as the wise men entered the house that day, they came bearing gifts – gifts certainly fit for a king. We are told they bowed before Jesus,  “…and when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

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Filed Under: Giving, Hidden Nuggets Series Tagged With: ,

The Most Romantic Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day While Saving Money

January 28, 2016 by 2 Comments

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so that means answering the question, “What to do for my significant other?” Should you bother with chocolates and candy hearts? Or should you be more sophisticated with a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant and tickets to the ballet? Maybe you’d opt to surprise your loved one with a romantic trip or get them that expensive gift he or she has been fantasizing about.

Valentine's Day It seems that no matter how you choose to spend Valentine’s Day you will probably be spending some money. Last year Valentine’s Day spending broke records, reaching about $19 billion in America alone. To most people in love, this figure seems to make sense. After all, if you want to show someone you care, there is no better way to do it than with material goods, right?

Actually, love doesn’t depend on exclusive restaurants and diamond jewelry. You absolutely can foster romance without depleting your emergency savings.

Valentine’s Day Tips to Save Money

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10 Last Minute Gift Ideas For Him This Christmas

December 21, 2015 by 7 Comments

Do you have trouble shopping for that special guy in your life? Let’s face it, men are tough to shop for. It’s not easy to crack our code and find out what we’d really like to receive as a gift.

last minute gift ideas for himWaiting until the last minute to shop of course adds even more pressure. You’ll probably panic and end up buying him some socks. Not that we wouldn’t appreciate it – we’ll love any gift we get (or at least pretend to love it). In the interests of helping my men-fellows though, here are some last minute gift ideas for him that we’d appreciate even more.

Last Minute Gift Ideas For Him

Of course you know your man best. Some of these last minute gift ideas for him may not work. Additionally, you may have financial limitations that prevent these purchases. But I’m pretty sure, if you can afford it, he’ll absolutely love these items:

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Filed Under: Current Events, Marriage, Spending Tagged With: , , ,