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Merry Christmas to you and yours from the folks at The Non-Consumer Advocate!
I already have plans to return the one gift I received. After all, I can put the money towards my trip to Japan.
Non-Consumerly yours,
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or dow without”
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
We gave used gifts, along with tickets to the water park (that I got free when I volunteered to work at a 5k, and there were leftover tickets). And I didn’t receive anything I don’t want (yet). My extended family has a white elephant gift exchange this afternoon, so even if I get something I don’t want, I’ve gotten rid of something I don’t want, so it’s a wash at worst.
I bet the water park gift was welcomed by the ones who received it! My sil has breast cancer and has been dealing with treatment and surgeries for over two years. My brother and sil have two grade school age boys and while she has excellent health insurance(she is a nurse) and had fellow employees donate alot of sick and vacation days to her, she has had to be off work alot, has has my brother, so they are financially struggling. My mom started buying them a family membership to their local water park. It is so appreciated by their entire family!
Katy,
As I long-term reader, I am always excited to read your new posts and all the discussion from your followers. Thanks for keeping up this blog. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas. I look forward to your TV debut in a few days!
Thanks. I am personally dreading it.
Katy
Nahhh, it’s going to be great! We’re all delighted to get to see you doing your non-consumer thing!
I’m always glad of the thought but I really would love it if everyone included the receipt or a gift receipt with the gift. I now have an electric quesadilla maker and an electric coffee grinder I’m not sure what to do with.
Totally agree with you! My future mother in law gave me a vest, which although very nice, is about two sizes too big. Also, working in retail and having to turn down returns from people without gift receipts has taught me to always include one. It saves both the customers and the salespeople so much frustration.
Katy –
Love your writing and ideas!
I got a tickle out of an inadvertent slip: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or dow without†– doing w/o the Dow-Jones, I’m sure!
You’re great!
My typos are here for your pleasure!
Katy
I’d like to return something also. Although I think it came from BJ’s and I don’t have a membership. Any ideas from fellow non-consumers?
What was your one present? I also have something to return without a receipt and need to bother with that hassle now. 🙁
My one gift was a pair of expensive slippers form my husband. At this point in my financial life, I would prefer a super cheap-o pair of slippers, and then put the difference in my Japan account.
Katy
My husband got a huge unexpected bonus this year. It is the first time we have ever seen that kind of “extra” money come in since he retired from the military and started this job. He received 1,000 dollars in a bonus. It was SO difficult to put that money aside for a family vacation weekend next month and a long awaited dream vacation this summer.
It was the most obvious sign that we have changed the way we deal with money and gifts. It was exciting!
We did buy new things, but we used a different approach this year. Everything we bought had a purpose, even an item that seemed frivolous(replaced our wii that died), because it is a huge part of spending time together as a family(rock on family wii golf tournaments in the dead of winter!) Otherwise, we bought clothing, tools, etc. Things that they will actually use and will last.
My biggest bang for the smallest buck was the gift of two bags of clementines we gave to my son’s girlfriend. We also gave her a gift certificate to our local, independent bookstore to buy a book she has wanted, but it was SO nice to see a 17 year old so excited about two bags of mini oranges!