I am a broke gift giver.
Christmas is supposed to instill joy in mankind but for me all I can think about is how I, a student, will be able to afford to share the joy.
Armed with $100 and my housemate, Becky Scott, by my side, I enter a place I fear the most at Christmas time, the Pen Centre in St. Catharines.
My mission: to finish all of my Christmas shopping within a budget.
It will be no easy task.
In past Christmases I have rushed to get perfect gifts for all those on my list. Actually, when I think about it, I never made a list. I like to call it grab, go and get out gift giving. I have also never lived on an Ontario Student Loan before so this shopping trip will be different. The thought of paying December's rent always lingers in the back of my mind.
The types of people I need to shop for this year differ greatly from one another.
I always hope that my family will all want the same things.
Gift certificates anyone?
My sister places high value on beautiful unique items made by a well-known brand. Twenty-nine and a graphic designer from Oakville, Ont., she enjoys anything she can show off, or, in contrast, make use of in the privacy of her kitchen.
Well that's easy enough, I think as I walk towards Benix on this busy Sunday afternoon..
"Do you have any cookie cutters?" I ask store clerk Elizabeth Gordon-Edmonds.
"Everyone keeps asking for those," exclaims the Niagara College Business Sales and Marketing student, "but no we don't have any."
I look out of place carrying around the tools of a reporter.
She asks me what the camera in my hand is for and I explain my situation.
"I'm broke and I'll only be buying for four people this year so spending $100 on five people is doable," she assures me.
I spend $22.79 on a decorative cookie press and some non-stick baking mats, scratch my sister off the list, and proudly leave the store.
Buying for my father, Jim Haynes, is a different story. What do you buy a 62-year-old man who has everything already?
I call my dad from my cell phone and ask him for ideas.
"I don't know," he says."Let your conscience be your guide."
I should have known better, he does this to me every year. This might take some time.
I have now set my budget in my head: about $20 on each person.
My mother is a kindergarten teacher who, like most mothers, will like whatever I get for her. I can't recall what I got her last year but I know it wasn't very good. This year I plan to buy her something I know she would enjoy.
As I enter The Body Shop, the strong fragrant odours invade my senses to such a degree I leave the store immediately. Scratch that idea.
I sigh heavily and make my way to the stationery store as I remember my mother mentioned she needed more note cards.
I remember when you could make your mother a macaroni poster with lots of glitter and glue and it would be acceptable. I miss the good old days.
"I am glad I came with you," says Scott as we walk towards Carlton Cards.
"Seeing you do this is making me stay within budget. I may have to buy something for myself now though."
If I'm inspiring people to stay on budget this Christmas, we are all in trouble. I am no finacial wizard.
Having only spent $10 on note cards for my mother, "I better find her something else," I think. I notice Crabtree and Evelyn next door and I wander in. The store clerks are friendly and full of information.
Acting manager, Rita Lounsbury, of Thorold, says staying within budget should be easy as the mall has sales all of the time.
"You have to look for sales and check things out before you buy," she says as she shows me some of the merchandise." It's easy for me to do it. I just do my shopping on my break."
After I settle on some intensive therapy hand cream, store clerk Robynne Lokate says I should have come in earlier.
"If you had come in yesterday, the 100 millilitre size of that cream was $8.50," says the fourth-year Child Psychology student who attends Brock University in St. Catharines.
I chuckle to myself, pay them and leave.
I have spent $43 and have three more presents to purchase. I am on a roll.
I hold back the purchase urge and stick to my task as I see many perfect gifts out of my budget and I weigh the consequences.
If I buy that shirt for $30, I will have to adjust my spending for everyone else. I hold back the purchase urge and stick with it.
The mall is getting crowded and my anxiety level is starting to rise. I just want to escape this prison of bargains and holiday crap.
"This is the last thing I need."
With exams on their way and the added stress of surviving the holidays with limited funds available, I am extra irritable.
When Scott suggested we go to Old Navy, I agree and decide to buy my father a hooded sweatshirt.
I hold up a grey Vancouver sweatshirt against myself to determine the right size.
The Price says $32 but I decide to buy it anyway.
Right now I would do anything to get out of these stuffy shops quickly with minimal pain.
Stress: I can see it in the eyes of all of the shoppers. The Christmas rush has started and the mall goers are in an obvious hurry. For a split second I imagine myself as a rabid shopper, pushing myself though the crowds, taking anything I need no matter what the cost. I quickly snap back to reality and to the misery of my lacking bank account.
I am surprised when he clerk rings up the sweater and the price is under $20. I'm still on budget, tired and starting to get cranky.
"I just want to get out of here," I say to Scott as she looks at the women's clothing.
Scott then gives me the solution I have been looking for.
"I'm knitting scarves for everyone this year," she replies, "why don't you just do that?"
This could work.
I have been knitting for a couple of years now and I can whip up scarves in no time. I just hope I can produce them quickly enough. I will turn myself into my own personal sweatshop.
I pick up several different balls of wool at Zellers for $12.32. and manage to stay under the budget leaving myself money to spare.
I text my housemate from my cell phone to tell her I am just about done.
I found Scott trying on coats at Winners.
" I thought you were shopping for other people?" I ask.
"Yeah. I was but I decided to take a break and buy myself something. You are done right?"
On our way out of the mall I notice the perfect gift for my bestfriend. It's $18. I'm sold.
Today I bought for everyone on my list plus I will have extra presents for others once I make the scarves.
The total for today's shopping trip: $92.11. I use the rest of my cash to buy some wrapping paper.
Mission exasperatingly accomplished. I don't ever want to do that again.
Christmas is supposed to instill joy in mankind but for me all I can think about is how I, a student, will be able to afford to share the joy.
Armed with $100 and my housemate, Becky Scott, by my side, I enter a place I fear the most at Christmas time, the Pen Centre in St. Catharines.
My mission: to finish all of my Christmas shopping within a budget.
It will be no easy task.
In past Christmases I have rushed to get perfect gifts for all those on my list. Actually, when I think about it, I never made a list. I like to call it grab, go and get out gift giving. I have also never lived on an Ontario Student Loan before so this shopping trip will be different. The thought of paying December's rent always lingers in the back of my mind.
The types of people I need to shop for this year differ greatly from one another.
I always hope that my family will all want the same things.
Gift certificates anyone?
My sister places high value on beautiful unique items made by a well-known brand. Twenty-nine and a graphic designer from Oakville, Ont., she enjoys anything she can show off, or, in contrast, make use of in the privacy of her kitchen.
Well that's easy enough, I think as I walk towards Benix on this busy Sunday afternoon..
"Do you have any cookie cutters?" I ask store clerk Elizabeth Gordon-Edmonds.
"Everyone keeps asking for those," exclaims the Niagara College Business Sales and Marketing student, "but no we don't have any."
I look out of place carrying around the tools of a reporter.
She asks me what the camera in my hand is for and I explain my situation.
"I'm broke and I'll only be buying for four people this year so spending $100 on five people is doable," she assures me.
I spend $22.79 on a decorative cookie press and some non-stick baking mats, scratch my sister off the list, and proudly leave the store.
Buying for my father, Jim Haynes, is a different story. What do you buy a 62-year-old man who has everything already?
I call my dad from my cell phone and ask him for ideas.
"I don't know," he says."Let your conscience be your guide."
I should have known better, he does this to me every year. This might take some time.
I have now set my budget in my head: about $20 on each person.
My mother is a kindergarten teacher who, like most mothers, will like whatever I get for her. I can't recall what I got her last year but I know it wasn't very good. This year I plan to buy her something I know she would enjoy.
As I enter The Body Shop, the strong fragrant odours invade my senses to such a degree I leave the store immediately. Scratch that idea.
I sigh heavily and make my way to the stationery store as I remember my mother mentioned she needed more note cards.
I remember when you could make your mother a macaroni poster with lots of glitter and glue and it would be acceptable. I miss the good old days.
"I am glad I came with you," says Scott as we walk towards Carlton Cards.
"Seeing you do this is making me stay within budget. I may have to buy something for myself now though."
If I'm inspiring people to stay on budget this Christmas, we are all in trouble. I am no finacial wizard.
Having only spent $10 on note cards for my mother, "I better find her something else," I think. I notice Crabtree and Evelyn next door and I wander in. The store clerks are friendly and full of information.
Acting manager, Rita Lounsbury, of Thorold, says staying within budget should be easy as the mall has sales all of the time.
"You have to look for sales and check things out before you buy," she says as she shows me some of the merchandise." It's easy for me to do it. I just do my shopping on my break."
After I settle on some intensive therapy hand cream, store clerk Robynne Lokate says I should have come in earlier.
"If you had come in yesterday, the 100 millilitre size of that cream was $8.50," says the fourth-year Child Psychology student who attends Brock University in St. Catharines.
I chuckle to myself, pay them and leave.
I have spent $43 and have three more presents to purchase. I am on a roll.
I hold back the purchase urge and stick to my task as I see many perfect gifts out of my budget and I weigh the consequences.
If I buy that shirt for $30, I will have to adjust my spending for everyone else. I hold back the purchase urge and stick with it.
The mall is getting crowded and my anxiety level is starting to rise. I just want to escape this prison of bargains and holiday crap.
"This is the last thing I need."
With exams on their way and the added stress of surviving the holidays with limited funds available, I am extra irritable.
When Scott suggested we go to Old Navy, I agree and decide to buy my father a hooded sweatshirt.
I hold up a grey Vancouver sweatshirt against myself to determine the right size.
The Price says $32 but I decide to buy it anyway.
Right now I would do anything to get out of these stuffy shops quickly with minimal pain.
Stress: I can see it in the eyes of all of the shoppers. The Christmas rush has started and the mall goers are in an obvious hurry. For a split second I imagine myself as a rabid shopper, pushing myself though the crowds, taking anything I need no matter what the cost. I quickly snap back to reality and to the misery of my lacking bank account.
I am surprised when he clerk rings up the sweater and the price is under $20. I'm still on budget, tired and starting to get cranky.
"I just want to get out of here," I say to Scott as she looks at the women's clothing.
Scott then gives me the solution I have been looking for.
"I'm knitting scarves for everyone this year," she replies, "why don't you just do that?"
This could work.
I have been knitting for a couple of years now and I can whip up scarves in no time. I just hope I can produce them quickly enough. I will turn myself into my own personal sweatshop.
I pick up several different balls of wool at Zellers for $12.32. and manage to stay under the budget leaving myself money to spare.
I text my housemate from my cell phone to tell her I am just about done.
I found Scott trying on coats at Winners.
" I thought you were shopping for other people?" I ask.
"Yeah. I was but I decided to take a break and buy myself something. You are done right?"
On our way out of the mall I notice the perfect gift for my bestfriend. It's $18. I'm sold.
Today I bought for everyone on my list plus I will have extra presents for others once I make the scarves.
The total for today's shopping trip: $92.11. I use the rest of my cash to buy some wrapping paper.
Mission exasperatingly accomplished. I don't ever want to do that again.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
Take care and hope you have a bitchin' Christmas.