When you go Christmas shopping for others do you inevitably end up buying a "present" for yourself?

yes yes very true.. i just got a bunch of clothes

8 dollar jeans… and they fit nice :)

Nope. I have a very specific list of presents to buy, and I don’t deviate from that list. I enjoy saving my money more than spending it on an impulse purchase. Remember, many bargains are just the shop’s way of driving their hands into your pocketbook when you would have otherwise not purchased anything. Personally I define a bargain as getting a good price on an item I was looking for or wanting, I don’t define it as buying something I had not intended to solely because it was being sold for less money.

Also, as each year goes by I get more disgusted with the so-called holiday tradition of spending lots of money on presents to give to people who have spent lots of money buying presents for me (with children it’s a bit different, I don’t mind buying a present for a kid, but I’d still rather make one). I much prefer giving handmade presents, a present that I spent my time making just for that person, a unique thing that no one else in the world has, rather than giving someone a present or a gift card. I mean, if you’re going to go down the gift card route, might as well go with cash so as to not lock the person into one store – and if people are exchanging cash each year it makes more sense to simply keep one’s cash and just spend the holidays being happy together. This is the approach my extended family has taken now that all the kids have grown up, and I have to say it feels much better.

I got into that habit years ago. It started the year husband gave me a lawn mower for Mother’s Day. Now, husband has a lot at great attributes, but picking out just the right gift isn’t one of them. Not that he doesn’t try… He sincerely didn’t understand why I wasn’t thrilled with the lawn mower. It was, after all, my favorite color and it had an adjustable blade and a sack to catch the trimmings…
So, anyway, that is why I make sure I get a little something for myself at Christmas time.

Isn’t that the point?

My approach to shopping for presents is very meditative.
I don’t normally get lists from people and then just wander through stores I know they would like and keep them in mind. Normally, the perfect gift just sort of catches my eye.

As a result, I also happen to find a few things that I would like as well.
Nothing for myself yet this year, but there’s still a couple of weeks to go.

Not this year.

Oh, yeah. But, I think that it is because I just don’t do a lot of shopping any other time of the year, so I am not exposed to the lure of retail.

i buy myself gifts for Christmas and all through the year :) when i go Christmas shopping, i find such great bargains i can’t help buying one for the recipient, and one for me. i just bought a nice pocketbook the other day for about $100. i usually wrap my “Christmas” presents, or at least don’t let myself enjoy them till Christmas. Except the pocketbook, i can’t wait to start using it.

I was going to say exactly what steelmarket said.

no, i show my hubby and he buys it for me. :)

I don’t buy Christmas gifts for anyone, though I do receive them. I admit that I am an asshole.

Of course I do. I’m on my Christmas shopping list, too, LOL.

Yep! I do all my shopping online. I always add either a book or DS game to my cart for myself.

Nope. I get a guilty feeling and think I should only buy for others and of course, the kids. I’ve never been one to really shop for myself, unless I need new clothes.

ALL THE TIME. Because I’m not sure what other people like, so when I shop, I just find myself looking at things that attract my eye, and since the things that attract my eye are things that I want, and since those things are usually miraculously on sale, I usually resort to spending money on things pour moi.

Or I don’t buy them, but sincerely hope that someone buys it for me, but they don’t, so I feel bad for missing my chance.

My family has adopted a rather strange practice of occasionally buying things we want, then giving them to someone else to give to us at Christmas time. It takes the surprise out of Christmas, but it’s still kind of fun.

I had to do ALL of my Christmas shopping the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so I was WAAAAAY too swamped to even consider shopping for myself. Plus, as a high school student with a limited budget, I can’t afford to just buy something for myself to satisfy an unnecessary desire…

Anytime I go out at all, I wind up buying myself “presents”. When the holiday season comes around, I wind up giving myself even more gifts than normal. It’s pretty awful. (But I am a damn good gift-giver, for the record.)

Well… I will admit I think about it :D

All the time. Usually it’s because I wind up stopping at the bookstore in whatever mall I’m frequenting. :-)