Why does it feel I got so little for spending so much?

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-25-2008, 10:10 AM

I went to the store yesterday since both kids were in school and I wanted to get the bulk of my shopping done early. Armed with my savings (I planned on spending the $200 I had in savings while keeping $900 in DH's savings account for the other half of the spending and for winter tires), I walked into Superstore planning on buying mainly stocking stuffers. It was whatever I could fit into my basket.

I got all done, went to the checkout, and spent $150! Well, $160 but that $10 I'm not counting was for a DVD for DH (John Cleese's Best Monty Python Moments - we both love Monty Python so much). I was like, 'What? Are you serious?'

I got four DVDs, some socks for YDS, some underwear for ODS, two coloring books, some markers, two bottles of bubble bath, two toothbrushes, two tubes of toothpaste, four 4 3pk bundles of erasers, a box of 24 pencils, a Ming Ming Wonder Pets squishy doll for YDS, and a Hot Wheels carrying case for YDS' cars. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I spent $150 on all that. The one bright light about all this is that it was all stuff that both kids would actually make use of. I'm still not done yet but I had realistically planned on spending $300 on the kids (they have gifts coming from my mom and from their grandparents and SIL/BIL).

Has shopping really changed to where spending so much feels like you get so little, or do I just suck at shopping?

**VanVivCam** · 11-25-2008, 10:24 AM

I don't think you suck at shopping. I too feel that prices are going up..up..up. I stopped in walmart the other day for a little shopping and spent $140. I just about fell over and am still wondering where I spent the money.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-25-2008, 11:23 AM

I even talked to DH last night about stuff and we're still looking at spending about $500 on his sister (she has a birthday and Christmas a week apart), FIL (who has a birthday three days before Christmas) and his mom. My mom is sending the kids some stuff and a bit of money if she gets a big chunk of her disability settlement amount before Christmas. Even if she doesn't send the money, the kids will still get a bit of stuff for Christmas. I think they'll be happy just being around my inlaws.

We also still have the winter tires to get this week, which means we'll be bleeding the EF dry for two months.

I just wish that there was this magical place that had things for 99 cents that everyone would love! Yeah right...

**Wendy99** · 11-25-2008, 11:44 AM

We really cut back on the inlaws and my parents in the past couple years .. we prob spend $150 for my dh side & my parents combined. Things add up so fast that its crazy!!

**monkeywrangler71** · 11-25-2008, 12:23 PM

You just suck at shopping.

j/k!

I don't know about Alberta, but I find the Superstore is an expensive place to shop, you might have done better at Walmart or Zellers (particularly on the toys). I hate shopping and tend to go out like you did with one giant trip and grab everything I can so I don't have to go back. I know lots of people get better deals by picking things up on sale throughout the year, but those are people who shop regularly. Unless I am specifically out looking for gifts, I don't set foot in anything except grocery stores all year, so I don't see all those gift deals everyone else gets.

Stocking stuffers are a killer. I probably spend more on stockings than everything else combined, but I know if I planned better I could pick those things up on clearance throughout the year for a fraction of what I end up spending on Dec. 24th

I think those of us who hate shopping or just don't have time for it will always end up spending too much for too little.

**imagine** · 11-25-2008, 01:55 PM

It sure seem to me that I get less stuff for my bucks.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-25-2008, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

You just suck at shopping.

j/k!

I don't know about Alberta, but I find the Superstore is an expensive place to shop, you might have done better at Walmart or Zellers (particularly on the toys). I hate shopping and tend to go out like you did with one giant trip and grab everything I can so I don't have to go back. I know lots of people get better deals by picking things up on sale throughout the year, but those are people who shop regularly. Unless I am specifically out looking for gifts, I don't set foot in anything except grocery stores all year, so I don't see all those gift deals everyone else gets.

Stocking stuffers are a killer. I probably spend more on stockings than everything else combined, but I know if I planned better I could pick those things up on clearance throughout the year for a fraction of what I end up spending on Dec. 24th

I think those of us who hate shopping or just don't have time for it will always end up spending too much for too little.

We're probably going to be heading out this weekend to take care of both a new bake element for the oven and groceries. I might take the train to the mall and check out Zellers (I usually won't step foot in Wal-Mart on the weekends unless it's super early) for the rest of the stuff.

We have a limit this year for adults on the stocking stuffers of $10. The kids are generally more, but I don't give them candy so the stuffers are usually things I can find at the dollar store (like little soaps and stuff for the tub). I don't do much shopping throughout the year either, which is why I think I overdid it a bit.

**Lady_V** · 11-25-2008, 05:32 PM

Prices are going up... the same things will cost more next year too...

The Dollar Tree stores are wonderful as far as having 'character' items like pencils, folders, etc... but I wait until the 'after-school clearance'. I got oodles of 'pricey' things for 75-90% off at 'regular' stores... I guess they don't think people give pencils & art supplies for the holidays

**mnmarty03** · 11-25-2008, 08:22 PM

Things definitely add up quick!

How much did the DVDs cost? If they were 15-20 dollars per DVD then I can see it adding up quickly! I recently bought some dvds/computer games and got good deals on all of what I bought - but they still added up soooo quickly!!

**Patty A** · 11-25-2008, 09:58 PM

It proves the dollar is srinking. I don't ever feel like I come out of the store with enough to have cost what it did. The only time I feel I get value for my dollar is the clearance items, and the dollar store.

**pinecone** · 11-26-2008, 12:12 AM

It really can add up quickly. I like to scour the $5 bin of DVDs. sometimes there are some good titles there.

piney

**HandyMom** · 11-26-2008, 01:12 AM

When I do most of my "splurge" shopping at thrift stores, it's a real shock to see what things cost at regular stores. Even Aldi has me looking over my receipt and asking myself what happened to my money?. It adds up! Things I bought for gifts last year that used to be on sale for $3 each are now more like $4.99 each. That's a huge change.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-26-2008, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by mnmarty03

Things definitely add up quick!

How much did the DVDs cost? If they were 15-20 dollars per DVD then I can see it adding up quickly! I recently bought some dvds/computer games and got good deals on all of what I bought - but they still added up soooo quickly!!

The dollar here is back to being worth less than the US dollar, at about 80 cents per USD. The DVDs just recently came out (Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E, etc) and cost me between $23 and $28. That's how much they'd cost anywhere else in Calgary.

Originally Posted by pinecone

It really can add up quickly. I like to scour the $5 bin of DVDs. sometimes there are some good titles there.

piney

I looked through that bin, actually more than one of the bins. All of the DVDs they had were ones that both kids wouldn't bother to watch because 95 percent of them were "old people" movies (that's what YDS calls adults

).

**phoeny_moonstar** · 11-28-2008, 04:13 AM

This year I plan on getting all of DD's stocking stuffers at the dollar store. She loves "girly smelling" things. Bath salts, bubble bath, lotion, scented hair products,etc all of which I can get for very cheap at the dollar store. Plus we are decorating our tree/house will dollar store stuff... I find it's cheaper that way. So no don't suck at shopping, just the price of everything is skyrocketing.

**kittykatstrong** · 11-28-2008, 06:23 AM

Ya, we stopped buying DVDs just because they are so pricey. We go to a used music stoe and they DVDs as well. You can get them for about $8 that way. We cut back big time this year and we are still spending aton.