[stu]

US consumers in deepening gloom

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'U')S consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in two years, according to the latest survey by the Conference Board research group.
It put the decline down to the recent hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and high petrol prices.

[NeoPeasant]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('stu', '
')How many American members on this forum are thinking of having a budget Xmas this year compared to previous years?

[donshan]

We had a "budget" Christmas last year. And for many years before that too. I think slowing Xmas sales may be a good thing. It will help the trade deficit, since most "stuff" is made in China

Every year, one of my biggest problems is the volume of catalogs that clog my mailbox. They are filled with stuff that hardly anyone "needs" vs. "wants". The "wants" are promoted heavily. I mourn the trees that had to die as I empty the mailbox directly into the trash can ( recycle here does not want slick paper)

The year end holidays for all can be just fine without a big present purchased for everyone on your list. Forego the expensive gifts, and have a family time together. We always splurge on the Christmas dinner however. Savor those times. Life is short, and the day comes when your kids have scattered, and those times are hard to come by. Don't waste them.

I spent some time in extremely poor East Africa. I saw families that were happier than a lot of Americans, even though they had very little material wealth.

[Eli]

Scrooges!

How can you celebrate the birth of little baby Santa Claus without lots and lots of presents?

My Christmas will be just fine I took an extra job that involves working with poor people. I figure that is one thing the world will never run out of is poor people.

My wife and her family really get into getting gifts everyone gets tons o crap it really has gotten obscene as far as I am concerned. Although I still like the Christmas feast with the fam.

[dbarberic]

My wife and I set aside X number of dollars each month to have cash at the end of the year to spend on xmas gifts. In some ways it is a "budget" xmas, because we pre-determine the amount we are going to spend in total, however the total amount spent is going to be the same as previous years.

The whole thing is so stupid however. My relatives and my wife and I exchange gifts using a pre-set limit (i.e. $50). Most of the time we give each other gift cards, so the whole exchange is pointless. You give me a $50 Home Depot gift card and I’ll give you a $50 Sears gift card!

One year I said we should just each keep our own cash instead of exchanging and save ourselves the time of going to the store. That got me plenty of pissed off looks as its not in the “spirit” of Xmas to not exchange gifts.

[turmoil]

What would Jesus give?

[cat]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')ne year I said we should just each keep our own cash instead of exchanging and save ourselves the time of going to the store. That got me plenty of pissed off looks as its not in the “spirit” of Xmas to not exchange gifts.

[skyemoor]

It makes sense to me to produce something with oneself's own hands, which would make it a true labor of love.

[IanC]

We also budget a set amount each month through the year for Christmas. We've really tried to limit how much we give to eachother, but it's really hard to rein-in the rest of the family - especially in giving gifts to the kids -I'm sure most of you can relate! None of them have paid more than a passing glance to the evil nexus of Peak Oil - consumerism - commercialism that is leading us to apocolypse (oops, too dramatic) and they really don't want to hear me when I suggest limiting how much they give. Consumerism is so ingrained that they think it is a sign of how much they love us and the kids to give us lots of Chinese made goods, "paid" for on their credit cards!!! I want to have an intervention with them. Maybe this will be the year.

ON the subject of Consumer Confidence: I hate this crap. Every journalist and newscaster frames the Consumer Confidence thing as a massive guilt trip on the rest of us. It's OUR FAULT the economy is tanking because we're not buying enough trash. At the same time, they chastize us for not saving enough and going into bankruptcy. Our system encourages overspending so all can participate in the consumer society. Having stuff is what makes you a good person. I hate it. But I'm not immune to it. Everyone has their little bauble they want under the tree.

-IanC

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'A')lthough I still like the Christmas feast with the fam.

[bruin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('turmoil', 'W')hat would Jesus give?

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('turmoil', 'W')hat would Jesus give?

[Armageddon]

i hate christmas anyway. It has nothing to do with Jesus. It was a pagan holiday that the 'christians' adopted and turned into their own. The bible condemns these type of acts. If you dont believe that it has pagan roots, research it. holidayorigins.com is a good start. microsoft encarta is another good one. santa claus or satan claws ? you choose for yourself

[0mar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('donshan', 'I') spent some time in extremely poor East Africa. I saw families that were happier than a lot of Americans, even though they had very little material wealth.

[o2ny]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('IanC', 'O')N the subject of Consumer Confidence: I hate this crap. Every journalist and newscaster frames the Consumer Confidence thing as a massive guilt trip on the rest of us. It's OUR FAULT the economy is tanking because we're not buying enough trash. At the same time, they chastize us for not saving enough and going into bankruptcy. Our system encourages overspending so all can participate in the consumer society. Having stuff is what makes you a good person. I hate it. But I'm not immune to it. Everyone has their little bauble they want under the tree.

-IanC

[jmacdaddio]

The holiday 2005 shopping season will begin a spiral culminating in a 2006 recession and the end of the housing bubble. The US education system might be inadequate to prepare citizens for 21st century life, but Americans aren't all stupid. We've got a president with sinking poll numbers, two wars without end in sight, our largest corporations are going into their death spirals, millions purged from the health insurance rolls each year, millions of jobs shipped overseas each year, higher grocery bills, higher gas prices, draconian bankruptcy laws, rising interest rates, warnings of high home heating charges, and Mother Nature wreaking havoc on our playground areas. Even Joe Sixpack knows a storm is coming, and why would an average family splurge for Christmas this year when they know they will need to look in the couch for spare change to pay January's heating bill.

Once the retailers digest the carnage, look for mass layoffs which will further erode the minimum wage-to-$12 per hour class. Their suppliers will all take a hit, further depleting the stores of shoppers. Oh wait, all the suppliers are in China and India .... never mind, how silly of me. Nevetheless, the 2006 economy won't be pretty, and when rising interest rates and a bleaker jobs picture bring the housing bubble back to earth, look for even lower consumer confidence numbers.

[seldom_seen]

When I hear the term "consumer confidence" I cringe. I think a special place should be reserved for economists in the deepest of all coal mines after the peak.

After they spend 16 hours a day breaking coal with a pick ax, I want to quiz them on the way out of the mine "how's your f'ing consumer confidence?"

[Vexed]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'd')onshan wrote:
I spent some time in extremely poor East Africa. I saw families that were happier than a lot of Americans, even though they had very little material wealth.

[seldom_seen]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('armegeddon', 'I')t has nothing to do with Jesus. It was a pagan holiday that the 'christians' adopted and turned into their own.