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Trimming a little bit of that holiday fat

Every year around this time the media starts to report on holiday spending. This year the experts are predicting that consumer spending is going to be down. It’s not surprising really, there’s been a lot in the news about unemployment and growing consumer debt. I wonder if the “less is more” message is finally trickling down. There’s little point to spending money we don’t have. Bigger cars and bigger homes with bigger closets just result in bigger debt. Having more doesn’t make us happy.

I guess it remains to be seen. We may spend less overall and take more trips to the dollar store this year, or not. But I think that many consumers are feeling the pinch and just aren’t as willing to spend as much as they did before. And maybe they’re realizing that a small Christmas (in terms of gifts) can be just as nice as a big one.

We’re definitely scaling back this year. We are trying harder than ever to stick to a budget. Not only does this make sense for us from an economic perspective, but we’re seriously running out of room to put things. It’s not like we’re gingerly tiptoeing between gigantic piles (although that’s sometimes the case on laundry day) but our shelves and closets overfloweth. We live in a small house, built in a time when people just didn’t need scads of storage space and I’ve inherited some of my mother’s packrat tendencies (as illustrated by my previous post about card collecting). Gah!

So what can we do to make Christmas fun and memorable and also minimize the emphasis on stuff?

• Remember that quantity does not equal quality. Our kids will love us just as much if we gave them half as many gifts. It’s true what they say about kids of a certain age just wanting to play with ribbons and boxes more so than with the gifts that come inside them!
• Don’t dismiss the idea of giving second-hand goods. There’s nothing wrong with giving someone a thoughtful gift that has been pre-loved!   
• Go to the library and borrow a stack of beautiful books, CDs and DVDs to enjoy over the holidays and bring them back when you’re done.
• Give “experiential” gifts – tickets to see a movie or a play, cooking or kayaking lessons, (whatever!), just think hard about what your recipient really enjoys doing.
• Give gifts of food and wine. Consumables only take up shelf space temporarily. (Unless it’s fruit cake.)
• A donation to charity in the recipient’s name is an ideal gift for those who truly have everything.  

On my own blog I’ve outlined something we do to celebrate Christmas. It helps us focus on the fun … all month long!

What about you? Are you tightening your belt this year, or is it business as usual under the Christmas tree? And what other ways can we make the holiday season cheap and cheerful?

Buying Used at Christmas

Last week we took a look at the HST and asked you how it would affect your holiday shopping, and while many of us agree that we’ll be spending less, the HST isn’t the only contributing factor. A lack of job security and lingering debt from an economic downturn, among other influences, are changing the way we spend our time and money over the Christmas period. In 2009, according to the CBC, Canadians spent 0.4% more than the year prior, which took a 3.9% dive. Analysts predict that it will be a slow and bumpy recovery. “The consumer is being very restrained. They’re closely planning their spending and continue to reduce their shopping trips,” according to James Russo, vice president of consumer insights at Nielson.

More evidence that those buying gifts are spending less comes from a recent RBC survey, which found that Canadians plan to spend almost $100 less than last year, capping our average spending off at a total of $624. So what does this mean for you and me? If we all plan to shop on a budget, will we buy less or will we shop differently? The used goods market isn’t the first stop for most consumers during the holidays, but that may not always be the case. What’s your take, have you ever bought, or entertained the idea, of buying used?

Tale of the Tooth Fairy

My children will one day hate me for writing about them but until they can read at a grade 7 level and navigate their way through a computer, I’ll keep using them for content.

Any of who know me in person know that for the last couple of weeks my 7 year-old (the naughty one with elfin ears and a cheeky smile who greets her father with “w’sup pup?”) has had a loose front tooth.  We have been calling her ‘Snaggle Tooth’ because as this thing got looser it pointed almost straight out of her mouth like a narwhal tusk and gave her an uncanny resemblance to a much younger Nanny McPhee (minus the wart).  Anyways, as I was making dinner the other night the girls came running into the kitchen and my eldest announced that she knocked her sister’s tooth out by accidentally kicking her in the face.  Turns out they were wrestling…go figure.  They were both laughing and showed me the blood and wee tooth.  Then to prove the story, they showed me the mark on her foot left by the tooth.  I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be laughing if someone kicked my tooth out….loose or not.

There are few things that bother me.  But heights and anything to do with teeth are on the very short list of things that turn my stomach and require deep breathing exercises.  So before I got too woozy, I asked them to go upstairs and clean up the mess and put the tooth away (they love chasing me with bloody little baby teeth).  When they came back downstairs, I’m not sure who was prouder – the kid who finally lost her tusk or the kid who kicked it out of her little face.

Then as always, I forgot to tell the Tooth Fairy.   Sometimes it takes a few nights for her to come by or she comes when they are eating breakfast because she  “had too many teeth to pick up in one night”.  One tooth sat for 4 nights under my daughter’s pillow and finally she said “I know why the tooth fairy hasn’t come.  My window was closed.”  She opened it up that night and I awoke the next morning to excited screams coming from her room.  I was confused because I was quite certain that the Tooth Fairy had forgotten to come by again.  That was when my eldest walked into my room and said “Don’t worry. I took care of it”.  That was a pretty low moment for me as a mom.  I’m not sure if it was because I forgot again or because my 10 year-old knew I would forget.  Someone should design a tooth Advent calendar – it would have 20 pockets (one for each baby tooth) and it would come stocked with  token gifts.  Then as the teeth fall out, they can help themselves to their prize so parents like me wouldn’t have to worry about remembering to make the late night swap.  I bet Martha Stewart makes one.

Our Tooth Fairy is pretty cheap too.  She doesn’t leave any denomination that comes in a bill.  And boy do I ever hear about it when little Suzie tells my kid that she got 20 bucks for her tooth.  I told my kid she’d have to lose a lot more than a tooth to get 20 bucks in this house.  She then wanted to know what would it take; a toe, a pinky finger?

In all seriousness, we have a pretty happy house.  There is lots of laughing and poking fun at mom, but we also know when to be caring, love each other and appreciate our lives.  Today, please remember why November 11th is important.  We spend so much time fussing and worrying, complaining and blethering that I think we tend to forget about the big things.  In reality we’re pretty lucky to be able fret about bad hair days, late buses, lost homework and leftovers again.  So take a moment and remember and be thankful.

Remembrance Day

Lost and found

I was browsing through the toy section of UsedOttawa the other day. I have a thing for antique toys and I tend to reach for my credit card if one is calling out to me.

They say that your personality – the way you socialize with people, the very essence of the person you are – is shaped by your earliest childhood memory. Do you think that’s true?

My earliest childhood memory is of losing a favourite toy. I’m not sure how that shaped me as a person, but it was a very traumatic moment (for a four year old!), and one that has stayed with me for many years.

My Raggedy Ann was essentially a blue bean bag with the typical Raggedy Ann face and red yarn hair. Her shifting body and warmth easily conformed to a four-year old hug. And she always hugged me back. She never left my side.

One morning I took her out for a breath of fresh air in a miniature orange metal pram. We lived on a dead-end street where there was virtually no traffic. This might sound odd, but one of the best things about my childhood home was our driveway. It was almost like a runway; a wide expanse of smooth black asphalt with just the right degree of slope. It was ideal for skipping, roller skating and skateboarding tricks.

That fateful day, I stood at the top of the driveway – and for some unfathomable reason – gave the stroller a strong push that sent it careening towards the street. I don’t know what I expected. Maybe I predicted a slow-motion Dukes-of-Hazard-style stunt jump would occur at the bottom? Understandably, the carriage wheels weren’t made to withstand the bump where the driveway met the curb and the whole thing toppled over with a loud metallic clang. The contents flew out in a perfect trajectory.

I ran down the driveway, horrified by what I’d done. What a cruel mother! I searched the blankets for the victim of this terrible crash, wondering whether her injuries were going to be life-threatening, but … Raggedy Ann was nowhere to be found. I searched everywhere but there was no sign of her. She had (obviously) evaporated.  

I was inconsolable. My parents helped me look for her. We searched everywhere and questioned the neighbours, but she was never found. My mother later speculated that I’d left her at a grocery store during an outing and we never noticed she was gone. But this was just a guess.

Year later, when I was about twelve, my parents and I came across a lady who made custom toys. I described Raggedy Ann as carefully as I could remember: about *this* big, with a blue bean bag body and white apron.  The lady nodded, understanding. I was so excited. I was finally going to have my favourite toy back again!

Raggedy Ann II was ready a few weeks later. I was so disappointed. Everything was wrong; the dimensions, the colour, the clothes. I didn’t like her at all. I felt guilty about it too. It wasn’t her fault she wasn’t lovable.

About five years ago I started looking for my original Raggedy Ann on used toy websites. It took me awhile, but I eventually found one that was in good shape and I bought her.

I remember holding my breath as I opened the box. It was like Christmas. Would she be the same? You know what, she was. She was exactly how I remembered, and quite possibly in better shape than my old one. I felt relieved, but also a little sad. I’m not sure why. Strangely, there’s still a tiny scar deep down in my heart that I cannot mend or properly explain. It sounds silly, but it’s there.

That year she was put away with the Christmas decorations. Every year since then I’ve unpacked her box and put her on display near our tree. And it feels like I’m four all over again.

How will the HST affect you over the holidays?

On July 1st, 2010, both the Ontario and British Columbia provincial governments restructured their sales tax systems by combining GST (5%) with the PST (7%) to create the Harmonized Sales Tax. The goal was to build a more efficient tax system without increasing sales tax revenues. Of course, this means that the end-consumer (you and me), must pay more in the short-term with the assumption that in the long run prices of goods will go down and there will be a significant increase in the availability of jobs due to a more efficient taxing of businesses.

Polls have shown that approximately 90% of British Columbians and Ontarians are opposed to the HST, and here is what our Facebook community had to say:

Whether you agree that there will be a long term benefit to consumers or not, one thing remains certain this holiday season: we’ll all be paying a little bit more. So what effect will it have on you? If you’re reading this blog then you’re already aware of the benefits of buying used, but will you be using your local UsedEverywhere.com or your neighbour’s garage sale to purchase your Christmas gifts?

Whatever your response is to the HST and this article, get it out of your head and on to the keyboard in the comments below. That’s what they’re there for, after all.

The Movember Competition

Most of the year has come and gone, and what do you have to show for it? Some more coins in the piggy bank and hopefully some hindsight, but you’re missing something special…

…and that something is a mustache.

November is no more. Movember has taken its place. It’s a mustache growing charity event that creates awareness and benjamins for prostate cancer, a disease that will be diagnosed in 24,600 men this year. The men of UsedEverywhere.com will be growing elegance this month and keeping a photo record of our progress. Help us support this cause by donating to your favorite team member below, or by making a donation to the entire team (if neither of those suit your fancy, you can always sign up and join our team yourself!). All proceeds will go towards Prostate Cancer Canada.

Thank you for your support.

Buy Cheap New or Expensive Used?

I want to buy a new couch for our TV room.  We have 2 matching love-seats right now which I love, but they are a bit small.  It’s a tad squishy for all four of us to watch movies in comfort.  Invariably someone ‘accidentally’ pokes someone else which results in an ‘accidental’ kick and that’s not even the kids.  Football Day is also little uncomfortable – four dads sipping tea, perched forward on red microfibre to avoid getting too close to what may be considered a snuggle. 

So we’ve decided to start looking for new couches.  My quandary is this…do I buy cheap new furniture or  expensive used stuff.  I mean if I have $500 to spend – do I buy a new mediocre quality faux leather sectional that smells like mothballs and feels like saran wrap.  Or do I wait until someone is ditching their down-stuffed custom couch because they no longer like the colour?  I have to say that I do really appreciate good quality things - I just don’t like paying good quality prices.  That’s why I buy used stuff.

I do love a good deal which is why used stuff is so appealing, but you also have to be careful that you don’t end up with someone’s couch that still harbours squishy broccoli that their kid hid between the cushions.  You know you can never get rid of that broccoli smell and once one kid does that, then yours will too.  Like how cats pee in the same place that another one peed – kids do it too – maybe not the peeing part, but hiding vegetables for sure.

Pets and kids are definitely a consideration when I make any big purchase; I always have to keep in mind that what you never thought could happen to a couch or a new carpet or a cashmere sweater can and does.   I replaced my old, old sofa with these red ones only six months ago as I always said that I wouldn’t get new furniture until the sippy cups were gone and the cat had died.  Well we have a new cat now and sippy cups have been replaced with drippy nail polish.  I realize that unless I want to shroud my furniture in plastic or impose kid and pet-free zones, there will always be something to worry about.  So I’ve resolved myself to the fact that at this point in my life (meaning until kids leave home), furniture is somewhat disposable.  Life happens and I refuse to get stressed out over accidental smears and spills so I don’t buy anything that a) would make me cry if it got ruined or b) is too expensive to be replaced.

So…new or used.  Well I think that once again I’ll be lurking on UsedVictoria to buy a sturdy, good quality used sectional to replace my other used couches, but I’m going for leather this time.  I want to be able to hose it down after the dog licks up the worst of the mess.

Oh and look out for my ad when I post these love-seats.  It will read something like:

Two Natuzzi  red microfibre matching loveseats.   From non smoking house.  Pets - lots: dog, cat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit.  Those with fur allergies – don’t bother.  Kids too – dirty ones.   Those with kid allergies – move on.  Comes with matching cushions – proven sturdy through many pillow fights.  No broccoli…but did I mention that we can’t find the hamster?

The Useful Postcast #2

Take three avid UsedEverywhere users, who also happen to work for UsedEverywhere; throw them into a room together and what do you get? A lot of insight.

This month we talk about browsing, the TV that didn’t fit and more. Plus, Charlotte is doing a little investigation into using the Trade option, so if you have some insights on bartering and trading through a UsedEverywhere site, please leave a comment.

As always, any questions you post in the comment section we’ll bring them up on our next podcast.

Click on the purple play button below!

Trading cards and the stuff we love

My name is Andrea. I’m an Ottawa-area mother of two school-age girls and I love my stuff. There. I said it.

I’m mildly obsessed with sorting, managing, acquiring, admiring my stuff – and I know I’m not alone. We all have sentimental connections to our belongings. The interesting thing about it is that the degree of these connections varies widely. There are hoarders among us (people who live out their lives between teetering piles of stuff) and on the flipside: minimalists, backpackers, and monks who relinquish ties to all manner of earthly goods.

Where does it all come from? Is it genetic, or do we come by our obsessions in other ways?

Most of us fall somewhere between the hoarders and the minimalists, and nowhere are the differences more apparent than in our basements and attics.

How many boxes of stuff would you say you’re holding onto? And do you know what’s in them all?

I am pretty sure we have boxes that haven’t seen the light of day since we moved into our home, oh, back in the late nineties. I’m tempted, but totally afraid to throw them away sight unseen. Odds are they contain stuff that can be easily sold or given away, but here the thing … what if one of them contained a family heirloom? Or something I would miss, but has no value to anyone but me?

Take, for example, trading cards.

When I was growing up the boys in my neighbourhood were really into hockey cards. I had a few of those (I may or may not have attached a rookie Wayne Gretzky to the spokes of my bike to achieve a much-desired putt-putting noise) but I wasn’t really into sports, so sports-related trading cards didn’t hold much allure for me.  I focused on two collections: (1) trading cards from the movie E.T. (YES, the Extra Terrestrial). I don’t even want to think of how much bad gum I chewed, and how many hours I spent during recess scrutinizing, trading, and bargaining for the ones I was missing.

I am fairly certain that somewhere in my basement there’s a complete set of E.T. cards. Does it have any value to anyone but me? No. But I can’t bear to get rid of them.

Before E.T phoned home I was all about (2) Charlie’s Angels trading cards.

Here are a select few from my collection:

And my personal favourite:

 I was never able to figure out how they maintained such perfect hair while fighting crime.

I especially like the bilingual captions and the frequent use of exclamation marks. It makes each! one! seem! so! exciting !

Did you collect trading cards? Are they in your basement somewhere? Do you think they’re worth anything, or are you just holding onto them because you love your stuff?

–

andrea usually sorts her stuff at a peek inside the fishbowl.