I think I’ve just had an epiphany…

[ChocolateCrepe]

Mainly brought on by worrying about how to afford Xmas, but aided by the fact that I’ve started following a few minimalism accounts on Instagram …

I spend months of my life each year trying to figure out what to buy my kids for Christmas and birthdays, only to spend the other months trying to sneakily declutter it and get stuff out of the house without them noticing

WTF is this madness!?!

It is genuinely crazy, and is a game I am just not happy to participate in any more!!

Has anyone changed their mindset to consumerism and being more minimal/intentional too? What was your ‘bingo’ moment? (And how did your kids take it??)

God this is so true. Also see - working like a loon to afford a bigger house to keep all the shite in. I'm trying to work towards buying experiences and memories rather than things - sounds wanky but it helps.

I've gotten rid of the Prime account to stop impulse buying...

None of this helps with what to buy a 6 year old of course.

I’m buying experiences this year. Used to get dgc an annual pass to a local kids park but they outgrew that. Then a couple of years where it was difficult to find something suitable for all.
This year I’m getting my dc, their partners and dgc a family session of go karting. Definitely better than plastic tat.

My dc used to make lists of plastic shit that they’d seen in catalogues that fall through the door in October - looking at you, Bright Minds. I used to think, oh well it’s educational and what else can I get primary aged children?

But then one day in midsummer I found myself in ds’s room, looking at a stupid plastic robot hedgehog thing that he had begged and begged for, and which had never worked properly and sat untouched on his shelf since Boxing Day. It had cost about fifty bloody quid. It was sitting on top of another ‘must have’ toy that hadn’t even made it out of its box.

When the dc came home from school, I pointed these things out, and all the other bits of crap they’d got the previous Christmas and lost interest in immediately. They were just about old enough to understand about plastic waste, having covered it at school, I told them that next year we were going avoid such waste and I wanted them to think very hard about choosing things they would actually use, and avoiding plastic in future.

I reminded them of the new policy in the autumn when the catalogues started arriving, and I was surprised to find they actually got it. Last year their lists didn’t feature any plastic shite except for the odd Lego set (which they do use); it was all books, art materials and fluffy jumpers etc. Far less waste and clutter.

We keep the broken hedgehog robot on the shelf as a reminder to us all. 😁

We’ve politely opted out of most gift exchanges this year and last; and anyone who really wants to get a gift (like grandparents) have been politely asked for experiences or clothing.

Our children don’t need anything, they have so much stuff already that I’d rather follow the: something they want, something they need, something they wear and something they read option

Oh also - keep them away from commercial kids TV. So many adverts for absolute shite that never works.

I agree - humans are bonkers.

My DC are teens now and they agree - they don't want the stuff. Would rather money.

We've been conned by consummerism that our love for our kids must be demonstrated by buying them stuff.

Whereas, all kids actually want is for their parents to give them time and attention. And this whole process of buying, tidying, sorting and disposing of stuff takes our time away from our kids.

Bonkers!