Several blogs that I read have had "holiday hints" given about what to spend per person for the holidays. Some say it's a percentage of income divided by the number of people. Some just give an arbitrary number per person.
For me, I'm trying to curb everybody's interest in giving things and instead giving time this year. You see, after much reflection, I've come to firmly believe it really is the events and experiences that matter. Nobody will even remember what the "thing" of any one gift is for more than a couple of weeks. But fun memories, entertaining antidotes, even shared misery is far more memorable.
This year, for instance, my family received a copy of the new "Clue Secrets and Spies" board game. It's a highish tech version of the venerable old "Clue" with a cute little black-light wand reader thing. Over all, it's quite a bit more complicated than the old one. It took the kids and I probably about three hours of reading/playing/fumbling around to get to a point where we thought we could actually play a game of it. It was pretty fun, but took more out of us to keep it all straight than the old version.
Those three hours will be far more memorable to both the kids and I than the ten minutes that it took to unwrap the rest of the gifts that they have/will receive. That is a very frugal/minimal thing to have. Not the game, but the memories. Gota love it.
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20101217
Minimalizing, My Take On It
There are lots of blogs on minimalism on the web these days. I must say that I enjoy most of them on a fairly routine basis. One of the key motivations behind this blog was to express my own take on minimalism from my own perspective. You see, one of the big areas that most everybody else doesn't address much is that of family. I'm older, have a wife (with a child from a previous marriage), an ex-wife (with whom I have three kids), and my parents, all of whom depend on me.
To say the least, being "minimal" with all of these people around, is a far different and more realistic thing to write on than being a 20-something with nothing but a backpack (and it's 100-things) tackling the world. Trying to minimize while helping everybody out, financially, time wise, etc. is a large enough challenge for me.
For instance, one of the four kids is in college right now (Hi Tori!), and thankfully is fairly well funded due to her own skills/drives/talent. She has turned out to be quite the beautiful, smart young woman, and I'm very proud of her accomplishments. She has a good head on her shoulders, and should go quite far in the world. I would like to encourage her to read several books that I like, as well as to de-clutter her bathroom counter, but that's another whole story. How does a minimalist approach fit into this scenario?
Kevin, our oldest son, is doing quite well in school. He doesn't cause too much in the way of trouble, earns good grades, and in general is kind to pretty much everybody. He recently earned 6'th place (out of 47) in a local robotics competition (a topic area that is near and dear to my heart). 
David, the middle boy, is also doing quite well in school. He is quite the book worm, in addition to being a Jujitsu aficionado. Always up for a hike, or really doing anything outdoors, he is by far our most athletic child (having a physique that I can only envy).
Zach is the youngest of our kids. He is typically almost the academically inclined of the bunch, fretting if he doesn't get an "A" on everything. He has already won a state wide writing competition (not to mention the cash prize that went along with it), and aspires to write books .
Skill isn't a "missing" thing amongst them, motivation however, does seem to be in short supply some days. How does one motivate children? How does one instill the drive that will "push" them each to do all of the extra-curricular activities necessary (as resume fodder) to get the kinds of scholarships that they each will need. The drive that will "push" them to excel at whatever field of endeavor they embark on after school. How does a minimalist approach fit into this scenario?
Additionally, I have moved my aging parents into a house next door to mine so that I can help them, when needed (and only then...I really don't want to butt in too much). However, as they age further they are both going to need even more of my time/money/etc. to avoid becoming institutionalized. My wife (who blogs about her experiences over at Earning Stars in My Crown), without whom I have very little hope of getting into heaven, helps with their care/groceries/doctors apointments/etc., but is that fair? How does a minimalist approach fit into this scenario?
So, being me, I figured I'd see what I can do to help myself (and all those around me) out from within the morass that I find us in. That search is the basis for where I intend on taking this blog next. Its a far cry from some of the others out there, but from where I sit, this is the life I have to pursue right now.
To say the least, being "minimal" with all of these people around, is a far different and more realistic thing to write on than being a 20-something with nothing but a backpack (and it's 100-things) tackling the world. Trying to minimize while helping everybody out, financially, time wise, etc. is a large enough challenge for me.
For instance, one of the four kids is in college right now (Hi Tori!), and thankfully is fairly well funded due to her own skills/drives/talent. She has turned out to be quite the beautiful, smart young woman, and I'm very proud of her accomplishments. She has a good head on her shoulders, and should go quite far in the world. I would like to encourage her to read several books that I like, as well as to de-clutter her bathroom counter, but that's another whole story. How does a minimalist approach fit into this scenario?
Kevin, our oldest son, is doing quite well in school. He doesn't cause too much in the way of trouble, earns good grades, and in general is kind to pretty much everybody. He recently earned 6'th place (out of 47) in a local robotics competition (a topic area that is near and dear to my heart). 
Zach is the youngest of our kids. He is typically almost the academically inclined of the bunch, fretting if he doesn't get an "A" on everything. He has already won a state wide writing competition (not to mention the cash prize that went along with it), and aspires to write books .Skill isn't a "missing" thing amongst them, motivation however, does seem to be in short supply some days. How does one motivate children? How does one instill the drive that will "push" them each to do all of the extra-curricular activities necessary (as resume fodder) to get the kinds of scholarships that they each will need. The drive that will "push" them to excel at whatever field of endeavor they embark on after school. How does a minimalist approach fit into this scenario?
Additionally, I have moved my aging parents into a house next door to mine so that I can help them, when needed (and only then...I really don't want to butt in too much). However, as they age further they are both going to need even more of my time/money/etc. to avoid becoming institutionalized. My wife (who blogs about her experiences over at Earning Stars in My Crown), without whom I have very little hope of getting into heaven, helps with their care/groceries/doctors apointments/etc., but is that fair? How does a minimalist approach fit into this scenario?
So, being me, I figured I'd see what I can do to help myself (and all those around me) out from within the morass that I find us in. That search is the basis for where I intend on taking this blog next. Its a far cry from some of the others out there, but from where I sit, this is the life I have to pursue right now.
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