Happy Birthday To You...Now I'm Broke.
This last month I have been crazily busy. Is it just me, or does everyone experience a month that is jam packed with birthdays? It’s like every friend in the world has an April birthday. Not only did it call for a crazy and hectic month, it also made it a very expensive month. You want to be able to buy your friends nice gifts, but at what cost?
I have terrific friends and they would never expect a gift from me, especially since I am in school full-time. They of all people know that money is tight at the moment. However, for some reason, when I don’t buy somebody a birthday present, especially for a close friend, I feel like less of a person. When I write those words and read them back to myself, I can see how silly that is. Maybe it’s just a girl thing, I don’t know. I’ve never really known a man that thought like that, but I guess it’s possible.
After this discovery, I really need to pinpoint why spending money for other people’s pleasure makes me happier. Maybe I like the look on their faces when they open their gift and it’s just what they have been dreaming of. Perhaps I’m just a do good-er who likes to make other people happy in general. I can’t be the only person in the world that experiences this. Turns out, I’m not. There was an entire study done on how people feel when they spend money on others. Not that these studies are always 100% accurate, they really just serve as proof that I’m not crazy.
I truly believe that the real reason I like to buy these gifts is that I feel like I might be letting somebody down. Nobody likes to have a birthday with no present…the very thought of that makes me sad. Also, who wants to be the one person that shows up to the party without a gift? That would make me feel pretty uncomfortable. I guess I need to learn not to care so much about what other’s think about me. I blame this phobia from working at Hallmark for 5 years. When you work at Hallmark, not only do you always show up to the party with a gift, it’s always the nicest wrapped gift at the party. People generally oooooooohhhh and aaaaaahhhhh at the sight of the present. I swear some of them I have packaged, I could give Bridget from the Girl’s Next Door a serious run for her money.
Money doesn’t buy happiness and money doesn’t buy your friend’s happiness. These are things I know are true, but have difficulty living buy. This year has to be the year of financial change. I should feel lucky to have so many friends, but that many friends sure does get expensive…especially during the month of April!!!
I have terrific friends and they would never expect a gift from me, especially since I am in school full-time. They of all people know that money is tight at the moment. However, for some reason, when I don’t buy somebody a birthday present, especially for a close friend, I feel like less of a person. When I write those words and read them back to myself, I can see how silly that is. Maybe it’s just a girl thing, I don’t know. I’ve never really known a man that thought like that, but I guess it’s possible.
After this discovery, I really need to pinpoint why spending money for other people’s pleasure makes me happier. Maybe I like the look on their faces when they open their gift and it’s just what they have been dreaming of. Perhaps I’m just a do good-er who likes to make other people happy in general. I can’t be the only person in the world that experiences this. Turns out, I’m not. There was an entire study done on how people feel when they spend money on others. Not that these studies are always 100% accurate, they really just serve as proof that I’m not crazy.
I truly believe that the real reason I like to buy these gifts is that I feel like I might be letting somebody down. Nobody likes to have a birthday with no present…the very thought of that makes me sad. Also, who wants to be the one person that shows up to the party without a gift? That would make me feel pretty uncomfortable. I guess I need to learn not to care so much about what other’s think about me. I blame this phobia from working at Hallmark for 5 years. When you work at Hallmark, not only do you always show up to the party with a gift, it’s always the nicest wrapped gift at the party. People generally oooooooohhhh and aaaaaahhhhh at the sight of the present. I swear some of them I have packaged, I could give Bridget from the Girl’s Next Door a serious run for her money.
Money doesn’t buy happiness and money doesn’t buy your friend’s happiness. These are things I know are true, but have difficulty living buy. This year has to be the year of financial change. I should feel lucky to have so many friends, but that many friends sure does get expensive…especially during the month of April!!!
I have a friend that just makes cake. No elaborate gifts, you just get a cake. It's simple, easy and no that expensive. It is the thought that counts, and to me, the personal touch and memories last a lot longer.
ReplyDeleteLike Joseph said, keep it simple. Just a thought or telling someone happy birthday is enoough to lift one's spirits. At least this way they will know that you are thinking of them.
ReplyDelete