Buying great presents at Christmas should not be financially ruinous
"Think of Nana. She buys you some pathetic thing and everyone makes fun of it behind her back. There's no joy there."
It's a line plucked from last year's money pages in this newspaper. The point was a good one. At Christmas, those who can least afford it feel obliged to buy for every man, woman and baby. The result is often a pile of unwanted trinkets.
With New Zealand Super at $374 a week for single Nanas and $288 for married Nanas ($576 per couple) it's no wonder our retirees are on a budget. Many have limited additional savings and Christmas is a time of financial worry.
For all the advice and tips you can give about easing the pressure, some families just love to give. Mine is one of them. Six adults bury two small children under 50 presents. Brother in-law is still lamenting the day he got half shares in an icing set from my parents and half shares in a knife block from us. He just wants a little something for himself. Men do care.
If my husband's subscription to Trade-a-Boat doesn't arrive, Santa will probably be stuck on the end of a kebab stick and fried like a marshmallow.
Just because you are on a budget doesn't mean you don't like giving. But it's time for Nana to regain her mojo. While everyone comments on the failure of the trinket, no one ever gives her any real idea of how to attack the problem. So here goes.
There are three approaches you can take:
1. The fail-safe Nana: The one my mother uses. Everyone has to provide her with a wish list like eight-year-olds. Oh it sounds dull, but it works and the dollars are not wasted. The surprise is that we don't know which of our wishes was picked. The left-overs are carried through to birthdays.
The downside? Mastering the art of saying, "where's your list" in every phone call starting on November 1.
2. The clever Nana. The option for those good at craft, baking and gardening. And I don't mean making Mason Jar Cosies or Instagram Coasters. Yes those things really exist on cutesy websites reserved for yummy mummies.
Whip up Louise Cake and Belgian Slices, put them in handy snaplock containers (it's a myth biscuit tins are any use). Bust out the ribbon and attach a copy of the recipe.
Short of time? Weigh out the ingredients into the container – kids love that.
Pot up a fig tree or basil plant and attack with cellophane. Add the right cheese on Christmas morning (blue with fig and parmesan with the basil).
Start a recipe book and handwrite the favourites. Decorate the cover with old family snaps.
The downside? Time and fuss.
3. The cool nana. Shock the socks off them with your wit and ability to nail a trend.
Son: A paddleboard hire voucher (around $20). Its cool, but have a sense of humour and cut out a picture of a surfer with ripped abs, mount on cardboard and attach a note to say you expect him to look like this next Christmas.
Daughter in-law: A husband and child evasion pack. A ten-dollar voucher from a lovely café for coffee and cake. Coins for the newspaper and a handwritten babysitting voucher for two ho urs.
Daughter: A family heirloom. Think ginger gem tins, the recipe and ingredients. Think any tin that has had 40 years use. You just can't buy that non-stick-created-by-time vessel anywhere.
Ten-year-old: Pancake mix and maple syrup with a note about learning to cook at your house. A fry pan and fish slice from the Sally Army if you'd like your own to survive.
Miss 15: Blue nail polish. Yes you read that right, blue. Tell her you colour matched it to Smith and Cult's Kings & Thieves.
Mr 18: Leaving home pack. Toenail clippers, foot powder and anti-fungal cream. It'll get the laugh of the day.
The downside? Can't think of one. As that mobile phone company likes to say "Who's the Nana now?"
For the rest of us, let's remember that all money has value and small gifts can be great gifts. Instead of preaching about the wasted money, get practical and help our retirees get pleasure from their purchases.
Janine Starks is a financial commentator with expertise in banking, personal finance and funds management. Opinions in this column represent her personal views. They are general in nature and are not a recommendation, opinion or guidance to any individuals in relation to acquiring or disposing of a financial product. Readers should not rely on these opinions and should always seek specific independent financial advice appropriate to their own individual circumstances.