I’m not buying it

Why is it every single time I mention that I’m not buying anything from the big toy sales people look at me like I just smoked a big bag of crack?

Am I the only person on earth who sees this as a money grab by the big department stores? Am I weird for not pre-planning the presents I’ll buy for my children half a year in advance? Is it weird that I want to buy more sustainable toys for my children?

The catalogue came and I flicked through it. To me it all looked like garbage, over priced, poor quality, over commercialized junk. And don’t get me started on the boys and girls separate sections of the catalogue.

Does every item have to feature some annoying character from whatever the latest Disney movie is? Does every toy aimed at preschool girls have to have Dora on it?

I told a friend that all up we’ll be spending $200-250 on our DD for her second birthday including a small party and cake. I may as well have kicked dirt in her face. Apparently it’s not enough. She’s turning 2!!

Maybe I don’t get it, maybe I’m not doing the right thing by going against the social norm of big presents and big parties but when I read these lists of what people ‘need’ to buy their children for birthday/Christmas it floors me. Hundreds of dollars spent when the kid would probably enjoy the packaging just as much, if not more.

I’m a mean mum, my kids are going to get a swing set to share, some PJs, and a DVD each to watch when we drive 1,300kms plus to visit family. That’s it.

In America the average spent on toys per child per year is $332, in Africa it’s $2.