Using credit or debit cards to pay for transactions and shopping online are certainly convenient—but that very ease encourages overspending, and it creates vast data streams on your shopping and spending habits that you then have no control over. Smaller local merchants and craftspeople are less likely to be equipped to handle electronic payments, so you're more likely to pay cash and won't end up paying fees or interest on top of your purchases.
Ah, but the kids. Can't have the underneath of the tree looking skimpy and disappoint the kids. Well, you could just get a smaller tree. Who says gifts have to be new, though? There's a pretty short window of time when most toys are age-appropriate, anyway, and oftentimes they scarcely have time to wear out. Why not have the older kids wrap up a toy they don't play with anymore to give to their younger siblings? Not only do "recycled" gifts help the environment, but you won't be giving away valuable marketing data for free.
By Linda Felaco