If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that The Son is playing basketball on a middle-school team this season. I’m really torn about whether or not to outfit him with a pair of basketball shoes. Here are the pros and cons that I’ve identified — I’d love any input you have to offer.

Pros — Get the Shoes

1. Last year during The Daughter’s first basketball season we decided to forgo the BB shoes and stick with her runners; she suffered two serious ankle sprains that had her on crutches for a combined 4 weeks.
2. Buying basketball shoes wouldn’t break the bank.
3. The season is pretty short so we could potentially sell them and recover a portion of the cost.

Cons — Stick with The Runners

1. He’s growing so fast he’s sure to only get one season out of them.
2. They won’t be cheap (I think I paid about $50 for The Daughter’s at Famous Footwear this spring).
3. Maybe he won’t twist an ankle or have any trouble playing out the season in runners.

First hand or educated opinions are particularly appreciated but all input is welcome. Thanks!

Today was a bit of a continuation of yesterday’s “ugh” activities but with a bit more of a happy ending.

This morning I had The Son try on the basketball shorts, warm-up pants, and, for the second time, the Columbia jacket. The shorts and warm-ups were promptly rejected. Oh, fudge. The Son swears that the size Large warm-ups will work; he likes them and doesn’t want a smaller, better-fitting pair. The shorts — well, why they were rejected is anyone’s guess. He simply didn’t like them.

The jacket got it’s second nod so I’m feeling comfident about that one.

As The Son had another game tonight and a full day tomorrow, I pulled a bribe out of my bag of mother’s tricks and managed to finagle a trip to T.J. Maxx out of him. The bribe: a slice of pizza and soda at Costco.

This was not a random bribe — I had to return the fruit leathers that The Daughter rejected from last night’s Costco trip and the Costco closest to the house is just a few blocks from a T.J. Maxx. For a mom who’s completely oblivious, I be awfully clever at times.

It’s annoying that I’ll have to make a trip to Marshall’s to return the shorts and the pants but I knew it was a good possiblity when I did it. We’ll be up there again next Wednesday — I just have to remember to get it done. I’ll put the bag in The Tank tomorrow and make a note on the calendar to help me remember.

So today’s expenses were:

Costco — ($9.59)
Returned box of Stretch Island fruit leathers.

Costco — $2.75
Slize of pie and a soda for The Son.

T.J. Maxx — $23.97
We found 3 pair of black basketball shorts on the racks. The Son did his best to talk me into buying all three and returning the ones he didn’t want. Yeah, right! He may be as tall as I am but I’m by far the bigger b*tch; needless to say, he tried on all three pair in the dressing room and we purchased only one pair. Men’s size M Nike shorts: $12.99 ($25.00 retail).

We also picked up two packages of Ghirardelli chocolates (Creamy Caramel and Dark Decadence) that together will be used as one of our exchange gifts at our family holiday party. Two packages @ 4.99/ea.

I’ve always wondered about food products at places like Ross, T.J. Maxx, and Marshalls. How old are they? Are they last season’s candies? Old and expired? Well, apparently not — the expiration dates on the boxes I bought are 06/03/08 and 05/31/09. I imagine that the lucky winner of these boxes won’t even get close to letting the chocolate reach it’s expiration date.

Admission Fee — $2.00
I forgot to make a withdrawl from The First Bank of Daddy today so I had to write a check for this $2 admission fee tonight. The Son made his first 2-point basket tonight and his first foul — he sure was proud of himself.

edit: forgot this one

eBay Seller — $8.50
We scored a paperback copy of an out-of-print Donald E. Westlake* Dortmunder* book for The Son for Christmas. The Son is a huge Westlake fan and we’ve been trying, albeit half-heartedly, to find him a copy of this particular book since this summer. This price includes the book and shipping.

*affiliate links

Like a lot of people, I’ve got Christmas on my mind. Well, to be honest, I’ve got Christmas shopping on my mind because otherwise I have to think about all the prep work (read: housework) I need to get done before the holidays and given how I feel about housework I’d much rather think about shopping

Actually, it’s not just Christmas shopping on my brain these days but gift shopping in general. Between the husband and I, we have no less than 8 family birthdays between late October and early January. Add to that Christmas for our family of four, The Husband’s four children and five grandchildren, his sister and her family, and my three siblings each with a family plus my parents, and you end up with a whole lotta shopping to do.

The only way to survive this concentration of gift-giving occasions with any semblence of sanity intact, a bruised but not busted budget, and no hurt feelings is to create lists and start shopping early.

Here are my tips for staying organized, prioritizing, and maximizing one’s budget.

Make a List.
Even if you’re a world-class list-loser like I am, making a list can help you see things in better perspective and help you collect your thoughts. Of course, it’s better in the long run if you can keep track of your list throughout the gift-purchasing process so it can be updated and revised as you shop. Your list should include all pertinent data such as sizes, colors, brands, titles, model numbers, etc. Be sure to keep your list current to help avoid duplication and other errors which can end up costing you a great deal of time and energy required to return unnecessary gifts.

Don’t Over-buy.
This is a trap that I’m guilty of falling into over and over again. Don’t buy something unless it has a specifically intended recipient. Don’t buy two options with the intention of narrowing it down to one and returning the other later. Don’t buy something you think is the right thing but can’t remember for sure. If you’re not positive, make a phone call (after all, that’s why cell phones were invented, right?). Or ask the clerk to put it on hold.

Ask!
Personally, I think the surprise factor is a bit over-rated. Don’t get me wrong, I love surprising my loved ones and I love being surprised. But the surprise factor is not the end-all, be-all element of gift-giving.

Don’t be afraid to ask parents what’s on their children’s wish-lists or, in the case of older children, ask them directly what they want. I know that my children, at ages 15 and 13, would much rather receive gifts they want but are less than surprising than surprises that they don’t want or need — and not for selfish reasons. They realize that gifts come at the expense of hard-earned cash and they feel guilty when they receive something that doesn’t fit or won’t be used.

Buy it on paper first.
Once you’ve got your list, do some virtual shopping before hitting the stores. If you’re in the market for electronics, check out the reviews at CNet. If you don’t have a subscription to Consumer Reports, schedule a trip to the library and use their copies for more product research (and don’t forget your list when you go). Then do a Google Products search to research pricing. And keep an eye on the Sunday paper inserts. I like to check eBay for pricing info as well. Once you’re sure of what you’re going to buy and have a good idea of a fair and reasonable price, that’s when it’s time to lay down some cash.

The Earlier The Better
There are many advantages to starting your shopping early — and by shopping, I mean the whole process of creating your list and completing your research, not the actual act of purchasing items.

First, the sooner you know what you’re going to buy, the more time you can afford to spend waiting for a great price to come along. Second, and I love this one, if you’re the first one to ask what the kids want, then you get first pick at the wish list. Those who come late in the game get stuck with the difficult-to-find or more expensive items Third, I know that some people thrive on the thrill (read: stress) of last-minute shopping but for the sane among us, the peace and satisfaction that comes from having your shopping done early is immeasurable. That plus the fact that you can sit back and blow holier-than-thou raspberries at those around you scrambling for last-minute gifts — priceless.

Avoid Last Minute Shopping
Last-minute shopping is real budget-buster for me for several different reasons.

Most of The Husband’s family lives near us or will be in town for the holidays so their gifts don’t require shipping. My family, on the other hand, is spread across the country. Normal shipping costs already add to the costs of gifts; expedited shipping will break the budget for sure.

For me, last minute shopping also translates into unncessary impulse purchases. I get caught up in the shopping frenzy or start worrying about whether I have enough or the right things. Or a sale will catch my eye. A bargain on an unnecessary purchase is NOT a bargain, it’s wasted money.

Learn from your mistakes and past experiences.
As the 72-yo love of my life likes to say, “The second thing to go is the memory.” The kids race each other to be the straight man and ask, “what’s the first thing?” The answer, naturally, is, “I can’t remember.” Seriously, though, between the strokes a few years ago and some aging-related memory loss, my memory — or more accurately, my lack of memory — is notorious.

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of learning the same lessons year after year. As you shop, make another list — this one will detail the lessons you learn and the mistakes you resolve to not repeat. I’ve got lists of the steps I need to take in order to prepare my house for our annual family Christmas party and notes on what food was popular and what wasn’t eaten. I try to be disciplined about taking notes throughout the year as gift ideas pop up or to jot down bits of information I hear about where to get a good deal or where the customer service stinks.

Do you have a tip? Share it in the comments.