Parents, Stop Wasting Money On Toys And Take More Family Trips

Dec 17, 2018 by apost team

You probably know of a few parents who tend to spend too much money on toys for their children. Instead of spending all of that money on things that are often thrown to the wayside after a few days or a few weeks, there is something else that parents should consider spending their money on that can be an investment for the family.

All of the time waiting in long lines at stores and the hundreds that are spent on the latest toys can be spent on family vacations. The Rubicon Project revealed that in 2016, many parents spent over $1,000 on toys and other gifts. Most parents don't bat an eye at spending almost $500 on each child. This amount is up by about $100 from the previous year. There are more toys on the shelves that kids think that they need to have under the Christmas tree and more ads geared toward children so that they tell their parents what they want.

In 2018, parents are expected to spend almost $1,000 on gifts with a large amount spent on their children. Oliver James is a psychological author from Britain who has suggested that the money spent on gifts should be spent on vacations that are taken with the children because they will remember the time spent together in the future.

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Spending all of that money on gifts props up the companies that design the toys and other items that children want. Even though children might enjoy waking up to see a lot of gifts under the tree, they will likely remember the things that the family does while they are on a vacation longer. The idea of going on a vacation with the money spent at Christmas tends to make sense to many people, and it could mean spending less money than they would on gifts.

There are things that people would rather spend money on than getting gifts aside from going on a vacation with the family. People miss going to concerts and would rather purchase a pair of tickets instead of getting furniture for the home.

It's the experiences that are enjoyed in life that hold people together instead of the material possessions. Material items will break and get thrown away if they are not taken care of, but the activities that you enjoy with your family and friends will last for years to come.

When parents spend money on vacations with their children, they encourage the social relationships that they will have with others. These experiences will also help in developing the social identity of the people who are involved. For many people, they tend to evaluate their own feelings when they participate in experiences compared to when they receive a lot of material possessions.

Many parents often think that their children will enjoy the types of experiences and vacations that they like, but that's usually not the case. A child will look at everything in a different way than an adult would. Even if they see the same things that their parents see and enjoy those things, it will usually be for different reasons. Parents should let children explore the world in a way that makes sense to them so that they will be encouraged to enjoy more time without gifts.

When children are in school and parents work 40 hours or more a week, it's often hard for everyone to really spend time together. Giving your children toys isn't always a bad thing, but you should try to encourage interaction instead of only looking for a wrapped box or two. Downgrade the gifts so that the family can connect again. 

Are experiences more valuable to you than gifts? If so, let us know if you'd be willing to downgrade your gifts to spend more time on family vacations. Be sure to pass this on to your friends and loved ones to see what they think!