Grief Has Changed My Relationship With Money Too: Why I Am Choosing Not to Shop For the Holidays This Year

This year, for the first time in my life, I have made the decision not to spend any money for Christmas.  In today's episode, I talk about how grief has changed my willingness to participate in a tradition that typically has me spending more money than I should.

Losing a child is a stark reminder of what money can and cannot do for us.  I know for sure that we can't buy our way into happiness or out of grief and for that reason, the chaotic shopping pace around me feels disconnected from my new reality.    

This is a season where consumer debt and overspending will cause anxiety and grief for millions in the months to come and this year, I am choosing to ditch the heavy traffic, long shopping lines, and financial regret of buying things my kids don't need with money I don't necessarily have to spend. 

Grieving parents and their families go through hell during the holidays and I believe that we should all be encouraged to make the choices that make sense for our family, regardless of longstanding family and societal expectations.