According to a psychological study, the third Monday in January is Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. I guess we’re blue because it’s after the holidays, days are still dark and dreary and it will be months before there is another holiday. And, along with that sadness, we are overwhelmed with new year’s resolutions being abandoned and holiday bills coming in.
Although we wish we had the power to make the days longer and sun brighter, we don’t have a lot to say with most of those things. And, hopefully, we all have New Year’s Solutions this year instead of abandoned resolutions (see December 30th blog). But still, most of us have holiday bills and we’re wondering how to pay them. Somehow the joy of giving fades when financial reality hits us in January. It seemed like such a good idea at the time!
Remember the old Christmas Clubs? You would give the bank $20 each week and in early November they would give you a check for $1,050 +/- to use for your Holiday spending. I remember feeling rich when I was presented with that check. It didn’t even feel like my own money; it felt like a gift from the bank. Not only did it give me cash to work with, it also gave me a budget for the holidays. It kept me from making too many of those impulse purchases.
We need this tool even more in this credit card world we live in. What if we paid for things in advance? Why not take our 2010 Holiday budget, divide by 40 (number of weeks until November 1) and put it weekly into a savings account? What a nice gift to yourself for your holiday shopping next year. Just might do the trick to change Blue Monday into a nice, calm baby blue!
A foot and a half of snow and no sun…. Boy, do I wish I had that power!
12 thoughts on “It’s So Depressing….”
Hi Jane:
I just spent some time reading this blog, and a few that I have missed. Your thoughts really hit a chord with me and I really appreciate the time and thought you put into this blog. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Gibson. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day – and your opinion is valued!
Jane
Hi Jane,
It’s funny you refer to the “old” Christmas Clubs. I started using that method of saving for holiday gifts when I got my first “real” job, and, at almost 40, I’m still using a Christmas Club! And, you’re right — come November (or so) — it almost feels like a gift in itself! I do the same with a “rainy day” account. It’s amazing the way we can trick ourselves into saving for things.
When I was a child, my Dad always taught me to save for items I wanted (within reason, of course!), or else I wouldn’t be able to buy them. I don’t see that so much these days. I was talking with a young person recently — and said, “if you save your money, you could buy yourself something nice like a new bike.” His response, “I already have a bike, why would I need to save to buy one?” I then reflected back on childhood conversations with my Dad, and realized that one’s parents have to understand how to save in order for them to instill it in their children.
Hi Jen;
You are so right – parents definitely pass on behaviors to their children – some good and sometimes not good. Glad to hear the Christmas Club is alive and well!
Jane
Good blog. It reminded me of when I was a child in the 1940’s putting 50 cents a week in the Christmas Club and then having $25.00 to spend for Christmas. It seemed like a lot back then.
That 50 cents is comparable to $30 today – still a generous gift budget!
Jane
Jane, You took me back to another world: my mother referred to blue days years and years ago.
She wasn’t talking about your “blue days”. For her it was having a down day…a day in which she felt “blue”; I remember them. I even found an article in her bible years later which she had cut out referring to feeling “blue” and what to do for them.
A different connotation; I prefer yours and will start this month.
My mother used the same term!
This Monday was a holiday in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Anyone who went to the Merrill Auditorium, on Sunday at 6, for the Music and Gospel Concert would not be feeling blue! If you attended the 29th Annual Breakfast, in honor of Dr. King, on Monday, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, you might still be feeling uplifted today. The NAACP used both events to raise money for Haiti this year.
Maybe next year we can all celebrate on “Blue Monday”.
You are so right – it is a day for celebration. Thanks for pointing that out. It just goes to show it’s all about where we focus our attention.
Jane
Hi Jane, I enjoy reading your blogs very much. This one struck me because my birthday is January 12th and my daughter just turned 5 today. January is a tough month. We are all “caked, cookied & brownied” out and the thought of another celebration is, well, depressing. I like your notion of New Years Solutions because every year I have had a resolution to make my birthday more fun, which would indicate that my birthday was a problem, something that needed to be fixed. What a silly thought! Birthdays are not problems and certainly can’t be fixed! So, this year I have made a New Year’s Solution to decide before next Christmas on something fun to do and actually figure out the cost ahead of time and set a little money aside (or maybe purchase a gift card so I have to use it there!) to do whatever it is when my birthday rolls around again. I somehow instictively knew to do this with my daughter’s birthday, but hadn’t considered my own. Children are a great place to find solutions because they don’t see the problem first like we have become used to doing. They still see the what ifs and possibilities. Sometimes, when I feel blue I go outside with her and jump in the snow and make snow angels. That helps too!
Wow – a lot of wisdom in what you say! Birthdays during the holidays are always difficult – I have a sister’s birthday 12/23 and another 1/2 – it always feels like they get lost! Planning ahead now before we’re in the thick of things sounds like a great idea.
Jane