The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

What presidents are celebrated on Presidents’ Day?

What are your plans for Presidents’ Day? Enjoying a day off? Exercising? Reading? Binge watching TV programs? Shopping? Working? Cleaning house?

I bet not many people are thinking about their favorite president today or about citizen participation to help our government work better.

Again this year, I’ve been seeing the Mount Rushmore presidents on a Presidents’ Day articles. In addition to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, many people are adding the two other Mount Rushmore presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, to honor.

Best Presidents' Day sales this year

Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day sometimes fall within a few days of each other, so sales covering both holidays often are offered.

Presidents’ Day is a big sale holiday, and it’s a good time to stock up on home goods, electronics, and clothing.

DealNews offers the following list of what to expect from Presidents’ Day sales this year:

Facts and figures for Valentine's Day 2019

Source: WalletHub

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How is your Christmas Day going?

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate this day, the annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Nine-in-ten Americans — and 95 percent of Christians — say they celebrate Christmas, according to a Pew Research Center survey. These figures have generally held steady in recent years. Today, 46 percent of Americans say they celebrate Christmas as primarily a religious rather than cultural holiday.

Consumers spent about $1,007 for the holiday season this year, up 4.1 percent from the $967 spent last year, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. Hopefully, you kept your receipts so you can return clothes that don't fit or gifts that didn't meet their mark in terms of pleasing the recipient.

Best cities to celebrate Christmas

Christmas is a fantastic time of the year, but some places for celebrating it are better than others. That’s because America’s favorite holiday is also one of the most expensive. From decorations and food to gifts and travel, there’s a long list of expenses to prepare for during the year.

In 2018, Americans are expected to spend up to $720 billion over the holidays, according to the National Retail Federation. The average person plans to spend $1,007.24. If you don’t have a reasonable holiday budget – or enough self-control – then your Plan B should include celebrating in the cheapest Christmas destinations. Overspending is a common mistake committed by consumers during the Christmas shopping season and one of the top sources of holiday stress.

Typical Christmas activities include shopping, dining out, and attending holiday events. Many people also are likely to attend church services.

WalletHub considered these factors to determine cities where you can enjoy a great Christmas. It compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on 31 key indicators of a festive and affordable Christmas, such as traditions, shopping, and costs.

Facts and figures for the 2018 holidays

It’s that time of year. The holidays are upon us. Hanukkah has been celebrated and today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the least daylight and the longest night. Christmas is approaching rapidly as is Kwanzaa, Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

Celebrants

Nine-in-ten Americans — and 95 percent of Christians — say they celebrate Christmas, according to a Pew Research Center survey. These figures have generally held steady in recent years. Today, 46 percent of Americans say they celebrate Christmas as primarily a religious rather than cultural holiday.

Are you a luxury boomer traveler?

Lately, I’ve been reading financial and boomer blogs to see that others are writing about in the blogging world.

I ran across a blog called My Itchy Travel Feet and an article on “Best Luxury Travel Tips: How to Get the Most for Your Money.”

I left a comment that I didn’t know if telling people to no longer bother about being in a frequent flyer airline club was a good idea. I said I travel to Madrid a couple of times a year and often get a free ticket every few years.

Donna Hull send me an email in reply to my comment:

What are your favorite stores for holiday shopping?

On Sunday, I went to the outlet mall with my daughter and her teenage son to buy his Christmas presents. Now that he’s a teen, he wants clothes for Christmas – and he wants to pick them out.

We went to Adidas. He bought a pair of sweats and we picked out a t-shirt for him also because the Black Friday deal was 25 percent off on the second, less costly item.

Next, we went to Nike. He picked out a pair of running shoes and a sweatshirt. My daughter was excited to find a rain jacket she could wear when running. And, she found a sweatshirt she liked. The deals were better Adidas. Thirty percent off on everything.

The third stop was at the store for my grandson’s sports team. He bought a coral-colored hoodie there.

It was a boring shopping trip. The shops were filled mostly with gray, black, and navy blue clothes. I looked longingly at the pretty patterns and bright colors when we passed by the women’s stores. Later, my daughter said.

My favorite stores for holiday shopping are:

The holidays begin for baby boomers

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty hates Thanksgiving. Not a football fan, Sightings says all you do is sit around, overeat, and watch football. Often you have to withstand the perils and pitfalls of traveling on some of the busiest days of the year, fighting traffic, airport lines, and surly crowds, he says. In addition, Sightings doesn’t like shopping.

But the Thanksgiving curmudgeon loves Christmas.

Sightings offers a report on how his boomer blogger buddies are getting ready for the holidays. They’re writing about:

Tips to help consumers protect themselves on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

As millions of holiday shoppers head out for Black Friday shopping and take to their computers for Cyber Monday, it’s important to remember that just because items are supposedly on sale, all may not be what it seems.  

“When purchasing gifts for family and friends, we encourage consumers to use our tips to protect themselves against fraudsters and scams,” said New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood  

Underwood offers the following tips for consumers shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday: