On the day after Christmas, I would to ask you a question. How much did you

spend on Christmas? If you are like most Americans, you probably would answer that

you spent more than you planned to spend.

Dave Ramsey estimates that half of all Christmas shoppers will spend more

than they planned and will go further into debt. It is understandable. Advertisers started

promoting Christmas long before Thanksgiving. It wasn’t uncommon to see some

Christmas decorations and ads alongside Halloween displays. Consumer groups estimate

that credit card companies alone spent more than $150 million on advertising and

promotions. It is easy to see why so many Americans get caught up in the consumerist

mentality during the Christmas season.

In my book, Making the Most of Your Money in Tough Times, I devote a chapter

to materialism and consumerism. We live in a culture that encourages us to spend and not

to save. It seduces us into thinking that we need all sorts of products and services to be

The more we buy, the more indebted we become. The Bible warns about this.

Proverbs 21:17 says, “He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves

wine and oil will not become rich.”

In our lifetime we have lots of money that flows through our hands, and we need

to make wiser choices. Consider that a person who makes just $25,000 a year will have

(in his lifetime) a million dollars pass through his hands. The median family income in

America is twice that. That means that two million dollars will pass through the average

American family’s hands.

The more we buy, the less happy we are. Once again, the Bible warns us about

this. Haggai 1:5-6 says, “Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your

ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be

satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no

one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.’”

If you are feeling the post-holiday blues because of your spending, I recommend

you make a resolution to change your spending behavior.