Well, hello, everyone. I'm James Dobson, and you're listening to Family Talk, a listener-supported ministry.

In fact, thank you so much for being part of that support for James Dobson Family Institute.

Well, welcome to Family Talk, the broadcast ministry of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

Your host is psychologist and bestselling author, Dr. James Dobson, and I'm Roger Marsh.

Now, you know, we are right smack dab in the middle of May, but in just a few months,

we're going to start seeing holiday decorations popping up in stores.

You know, in fact, I've seen some retailers start putting out Christmas merchandise as early as August.

I know that's crazy, especially for us here in May, to be talking about Christmas,

but it seems like every year the holiday shopping season starts earlier and earlier,

and that encourages people to spend

more and more money over a longer period of time. Now, be honest with yourself. If you look at

your credit card statements today, do you still have charges on there here in May that you

put there in November of December of last year? See, you know what I'm talking about? For our credit

card usage, Christmas literally is a holiday that lasts all year around, and it's very easy for

family budgets to get stretched thin or even maxed out in the process. Well, today here on

Family Talk, we're going to get into a conversation about how we can move from Spaholic to cheapskate with a very special

guest, Mary Hunt. You know, doctor, I was thinking about this fact that Christmas kind of goes on

all year long now, at least as far as spending goes. There used to be a Christmas season.

Remember the good old days when the Christmas shopping season used to start right after Thanksgiving?

That's the way it was when I was a kid.

That was kind of the kickoff for the Christmas season.

Right.

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