We get DD what we're comfortable getting her. She has some things that some of her peers don't, and some of her peers have things that she doesn't. That's real life, so we don't try to shield her from it. We do teach her that each family makes spending decisions based on their resources, and on what's important to them.

For instance, the only Christmas decoration we have in the house is the (fake) tree. Many families spend a lot of time, energy, and money decorating their houses, inside and out. The fact that we're not doing this means more resources for the things that go under the tree. We know a number of families who could not make this choice, because they place an importance on visual mood setting and/or conspicuous display that we do not share. That's who they are, and this is who we are.