How 'bout that???
So today is a very depressing day for me. My husband is a salesman, and works solely on commission. The rent is due by Thursday. We have $0.00 coming in this week. My check is only enough to pay the bills, and buy health insurance (1/4 of my salary!) So I can't even juggle any money; there is none. This recession has hit us hard. First we lost our business, then our home, now we are living paycheck to paycheck, and not even making it. I am trying so hard to trust in God, to have faith that he will provide. Somehow, it's easier when we're not in such dire straits.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
I could use your prayers. Thank you.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
I am a miserable failure.........
Look at this, it is the END of JUNE. I am only here because someone stopped by, and I linked back to my pitiful blogsite and read my last post.......from JANUARY. (I didn't even realize I was still linked through my comments.) Just for kicks, here is the progress I've made thus far:
coffee table - same condition as 6 months ago
headboard - what headboard?
dining room chairs - re-covered! YAY! (and I lovelovelove them!)
attic - (insert maniacal laugh)
I did caulk the vanity top in my bathroom, which took all of 1/2 hour, so I hardly think that deserves a pat on the back. And I almost finished my bible-verse-chalkboard-made-from-an-ugly-yard-sale-painting project, but I taped over the painted frame too soon so that I could chalkboard paint the inside, and now I have to sand and repaint the frame. Live and learn. That was about 2 months ago......
But what was going on instead of all the crazy housekeeping and D-I-Y-ing? I was working 2 jobs (delivering papers and my "real" job) so I was T I R E D all the time. And my thyroid medication is still not right, I believe. Or at least I'm going with that....... Anyway, I quit the delivery gig, since the price of gas was going up, making it stupid to get up at 3 a.m. for the net pay. Of course, NOW gas goes back down, but I'm betting it won't stay down.
Also, we learned that my son is allergic to corn, soy, rice, peanuts, walnuts, and almost every tree there is. The blooming allergies we deal with-Claritin and Singulair daily. But the food allergies have rocked our world. Of course, there is corn and/or soy in virtually everything that is in any way processed. In looking for foods without these allergens, I discovered how disturbingly prolific GMO corn and soy is, and so now all three of us are eating organically. So that's been a bit of a time thief. And I've been cooking/baking more, since whole foods are in order, and I defy you to find a cookie or twinkie-type product that doesn't contain corn, soy, or rice. So now I am periodically baking the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever, thanks to EnjoyLife chocolate chips and King Arthur flour (from whence the recipe comes.) Those chips are seriously the bizzomb - such a better flavor than those "enhanced" fakey ones.
And last but certainly not least - we got a Guinea Pig. His name is Patrick, because we were supposed to get him on March 17, but he was too new and we had to wait until March 21, and I don't know any famous person who has a birthday on March 21 (not that I looked) so we kept it. He is thecutestlittleguineapiginthewholewideworld and I tell him so every day. He's abbysinian, which means he has a bad hair day every day, but he wears it like a rock star. Maybe I can find a picture of him. That's what this blog needs, more pictures, less words.
coffee table - same condition as 6 months ago
headboard - what headboard?
dining room chairs - re-covered! YAY! (and I lovelovelove them!)
attic - (insert maniacal laugh)
I did caulk the vanity top in my bathroom, which took all of 1/2 hour, so I hardly think that deserves a pat on the back. And I almost finished my bible-verse-chalkboard-made-from-an-ugly-yard-sale-painting project, but I taped over the painted frame too soon so that I could chalkboard paint the inside, and now I have to sand and repaint the frame. Live and learn. That was about 2 months ago......
But what was going on instead of all the crazy housekeeping and D-I-Y-ing? I was working 2 jobs (delivering papers and my "real" job) so I was T I R E D all the time. And my thyroid medication is still not right, I believe. Or at least I'm going with that....... Anyway, I quit the delivery gig, since the price of gas was going up, making it stupid to get up at 3 a.m. for the net pay. Of course, NOW gas goes back down, but I'm betting it won't stay down.
Also, we learned that my son is allergic to corn, soy, rice, peanuts, walnuts, and almost every tree there is. The blooming allergies we deal with-Claritin and Singulair daily. But the food allergies have rocked our world. Of course, there is corn and/or soy in virtually everything that is in any way processed. In looking for foods without these allergens, I discovered how disturbingly prolific GMO corn and soy is, and so now all three of us are eating organically. So that's been a bit of a time thief. And I've been cooking/baking more, since whole foods are in order, and I defy you to find a cookie or twinkie-type product that doesn't contain corn, soy, or rice. So now I am periodically baking the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever, thanks to EnjoyLife chocolate chips and King Arthur flour (from whence the recipe comes.) Those chips are seriously the bizzomb - such a better flavor than those "enhanced" fakey ones.
And last but certainly not least - we got a Guinea Pig. His name is Patrick, because we were supposed to get him on March 17, but he was too new and we had to wait until March 21, and I don't know any famous person who has a birthday on March 21 (not that I looked) so we kept it. He is thecutestlittleguineapiginthewholewideworld and I tell him so every day. He's abbysinian, which means he has a bad hair day every day, but he wears it like a rock star. Maybe I can find a picture of him. That's what this blog needs, more pictures, less words.
Patrick Pooper
Thanks for reading.
Have a wonderful 4th of July. And Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving......I kid. I hope.
Monday, January 16, 2012
I will, I will, I WILL post this year.
I don't do resolutions. I try to do better, though - continuously. Last year our bible class was reading the bible in chronological order. I couldn't keep up. So I decided to do it on my own this year. So far, I'm not keeping up.
Last year, I was keeping notebooks on my drugstore spending & saving. That ended sometime before summer. I thought I'd pick that up again. So far, not so much.
Last year, I had a list of projects to get to. For the most part, they didn't get touched. This year, I think I will tackle a project and see it through before I start another. That means I have to paint or stain my sad found-on-the-side-of-the-road coffee table, and THEN start my headboard. Or vice-versa. They are both taunting me from different areas of the house. Oh, yes, and I need to organize the attic.
Today, I am just going to pat myself on the back because all of Christmas is finally put away.
Ta-ta.
Last year, I was keeping notebooks on my drugstore spending & saving. That ended sometime before summer. I thought I'd pick that up again. So far, not so much.
Last year, I had a list of projects to get to. For the most part, they didn't get touched. This year, I think I will tackle a project and see it through before I start another. That means I have to paint or stain my sad found-on-the-side-of-the-road coffee table, and THEN start my headboard. Or vice-versa. They are both taunting me from different areas of the house. Oh, yes, and I need to organize the attic.
Today, I am just going to pat myself on the back because all of Christmas is finally put away.
Ta-ta.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
WHATTAWEEKEND!!!
I am on a money-saving high, don't mind me.
Technically, this should be split into 2 posts. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I'm kinda lazy that way.....
On Saturday I went to RiteAid. As you know, Saturday is the end day for most sales (as far as I know, everywhere except Acme) and on Sunday morning I went to ShopRite. I do have a picture of my RiteAid booty, but of course it's on my SD card still in my camera at home, and I'm here working hard at my place of employment. Maybe I'll come back and insert it later; read that thing about lazy up there...
So here's what I bought:
2 Colgate Sensitive (the big 6.0!) $3.50 ea.
2 Finish Quantumatic starters BOGO, $10.99 (they were supposed to be $3.99)
1 Almay concealer (love these!) 40% off = $4.79
2 Bags dark chocolate Chex mix 2/ $3.00
1 Lays Stax $1.50
2 Stayfree maxi-pads BOGO, $3.99
1 50ct. Excedrin $4.99
1 80 + 20 ct. Advil $10.99
1 Uncle Ben's ready rice $2.29
2 Snickers PB2 .88 ea.
2 Palmolive dish liquid BOGO, $3.39
Used:
2 Colgate coupons (.35 each)
2 Finish coupons (3.00, 1.00)
Almay (2.00)
Chex (.50/2 +.50VV)
Stayfree (BOGO, 1.00)
Exedrin (Free, in mail)
Advil (1.00 in ad, 1.00)
Uncle Ben's (1.00 + .30VV)
Snickers (BOGO)
Palmolive ($1.00, .50)
I can't remember if there were any specific VV coupons besides the ones I mentioned, but I did use my $4 off $20, a $2 VV and my $13 +UP from my last RiteAid excursion.
I probably wouldn't have bought the Advil if there had been a price sticker on the shelf. I'd rather have my stuff for closer to free. But it's something we use a lot of, so I took the chance. Also a splurge was the Lays, since I didn't have a coupon. (I did, however have an 8 year old boy tagging along-bad for the budget.) I was slightly perturbed that the Finish rang up at $10.99, since the shelf price said it was on sale for $3.99 (which would have utimately had me purchasing 2 for .99) but I decided to let it go, as I had the poor cashier boy all discombobulated with my coupons.
I saved $41.86 with coupons and R/A coupons. My OOP was 14.82 + tax. I got back $16 in +UP's, and the most exciting part is that I hit my $100 Winter Savings, so I got my $20 reward. Woo-Hoo----I wasn't even going for that because I didn't think it was possible for me to do with my low-key spending. But, not only did I get it, I only actually spent less than $40 OOP to get there.
It may not be possible to spend $20 at RiteAid in one trip.
********************************************************************************
A Brief Summary of ShopRite:
I don't have my receipt with me, but this is close to what I got:
18 boxes of Ronzoni pasta @ .74 each
4 jars Ragu pasta sauce @ 3/4.00
16 cans Progresso soups @ 1.00 each
1 Kashi cereal @ 2.69
2 Kashi cookies @ 2/5.00
2 Kashi crackers @ 2.500
1 box Golden Grahams @ 2.49
2 Chex Mix @ 2/4.00
1 Vlasic pickles @ 2.00 each
1 lb. Keller butter @ 2.99?
2 Eggland's best eggs @ 2.69? each
2 jugs Clorox @ 2/3.00
2 Horizon single serve choc. milk @ 1.00 each
3 blocks cheddar cheese (Macadam) @ 1.69? each
1 pkg. Borden swiss cheese @ 1.99 ea.
1 pkg. Borden provolone cheese @ 1.99ea.
2 Mama Rosie's ravioli @ 1.49 ea.
2 Boca burgers @ 3.59 ea.
2 Green Giant Valley Steamers broccoli @ 2/4.00
1 loaf Arnold double fiber bread @ 2.99 ea,
celery @ 2.99 ea.
strawberries @ 2.49 ea.
2 mangos (is it mangoes?) @ .99 ea,
I had one or two $1 coupons for the pasta, making those free, and a the rest were .48 for two after the 1.00/2 coupons. I had 1.00/2 Ragu coupons. $1 Mama Rosie's coupons, $1 Vlasic, $1 Horizon (making them both free) $1 Clorox, $1 Eggland's Best, $1 Golden Grahams, $1/2 Chex mix, 4 @ $2 off any Kashi, $3 Kashi cereal, 4 @ 1.00/4 Progresso soup, and $1 off Green Giant vegs. Also, I had a $5 off any order over $40, and a ShopRite coupon for a free lb. of Keller's butter.
My total after savings card but before coupons was $104, and OOP I paid $62.00. My cashier was more excited for me than I was. I feel good about this trip--I bought the bread, cheeses and produce with no coupons at all. AND I got $24 in Catalinas.
Since I only just recently started posting my shopping trips, there are a couple of things I should point out:
We are mostly vegetarian. (I am completely, and my husband isn't compelled to eat meat.)
We have a lot of food in the freezer. Our freezer is very small, but there are only 3 of us.
While I don't have a strict grocery budget, I try to keep it under $100/wk.
My husband is a salesman, and is usually not home for dinner :-(
Our church has a food pantry, and we donate regularly.
My son (8y.o.) doesn't eat much, but we stock up on things that he will eat, and to that end, I have enough Tyson's frozen chicken and Perdue fun shapes to last him quite awhile, all purchased with coupons at an awesome sale price.
For a long, long time I was a single mother with 5 kids and no child support. Using coupons combined with sales was not a hobby, it was the only way I could feed my family. My husband's ex-wife wouldn't be caught dead using a coupon, so he is particularly pleased with my dedication to conserving family funds.
Technically, this should be split into 2 posts. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I'm kinda lazy that way.....
On Saturday I went to RiteAid. As you know, Saturday is the end day for most sales (as far as I know, everywhere except Acme) and on Sunday morning I went to ShopRite. I do have a picture of my RiteAid booty, but of course it's on my SD card still in my camera at home, and I'm here working hard at my place of employment. Maybe I'll come back and insert it later; read that thing about lazy up there...
So here's what I bought:
2 Colgate Sensitive (the big 6.0!) $3.50 ea.
2 Finish Quantumatic starters BOGO, $10.99 (they were supposed to be $3.99)
1 Almay concealer (love these!) 40% off = $4.79
2 Bags dark chocolate Chex mix 2/ $3.00
1 Lays Stax $1.50
2 Stayfree maxi-pads BOGO, $3.99
1 50ct. Excedrin $4.99
1 80 + 20 ct. Advil $10.99
1 Uncle Ben's ready rice $2.29
2 Snickers PB2 .88 ea.
2 Palmolive dish liquid BOGO, $3.39
Used:
2 Colgate coupons (.35 each)
2 Finish coupons (3.00, 1.00)
Almay (2.00)
Chex (.50/2 +.50VV)
Stayfree (BOGO, 1.00)
Exedrin (Free, in mail)
Advil (1.00 in ad, 1.00)
Uncle Ben's (1.00 + .30VV)
Snickers (BOGO)
Palmolive ($1.00, .50)
I can't remember if there were any specific VV coupons besides the ones I mentioned, but I did use my $4 off $20, a $2 VV and my $13 +UP from my last RiteAid excursion.
I probably wouldn't have bought the Advil if there had been a price sticker on the shelf. I'd rather have my stuff for closer to free. But it's something we use a lot of, so I took the chance. Also a splurge was the Lays, since I didn't have a coupon. (I did, however have an 8 year old boy tagging along-bad for the budget.) I was slightly perturbed that the Finish rang up at $10.99, since the shelf price said it was on sale for $3.99 (which would have utimately had me purchasing 2 for .99) but I decided to let it go, as I had the poor cashier boy all discombobulated with my coupons.
I saved $41.86 with coupons and R/A coupons. My OOP was 14.82 + tax. I got back $16 in +UP's, and the most exciting part is that I hit my $100 Winter Savings, so I got my $20 reward. Woo-Hoo----I wasn't even going for that because I didn't think it was possible for me to do with my low-key spending. But, not only did I get it, I only actually spent less than $40 OOP to get there.
It may not be possible to spend $20 at RiteAid in one trip.
********************************************************************************
A Brief Summary of ShopRite:
I don't have my receipt with me, but this is close to what I got:
18 boxes of Ronzoni pasta @ .74 each
4 jars Ragu pasta sauce @ 3/4.00
16 cans Progresso soups @ 1.00 each
1 Kashi cereal @ 2.69
2 Kashi cookies @ 2/5.00
2 Kashi crackers @ 2.500
1 box Golden Grahams @ 2.49
2 Chex Mix @ 2/4.00
1 Vlasic pickles @ 2.00 each
1 lb. Keller butter @ 2.99?
2 Eggland's best eggs @ 2.69? each
2 jugs Clorox @ 2/3.00
2 Horizon single serve choc. milk @ 1.00 each
3 blocks cheddar cheese (Macadam) @ 1.69? each
1 pkg. Borden swiss cheese @ 1.99 ea.
1 pkg. Borden provolone cheese @ 1.99ea.
2 Mama Rosie's ravioli @ 1.49 ea.
2 Boca burgers @ 3.59 ea.
2 Green Giant Valley Steamers broccoli @ 2/4.00
1 loaf Arnold double fiber bread @ 2.99 ea,
celery @ 2.99 ea.
strawberries @ 2.49 ea.
2 mangos (is it mangoes?) @ .99 ea,
I had one or two $1 coupons for the pasta, making those free, and a the rest were .48 for two after the 1.00/2 coupons. I had 1.00/2 Ragu coupons. $1 Mama Rosie's coupons, $1 Vlasic, $1 Horizon (making them both free) $1 Clorox, $1 Eggland's Best, $1 Golden Grahams, $1/2 Chex mix, 4 @ $2 off any Kashi, $3 Kashi cereal, 4 @ 1.00/4 Progresso soup, and $1 off Green Giant vegs. Also, I had a $5 off any order over $40, and a ShopRite coupon for a free lb. of Keller's butter.
My total after savings card but before coupons was $104, and OOP I paid $62.00. My cashier was more excited for me than I was. I feel good about this trip--I bought the bread, cheeses and produce with no coupons at all. AND I got $24 in Catalinas.
Since I only just recently started posting my shopping trips, there are a couple of things I should point out:
We are mostly vegetarian. (I am completely, and my husband isn't compelled to eat meat.)
We have a lot of food in the freezer. Our freezer is very small, but there are only 3 of us.
While I don't have a strict grocery budget, I try to keep it under $100/wk.
My husband is a salesman, and is usually not home for dinner :-(
Our church has a food pantry, and we donate regularly.
My son (8y.o.) doesn't eat much, but we stock up on things that he will eat, and to that end, I have enough Tyson's frozen chicken and Perdue fun shapes to last him quite awhile, all purchased with coupons at an awesome sale price.
For a long, long time I was a single mother with 5 kids and no child support. Using coupons combined with sales was not a hobby, it was the only way I could feed my family. My husband's ex-wife wouldn't be caught dead using a coupon, so he is particularly pleased with my dedication to conserving family funds.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
How About A Post Every 2 Months?...................
Seems like that's how it's turning out, anyhow.
Money I've spent/saved so far this week:
Walgreen's
Purchased 4 Arm & Hammer deodorant for 3.96 + tax. I did NOT use RR's because there was a limit of 4 (Wags coupon) and I have one RR worth $6. I had run into Wags on my lunch hour to grab a sale flyer, and saw that these were on sale. This is the only deodorant that my husband will use, so I took this rare opportunity to get 'em cheap. I will have to spend my RR by Monday, so will look to see if I can roll it, and maybe get even more deodorant.
CVS:
Started the week with $8 in ECB's from last week, which I had rolled a couple of times. All I did this week was purchase 2 Colgate Sensitive toothpaste for $7.98. Since I had a coupon for $1, and one for .35 I needed a filler. I bought a bag of 1/2 price Valentine candy to share at work. OOP was .63 and I got my $7.98 back.
I will go to Rite Aid tomorrow or Saturday. And then ShopRite, but only if I can save big-time, as we have plenty of food, and only need milk and bread.
Money I've spent/saved so far this week:
Walgreen's
Purchased 4 Arm & Hammer deodorant for 3.96 + tax. I did NOT use RR's because there was a limit of 4 (Wags coupon) and I have one RR worth $6. I had run into Wags on my lunch hour to grab a sale flyer, and saw that these were on sale. This is the only deodorant that my husband will use, so I took this rare opportunity to get 'em cheap. I will have to spend my RR by Monday, so will look to see if I can roll it, and maybe get even more deodorant.
CVS:
Started the week with $8 in ECB's from last week, which I had rolled a couple of times. All I did this week was purchase 2 Colgate Sensitive toothpaste for $7.98. Since I had a coupon for $1, and one for .35 I needed a filler. I bought a bag of 1/2 price Valentine candy to share at work. OOP was .63 and I got my $7.98 back.
I will go to Rite Aid tomorrow or Saturday. And then ShopRite, but only if I can save big-time, as we have plenty of food, and only need milk and bread.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Rules of Christmas (according to Cathie)
This will be my 52nd Christmas, and therefore I am proclaiming myself qualified to lay down some laws:
1. Stocking stuffers must be small, and inexpensive. And by inexpensive, I mean less than $10 optimally. No fair blowing the whole wad on a stocking stuffer-the "big" stuff goes under the tree. And by "big" I mean meaningful. Diamond earrings? Under the tree. Cap gun? In the stocking.
2. Do NOT, under any circumstance, fill the stocking with groceries. And by groceries I mean deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, etc. That is a cop-out. You may, however, purchase a nicer-than-usual body wash or fancy chapstick. Along these same lines, no Oreos, but you can do Walker's shortbread. Unless you are of a class of people that ALWAYS has scottish shortbread laying around, then you're on your own as far as cookies go.
3. If you have multiple children, the number of presents per child must be the same. When your children are older, and you buy an ipad for one of them, and 5 presents for the rest of them that add up to the ipad, they MAY let you slide on the number of gifts, but that is doubtful. Save yourself the heartache.
4. If your kids say they believe in Santa, keep the dream alive by buying and keeping hidden the Santa paper. If you and Santa wrap your presents in the same paper, you'll have some 'splainin' to do, and it will probably not be the same 'splainin' as their friends' parents. In this same fashion, alter your handwriting when you sign the Santa tags. Kids are precocious.
5. Let the kids decorate the tree. This was the hardest thing for me, but better to let go of a little perfectionism than to kill my sweet boy's spirit. And anyway, he did an awesome job!
6. Don't mortgage the farm to make an impression on Christmas morning. 'Nuff said.
7. Christmas morning is for opening presents. Not Christmas eve. Although to take the edge off, I've been known to get everyone new jammies and let them open that. It's still fun. I wouldn't trade anything for the excitement of Christmas morning.
8. The sad truth is that Santa can't always make it to the poor side of town. Do whatever you can to help. You will get the greater gift, and that my friends is the magic of Christmas.
9. Relax. Enjoy.
Here is how I've planned our Christmas:
First, to keep costs down, I keep my eyes open all year long for sales. Amazon rocks. I purchased Club Penguin DS pack for a measley $10 about 5 months ago. I purchased most of my Christmas gifts this way. After Christmas I will buy wrapping paper, but only if I absolutely LOVE it. I still have enough paper for another Christmas or two, and it's all what I consider beautiful (and dirt-cheap!) I will also buy cards for next year. (Nice ones, cheap!) One of my favorite out-of-season places to shop is Hallmark. Check out their clearance racks. I purchased Keepsake ornaments for 75% off this year.
Have a couple of generic gifts ready. Last year my generic gift was the Cranberry candle from Bath & Body Works, coupled with one of my giant peanut butter cup cookies. (If anyone reads this and requests the recipe I will happily post it; they are crazy-delicious!) This way, my den leader assistant felt remembered and appreciated, and I didn't put a lot of time and money into wondering what an ideal gift would be for her (something I'm notoriously obsessive about normally.) For the widower at church, I packaged a couple of easy yet yummy soup mixes from Harry & David, for the widows those same cranberry candles with a small box of chocolates.
We will have a family "party" on Christmas Eve. This has evolved over the years from what was originally just an impromptu light dinner and cookie event into a hors d'oevres, cookie, and punch by candlelight get-together with family and friends. It's very casual, and the only occasion where my kids insist on punch. I try to have a balance of healthy finger foods as well as buttery cookies and chocolates. This is a huge hit, and probably the tradition that my kids will continue with their families. I have always wanted to have an open house on Christmas Eve, but my house may never be that together. We will read about Jesus' birth in Luke. We will pray and thank God for the gift of salvation available through his death.
Then it's early to bed. (wink wink) Hopefully at this point the kid(s) are exhausted and sleep soundly, and hopefully it's not a long haul from the stash to the tree. This year, I took advantage of my son's sleep-over at Grandma's to wrap everything and relocate it from the attic to the back of the deep (under the stairs) coat closet.
Christmas morning, child that I am at heart, I have traditionally been the first one up. Yeah, even when my kids were young. Mommy would wake them up at 5 a.m. to tell them that Santa came. We open presents, everyone is happy (or at least gracious,) and we drink coffee. I make pancakes, and we have a relaxing day with an easy yet special meal in the middle of it. This is normally spiral honey ham, macaroni & cheese (home-made) baked beans and Hawaiian rolls. Sweet potato pie and a cake of some sort for dessert.
That is our Christmas. Tell me about yours. Have a merry!
1. Stocking stuffers must be small, and inexpensive. And by inexpensive, I mean less than $10 optimally. No fair blowing the whole wad on a stocking stuffer-the "big" stuff goes under the tree. And by "big" I mean meaningful. Diamond earrings? Under the tree. Cap gun? In the stocking.
2. Do NOT, under any circumstance, fill the stocking with groceries. And by groceries I mean deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, etc. That is a cop-out. You may, however, purchase a nicer-than-usual body wash or fancy chapstick. Along these same lines, no Oreos, but you can do Walker's shortbread. Unless you are of a class of people that ALWAYS has scottish shortbread laying around, then you're on your own as far as cookies go.
3. If you have multiple children, the number of presents per child must be the same. When your children are older, and you buy an ipad for one of them, and 5 presents for the rest of them that add up to the ipad, they MAY let you slide on the number of gifts, but that is doubtful. Save yourself the heartache.
4. If your kids say they believe in Santa, keep the dream alive by buying and keeping hidden the Santa paper. If you and Santa wrap your presents in the same paper, you'll have some 'splainin' to do, and it will probably not be the same 'splainin' as their friends' parents. In this same fashion, alter your handwriting when you sign the Santa tags. Kids are precocious.
5. Let the kids decorate the tree. This was the hardest thing for me, but better to let go of a little perfectionism than to kill my sweet boy's spirit. And anyway, he did an awesome job!
6. Don't mortgage the farm to make an impression on Christmas morning. 'Nuff said.
7. Christmas morning is for opening presents. Not Christmas eve. Although to take the edge off, I've been known to get everyone new jammies and let them open that. It's still fun. I wouldn't trade anything for the excitement of Christmas morning.
8. The sad truth is that Santa can't always make it to the poor side of town. Do whatever you can to help. You will get the greater gift, and that my friends is the magic of Christmas.
9. Relax. Enjoy.
Here is how I've planned our Christmas:
First, to keep costs down, I keep my eyes open all year long for sales. Amazon rocks. I purchased Club Penguin DS pack for a measley $10 about 5 months ago. I purchased most of my Christmas gifts this way. After Christmas I will buy wrapping paper, but only if I absolutely LOVE it. I still have enough paper for another Christmas or two, and it's all what I consider beautiful (and dirt-cheap!) I will also buy cards for next year. (Nice ones, cheap!) One of my favorite out-of-season places to shop is Hallmark. Check out their clearance racks. I purchased Keepsake ornaments for 75% off this year.
Have a couple of generic gifts ready. Last year my generic gift was the Cranberry candle from Bath & Body Works, coupled with one of my giant peanut butter cup cookies. (If anyone reads this and requests the recipe I will happily post it; they are crazy-delicious!) This way, my den leader assistant felt remembered and appreciated, and I didn't put a lot of time and money into wondering what an ideal gift would be for her (something I'm notoriously obsessive about normally.) For the widower at church, I packaged a couple of easy yet yummy soup mixes from Harry & David, for the widows those same cranberry candles with a small box of chocolates.
We will have a family "party" on Christmas Eve. This has evolved over the years from what was originally just an impromptu light dinner and cookie event into a hors d'oevres, cookie, and punch by candlelight get-together with family and friends. It's very casual, and the only occasion where my kids insist on punch. I try to have a balance of healthy finger foods as well as buttery cookies and chocolates. This is a huge hit, and probably the tradition that my kids will continue with their families. I have always wanted to have an open house on Christmas Eve, but my house may never be that together. We will read about Jesus' birth in Luke. We will pray and thank God for the gift of salvation available through his death.
Then it's early to bed. (wink wink) Hopefully at this point the kid(s) are exhausted and sleep soundly, and hopefully it's not a long haul from the stash to the tree. This year, I took advantage of my son's sleep-over at Grandma's to wrap everything and relocate it from the attic to the back of the deep (under the stairs) coat closet.
Christmas morning, child that I am at heart, I have traditionally been the first one up. Yeah, even when my kids were young. Mommy would wake them up at 5 a.m. to tell them that Santa came. We open presents, everyone is happy (or at least gracious,) and we drink coffee. I make pancakes, and we have a relaxing day with an easy yet special meal in the middle of it. This is normally spiral honey ham, macaroni & cheese (home-made) baked beans and Hawaiian rolls. Sweet potato pie and a cake of some sort for dessert.
That is our Christmas. Tell me about yours. Have a merry!
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