Posts filed under ‘holiday’
An Update: That Involves Strawberries
On Wednesday I wrote about my husband’s decision to buy $400 worth of flowers for Valentine’s Day. My disappointment along with the extraordinary cost was that while flowers are pretty, they aren’t nearly as satisfying as a large box of chocolate covered strawberries.
Well it turns out my husband knows me after all. Yesterday a dozen chocolate covered strawberries. We’ve known each other for seventeen years and been married for almost eight and a half and this is the first time he’s ever had strawberries delivered to my door. Now we’re getting somewhere!
My rule: Food over flowers. Homemade or store bought doesn’t matter, but I must say these were absolutely delicious. As you can see I’ve already devoured two.
My Two Gift Rule: How Long Can It Continue?
For the past two years my husband and I have given my son one gift each. He was born in October of 2011, so last year he was only two months old when Christmas rolled around and this year he was just a few days over 14 months.
At this age he doesn’t know the meaning of Christmas, he can’t tell us what games he really wants to play with and he certainly doesn’t know if he should receive two gifts or a room full of presents.
This year he received a bottle of Mr. Bubbles for extra special bath time fun and a toy that sings when he turns it’s pages. The toy was intended to distract him during long car trips to North Carolina. He opened those two gifts then helped my husband open the four gifts, (two each), that we bought for each other.
Some friends and family members seemed surprised by the lack of gifts under the tree, but for the time being I decided that my son simply has enough. Thanks to the generous hand-me-downs of friends and family members our living room already looks like the toy department at Target.
I’ll never forget some of the early Christmas’s for my niece and nephew. They received box after box of brightly wrapped paper and spent little more than a second or two looking at the gift before ripping into the next one.
I want my son to have time to reflect on the gifts he receives and to take the time to thank the gift givers for all that he receives.
This year my son received only one gift each from my grandmother, parents, brothers and sister-in-law. The rest of the money that would’ve been spent on gifts was funneled into his 529.
As my son ages I know he probably won’t be happy with my two gift rule (one from mommy and one from daddy). I’m sure he’ll circle pages of the circulars and provide long wish lists for us.
In fact, I wonder how long I can continue the two gift policy and I wonder if there are any parents out there that feel the same way I do?
All Ready for the Holidays
We’re on tap to cook a bunch of dishes this Christmas, so my husband and I prepared a roast, two batches of sweet potatoes and two batches of mashed potatoes. All of that is currently waiting in the fridge until the big heat up begins tomorrow.
Our presents are wrapped and delivered to our parents houses. On the big day we just have to get ourselves ready and drive. No need to load the car with gifts and no chance we’ll forget something important.
Last year Christmas was unbelievably hectic. We rushed from one location to the next with no time to relax and no time for ourselves. This year I hope we’ve prepared enough to kick back, drink some eggnog and enjoy the time with our families.
I’ll celebrate a quiet Christmas morning with my husband and son. We bought the little guy two presents. I think that’s the same number we purchased for him last year. He’s only fourteen months old, so honestly he’s happier with the wrapping paper and box then he is with the gift inside, but I’m still excited to see him rip into the wrapping paper.
I probably won’t jump online tomorrow, so I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas! I hope the new year brings you health, wealth and happiness. (Not necessarily in that order.)
The Art of Shaving: Pampering Gifts for Men
Over the years my Christmas wish lists have changed dramatically. One year I asked for practical gifts, one year I asked for fun gifts, one year I wanted to focus on consumable items, the next I concentrated on interesting experiences.
As much as my overall desires have changed one thing has remained steady. Every year, for the last ten years, I have without fail asked for one thing. It’s a simple, but very expensive request: a gift certificate to the spa. It’s a luxury I often feel guilty buying for myself, so I truly love it when someone else splurges for me.
There are so many products targeted at pampering women, but very few available for men, so when BlogHer contacted me and asked me to promote the Art of Shaving, (a site full of pampering shaving products for men), I jumped at the chance.
My husband and I recently took my son for his first hair cut. Well I should say hair trim, because I only let the barber trim his bangs and right above his ears. We walked into an old school barber shop where men line up and wait their turn in the big black chairs.
I’d never stepped foot into a barber shop before and I was quite fascinated by the old-school barbers who warmed towels, lathered up a man’s face with thick brushes and shaved his beard with a flat edged razor. When they finished the man’s skin looked as smooth as my fourteen month old son’s.
The Art of Shaving website helps men get this clean, pampered, professional feeling in their own home by focusing on 4 elements of the perfect shave. Those elements include preparing, lathering up, shaving and moisturizing. They sell shaving kits and shaving related products that help men achieve the perfect shave.
If you really want to pamper your husband consider buying him the ProGlide Power Shave Set for Christmas. This set includes a razor, battery, pre-shave oil, shaving cream pump, shaving brush and after-shave balm pump in an elegantly packaged gift box.
Right now the Art of Shaving is offering Free Ground Shipping and 10% off ProGlide Power Save Sets, through 12/30/12 when you use promo code 10PowerShave at checkout.
There are lots of gift sets available on the Art of Shaving website. The set above retails for $175, but there are much less expensive kits available starting at $25. If you are interested in pampering that special guy in your life this might be the gift for you.
Here are two other deals you might be interested in:
- Free Ground shipping and $15 off your purchase of any The Art of Shaving Full Size Kit, until 12/30/12 with Promo Code: 15offFSK at checkout
- Enjoy 20% off your purchase of The Perfect Shave Solution. Valid unitl 12/30 No code needed. Discount automatically applied at checkout when you purchase a full size Pre Shave, a full size Shaving Cream or soap and bowl, Shaving Brush, Razor and After Shave.
In all the years I’ve known my husband I don’t think I’ve ever bought him a pampering present. In fact, I typically buy his razors for free or close to free using a combination of coupons and drugstore deals.
Maybe I need to rethink my gift giving strategies. Have you ever splurged on pampering gifts for the men in your life and if so what did you buy?
Saving Money on Christmas: I Kicked Butt This Year!
I just reviewed my Christmas expenses and couldn’t believe how little I spent this year. As I mentioned earlier this week my brother and I recently decided to stop exchanging gifts with one another. Instead we’ll focus solely on providing gifts for the children. That change resulted in two fewer gifts under the tree and $50 to $70 less to spend. Total cost for my brother and his wife = $0.
I bought my nephew’s gift from a local toy shop on Small Business Saturday. (A day I absolutely love by the way!) I paid $39.99 for the toy, but received a $25 credit back from American Express. Total cost = $14.99.
I purchased my niece’s gift from ecomom using a voucher I bought from plum district. I spent $20 on the voucher, but used it during ecomom’s green friday, which resulted in additional savings. I received $100 worth of stuff for $40.00. When you break down all of the purchases, (I bought a bunch of toys for toys-for-tots and to store as future birthday gifts), I paid roughly $5 for her gift. I also bought a set of $6 head bands on sale for $1. They are green, pink and purple and unbelievably sparkly. Total Cost: $6.
I bought two of my son’s presents using that ecomom deal. I spent less than $5 for each them. I also plan to wrap a bunch of boxes and fill them with tissue paper and bubble wrap. At this age he’s more interested in the box than the gift and we have a room full of toys already. Total cost: $10.
Some members of the family will receive specialty chocolates. I used a gift card I won in an online contest to pay for those purchases. Total out of pocket cost: $0. I also bought myself a box of candy. Yum, yum, delicious!
I bought my mom a gift from NOVICA using a gift certificate I received last year for blogging about their site. Total out of pocket cost: $0.
I also cashed in $200 worth of credit card rewards for gift cards. (Thank you Chase Freedom.) I thought about using the gift cards to buy gifts, but ultimately decided to lighten my load on Christmas day by just handing out the cards.
I’m also giving my aunt and uncle a gift card to Starbucks. My husband and I each earned e-gift cards for completing surveys related to our 401(k) provider. I combined them onto a physical card that was already worth $5. Total out of pocket cost = $0. By the way kudos to websites like Starbucks and Subway that you let you combine gift card balances. I love being able to move all the money onto one card so I don’t have to drag a bunch of cards around wherever I go.
I used a Hallmark coupon for $5 off a $10 purchase to buy an adorable little Christmas dish set for a friend of ours who loves to entertain for the holidays. Total cost = $5.
Finally I dug through my gift box. That magical box holds items I purchase on clearance or at deep discounts throughout the year. Included in the box was a beautiful $50 scarf I bought for $5 after sales and coupons and a gorgeous set of candle holders and candles that I bought for $7. Total cost = $12.
I did splurge on two items for my husband. I can’t say what they are because he reads my blog, but they cost roughly $125.
So how about you? Did you manage to save a lot of money this year? If so, what were your tricks for saving money?
The End of Gift Exchanges
After a lot of consideration my brother and I have decided not to swap Christmas gifts this year. I’ll still buy gifts for my niece and nephew and he’ll do the same for my son, but we will no longer exchange gifts between each other.
It’s always a struggle to decide what to buy and more often than not we end up buying my brother and sister-in-law a gift card to a restaurant, the movies or a clothing store and they ended up doing the same for us.
My brother and I have never gone hog wild on Christmas gifts for each other. For the most part we spend between $25 and $35 on gifts each year. If I buy him a $25 gift card it doesn’t really make a lot of sense for him to turn around and buy me a different one for the same amount.
We’ll still buy presents for the other adults in our family. I’ll buy my parents and grandmother gifts, but my brother and sister-in-law will no longer find a box from us under the tree.
While it make sense from a financial point of view I must admit that it feels a little strange. I’ve been buying gifts for my brother for as long as I can remember. Even when I was little my parents would let me pick something out and put my name on the “from” portion of the gift tag.
As an adult I find it extremely difficult to buy Christmas gifts for loved ones. I think the issue is more about age then anything else. When you are small you are so excited for Christmas. As you age and toys are replaced by practical things like clothes and household tools the excitement diminishes.
I yearn for those days when I woke up early in the morning, still in my footed pajamas and ran to the living room to find all the boxes with my name on them. These days receiving gifts just isn’t as magical. Sigh. At least we can rekindle some of the passion of Christmas by watching my son open presents.
This year in addition to one or two small toys I’m wrapping empty boxes with tissue paper and bubble wrap. Two things he really loves!
So what about you? Do you still exchange gifts with your siblings and other adults in your family?
The Dreaded Christmas List
My mom has been bugging me to create a Christmas list for weeks now. “Can’t you just sit down and come up with a list for me,” she asks. So I pour myself a large glass of ice water, plop into my favorite chair and stare at my laptop. I have every intention in the world of generating a neat, little row of bullets that will help make my life more complete. The trouble is my life is already complete and I can’t seem to think of a single thing in life that I want or need.
I stand up, move about the house and walk from room to room waiting for inspiration to strike me. Nothing pops into my head. I stroll about for quite a bit, but still nothing. I wander into my closet. I could use some new sweaters, a jacket and a couple of long sleeve shirts, but buying clothes is unbelievably difficult. I’m over six feet tall and most brands simply don’t fit me. The only thing I dread more than creating this list is standing in line returning each and every article of clothing I receive on Christmas day.
God bless my mom. She wants us to be excited for Christmas as we were when we were children. When you are a kid Christmas is awesome, because you have absolutely no money to your name, no means of transportation and thus no hopes of buying anything for yourself. As an adult you buy what you need when you need it, so there really isn’t a lot of sense in asking people to buy you something when you can drive to the store and get it yourself.
My mom hates it when I give her a list of things we want with specific links to the places where she can buy them. She says there is no fun in that and while I agree I must say that it’s more fun that standing in long lines returning a bunch of stuff I didn’t want in the first place.
It’s not just wasted time for me. She’s also wasting time walking from store to store in search of the perfect present. When we all know perfect doesn’t really exist. That seems like a lot of time and energy that could be spent in better ways.
So this year I’m thinking about making a Christmas list with just one item. It’ll look a little something like this:
- Time
Rather than spending countless hours walking through malls and searching the Internet for things we may or may not like I’d like my mom to grant me the gift of time. We can spend that time baking sugar cookies with my son, rolling out play dough, finger painting, walking through my neighborhood or just sitting together in the living room. I don’t really care how we spend the time as long as we spend it together.
When all the presents are opened and Christmas day ends I can barely remember all that we received. With the gift of time we’ll have memories that will last forever.
Great Deal on Halloween Costumes
I still haven’t settled on a Halloween costume yet, but I am very close to pulling the trigger on the one I found on BuyCostumes.com tonight.
Right now they are offering 20% off all costumes, decor and party supplies when you use the coupon code bizzare. If you are a ShopRunner member, (I signed up for a free membership last year), you will receive free two day shipping. If you don’t have a ShopRunner membership you can still receive free shipping if you spend over $49.
I researched prices on eBay and found that many costumes sell for roughly 60% of retail prices, so I’m considering buying this one and then auctioning it off next year. That means I have to make sure my son doesn’t stain it, which means he won’t be able to eat or drink anything while wearing it. Hmmm, that task might be a little too difficult to ensure.
Halloween Costumes and Yes I’m Considering Dropping Some Serious Dough
My son was born two weeks before Halloween. His projected due date was actually just a couple of days before the big holiday so I wasn’t certain that he would arrive in time to celebrate. We didn’t know the gender before he was born so I purchased a gender neutral costume from the thrift store. The outfit was a little too big for him, (he wore newborn clothes for the first few weeks), but that didn’t stop us from dressing him up like a pumpkin and snapping tons of pictures. It was well worth the $3 price tag.
Fast forward one year and I cannot wait to dress the little guy up for Halloween. I went back to the thrift store in search of costumes but I couldn’t find any for his size that weren’t extremely worn and tattered so of course I turned to the Internet where I found this adorable owl costume.
Oh yeah and then there is this ridiculously cute peacock costume.
These two costumes cost roughly $55 a piece, but right now I can get 10% off with the coupon code casket10 and even more off if I spend $100 or more. So I’m considering dropping some serious dough on a seriously adorable little outfit for my little guy. I know it’s not the frugal approach but I’m considering it nonetheless.
Maybe I should check out resale prices on eBay. At least if I do buy one of these I should know how much I might be able to earn back by selling it. Any thoughts, ideas or opinions?
Ideas for My First Mother’s Day
Last week I asked my readers for suggestions on how to spend my first mother’s day. I was so happy and inspired by the comments that I thought I’d provide a summary here. I can’t thank my readers enough for all of their wonderful ideas!
Without further ado here are a few of my reader’s suggestions:
- Plant a tree with your child. You can watch it grow over the years and take photographs every year of your child in front of it. (I LOVE this idea and plan to pick one that flowers on Sunday.)
- Mother/Baby photo shoot. (I’ve asked my husband to take some photos of my son and I on Sunday too.)
- Sometimes having a little one can be a bit overwhelming. If it feels difficult to take them out then make the most out of spending time with your family at home. Two suggestions: Enjoy dinner at home or have a picnic right in your own backyard. (Oh yeah we’ll definitely be spending time together at home. I think we’ll eat dinner on the back patio. It’s almost a picnic
) - Make handprints together with your little one. (I’m going to try to sneak some time in for this too on Sunday.)
- Ask your husband to bring you breakfast in bed. (I’d alter this one slightly to have breakfast for the whole family in bed. The little one can snuggle with daddy while you munch on chocolate chip pancakes or whatever breakfast food you love.)
This post won’t do justice to the comments so I suggest going back to my original post to read them. I’m grateful to all those who provided ideas. I have taken your stories and words to heart and can’t wait to celebrate this weekend!
