Earn, Save, and Live Joyfully.
Temptation is probably the worst part of the holiday season for me. I am enticed by the scrumptious food displayed on holiday tables, seduced by the brightly colored boxes filled with decadent chocolates and lured to the deeply discounted promotions constantly appearing in my inbox. Some time in early October the unsolicited catalogs began arriving. … Read more
While many people are out shopping the day after Thanksgiving, you can often find me at home, digging through my closets, bookshelves and drawers. The goal is simple: to find better homes for all of my unwanted items and to make room for any new items that might make their way into my home. Since … Read more
I got married in 2004 and swore I would send out Christmas cards when December rolled around. Did I do it? No. Every year after we were married I planned to ship out cards, but somehow or another I failed to do so. Some years I got very close to sending out cards. I picked … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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, … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more