Budgeting

How's everyone doing with their holiday preparing? Shopping? Budgeting?

I've taken advantage of some of the Thanksgiving sales at the grocery stores. My Christmas shopping is pretty much done. I think all I really have left is stocking stuffers. Sometimes I'd almost rather not have stockings cuz I never know what to put in them. It was so easy when my boy was into matchbox cars!!

I got a great head start on my Christmas shopping, but still have more to do. I would like to be done by Thanksgiving.

Other than that, I haven't done much of anything. I guess I need to get on the ball. We're into November, for Pete's sake! How did that happen already?

This year our family on both sides have made a pact to simplify Christmas. On my side we are going to buy $10 gift cards and make a game out of it kind of Texas auction style. Our kids are all older now so it should be fun.

On my husbands side we are taking a family vacation to New Hampshire (my MIL is paying)up in the mountains. This will be the first time my 15, 17 and 19 year olds have ever seen snow! This is a perfect Christmas gift for all of us! We will only buy for our two nephews ages 1 and 3.

For my boys they will prob each get 1 big gift (like a cell phone) and maybe a few other things.

This is the first holiday season I feel very relaxed!

hahahaha... haven't even started my christmas shopping.

I have the money budgeted out and I need to start withdrawing it, but I get out of work early enough that I can avoid the crowds. The only gift I think will be an issue might be the play-kitchen set I want to get my daughter, it's about the cost of three presents so she'll get that and maybe one or two other things. Gotta see how money looks.

I've been done my shopping for months and we don't do stockings. Gift giving is a very small part of our holiday celebration so we don't make a big deal of it.

Have you considered doing consumable stockings? When we did do stockings I often filled the bulk of the stocking with a bottle of my son's favorite soda, a rolled up comic book or two, packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast, packet of hot cocoa mix, package of gum and dried fruit and nuts. Toys and other "gifts" were never put into stockings in our home, always consumables.

stacy