Christmas Shopping

While my Christmas lights have yet to make an appearance outside my condo, at least I’ve started shopping for gifts already. Keith and I will be having our first Christmas together at my house and then heading to my mother’s later that day to celebrate with my sister, her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s twin brother, my mother and her friend, plus 3 doggies and a cat.

I was able to finish my sister (who’s birthday is also in December) a few months ago when I paid for her new puppy. I’ll be picking up a few doggie treats to stash under the tree at Target with the 2 $10 gift cards I was able to acquire on Black Friday, as well as getting something for the family cat.

I still need to get a small ornament for my sister, and her boyfriend, and his brother to put in their stockings… so I’ll be hitting up target for these too… since I also need to pick up some TP and some cleaning supplies for my kitchen that I’m running low on.

I finished shopping for my sister’s boyfriend before I went to Utah. He’s getting an I-pad from my sister (something they really can’t afford, especially with the cruise they have coming up… and they aren’t supposed to be exchanging gifts???--- but I’ll leave my comments out of it…) so I bought him a nice cover for it…. Per her request
I also finished my mother. She mentioned she needed a new wallet, and I also got her an electric shaver so she can take it on the cruise with her (her old one broke so she put it on her xmas list).

For my mom’s friend I can try hunting around for a cute cat figurine (she collects cat stuff) or I can cop out and get her a bottle of wine… but I really don’t want to go that route because I don’t like being around them when they drink and if I buy it, it will most likely get opened during the festivities... so I’ll be cat figurine hunting... or angels…. Or maybe a cat dressed up as an angel?

I have no idea what to get my sister’s boyfriends brother… no one will give me any hints at all!

I’m making a blanket for my “brother” because he needs a decent throw blanket in that chilly townhome he rents from his parents. (his future girlfriend agrees… one of my bridesmaids).

And then there is my fiancé =) He’s easy this year =) and also doesn’t read this blog (but knows it exists) so I can comment on here about it. I got him a video game he wanted on black Friday, along with a new sweatshirt … and I found a really good online sale at Dickies. It’s hard to find clothes that fit him in stores, and at Dickies you can buy pants un-hemmed to insure the length is long enough. Well since his Christmas Present from his parents is his plane ticket out to California and back, he won’t be getting his usual presents this year, mainly clothes and what not... So I hit up the internet, found some online coupon codes, got $20 off my purchase, free shipping, and took advantage of some sales they had going and was able to get a nice pair of black pants, 2 pairs of jeans, a nice short sleeve button up shirt, and a nice t-shirt for all under $100 shipped with Tax!!! So he’s done. Here’s my spending break down thus far:

Keith: The clothes were $95.40… The sweatshirt was $9.48… the game was $35.00 for a total of $139.88… It’s more than I normally would spend on a person for Christmas, but I planned to spend around $150 on him this year because I knew how badly he needed the clothes because he wouldn’t be getting any from his folks this year. But I did get $20 in free gift cards buying stuff on black Friday that other people paid me back for. I can use the gift cards to get stocking stuffers.

My sister (if I split the cost of the puppy stuff in half to isolate Christmas) was $75.00

Her boyfriend: $45.00

My mom: $50.00

I have about $80 left in my Christmas Account (I pulled some money from the account to pay for Keith’s wedding ring since I hadn’t planned on buying it when I did). And I still have December’s $50 too so that gives me $130 and $20 in Target Gift cards to figure out the following:

My sister’s boyfriends twin-
My mom’s friend—Cat Figurine
Kitty-
3 small doggies-
Brother- Blanket (just a few skeins of yarn)
Stocking Stuffers for Mom, Corie, David, & his brother
Something for my Best Friend
Make something for my grammy (a lady from my church I’ve dubbed my grandma)
Send out some xmas cards perhaps?

All my other friends I’ll be telling them that I’m opting out this year for Christmas since I have to save money for a wedding. If I have any leftover money from the above I may bake small batches of cookies and hand them out.