With Keith in town for the holidays (WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!), I knew Christmas was going to be filled with holiday obligations... now don't get me wrong... I love a holiday party like everyone else! I wear festive earrings and go all out. (I haven't worn my Bah Humbug hat in years!)
The problem lies in all the little things the "creep" up and ruin your holiday budget. I put a bit of money aside every month so I have holiday money set aside to enjoy the festivities with... but With Keith in town, and with some unplanned expenses that sneaked into Decembers budget (I took back my wedding dress... and got a new one), I decided to take the advice i'd been reading for years of Finance blogs and just plain ignoring.
Opt out of some of the spending.
I told my friends (minus my 2 closest that are essentially family to me) that I wasn't going to be swapping gifts this year, and that i'd rather get coffee and just spend time with everyone. I think only one friend was a bit upset, but most seemed a bit relieved.... and everyone loved the alternative. We are meeting up on Thursday to go to dinner so everyone can meet Keith (something i'd planned for anyway)and so we can have a simple night out and just hang!!!
Even my one friend (who works for Disneyland and is is giving me 2 free comp tickets so Keith and I to go while he is in California) isn't upset that I won't be returning the favor in lavish. They asked me to copy a few Cd's that they happen to like that I've had for years because I insisted on finding a way to say "thank you."
So for the White Elephant party I went to, I opted out of the gift exchange. I just didn't feel like spending $20 on a cruddy present and going home with something dumb too... and I didn't feel like I missed out. I also opted out of the work gift exchange too, but came to the pot luck with Keith so my co-workers could meet him cause they all wanted to see him.
In both circumstances, I didn't feel like I "Missed out" because I still got to laugh as everyone fought over booze and the cute Mickey Mouse Stuffed animal. =)
All my normal Christmas shopping is done. I'm still trying to figure out something nice that Keith can take back with him for his Mom & Dad. And We still need to bake a bunch of brownies to take with us to the midnight church service on Xmas Eve.
Hi! I've been reading your blog for a good while now and I'm only now catching up. Congrats on your engagement. Best wishes to you and your fiance. I thought I'd make a suggestion to this particular entry because it's something I'd struggled with for a few years until my friends and I came up with a great alternative. For the past 3 years we have a holiday cookie bake. A group of us get together at someone's house (usually whoever has the best and roomiest kitchen) and bake treats and we all share the spoils. =) We each submit a recipe and one person shops for all the ingredients and we split the bill. I spent $12 this past year, got cookies (that I shared with family so not too much damage to waistline), but best of all I spent holiday time with close friends and there was no feelings of obligation/pressure to give presents you know? In the past we've also made dinner and usually a few people will bring wine or some other alcoholic beverage, but that's to our like so even dry could still be fun. Anyway, a thought.
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