Christmas On a Budget

I'm trying to cut back on what we spend at Christmas... both because it's become a big shopping spree we end up paying off for months afterwards, and also because we just don't NEED a lot of stuff!

So... here is what we are doing...

Alex's Side:

GRAN

- handmade photo card with an update of our year (cost = $1 for photos)

- if I have time I'd like to make some dish cloths and give a bottle of dish soap (cost = 'free' because I already have all the stuff!)

NAN

- handmade photo card with an update of our year (cost = $1 for photos + shipping)

SIL/BIL

- scarf ('free' made with yarn I already had) for BIL

- nice reusable shopping bag ($5) for SIL

- night at the movies with snacks (20,000 PC points... hopefully if we have them!) and babysitting (free from us!)

NEPHEW

- wool blanket ($50 in yarn... didn't realize it would take so much yarn!)

- ... maybe something fun? ($5)

FIL

- night at the movies with snacks (20,000 PC points... hopefully if we have them!)

LIL' SIL

- blush and blush brush ('free cuz' I bought them for myself earlier and didn't need them)

- flower shaped face cloths ('free' cuz I already have the yarn)

- toner or face wash (about $5... still need to buy)

- water bottle ($3.50)

LIL' BIL

- water bottle ($3.50)

... huh

Faith's Side

M&F

- rich chocolate brown 600 thread count sheets and extra pillow cases ($80 but 'free' because we had a gift card)

- new shower head ('free' because we won it) for F

- reusable shopping bag ($5) for M

MIDDLE SIS

- scrap booking metal filing cabinet (FREE!)

- double sided tapes (FREE!)

- reusable shopping bag ($5)

- water bottle ($3.50)

LIL' SIS

- water bottle ($3.50)

... huh

OMA & OPA

- some dish cloths and a bottle of dish soap (cost = 'free' because I already have all the stuff!)

OTHER OMA AND OPA

- some dish cloths and a bottle of dish soap (cost = 'free' because I already have all the stuff!)

... Now I just have to make sure I'm not missing anyone!

Health Month

Our company is offering each employee $150 if they take part in a 'health month' for the month of November... and somehow my department voted me as the 'director' of our group. Joy.

But there are some interesting things... the outline is that you must do 20-60 minutes of 'workout' every day. For bonus points you can - drink water, eat fruits and veggies and do a 'take care of yourself' items.

This is what interests me... this last includes - sleeping for 30 minutes extra, taking me time and reading a book, taking a bath etc, eating away from your desk OR de-cluttering and cleaning for 30 minutes... when you try to be a better person you often think of eating better and working out, but de-cluttering? And yet it makes so much sense!

This is the LAST time I will say this...

Alex and I have joined a bowling league, and every Monday night you can find us down knocking down pins. It's great fun, and usually I get a little better each week... slow... very slow progress to almost always bowling at least 100... not good by any means, but better then when I started!

Today on our drive there I mentioned that today... though I SWORE I wouldn't, I filled out the paper work to begin the process of changing my name. I don't personally care, but I know that it bugs Alex sometimes that I still go by my maiden name.

This is the thing...

When we got married I took care of the wedding. Alex didn't want to have the stress of helping, so I told him that I wouldn't bug him with anything wedding related IF he planned the honeymoon. Four weeks before the wedding... I booked the honeymoon... because he said he 'didn't want to make a mistake'.

When we got married I told him that it was VERY important to me that he fill out the paper work for insurance purposes. I know this is something I'm very bad at, since I'm not organized, and it gets me VERY stress. He said ok... and I've been doing it ever since.

When we got home from our honeymoon I asked him to fill the holes in the bedroom walls left from a shelf we removed. He asked to have a day or two to relax and I said ok... 15 months later, and the holes are still there.

I bought 10 antique chairs shortly after moving into the house, with grand plans of refinishing them. I bought a sander, fabric, paint and paint thinner. I got the seats and backs removed and sanded a chair only to realize that this was way more work then I thought. My hands vibrated after 10 minutes of sanding, and because of a skin condition I have cuts on my fingers that make me very sensitive. So I asked him to do the stripping of the chairs after which I will repaint and fabric them.

I realize that this was a project I took on before we were dating and that it is in fact MY project. But it hurts! So I told him I would consider it a grand birthday present... it's only about 9 hours of work - two weeks of an hour a day... my birthday was last week and not a single chair has any progress... and the chairs continue to sit... no back, no seat... useless and messy.

Yes there are many reasons not to complete this project - it is cold, it is wet, work is long and stressful.

But we have a basement room that could have everything removed into the main basement, and then the chairs could be sanded in comfort - the mess left out until everything was completed. The contents of the room don't even need to be moved out in a tidy way - just piled outside of the room would be fine! In turn I could paint and recover them in the same room and by Christmas we could have chairs... in fact at Christmas we are having 20 people over, so we NEED those chairs.

But I won't ask again. He knows this is important to me and I hope that matters to him. In the meantime the chairs will sit there... and we shall see...

My Sister

My younger sister is getting married... it seems so weird to think of my sister getting married... as the oldest, I think it's hardest for me to accept that she is growing up... lol at this point 23 and with her boy for almost 5 years!

Today she got a call from the company she did her work placement at. They want her to come back for a 14 moth contract. This is FANTASTIC news... not only does it mean that she did a great job the first time around... but with the amount of available jobs, they must have had their pick of available candidates and they chose her!

I think they will have a fabulous life ahead of them...