Christmas budget. There, I said it. Every year we spend way too much money on Christmas and EVERY year I just can't seem figure out why. Well duh; could it be because I go out with no plan, money or otherwise, and just buy what I think people would like? Probably so. So, this year, way back in January of 2011, we decided how much we would spend on Christmas and set aside a little money each month into a Christmas sinking fund so that when shopping time rolled around we would be prepared. Also, I have a list of everybody we need to buy for and ideas of gifts for each person. As I shop the people's names get marked off so I don't double buy for one person and miss another. It is working out beautifully.
So far this has been the best and least stressful Christmas season ever and I'm really enjoying it, partially (mostly) because we already have the money set aside and don't have to worry about where it is going to come from, and partially because I didn't go Black Friday Shopping. Holy cow! Did you see the madness. I have been watching You Tube videos for two days now of the Thursday night/Friday morning shopping experiences. Broken arms, pepper spray in the face, trampled women, men punching little kids, and for what?!? A few dollars off of an x-box game or a 4GB memory card. No thank you, that stresses me out just thinking about being there. We hope to teach Will, and any other children we may have, that Christmas is about Jesus' birth and being with family, not all the stuff he is going to be getting. Don't get me wrong, he will be getting plenty of stuff. We have decided that each year he will get 3 gifts from us, and then there are grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc... Oh man, that reminds me, I need to start purging his toy chest to make room for the new stuff that will be arriving in the next few weeks.
Donating toys and clothes is another tradition we hope to pass down to our kids. He is going to be getting new stuff and we only have a certain amount of room in our house so some stuff has to go. Right now it is easy because he is growing out of his clothes and aside from a few stuffed animals he sleeps with he wouldn't notice if toys went missing, but when he gets older I hope to be able to teach him that he is far more fortunate then many other children and they would love some of his toys and clothes. Goodwill, homeless shelters, and the salvation army will be part of our giving at Christmas time.
I am getting so excited now. After church today I think we will be packing up things to donate, putting away fall decor and bringing out the Christmas stuff to "dec the halls."
No comments:
Post a Comment