Christmas Shopping

I am determined to finish my shopping by this Friday. If I can't get it finished by then, I have set myself the ultimate goal of being finished shopping by the 10th of December. I can't go into stores or the mall after that (unless it's the grocery store) because the temptation will be just too much for me. I know myself. If I see more *things* in the store, my mind will start telling me how *that thing* will be the perfect gift for kid/hubby/friend, etc. It will blow my budget all to high heaven, and I just cannot do that.

Yesterday, I went to Talize and picked up a couple of clothing items for Cub and 3 Dr. Suess books in fantastic condition. I also found a book on "How to Draw Manga" for DD2 that I think she will like.

Something to read: check! Except for hubby....must find him a book he will like.

I typically buy each of the family members a DVD of a favourite movie or television show. For DD2, I got the first season of The Big Bang Theory (she asked for it). For Cub, I got Ice Age, the Mammoth Christmas Special. I'm still looking for a decent movie for hubby, but if I can't find one, I won't worry about it.

Something they want: check!

I was in the bank yesterday chatting with the teller who I almost always deal with. She was asking about my shopping, and if I had finished yet. I explained that DD2 has some strange eclectic tastes, and so I would be buying her a prepaid credit card so she can order exactly what she wants online. The teller asked for her bankcard (technically it's mine) and processed a request for a new bankcard with a Visa logo on it. She will be able to use it, but it acts like a credit card for online purchases from a security standpoint. When she uses it, the money will come directly from her bank account. No credit for a 12 year old!

Something to wear: check! (She will buy the specific clothing items she wants this way)

Now, for the something they need...hmmm....I still have no idea what to 'buy' for this category, but I suspect it isn't something I can buy anyway.

I still have to get hubby something for his birthday, which is December 26th. But I have an idea.

That's it for now. How is your holiday shopping going?

How Do You See Your Debt?

Debt. We all have it (ok, most of us have it). We all loathe it. That's why we read one another's PF blogs. To keep one another motivated to get rid of it once and for all. To learn to live within our means. To appreciate what we do have and keep one another accountable for our actions. It's what we do.

A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations. (from Wikipedia)

Debt is a means of using anticipated future purchasing power in the present before it has actually been earned. It is spending of funds we have not yet worked for.

When we use debt (a credit card for example) most folks think of it as a source of income. "I have $500 on this credit card that I can use to buy that thing-a-ma-jigger that I have been dying to get." But the truth is that the $500 credit limit is actually a loan, or a debt. It is a company saying that they will let you spend their money, at a cost.

I was reading another blog the other day and something struck a chord with me. $12 a day AND a baby on the way had posted about one of the many things she is eliminating from her life in order to achieve debt freedom and financial independence. In a bold blue, she wrote " If I owe someone anything at all, then until it's been paid back, my money isn't really my money ."

How true is that in our lives?

The level of my debt means that all the money I earn in the next two years effectively does not belong to me. It belongs to others who have extended credit or to whom I owe a moral obligation to repay. Two years. That stinks!

We have been downsizing our lifestyle and pinching pennies for so long, that I feel we have actually amended some of our bad habits of the past. We no longer frequent Tim Horton's, but with Candy Cane hot chocolate coming soon, that may change for a brief time. We no longer spend gobs of money on clothing, shoes, toys and other non-essentials. I, in particular, have learned new cooking and baking skills, learned to stockpile items on sale from the grocery store, taken on extra work whenever possible, and tried to be content with what we already have.

I hope that this is now the new 'normal' for us.

Shopping and Dinner

I went shopping yesterday.

I had read all the flyers and made a careful list. I need to stretch every dollar I possibly can right now. I wish the budget wasn't so darn tight but it is what it is.

I got Palmolive Dish soap, 1.1L for $1.73 at Canadian Tire yesterday. I bought 4 of them. I love stocking up on things when I find a great deal. I also picked up some Christmas wrap that was on sale, and a few stocking stuffers there. Who would have thought that CT would have good prices on seasonal candy?

Next stop, No Frills. They are having another one of their $1, $2, $3 sales and some of the deals were hard to pass up. While there, I realized that lean ground beef was on sale as well, so I bought two of the family sized packs. I used one for dinner, and split the other one up for the freezer.

When I got home after picking up the kidlets, I put stuff away, and packed up two reusable grocery bags of foodstuffs for DD1's house. She has recently gone back to work full-time after mat leave, and they are struggling once again. Her BF is having trouble finding and staying employed, so they have opted for him to stay home and look after grandcub while DD1 works to provide for their little family. They have exhausted all of their resources, and are grateful for any help in the next month while they are adjusting to the new schedule.

I wish I could have run to the bank, and taken out money for them to survive, but I can't. I want to fix the problem for them, but I can't do that either. But I realized that having stocked up on all the sales I can, I am able to help them with pantry items that I have. Baby wipes, t.p., soups, jam and bread from the freezer, peanut butter, sugar, cereal, rice mixes, all gleaned from our cupboards. It made me feel better and they were very grateful for the help.

Anyway, for dinner I made homemade burgers, with all the fixings. Mine ended up being a mushroom bacon cheeseburger. With fries, pickles and olives on the side. :) For dinner we had 3 adults, 2 tweenagers (DD2's fave girl cousin of the same age is here for the weekend), 1 toddler, and a 10 month old. All fed and happy on under  $20 worth of groceries bought on sale over time.
I. Love. That.

I am still making (knitting) gifts for my family to reduce costs. This is likely going to be our most frugal holidays ever. But it will be ok. Everyone knows that we are struggling financially, and are not so worried about stuff. We watched "The Grinch That Stole Christmas" after dinner, and it led to a discussion about 'Christmas not coming from a store'. That it was about being together with the ones you love, and who love you. The tweens seemed to 'get' it, and that's all I can hope for.

The 100th Follower

I got to be someone's 100th blog follower!

Rachel over at Living Better One Day At A Time now has 100 followers and is doing a give away to celebrate!

Why don't you pop over and say hi to her and enter her give away?

This giveaway ends on Wednesday November 30, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST.