3 Shopping Days until Christmas!

I am always shocked when people are still in the midst of Christmas shopping this late into the season. Christmas wrapping not done, yet? That I understand a bit more. I just finished mine two days ago.

I went to a shopping area today to pick up lunch for myself and started to circle looking for a parking space and got lucky with a good spot near the restaurant. I could not believe the traffic, the lines, and the lack of joy on people's faces during the "most wonderful time of the year."

I can't help but think if people took joy in gift giving rather than seeing it as a chore, they probably would enjoy the season a bit more than they do and at least the joy would be restored to the late-in-the-season shoppers.

Don't get me started on the traffic! I'm just glad I survived the ordeal.

A Full Day's Work

Two batches of mint chocolate chip merengues made (because I put too much peppermint extract in the first one and had to make a second to balance it out), cooled and stored away...

A shopping trip to pick up part of my mother-in-law's Christmas present, some wedding things at Target and wrapping paper for some of the larger gifts completed...

A batch of sugar cookies made, cooled and stored away...

A trip to the zoo to see the Christmas lights...

Dinner out with the husband and child...

Made a breakfast casserole for a friend who is packing up to move...

The kitchen cleaned and ready for another day of cooking...

Balanced the checkbook...

And now I am waiting for Mr. Bean to get up and start prepping his famous homemade lasagna so I can clean up after him. At least a huge chunk of my to-do list got checked off today!

Christmas Shopping

Normally by this time of year I'm finished with shopping except a few odds and ends. I feel so behind right now. I have items picked out for a few people, but not purchased. I have exactly 2 gifts purchased, and I have about 13 more to go. Sigh.

Anyone want to go shopping for me? (Mr. Bean is soooo lucky. I do all his shopping for him!)

Gift Shopping with String Bean

A friend from church is adopting a toddler from China. Tonight, String Bean and I went shopping for her "toddler shower." I figured that String Bean would know what to get being that she fits into the same age group.

As we roamed the aisles of the store, she squealed in delight at all sorts of things. First, she discovered there was a purple dress on the rack and that I was wearing a purple sweater and that pretty much blew her little mind. Next, she found a sippy cup that was exactly like hers and attempted to drink out of it without success.

When we finally made it to the toy section, there were books to be discovered, toys to ride, balls to throw and buttons to press. We finally settled on some kids' kitchen ware (spatulas, bowls, colanders and the like). The great thing about taking her to shop for someone else is that I have a great idea of what to add to her Christmas list!

What's left to do

Don't forget to sign up for our giveaway which ends Monday, December 8 at noon!

I'm nearly ready for Christmas. Go ahead and throw tomatoes. There are a few things I have left to do before I can sit back and enjoy all the holiday has to offer.

I have 3 addresses left to find. (Wade and Jenni, Nicolette, and Kurt and Jen if you are reading this, get them to me pronto.) Once I have all the addresses, phase one of getting the card out is finished. Phase two involves folding the Christmas newsletters I so lovingly wrote (that Mr. Bean hasn't bothered to photocopy for me, yet). Phase three is writing "May your days be merry and bright, and my all your Christmases be white," or something like that in each of the cards. Phase four is putting the photos in the envelopes sealing, stamping and dropping them off at the post office. Lucky for me that I got an e-mail from CVS today telling me those photos are on their way to my local store! I'm excited because I got the prints for 10 cents each. I so totally rock.

I have to finish shopping for Mr. Bean and String Bean. I have one stocking stuffer for String Bean. That's it. You'd think this kid would make a list of what she wants for Christmas. Is that asking too much of a 12 month old? I don't think so. Maybe she'll just get an extra donation to her college fund this year...and the cell phone stocking stuffer so my cell can be mine again. Mr. Bean made me a whopping list of one item. I guess he knows what he's getting. No surprises under the tree this year.

Mr. Bean is one of those "Christmas babies", so I have a birthday to shop for. I already got him tickets to the Bears Jaguars game on Sunday, but that is a bit anti-climatic to have your birthday present 11 days before the big day. So, I'll get him something small to go along with it. My sister, Holly, is a Christmas baby, too, but I got her gifts (Christmas and birthday) mailed to California earlier this week.

I have to wrap about half the gifts I bought. The other half, including those for my parents dog, Leia, and cat, Mango, are already wrapped and in my closet. I suppose I should bring them out and put them under the tree.

That's about it. Today is December 3rd. I'm doing pretty well. How about you? What do you have left to do this season?

Get Ready for the Holiday Rush

Don't forget to enter our giveaway which ends 11/30 at noon! As of this post, we have about 50 entries!!

If you are like me, you aren't made of money. If you are made of money, send me some or we can't be friends anymore.

So, if you aren't made of money, and you're still reading this, I urge you to get going on your Christmas shopping NOW! I've been watching the news and the latest report is that retailers are offering deals usually reserved for after Thanksgiving now. Also, stores are bracing for smaller than usual sales, so their inventory is low. Things like electronics and toys are expected to be sold-out earlier than usual which means finding that perfect gift may be more difficult to find this year if you wait.

Here are some tips for Christmas shopping in 2008:

1. If you don't already have a budget, set one. Remember it is not the amount of money spent, but the thought that goes into the gift that really counts. A gift that cost $20 can have the same impact as a gift that cost $100 if that $20 gift really means something to the recipient. Demonstrate to your loved ones that you really know them by giving a gift that will be treasured by them.
2. Spread out your shopping over the season instead of doing all your shopping at once. This tip will help you with your cash flow. Every pay period, I set aside some money to go shopping with. This year, I have 12 people I must shop for. I'm doing about 3 of them on every pay period so I can avoid using the credit cards.
3. Make a list and check it often! If you can plan out what you're getting for each person on your list, you can watch the sales and purchase gifts when they go on sale. Remember a lot of retailers are giving out coupons this year. The jackpot is purchasing that gift when you have both a sale and a coupon. This requires some planning, but will really save you a lot of money in the end.
4. Skip the card with the gift. Make a homemade card or just add a "to/from" tag instead. This could be a huge savings for your family. Line Hallmark's pockets on other holidays!
   
5. Consider gifts that last a lifetime. Last year, our daughter was 6 weeks old on Christmas Day. What do you get a 6 week old? Instead of getting her a toy she'd never remember, we purchased her a precious gemstone. This is a gift that will last a lifetime for her; however, this was a lot more expensive than a normal budgeted gift. This year, since she's just 1 and probably will not remember what we got her, we are getting her a donation to her college fund. This is a great gift for little ones who will outgrow those clothes or toys you're tempted to give them.
6. Don't forget charity. Keep room in your budget for charity this year. With the economic downturn, many charities are having to cut back this holiday season. Since many charities help those who can't afford Christmas this year, consider doing your part to spread Christmas cheer. Some great Charities that you can give to are: Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army, and your local food pantry or church. This could be a great new Christmas tradition for your family.
   

Got great tips for Christmas shopping this season? Let us hear them!

The Trouble with Joint Accounts

The trouble with joint checking accounts is that more than one person is taking the money out of it. If more than one person is depositing money - no problem. The more the merrier. It is when two people are deducting from it that problems arise. Take for example the "fun" Mr. Bean and I had this week. We do most of our shopping together, but we have "his" and "hers" wallets, so receipts take residence in one or the other and don't always meet up again until I decide to record the expenses in Microsoft Money.

Now, imagine with me a pay period where both "his" and "hers" collect receipts for 2 1/2 weeks without meeting up again. This is a recipie for disaster and is exactly what happened to us this last pay period. Luckily, our bank was slower in recording the expenses than we were, so we dodged a big bullet.

To keep you from making the same mistake that we *almost* made, here are some tips:

1. If you are like us and treat your checking account as an in/out account, consider setting up an auto withdrawal from your savings account should your checking account dip below a pre-set amount.
2. Agree that whomever is the primary financial person in your family holds all the receipts when you go shopping together.
3. Once a week, put all your accumulated receipts into a envelope for the financial partner in your joint account relationship to enter into the system. Make it a habit by doing it on the same day every week. Pick two days a week to do this if necessary. (You can set a reminder using Outlook or other scheduling software.)
   
4. Move to the "envelope system" like my co-blogger Amy and her husband do. When you get paid put all your money in various envelopes for various expenses. For example, have an envelope with a preset amount of money in it for groceries, eating out, debt reduction, entertainment, etc.

Anyone have other tips to share with us to keep from accidentally overdrawing joint accounts?