To budget around the hollidays? Why? Because I'm an idiot who likes to set herself up for guilt and failure? We all know I have no math skills whatsoever. We KNOW this!
Every stinking year. Here's the thing: I'm a sucker. I'm a sucker for the perfect gift, for the perfect Christmas Eve meal. I'm a sucker for anything that would be cute for Bella's first Christmas. Here's the scenario:
Mellie is nearly done shopping for Peter. Just needs a last minute stocking stuffer and then we're done. Whilst walking through the cologne section of The Bay she comes across "Black" by Kenneth Cole. She smells it, imagines Peter wearing it, and goes a little weak in the knees. $10 stocking stuffer becomes $90 gift set. I don't just blow a Christmas budget; I annihilate them.
With Peter getting stuck in the States, and getting our car brought across the border, we do not have money to burn this year. We don't have money to spend. But I have a line of credit with a 2% interest rate and no minimum payment, since I work at the bank. So Mellie walks into the store this year, needing one more gift for Peter and gets suckered in by some pimple faced teen sales guy, who probably lives with his mother, has no overhead and no brand new baby girl who needs diapers, gripe water, and a myriad of cute sleepers on a regular basis. Of course he'd buy one of these! Of course he would! And now he can afford to, on the commission from my sale. Stupid girl.
The thing is, I am still rotating between a pair of maternity jeans and an old pair of pre-pregnancy jeans that are getting so worn out they're going to disintegrate off my unrecognizable butt. I have no pants that fit. Not one pair. I need to buy some pants. But I put it off, since honestly, I'd rather Peter have a gift under the tree that makes him light up, laugh and say "honey! what did you do?!". And really folks, I'm not going to like how I look no matter what the pants, so why put myself through the torture of figuring out what my "new" jeans size is? Why?
I have zero self control when it comes to gifts for Peter and Bella. None. Every December I resemble one of those people on TV whose finances are so out of control that they don't even look at the bills. I don't. If my checking account runs empty before payday, I transfer some money over from the line of credit and go from there. January to November, I behave. Except for birthdays, and anniversaries, that's more of the same, just not to the same degree of wanton idiocy. I swear, something happens to me in December that says, "bah, whatever. We'll figure it out in January. Think of how happy he'll be on the 25th!!"
Oh well. Merry Christmas to Peter anyway. He'll be thrilled. Until he sees the bank balance.
Every stinking year. Here's the thing: I'm a sucker. I'm a sucker for the perfect gift, for the perfect Christmas Eve meal. I'm a sucker for anything that would be cute for Bella's first Christmas. Here's the scenario:
Mellie is nearly done shopping for Peter. Just needs a last minute stocking stuffer and then we're done. Whilst walking through the cologne section of The Bay she comes across "Black" by Kenneth Cole. She smells it, imagines Peter wearing it, and goes a little weak in the knees. $10 stocking stuffer becomes $90 gift set. I don't just blow a Christmas budget; I annihilate them.
With Peter getting stuck in the States, and getting our car brought across the border, we do not have money to burn this year. We don't have money to spend. But I have a line of credit with a 2% interest rate and no minimum payment, since I work at the bank. So Mellie walks into the store this year, needing one more gift for Peter and gets suckered in by some pimple faced teen sales guy, who probably lives with his mother, has no overhead and no brand new baby girl who needs diapers, gripe water, and a myriad of cute sleepers on a regular basis. Of course he'd buy one of these! Of course he would! And now he can afford to, on the commission from my sale. Stupid girl.
The thing is, I am still rotating between a pair of maternity jeans and an old pair of pre-pregnancy jeans that are getting so worn out they're going to disintegrate off my unrecognizable butt. I have no pants that fit. Not one pair. I need to buy some pants. But I put it off, since honestly, I'd rather Peter have a gift under the tree that makes him light up, laugh and say "honey! what did you do?!". And really folks, I'm not going to like how I look no matter what the pants, so why put myself through the torture of figuring out what my "new" jeans size is? Why?
I have zero self control when it comes to gifts for Peter and Bella. None. Every December I resemble one of those people on TV whose finances are so out of control that they don't even look at the bills. I don't. If my checking account runs empty before payday, I transfer some money over from the line of credit and go from there. January to November, I behave. Except for birthdays, and anniversaries, that's more of the same, just not to the same degree of wanton idiocy. I swear, something happens to me in December that says, "bah, whatever. We'll figure it out in January. Think of how happy he'll be on the 25th!!"
Oh well. Merry Christmas to Peter anyway. He'll be thrilled. Until he sees the bank balance.
4:24 PM
I know how you feel, except that I go through this every single month.
I love Christmas. I always set a budget for Lucas too but I ALWAYS blow it. Mostly because I start shopping for him in November and then I just keep going from there. I need to start dec 20th. then maybe I won't go over.
11:53 PM
What did I learn from all of this heartfelt remorse?
Peter must not read your blog otherwise he would know what he is getting for Christmas.
Yup. That is what I am thinking because all the rest lalalala in one ear and out the other.
8:45 AM
Nah, he wouldn't guess.
The thing with the cologne happened a couple of years ago. :)
Maybe that's what I should do too - shop really late, though I could see myself blowing that too.
9:35 PM
I was thinking the same as Auntie Chris! Does Peter read this blog?
I hear ya on blowing the budget! I am especially bad now that I have grandbabies!
12:45 PM
My weakness is, of course, the kiddies. And you know what I've learned? If I get them too much, none of it is very exciting.
Of course, learning something and applying it are two RADICALLY different things...