I have been reading some blogs and online ideas for christmas and I have decided that this will be my very last expensive christmas. If ya'll read my blog than you'll know how much I absolutely LOVE the christmas season. I mean, I love it even more than someone strapping me to a chair and throwing spiders on me! I love it more than a dentist pulling out my teeth without numbing me! I mean, it's so joyous and festive! And who doesn't look good in light up reindeer sweaters?!
This christmas is gonna cost me. I already know that. True, I didn't spend as much as I originally thought because I shopped at Gordmans (My favorite store ever! Go online to see if you have one in your area! Now!...Well, not now. Finish reading my blog first!) But shopping for my mom and dad is gonna cost me because my brother, sister and I always split the cost. This year my sister seems to think it would be a great idea not to give me the money so I have to pay double. Hear that sound? That sound is the sound of me strangling her in my mind.
I have decided that I am going super cheap on gifts for now on. Christmas is not about gifts or a coca-cola designed Santa. Its about spending time with love ones and drinking hot chocolate and watching the Godfather 1 & 2.
Friends
I have decided that, with friends, I'm gonna spend a total of ten dollars. It's really easy to put nice things together for ten dollars and is also a challenge to make it not look like you splurged at the dollar store. I like a challenge. (besides, I only have like three friends I would buy anything for anyway) I mean, its kind of fun. I did something similar to that this year with one friend. She told me not to spend a lot on her if I was gonna get her anything because she couldn't afford to buy anybody anything thise year. I planned on getting her something anyway because she is one of my besties and I ended up finding a great gift for her. It cost a total of four dollars. I gave it to her today. She actually squealed. I mean, what? She loved it and thought it was so cute (it was a box of hershey kisses with one of their old style advertisements on it. She loves old advertisments like the classic coca-cola stuff.) Moral of the story: You don't have to spend a lot to have the perfect gift and I rule.
P.s. got the gift at gordman's.
Family Friends
Now for family friends (total of two). I plan on spending another ten. They always get me something so I kinda feel obligated but they are more neighbors than, 'hey missy, lets gets some drinks or go out to eat sometime! Need a shoulder to cry on? I'm here!' so that's ten dollars. Again, super fun challenge. I have a winning complex.
Family
Now this is where it gets complicated. My family is extremely materialistic. I wish they weren't but they are and they actually judge each other when it comes to what gifts they get. I mean, my mom actually said that I get my uncle better gifts so I must love him more. WTF, MOM! That gives me slight pressure to spend more because I feel like I have to please everyone but forget that! I'm changing my thinking and they can deal. I mean, I get them something. I don't hand them a half-eaten box of candy and say 'go wild' which actually happened to me once. Thank's auntie. Best gift ever. not. Well, the problem with my family is there is a lot of them. I have six aunts and uncles on one side and four on the other. Add in their kids and you have a fun time. I have forty cousins on my mom's side alone. Now, I'm not gonna worry about any of them. They usually don't buy anything for me, unless they already ate half of it and there are too many to deal with. I will be buying for my parents (2), my siblings (2), my grandparent (1) and my closest uncle (1). My brother and sister are too young to work so we will divide the cost of everyone (of course, we buy for each other seperately. We don't divide the amount on my brother. My brother gets gifts from me and sis. Just better that way. I plan on spending 50$ on each of my parents and my uncle (remember that will be divided so I don't actually spend that much) and then 15$ on brother and sister (30 total) and 25$ on my grandmother (we never see her and that will also be divided)
Relationship
Now I have a boyfriend and his family to buy for. They have already told me not to spend more than 5$ on them which makes me really happy. For them, that's 15$. Buying for him, not so sure. We always try to spend the same amount on each other so there is no, 'I spent 150$ on you and you bought me a three dollar teddy bear!!!' Yeah, don't wanna deal with that. I haven't talk to him on that one and he can be picky on certain things so I'm gonna leave that one a huge question mark. Here it is: ? Imagine it bigger.
Total
Okay, Here is my total. This is actually the first time I've looked at it so I'm gonna be as suprised as you...that or tired of reading this. *drum roll* After spliting the price of family members with my brother and sister I get a total of 153.34? I put the question mark there because I'm not sure about my boyfriend. It's a little more than I thought but I'm pretty happy with it. I mean, even if it went up to closer to 200$ that's still a lot less than what this christams will be.
I thought about bringing down how much I spend on my uncle but I'm not doing that. My uncle isn't married because his fiancee died in a car crash and treats us like his kids. He calls me every week and is the first to offer any help when things gets tough. He's absolutely the only family member that does that. He deserves fifty dollars on his gift.
Okay, I'm done. Just felt like blogging. Oh, and if you actually read this all the way through, you deserve a cookie. I mean, that had to be as fun as getting a light up christmas sweater.
GO TO GORDMAN'S NOW!!!
My last expensive christmas
December 8th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
December 8th, 2008 at 11:04 pm 1228777445
December 8th, 2008 at 11:29 pm 1228778959
December 9th, 2008 at 06:17 am 1228803462
December 9th, 2008 at 03:26 pm 1228836403
How old are your brother and sister? If they are too young for jobs than why are people expecting expensive gifts from them? I guess I dont understand how you can be split a $50 gift if your sister is not giving you money. I would suggest you just wait to buy the gifts unless you find that 'perfect' gift.
What are mom and dad into? I bet if you posted what they were into and asked for frugle ideas, you would get tons of ideas of how to spend little but look like you put alot of thought and money into it.
December 9th, 2008 at 03:59 pm 1228838354
December 9th, 2008 at 09:06 pm 1228856778
My brother and sister are around 14 and 15 so they are old enough to get off their lazy butts and go rake leaves but not old enough to contribute to society. Around here they don't hire until your sixteen and even then they prefer seventeen or eighteen. Which explains why I didn't get my first job until I was 18. The amounts I have posted are amounts I am limiting myself too. I'm not going to spend more than that. If I can spend less, that's super awsome but in no way will I go over it. Unless tax makes it an extra quarter. I'll be okay with that.
December 9th, 2008 at 09:13 pm 1228857228
December 10th, 2008 at 10:58 am 1228906734
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