Geepers. S and I have put our wallets on lock-down as of yesterday until our budget starts over next month. We have to make it 9 more days without any noticeable purchases. (Can we do it?!)
Between holiday gift$, the turkey and trimming$, entertaining friend$, the mo$t awe$ome cu$tom card$, and needing/wanting new pant$, we/I have tapped the budget and then $ome.
Granted, I got a wee bit of a raise when I was promoted, but not enough to justify all this over-spending. Where did I go wrong??
Custom cards, a fresh, local turkey and new pants were really the only splurges. But I have excuses for all of that:
1) This is the only appropriate time to use wedding/engagement photos in card-form. If I don't stomp on this milestone this year, I never can!
2) This may be the only Thanksgiving I host so I need to make it wow-ser.
3) And well, I am popping buttons on my old pants and am upgrading from hand-me-downs.
Ok, ok. Calm down mom and dad. We are still meeting all of our basic needs, paying all of our bills, and still contributing to savings. All's well.
So let's explore where we went right:
1) Use coupons/Groupons/sales to shop for gifts. I was able to use a coupon on like 80% of our gifts for family this year and the rest were on sale/discount. Fives.
2) Splurge on only some things (the turkey).
3) When entertaining, go pot-luck! Even our Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a group effort.
4) We're spending inside of our means. No lay-away, no credit card bills larger than our checking account balance, no opening up new lines of credit, no black-Friday plans to buy electronics we don't need (cough cough, S, cough cough).
5) Eat leftovers! To make room for all of the Thanksgiving food and all of the Thanksgiving leftovers, eat what you have now. Oh and leftover make great lunches, so pack your lunch.
What are you doing to financially survive the holidays?
Have you found Black Friday deals for which you were glad to get up at 3 AM?
I am seriously curious.
