The Christmas fund is connected to the sanity fund

One of the best funds we ever started in our journey towards debt-free living, is the Christmas fund.  Seriously - a sanity saver. A Huge sanity saver.

This year, as we're blowing through the holidays, I'm reassessing that fund.  The kids have gotten bigger, the lists have gotten pricier, and the party invites naturally increased as they've grown.

So I'm jotting notes, including...

• Gift Exchanges.  Count all of them - Cousins/Church/School/etc.  Include those dollar gifts - we've been known to spend over $50 a year on dollar gift exchanges alone.  They DO add up. 
• Christmas Cards
• Postage for your Christmas cards
• Postage for mailing packages
• Holiday Baking
• Gifts in the Home - Our kids are getting older, so their lists are changing and becoming more expensive.
• Entertainment - Are there events that you pay to attend each year?
• Charity
• Gift Wrap/packaging
• Travel Expenses - Do you go home for Christmas?  Add it in. 
• Teacher gifts
• Tips

I'm sure there are more.

We've kept our fund the same the past couple years, but this year I'm keeping track again in order to reassess.  At the end of the season I'll add it all up, divide by 12, and put that bit away each month.   It's a HUGE relief when December rolls around to have that money put away, especially during this economy when Christmas bonuses are pretty much a perk from the past, no longer in existence. 

*****************

Other Nonsense -

• My crown appointment yesterday went well.  Well, considering.  While under the influence of nitrous it seems I agreed to a gold crown.  I laughed all the way home.  A gold crown.  SO not me - but the kids will get a bang out of it I guess.
• I emailed my family yesterday to try to pin down a date for the family party and not a single one of them responded which can only mean that not a single one of them has started their gift yet and they are all in denial or panic mode.  Typical.
• And no, I've not started - but I have an idea - and that's half the battle.
• I have a wicked sinus headache this morning.  I'll  be sipping the apple cider vinegar concoction all day
• After Story hour
• and before grocery shopping
• I need to make another trip to Ikea before Christmas.  But when?
• I'll be going thru the second round of carving emails today and mailing out this afternoon. Before grocery shopping.
• I ordered myself this print for my birthday. Isn't she cute?  I love yellow. 
• I'm shopping for a 36-38" wide six drawer dresser to replace the deacon's bench in our front entry.  Salvation Army didn't have any last night - Target didn't have anything last night - and my quick browse through Craigslist didn't turn up anything. I will try the antique store soon.  I'm hoping it will solve all of our hat and mitten woes.  Positive thinking. 
• Any suggestions on keeping hat and mittens organized would be greatly appreciated.
• It's so hard to articulate my thoughts clearly when I'm constantly interrupted by the little boys.
• That's about it for now.....

Comments

[Anna K]

Hats and mittens=the bane of a mothers winter existence. No solutions to offer here...I need one myself!

[Amanda Susan]

we have something like this for our hats and gloves and it works out wonderfully.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50145326

got it at Ikea.

[Brita]

I train my kids to stick them in their sleeves. And I do the same. It works good when they're dry. When they're wet, they go down by the woodstove to dry out.

[Sharyn]

I like the size and look of that one Amanda - I've actually looked at it a couple times. BUT - the ones we looked at on Saturday were all busted - which led me to believe that no way would they hold up to four busy kids in our house.

[Courtney]

I've seen this idea before if you have a closet in your front entry:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F51AI0/ref=asc_df_B001F51AI0985425?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B001F51AI0

instead of putting shoes in the slots you can put hats and gloves in them. Living in Texas we don't have to pull out the hat and gloves very often.

I love reading your blog every day Sharyn!

[Tina Cockburn]

Courtney and I were thinking along the same lines. Here's what I instantly thought of:

http://www.amazon.com/Whitney-Design-01822-Ten-Pocket-Hanging/dp/B0000CNQYN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1260906716&sr=8-1

[Ann Bimberg]

got our fake deacon's bench from a craft sale....any antique/craft stores near you you can check out?
i'm a geek about out hats/gloves.
when the kids get home from school, they have to hang up snowpants and jackets, empty and hang their backpacks, and put all hats/gloves/scarves inside them so they are ready for tomorrow.....

[carol in seattle :)]

I was hoping your link was to that Ward Jenkins print! I *love* his work! Did you know he has a blog? (http://wardomatic.blogspot.com) or that he worked with Rubber Soul to make some stamps (and will be making more)? http://rubbersoul.myshopify.com/collections/ward-jenkins-stamps

Ah yes, Ward Jenkins makes me happy!!!!

[carol in seattle :)]

ps. Bookgirl is my desktop wallpaper. And I'm hoping to get Hello, Sun (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24373270) for Christmas.

[JP]

I hung a decorative chain from a hook about seven feet off the floor (its' about six ft long) and we clothes pin our mitts and hats to the chain. Everything dries really well (I think I had a pic over on the ol' blog but for the life of me...and the time it's taking while a 3 yr old wants his bedtime books...I can't find it). Unbelievably, nobody hangs from it (and that is saying a LOT!) and it never gets swung around or anything.

[Beatle]

A Christmas fund! Now why didn't I think of that?? I'll have to add that to our budget starting in January, that will make life so much easier next year. We don't even have that much to buy for but it sure does add up.