Money is tight these days! Anyone else feeling that strain? It's putting some restraints on my spending, but I'm not going to let it get me down. Since we can't afford to fly home for Christmas (tickets to Montana are
expensive), Josh and I are already psyching ourselves up for the most relaxing Christmas ever, spent right here where we already are. Last time we couldn't afford to go anywhere (the first year we were married) we spent all Christmas break lazing about, playing video games all day, eating Christmas cookies nonstop and sipping on delicious cordials sent by my family. I read about a dozen Agatha Christie novels and was totally relaxed. So while I'm really bummed that I won't be seeing my family this Christmas, I know I have many things to look forward to.
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| We didn't get plane tickets home, but we did score free tickets to the Nutcracker! |
Another exciting part about tight budgets is Secret Santa! Our family is getting bigger and bigger, and the only thing nicer than not having to buy gifts for 13+ people is the anticipation of not knowing who drew your name. And then there's always the sneaky smug feeling I get from keeping secrets, which I also enjoy. If you are doing Secret Santa, I highly recommend using this website to organize it for you:
Boogspace. Yes, it's a weird name, but it's very convenient. It will send everything out anonymously, it lets you make rules about who can select who (for example, spouses can't select each other), and it lets you post wish lists for everyone to view - with links!
And
another great thing about Christmas on a budget is the
Crafty Christmas Club. I've gotten a lot of inspiration for homemade gifts here. The edible suggestions are particularly appealing. Who doesn't want
candied pecans? Delicious. Thanks Tilly for organizing this again!
So money is tight, yes, but things aren't bleak and I know I'm not alone. My little sis is writing a
column for
GoodFood World about eating well on a budget, so it seems to be a common theme around here. Anyway, the whole reason I brought up money - even though it's an impolite topic - is that I just opened up an Etsy shop to sell my vintage patterns. Since I can't really justify accumulating more and more patterns and fabric when money is tight, I figure I better sell a few things before I indulge in anything new. So please, check out
my shop! There's not a lot in it now - opening up each pattern, verifying the pieces, taking photos, and creating a listing takes
time - but there will be more before too long.
Yess I like the way you think!
ReplyDeleteIan and I scored some tickets too, to San Francisco on New Years! He knows someone who had plane tickets and tickets to the San Francisco Symphony's New Years Eve Masquerade Gala. But his girlfriend broke up with him :( and he sold us the package cheap! :) Still sort of expensive for us though so it's our Christmas, anniversary, and my birthday present all in one. Those things all happen at the same time anyway, kind of like with Mum and Dad. So ima dress up and pretend like I'm a rich lady from San Fran on New Years.