Favorite time of year

Christmas shopping season!!!


Christmas shopping becomes my hobby in the winter. No joke. I treat it like my hardcore hobby. It might as well be my second job. I start early and do my research. I'll look at every ad between now and when I buy my last present. I have a long list. A big family. I have to make my dollars count.

I start by making a detailed list of who to shop for. Then I write possible gift ideas next to each person's name. I'll go through a couple lists a season because I like my lists up to date.

This list is very important. Why you ask? Because this is where I admit my budget. We (or I) spend an average of $10 per person. That's an average. So some gifts cost a bit more and some a bit less but on the average $10. This is why my shopping is treated like a hobby. My goal is to spend $10 but it can't look like $10. So I start early and shop often.


I actually start the day after Christmas. I like to put ornaments or cookie cutters on everyone's package. The BEST time to stock up on this is the day after Christmas. I know how many I need and I buy accordingly. So I already have this year's stash.


I will also admit sometimes I go over budget. Like last year our niece HAD to have a pair of pjs even though we had already bought her gift. And then her uncle had to add something else to it also. But as a rule we do well sticking to our plan.

This new hobby of mine came about out of necessity when Mark was laid off a few years ago. Our income was cut by over half and I refused to cut out Christmas. But now it's fun. When you have a budget of ten dollars you have to get creative. You have to get out there and SHOP. You can't wait until the last minute to shop or you'll get junk. I think each gift I get now is more meaningful than when we had no budget. I put a lot of effort into making sure I get the perfect gift. I feel good about each gift I wrap and put under my tree.

So I start cutting coupons early and I horde ads like it's my job.


I also take a day off work so I can shop the day after Thanksgiving. I'll get up early (or not go to bed at all :) ) and hit the sales running! I'll have my stash of coupons and my handful of ads that will be marked with bright colored sticky notes as to what I'm looking for at each stop. I'll brief those in my car about what to search for and we'll divide and conquer. I have a job to do and crowds WON'T get in my way. I'll have granola bars in my purse and a mug of hot chocolate in my cup holder. There is NO stopping a girl and her budgeted Christmas list.

I'm already stalking the Black Friday web sites in anticipation. My first draft of my list is made and in my purse. I have four gifts already bought and I'm itching to buy more.


Let the shopping begin!!

Second favorite shopping day of the year

I absolutely LOVE the after Christmas sales. I love getting half price wrapping. I love getting half price gifts for next year. I love buying half price ornaments to put on packages. I love it all and I especially love going to Barnes and Noble and buying half price Christmas books for my future children. For the last few years I've made sure I stop by the bookstore to pick up a few good books for my stash. There's nothing like finding your favorite Christmas story at half the price. This year besides my favorite Christmas books I hit a major jackpot. Barnes and Noble had a big box of stuffed animals sitting out. I dug through them all and almost settled on the characters of Where the Wild Things Are but as I dug into the bottom of the box I notice a soft looking something. I pulled it out and it was a GIANT Classic Pooh bear. Now Pooh is not my favorite children's character but this Pooh was SUPER soft and pretty big. I knew Mark would LOVE it. I snatched up my half-price Pooh and headed to the register. So now beside all the wrapping and ornaments I bought sits the biggest, softest Pooh bear a kid could ever want. Our future child is sure to love it and in the mean time my little monster, I mean Mack, is eyeing him. I'm going to have to find Pooh a home on a high shelf before Mack claims him.

Major Christmas find

I just made a major find of the Christmas shopping season. My friend was looking for these adorable little Zhu Zhu hamsters for her kids. Evidently they are the hot new toy for the season. They are sold out from walmart, target and toysrus.com AND they are going for 30ish bucks online. She told me about them at around 7 p.m. and at midnight I went to Walmart with Mark to stand in line for the new Call of Duty.

I saw in the Walmart ad before we left the house that Walmart was supposed to have them and cost only $8. So when we got there I immediately high tailed it to the toy department and began my search. After walking up each aisle a man approached me to see if he could help. I told him I was looking for hamsters and he said 'Oh they are right over here.' I followed him and discovered seven of the little critters hidden behind a dog in a bag. Jackpot!!! He said 'And they are ringing up for $8!' I, of course, already knew this already and began to load my arms with the furry creatures.

Then I skipped back to the long gamer line to announce proudly to Mark. .... 'Look at all these great hamsters I found, now give me your phone so I can call my mom!!!!'

Mark informed me on the way to the car that a wife should not approach her husband while he's standing in line to buy a war game, surrounded by 50 other males and try to explain her great toy find to him while holding boxes of hamsters. Evidently the wife she bring her own cell phone, buy her hamsters and wait in the car. Well not this wife! This wife wants to share her great find with all within ear shot, including the war-game lovin' guys all around.