Blogmas Day 10-Lists and Links!

     

     We are preparing for the first really good winter snow fall for the season expected to start late morning to midday. My older daughter has friends for the weekend, and they came late last night bringing board games and she did a shop earlier in the week for provisions for them to have a good old fashion tuck December tuck in. My younger daughter, after they did a second performance last night, were loaded and bac on coach busses for their 3 1/2 hour drive north (four+ for us) so will be safely back before the snow starts there, but I think the northern half f the state is expected to get less than the metro and south. If she needs food and stuff, she can eat on campus, or walk a  few blocks to either a Walgreens or a grocery store if they don't want to move cars. Her acapella is scheduled to do a few performances over the weekend so I'm hoping her roads are clear before they traipse all over the northland. Ds texted during the Vikings game last night-we were home to still see much of the second half, fully prepared that the defense was going to crash and burn and blow their 29 point lead. they tired! the game ended 36-28, Vikings for the win-sorry Joann. This week the Steelers were the worst of the two disappointing teams. DH has t go to work, but I'm guessing they'll spend more time moving the few cars around and plowing than actually doing any sales. 

     That leaves me! With knocking off a few hours early to dress like a human going out for the night, pic up people, and brave rush hour traffic to get to the concert on time, I need to  play catch-up this morning and I have a few meetings. Now that my commute is 10 steps to my office, I save valuable time previously spent in commuter hell on days like this. If it is slow this afternoon, as it's supposed to be my day off, I'll get  started on my Saturday list-the laundry, regular cleaning, and the decorations finalized.  The mammoth job will be to clean both the refrigerator and freezer thoroughly, the crevices of the kitchen, and the stove-even pulling out and getting the sides for those pesky spills that might not have been caught. But hey-I have all day Saturday too. I need to get cards addressed and ready to mail (Anna in France, I think yours's may end up being a New Year's card!). I need to finalize my  gift list-make sure I have not forgotten anyone, and list the items still needed, and start wrapping. I probably sound like I am overwhelmed, but I'm not this year. It is my weekend though to also binge some YouTube streaming and a holiday classic or two. 

If this weekend plan sounds like your cup of tea, here's a few places to go for a little help. 

Are you not sure what's available to watch and on what platform? Real Simple provided this link to help plan your Christmas viewing list. Where to stream your favorite holiday shows and movies

Are you looking for more sustainable ways to  wrap your gifts this year? Eco-watch has you covered with 12 Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping ideas. 

Good Housekeeping has an abundance of tips to deep clean my kitchen. 

And while I address those cards, I even found tips to write a nice but not  vomit inducing Christmas or New Years letter. How to Write a Non-Braggy Christmas Letter-It is possible! 

     As we are 1/3 of the way to December and officially on the two week countdown to Christmas Eve, mostly I'm trying to convince myself to not sweat the small details. I want to enjoy, but its just fine to get a few tips and help to also get the kind of holiday I want to have and give to others. . 

Day 8-Fudge!

      I've only recently been a convert to making fudge for Christmas. I have the two ingredient  recipes to thank for this. I knew I was on to something when my mother-in-law, who is a very good dessert and treat maker, contacted me after we brought her some of the peanut butter chocolate last year, to make for her friends. A little fudge goes a long way-it is so rich and decadent, so giving away a little plate with 1/2 to a dozen pieces doesn't feel chintzy. Likely I'll make three batches and use for  neighbor and friend gifts along with their Christmas cards and some to share for get togethers. I still have cellophane bags bought in previous years, but I think I'll stop at the Dollar Tree for reinforcements. I take no credit for any of these recipes, but neither do I know where to give credit as the same things are all over the internet.

Peanut Butter

• 1 jar (18 ounce) peanut butter, chucky or smooth)
• 1 can vanilla frosting

Melt together and pour in a 8 by 8, or 5 by 9 pan, lined with parchment paper, chill to set

Chocolate Peanut Butter (tasted like Reeses)

• 1 jar (18 ounce) peanut butter, chucky or smooth)
• 1 can chocolate or chocolate fudge frosting

Melt together and pour in a 8 by 8, or 5 by 9 pan, lined with parchment paper, chill to set

Fudge: Straight Up

• 3 Cups chocolate chips
• 1 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Melt chips, stir until smooth. Pour in SC milk, stir until smooth. Pour in a 8 by 8, or 5 by 9 pan, lined with parchment paper, chill to set

     If I'm feeling fancy, I might use smaller squares, and then reserve 1/3 of the peanut butter and 1/3 of the straight up fudge and make layered. I also think it might be fun to reserve part of the peanut butter and add chocolate chips on top before it sets, or add some shredded coconut to part of the fudge version. It just doesn't get easier. I'm sure there are better versions of fudge out there, but I had no complaints and a few requests for more. Call me lazy. 

Thrifty Thursday: Gift Giving Strategy When Trying to Trim a Budget

      I feel like I already do pretty well in the gift giving department, finding nice gifts at decent prices, and try to avoid crap just to give a gift. In my quest though to reach a one earner lifestyle by January 1, 2024, every area of discretionary spending needs to be  reviewed, and gift giving is one of them. I have four categories of gifts-Christmas, birthdays for family members, "days Holidays", and miscellaneous for things like weddings, showers, and new babies, as well as  milestone b-days of friends. The miscellaneous bucket seems to be the hardest to plan for since these are gift giving events we have no control over, nor sometimes lead time to plan. Here's a few strategies to trim our spending.

Make a Gift Recipient List and Budget

     I need to create  list and a budget heading into the year, and stick to it. Whenever possible, I'll shop ahead of time, and if we truly do not have a good gift idea, just supplement with cash. I'm happy to stick in a favorite box of movie theater candy or a jar of homemade jam, or a fresh baked loaf of bread if just giving cash feels too impersonal. Gift cards towards specific activities might be a good gift instead of cash if I know it will be used. Cash and gift cards don't save me anything from my budget, but they keep me on budget and I'm not buying stuff that might just be wasted. The next ideas cross all categories.

Combine gift cards to restaurants with "freebies" in our entertainment budget.      

               For example, I just bought $50 in Applebee's and got $20. We can buy several gift cards for others, but use the $20 freebie, usually with a very short window, towards our own entertainment budget, shifting the funds to the gift category.  The limitation to this is it probably will all be gift cards to chain and not local restaurants. Still, it can be a good gift that could be bought in advance if you know you have several milestone birthdays, or new parents that might love nothing better than either a night out, or a call and pick-up meal. 

Shop with Discount/Freebie Gift Cards

     I plan to put all my Target earnings from MS Rewards toward Christmas again this year. I also have a few from the "free" gift card promotions Target periodically does, so those will get applied as well. I'm leery of sites like Gift Card Granny, but I've heard or read there are places that sell or have sales on gift cards form time to time. Does Dollar General ring a bell? If you know or have good luck with any sites, let me know. 

No frills practical gifts: 

     Interesting fact I learned at Trivial last night, 56% of people surveyed like getting socks for Christmas. I hit a great clearance sale at a high end outdoor clothing store last January. Guess what a lot of gifts will be this  Christmas and for winter birthdays? Extra thick socks, wooly mittens, and hats are a necessity in my part of the states. Likewise, stocking up on  summer items for those gift giving needs help defray paying full or even the on-sale price in the current season. Then there are seasonless gifts for some people on my list that I've targeted for collection. Think tank tops, leggings, and athletic shorts for the girls in my life who wear year round in layering or for working out, swimsuit cover ups (Summer and travel), and men's high end quality t-shirts. I hit a rock bottom sale on thick white cotton Ralph  Lauren tee's over a decade ago. The one's DH has look better than basic Hanes he just got  a year or two ago. I need to think beyond clothing though, and sporting and camping stores or departments in stores can yield some great buy ahead gifts, like Fire Starters I got for 1/3 price. Now that I have a virtually clear closet in the office, I can  better organize my purchase ahead gifts. 

Miscellaneous Gifts: Baby, Wedding Shower. and Wedding and Milestone Birthdays

     I'll start the year thinking through the potential life events with my family and close friends.  Once I do that, I'll pad my budget with  2 small (b-day) 2 mid (new baby/showers) and 1 large (wedding), then add all, decide my budget, and divide by 12 to build the cash reserve. These events can be tough as it seems  more and more new mom's and couples have specific wants, or already have a lot of stuff, but have big ticket items only left on a registry. I try and combine any deals I can with the items on the list like rebates, applying coupons, or earning points/gift cards back. To tighten my belt, I might have to change what I do with those savings as historically, I've used the savings to  put back more into the gift.  Sometimes, or most often, times, cash in the range I budgeted for, or a gift card to a preferred store, in the amount budgeted for is where I'll end up. So while not really a savings strategy, it keeps me on budget. 

      This sounds terrible, but one gift recipient that seems to blow our budget regularly is DH's mom. Either DH or his sibling will identify a need type for her-at her house, or at the lake, and determine if we just give it as a gift, then we'll know it has been taken care of. It's not a bad plan, but everyone also still ends up giving individual gifts as well. And, the big gift, even split three ways, is not cheap. For example, we replaced all the door handles in her large townhouse with the type that are push down and pull, so she no longer has to turn the door knob. Excellent for her independence, but split three ways, we still spent $250 each for her birthday. Now, my MIL is not a  penny watching pensioner living on  SSI. She is quite comfortable, bordering on wealthy. She also though is very careful about money, and would not have gone out and replaced perfectly good door knobs on her own, even though she complains that on her bad days she can hardly turn the door to get into her bathroom. 

     What's my plan? Well, She tends to give DH and I cash for both our birthdays and at Christmas. We too do not need anything, and if want something, we tend to plan, budget, then save. My way to offset these extra expensive gifts is to put her gift money to us, towards these gift purchases for her. It wouldn't be a quid pro quo, but more of a "the cash is there" kind of process. To be honest, I think that is kind of what DH's sister does, based on a comment or two. Quite frankly, peace of mind that something has been done to make her life easier and safer is a gift to all of us! 

     I know my gift buying list probably seems excessive to many readers. It does to me as well. Until I trim the number of reasons for gifting and to whom, I'll use strategies to not blow my budget. Of course, a really great gift is time, so if you want to truly show people you care, carve out time to spend with them this season.