MisaLady

Regarding giftmas:
Luckily, I only have a few people to shop for and no kids (except possibly my husband's sister's kid - not sure if we're doing that - long story, but his family isn't very close). One of my sisters is due in March, so this will probably be our last Christmas that we don't have to get for a kid for quite some time. My sisters and I are all doing handmade gifts, so that can be less expensive if I need to do so.

I never know what to get my mom and my stepdad. ...

And, since most of it gives a background of how/what I'm doing, I'm going to post a copy of my first post in that thread here:

I need to start a frugal challenge for myself, because no matter how much money I bring it, it never seems to be enough. I have no EF. I can't make myself save money. When the money I have in my check runs out, I dig into the $25 that I have put in my savings account every paycheck.

My biggest "weaknesses" (as far as frugality goes) ...

Some of today's "flung" items: 4 tiny lip glosses and 2 blushes from one of those kits that seem so ubiquitous at holidays in colors that I would never wear - these were all probably four or five years old, 3 flavor packets from the gunk I had to take before my colonoscopy (I was thinking I could use them for drinks - but, aside from tasting like crap, they say not to do that on the label), and several containers from various different items - mostly drink containers that I thought I'd ...

I'm struggling to adjust to the lower income that we have now that my husband is working a different job. I've always been pretty bad with money, but before, if something didn't get paid, I could get the money from my husband (it's been like that for several years). Now? Not quite the same way.

We're examining our lifestyle and finding what can be trimmed, but trimming is always painful.

I've been packing my lunch every day. Here was today's lunch:




Tomato and mozz (aka a cut-up string cheese) skewers, a heart shaped egg (which I dyed pinkish red), blackberries, meatballs, and cucumber salad. I find I'm satisfied with a lot less when my food is, as a co-worker described it, "festive".