Christmas killed me this year

Avatar for colomom99
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Christmas killed me this year
18
Tue, 12-21-2004 - 2:47pm

And I was doing so well. I had paid off a couple credit cards and was on a good repayment plan but I'm afraid I lapsed. Part of it (no excuse, just poor planning) was I have two kids with December birthdays plus there are a lot of hands out right now -- teacher gifts, preschool gifts, secret santas, etc. And then there is the biggest killer of all: no school. We have to pay almost $500 extra for drop-in daycare while school is out. It really bites that we have to pay a fixed amount of afterschool care every month whether there is school or not. Then they charge extra for "camp" on school vacations which doesn't even cover all of the days the kids are out of school. I'm going to have to take some days off work without pay to cover for those days because I am out of vacation days and we have absolutely no one who can watch the kids.

Anyway, I'm disappointed with myself that I have slipped and charged some things. The one positive is that I opened a Christmas club account for the first time in my life last week. It's only $10 a week but I figure $520 next year will go a very long way towards not getting myself in this bind again.

Our company's union just negotiated a new contract for a pathetic raise but at least it is retroactive to October so sometime next month my husband and I will both get a couple hundred in back pay. That will go immediately to the Target credit card I had to reactivate. I've already cut it up again.

Thanks for letting me whine, Jenny

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 12-30-2004 - 9:16am

"you probably need an OVERALL plan for bringing your expenses more in line with your means, all through the year, right?"

Absolutely! I think that's a cornerstone of the whole concept behind building up savings accounts for certain expected but irregular savings (Christmas, taxes, car repairs, clothing, etc.). I think you are right--saving for Christmas must be only a *part* of a larger plan to keep spending within means, and preparing for the eventualities of life so that we don't end up in debt again.

Of course, saving for Christmas is on a lot of our minds right now, lol. So I think that's why we're making plans now. I know my debt-paying plan is several years long, so if I waited until the debt was all paid to save for Christmas, I'd be caught off guard every year for several years. Of course, ideally, it would be GREAT to be able to just say, "well, I won't spend *anything* for Christmas until my debts are paid off." But the reality for most of us is that there are workplace exchanges, and friendship exchanges, and neighborly exchanges, and family exchanges, and children with sweet little faces hoping for Santa this year, and none of that is cheap or easy to avoid.

The other thing that's going on, I think, is that few of us would be here if our money skills were 100%. So we celebrate the small successes and build on those, so that by the time our debts are gone, we will be so good at managing our money it won't happen again (barring extreme circumstances, of course, which can happen to anyone).

Anyway, thanks for clarifying your thoughts. I'm glad you're here, and I look forward to hearing more from you (by the way, have you introduced yourself yet? Forgive me if I've missed it. If not, let us hear about you!). :)

Blessings,

Heather

Avatar for cl_beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-30-2004 - 9:49am

"The other thing that's going on, I think, is that few of us would be here if our money skills were 100%. So we celebrate the small successes and build on those, so that by the time our debts are gone, we will be so good at managing our money it won't happen again (barring extreme circumstances, of course, which can happen to anyone)."


BINGO - If all we ever focused on was the big picture I

Avatar for nicholasaleksandr
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Thu, 12-30-2004 - 10:44am

Jenny, I feel your pain only i wasnt on a good payment schedule with my credit cards, trying to get together a budget now. I hear you on the school gifts and after school care, I am in the same boat plus they charge 1.00 a minute you are late ( has to be in cash) and with the holiday traffic they really made out on me. I had to take this week off to take care of my son becuase of no school so i know how you feel. the gifts cost a small fortune and i really cut down on them. but the shool gifts still ran me 100.00, like you said everyone with their hand out and i didnt tip the postal or garbage men this year, just not enough money. I had to reactivate my discover card, it was clean for 6 months . You are not alone. I am determined that this year I will get money under control
You sound like you just got blindsided with the holiday so good for you. good idea on the christmas club. going to start it this week (or next when i get paid)

mary anne

Avatar for cl_phocid
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 12-30-2004 - 11:09am

Hi ladies - interesting discussion.


I realize that most people do carry cc balances here in America - I'm currently one of them, but I plan not to be!

All my best,
Danni

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 12-30-2004 - 11:18am

Was I supposed to tip the postal worker and the garbage man??? How much? And how?

Help!!!

Avatar for mymartes
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 12-30-2004 - 11:34am

Heather,
I think it's a matter of choice.

I tipped the FebEx guy. I gave him $10 in a christmas card. Every month, he brings my DD her immunsuppressant medication. He patiently waits for me to get to the door. He is always the one that brings us any other package.

As for the mailman. I didn't give him anything. It's just I rarely see him.

MYM

Avatar for nicholasaleksandr
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Fri, 12-31-2004 - 7:51am
I use to give the mailman 10.00 each year and the sanitation guys 20.00 (5.00 perguy) in my town i have even seen people wrap up gifts and leave it for them on top of the trash cans. This could be just my town. I feel like i live with the stepford wives at times, I really dont fit in here LOL
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-15-2004
Fri, 12-31-2004 - 4:44pm

Everyone, as much as I don't like to whine, I have to say I've nearly had it with these holidays. Instead of being able to focus on what (to me) the reason for celebrating and being with my family, I got roped in to participating in many things that I did not want to. For instance, at my work, I was required to bring a 10.00 gift to play "crazy santa". I do not like this game and I felt it was a ridiculous waste of my time. Secondly, I'm buying a 10 dollar present to swap around with people who make upwards to 7 thousand dollars a month. Yes, a month . . .(I take home a little over a thousand) And, you guessed it, I went home with the same gift I brought (not that I don't like the gift, I bought something I wanted for myself) On top of that, my son's daycare had a party for which we were supposed to bring a 5 dollar gift for some child I've never met and know nothing about. Ok, It's not so terrible to spend 5 dollars on the gift, but to announce that you are having a party and then require everyone that patronizes your business (for which I pay 85 dollars a week whether she opens the daycare or not on a particular day) to bring some party item (including major food items), and then assign the item . . . I guess I should just count my blessings that I wasn't assigned to bring a 100 dollar "Honey Baked Ham".

Anyway, I just gotta say I'm happy it's over and I'm planning on being sick for the day of the christmas party next year.

Thanks for listening.

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