My sister and I went to my parents house on Christmas Eve to open our presents. My mom told me that she didn’t do much for us this year but she told us a white lie!

To my big surprise my parents bought me a digital camera. I have been wanting a new one. I had an old Kodak Easy Share from ‘01. That is obsolete by todays standards.

They got me a Canon Powershot SD 750. The pictures it takes are beautiful.

My parents also got my sister and I a gift card to the spa. I will call and book that ASAP! I need it. I could use a week at the spa. You can never go wrong with getting a girl a gift card to the spa.

My sister made my gift. This gift would fall right under the priceless category. I had no idea that she had done it. I was blown away when I unwrapped the frame which had a bunch of pictures of us as kids in it. I love it.

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I was fortunate enough to have been offered a position at what I call my “dream job” in October. I haven’t worked in this kind of environment before.

The company buys our lunch three days a week, sometimes 4 or 5 days a week!

I came from working at the School Board. They bought our lunch once a year!

That alone saves me a huge amount of money. I usually have a large lunch then when I get home at night I am not real hungry so I will fix toast, cereal, grilled cheese or something quick and easy.

We have kitchen at work that is stocked with snacks, sodas, bottled water and coffee. There is breakfast food in the kitchen as well. So I really don’t have to buy much food. That helps cut down on my misc. spending while I am in the grocery store. I usually grocery shop at Super Target so I can venture to the other side of the store and see “what I can’t live without”.

I save money in two different columns since I don’t have to go to the store near as much.

I feel so fortunate to work for a company that is so giving and generous.

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I moved over the weekend. I really have to watch every single penny that I spend. Sure there are a few things that I need…

Trash Can for Kitchen
Lightbulbs
Night Lights
Batteries
Shower Curtain Liner

But none of those things do I need to drop everything I am doing and run out and purchase. I am sure while I am at Wal-Mart buying those things I will find 5 other items I “need”. So I have opted just make due with what I have.

I could justify running out and buying any one of those items but I am not. I am going to leave that money in my account because right now… I don’t know what my future holds.

Think about all of the misc. items that you purchase. $3.00 here $5.00 there. It isn’t a lot of money but it sure ads up.

When you pay a $35.00 return check fee because your account is $3.00 short… you wish you had that three bucks in your account.

I was tempted to stop by Chick-fil-a on the way home for dinner but I thought about $6.00 dollars of cold hard cash coming out of my pocket and I changed my mind.

I quickly added up what $6.00 a day was over a month and I came up with $180.00.
I would rather save up those $6.00 bucks and buy something that is worth $180.00.

I challenge you to see how many days you can “go without!”

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I have decided that I am only buying my family one present each this year and it came to a whopping $45.00 after discounts and rebates.

Everyone in my family has everything that we “need”. Sure we have wants… but don’t we all? That list will be endless.

Christmas isn’t about gifts.

This year has been one of the worst years of my life so when I say that I would like to have “peace” in my life… I mean it. It sounds so cliche but it is true. I just want to feel content and at peace. You can’t purchase peace, no matter how much money you have.

I recently moved and I had so much crap, it was unreal. I would love to have 1/2 of the money that I paid for all of the stuff that I left behind and that I didn’t want to move.

Why are we all consumed with stuff? It really doesn’t make us happy.

I would rather my family have a little cash in the bank and have financial peace in their heart then for me to have a present to open for Christmas.

Financial peace changes your soul.

The thought of my family having to worry about paying for gifts for the next six months would bother me terribly. There isn’t anything that my family could buy me that I would want them to have to worry about paying that bill later. NOTHING

Think about it… what did you get for Christmas last year and from who? More than likely you can’t remember.

Instead of buying gifts, create new traditions with your family.

Bake cookies for santa.

Bring food to the homeless.

Bring blankets to a shelter.

Bake food for the elder.

Adopt a widow that is lonely at Christmas and would give anything to just be with other people that care about them at Christmas.

Bring blankets to a shelter for animals that are cold.

The joy you will have in your heart and the morals you will pass on to your children will far surpass any gift that you could buy them.

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