A few weeks ago I was shopping at our local Target when I rounded a corner and ran smack dab into a Christmas/Halloween display. I was on the phone with my sister and I remarked to her that at that precise moment my head literally imploded! While it was very disconcerting and I was even a little perturbed by the blatant commercialization of Christmas it did not stop me from buying my Christmas cards that night! I had to hold myself back and refrain from getting them ready to go that evening. So, as I sit here and contemplate getting my mailing list together and questioning how soon is too soon to send the cards I am also considering the inclusion of a Christmas letter. I think I may have done one before but I've always been a bit 'put off' by the letter writing process. I've just never seen us as Christmas letter people. Of course Paul could not care less and therefore he is no help. The question remains... letter or no letter. The internal debate continues.
To quote Monty Python, now for something completely different...
We had a garage sale yesterday. Let me preface this bit with the following statement: I LOATHE garage sales. I do not like other people picking over my junk and passing judgement on it. Now, you can tell me all day long that isn't the case, but you and I both know it is. People drive by and cast their disapproving stares in the direction of your former treasure turned junk. My in-laws joined us for the day and it was really nice.
We were following the advice of Dave Ramsey to sell everything...sell so much that the kids begin to think they're next! So we unloaded about 15 years worth of junk (hey, it's mine and I can call it junk!). It was a really successful day. We'll be sending a pretty respectable check off to American Express. We're on a course, slow moving as it may be, to retire all of our debt in the next 2 years. If there's one thing Paul and I are good at it's been eliminating debt and then recreating it! We're shooting for the elimination but not the recreation this time around.
It's been a conscious effort on our part to be better with money, both in how we handle it and how we think about it, so that we don't pass on any toxic money habits to our child. For my part, it's been about confronting the issues and dealing with them rather than hiding and fighting the urge to vomit when the subject comes up. I grew up in a house that was miserable when Dad would get out the adding machine and spreadsheet. Yes, a real adding machine and an old-fashioned spreadsheet, my father was a CPA. For as smart as my Dad was, and he was brilliant, he wasn't great with our family finances. Every bill paying session was one that found us on the brink of broke, or at least that is what he communicated to us, sometimes subtley and sometimes verbatim. So to say that I have money anxiety is a terrible understatement. I'm working on it though. The course we began, Financial Peace University, has been helpful in a lot of ways and off putting for me in others. I'm INTENSELY private about financial matters. I find it uncomfortable to discuss money with others, especially strangers, and while there's no real pressure to discuss your money in the class it was still very uncomfortable. Overall it's been an elightening program even though our attendance has been what you might call great. We have learned some valuable skills, however.
In addition to trying not to send Christmas cards too early I'm also trying to delay putting up our Christmas trees. I'm actually feeling like decorating this year, and I figure I should strike while the iron is hot considering for a few years we didn't even put up a tree at all. I've been thinking, which is always dangerous, that this really might be our last childless Christmas. I don't like to get my hopes up too high but it just might be it. Our wait will be 39 months tomorrow. We could be getting a call some time in April or May of 2010, dare I even think it.
So, until the next post...
Lisa
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