It blows my mind that Christmas is only three months away
already! This year has really flown by
and I have to say it has really been an amazing year so far. With so much going on this year we've
accomplished quite a bit and had some expenses to go along with all of
that. My youngest made the high school
dance team, which is costly, but extremely important to her. My oldest is now away at college and we all
know how expensive that can be. We also
acquired some unexpected medical bills last spring along with the usual
expected ones so it has been an expensive year for us so far.
We had a family meeting earlier in the year to discuss all
of the financial challenges we faced and we all three agreed that we'd prefer
experiences over gifts this year for Christmas.
As the year progressed and our financial challenges grew we were really
glad we had made this decision. It took
a lot of pressure off of all of us.
We've had some wonderful experiences so to us it has totally been worth
it.
This year I have been really blessed that my boss has
allowed me to work as much overtime as I want.
It has really helped me to stay on track and get things paid. Last Friday we were extremely blessed to
receive the news from the hospital that they were writing off the balance due
from my youngest daughter's emergency room visit last spring. I cannot tell you the relief that I felt when
I read the letter that came in the mail that day. I am so incredibly grateful for this good
fortune. This is truly my Christmas
present this year!
I have to admit, I didn't want to apply for assistance with
the hospital. I fully expect to pay my
bills and take care of things. I work
hard every day to do exactly that, but I decided to set aside my pride and fill
out the paperwork, print out my tax return and copy my bank statements as well
as my pay stubs and send it all in. I
don't like having to do that at all, it really bothers me, but now I am really
glad I did it.
Since receiving this news the girls and I are really feeling
some relief. Not having a huge hospital
bill looming anymore is incredible. We
all feel like we might be able to have a little more Christmas now. Nothing over the top, just a few gifts
exchanged among the three of us. I have
to say it does feel nice to think that there will be a few presents under the
tree this year.
We have three months to plan and prepare and it will be
exciting to me to see how the girls come up with their gifts. They are pretty creative and can do a lot with
a teeny tiny budget. I'm going to get creative
too and see what I can come up with for my girls. And the kitties. And the chickens too.
Yay! Christmas is
coming!! I am so excited!!
I am glad that your bill was taken care of that is wonderful news!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could share your enthusiasm for Christmas this year. It has been a tough year for us both emotionally and financially. I just can't get excited for Christmas and I need to try but money is low and I guess my moral is lower. I have purchased a couple of stocking stuffers but that is it. Work has kept me so busy with no let up (no overtime for me on salary) so I am tired when I do get home and don't feel like sewing. Hopefully this will change soon, I did enjoy reading your post!
Candace I hope you can get a reprieve soon. Christmas isn't about the gifts at all! Remember that and know it's okay if you just can't or don't want to do it. It will be okay. :0)
DeleteNot feeling the "HO HO HO"s just yet, but I am happy for you that the hospital forgave the balance of your ER bill. That has got to be the finest present of the year!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could get my family on board with small/homemade gifts. None of us want much, nor do we want for anything. I'd rather plan out some activities for the 12 days of Christmas. Experiences rather than presents. Time enough so maybe I can get the others on board. We shall see!
I hope you can Sue. That would be wonderful. Best of luck!
DeleteI love Christmas. We don't decorate a lot just a few simple decorations that we love each year and presents are fun and frugal. It doesn't take much to make us smile. One year I got my husband 12 packages of a favorite spearmint mints that he loved that I could only find in Oregon at one specific store. Around 10.00 but he loved it. I was up visiting my mom. Then one year he got me a kitchen trash can that I really wanted. It wasn't expensive but had the kind of lid and color I wanted. We get a good laugh out of the weird stuff we come up with. My favorite present I got from my son one year was a 25.00 Winco gift card. Nothing says I love you like groceries at a frugal store! I have a confession. I usually leave our two small trees up one decorated in red ornaments and bows and the other in gold with white lights on both up until Feb. 6th. That's what happened a few years ago and then the Queen of England took hers down on Feb. 6th so I said I was waiting until the Queen took hers down first. Well this year I was sick around that time so decided to leave ours up until the 16th of Feb which was my 60th birthday. We enjoyed having the lights on so much that we kept them up in the side room off the living room and turn them on 2-3 times a week in the evenings. They always make me smile and I enjoy them. So the running joke with my grand daughter (she's 20) who came to visit in July is - she tells me I can't claim to have put my trees up early if I never took them down this year. I have enjoyed them so much this year and we had put away all the Christmasy ornaments and just went with plain red on one and plain gold on the other with the clear white lights. So that's my guilty pleasure this year. It was a rough year with my heart the first 6-7 months so I thought what the heck let's just enjoy the trees a bit longer. lol. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI think that is wonderful Crystal. If you weren't feeling well and they give you so much joy and pleasure it doesn't make sense to take them down. It sounds like you and your husband know exactly what to give each other too!
DeleteThe things you say are always so sweet. I appreciate your comments and your blog so much. You are one of the positive people / blogs I have put in my life. So many people are quick to put others down but you build us all up and also show us how you and your family have fun and accomplish things together. Thank you again.
DeleteYou have just made my day!! Thank you Crystal. It makes me so happy to be able to add to someones life, even if it is just in a small way. Take care my friend.
DeleteP.S. We like experiences too at Christmas time. We always drive around and see the lights, listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies and make a lot of peppermint bark, fudge and toffee to give away. It's the things that we do every year that we enjoy and take comfort in. Christmas day food is finger foods and fun stuff since Thanksgiving is the big meal holiday.
ReplyDeleteWe do all of that too and the food is the best part of the holidays. I'm hoping now to save up and see about getting us tickets to a holiday concert or event. Wouldn't that be fun?
DeleteWe too get financial aid from our doctors and hospital. It is a huge blessing for us retired folks. Just wanted to say that I am using a few of your keto recipes this weekend as we are having house guests who follows a modified keto diet for her diabetes. I am making the pizza bake and roasted broccoli for one nights supper plus that pudding with berries for dessert and the other night I am using the cheesy cauliflower recipe. They look good to me. Nannie
ReplyDeleteIt is truly a blessing, that is certain.
DeleteThose are some of our favorite dishes. I hope you and your guests enjoy them. Have a great weekend Nannie.