Well, this week isn’t going exactly as I planned. I had hopes of adding a lot more paintings to our shop and sneaking in a few more blog posts while we celebrate our anniversary this week, but I have been down for the count. My body is not reacting the best to my new medication and I have been sick, sick, sick. The good news is, I think I am on the rebound. I think. Every day I feel…different, but my doctor assured me that it is normal and will just take some time to adjust. So while we haven’t been painting or planning Greta’s big-girl room, (yes, that’s next on the agenda!), Chris has taken off work and we have got a lot of chatting in–which has been wonderful. We have talked kitchen plans, which we hope to tackle at the beginning of the year, how we should put up (but not turn on) our exterior lights before it gets too cold, and the frequently mocked and forgotten Christmas budget. Here’s how that conversation went down:
J: We need to talk about our christmas budgets for each other.
C: Okay, your budget for me is $100, my budget for you in non-existent.
J: No, really, let’s set a reasonable, equal budget for each other to stick to. $100 each sounds perfect.
C: There is zero chance I am spending less than $350 on you for Christmas.
J: $250. Max.
C: There’s no way I’m spending less than $350
J: Well then you can’t go over that.
C: I might go a dollar or two over it, but I won’t blow it completely off.
pause. pause.
C: That’s $350 worth of things you’ll open up Christmas morning.
J: What does that even mean?
C: I don’t know…maybe something will sneak in before christmas comes. Hard to say. I’m not a fortune teller.
Le Sigh. Good thing he keeps me laughing. How do you handle Christmas budgets? Do you find that one of you always tends to go way over budget?! For us, it is Chris. Every. Year. Or maybe the word, “budget” doesn’t even enter the your mouths this season. Do tell!
(The above photo is an outtake from last year’s holiday family photos. It makes us laugh every time we see it.)
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I ALWAYS go overboard on my Mom. To me, she just deserves everything she could ever possibly want or need – especially now that I’m married and we have a two income family (with no kids) and she lives by herself. I feel like I should repay her for all the awesome, selfless things she’s done for me over the years. The Hubs and I are pretty good about not spending a lot of money on each other. There’s usually one or two things we specifically want and get for each other and then we get something for our house.
I really wouldn’t be complaining!
So I feel a little odd writing this…having never met you…but when I went to check your blog today and didn’t see anything yet, my immediate thought was ‘Oh! It’s their anniversary – I hope they are celebrating!’ than my second thought was…’Wow – this is mildly crazy, remembering strangers anniversaries’ (though only from your blog post two days ago.) So from a self-diagnosed crazy reader, a very happy anniversary to you and your husband!
I, personally, hope to get to that point one day–the whole, go on a gift together for each other or for the house. We have limited Greta’s gifts to five, which seems to be working formula of things she needs and would like. I love hearing about different traditions around the world.
Thank you!
Been there. Well, maybe not thrifty–but poor. Hahaha!
I think that is exactly what Chris meant by there might be more snuck in before Christmas–the man gets so excited to give. Which, I guess is pretty sweet of him.
Eeeee!!! He’s going to love that!
I love that story. There was one early Christmas when we were very, very poor and really wanted to get a video camera so we saved up our money and used gift cards from Christmas to buy one. Our family members felt so bad for opening gifts in front of us–but it really made us so happy to be able to get that camera. … That we have since sold. Hahaha!
That sounds exactly like my husband. Only my budget is $50 and his is endless. He hates if I go over and always tells me he doesn’t want anything. So funny! At least they like us ;)
My husband grew up in India and, although his family were Christians and celebrated Christmas, it was very small scale and gifts weren’t exchanged except for sweets for the kids. Now that he lives in the U.S. and married to me, we do a traditional American-style Santa-infused Christmas, but he thinks I go WAY overboard on gifts for the kids and keeps reminding me about the true meaning of Christmas. I know he’s right, really he is, but for me, it doesn’t feel like Christmas unless there are a ton of gifts under the tree. Trying to find the right balance and not go crazy with it is tough sometimes. As far as me and him, we usually decide up front on a small budget for each other or we make a larger purchase for the home and call that our gift to each other. Not very romantic, but it works for us. By the way, I am new to your blog but love it! Thanks for all the great ideas!
That could have been the exact conversation my hubby and me have every year! He is also the big spender- every year!! It makes me feel like a jerk for not going over the budget. Hope you feel lots better soon. My sister is going through that adjustment also.
Merry Christmas from your mother. I am teaching her how to comment on blogs. :)
We are peculiar, we tend to plan our gifts together and don’t surprise each other v. often, unless it’s for small items like a tie or earrings or something…it’s funny but it works for us. Maybe because we are thrifty grad students :)
budgets are hard!! i’ve been buying early this year. small things. vintage/antique finds that I know I won’t be able to find again later. Hoping to avoid the conversation but i’m sure we will!
Awww, how cute! We try to set Christmas budgets every year but I always end up blowing it. I also tend to give gifts early (I can’t wait!) so to make up for the ones I give early, I buy more to give on Christmas day. It’s a vicious cycle I tell ya haha
Haha, we always see a Christmas show at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it’s sort of our gift to each other every year. Other than that, we might get each other something under or around $50… but this year I have a few ideas for Scott that might go over that!
Hope you start to feel better!
That’s really cute. And definitely how things usually go around here as well. But this year I have the head start and am creating a tasteful tv room for my husband as a surprise while he is away. Included in that is a few higher-then-my-usual-price-limit items that he isn’t expecting. :)
Oh man. Our first year of marriage, we were dirt poor and Logan really needed a suit. So I decided to donate plasma as much as possible. I earned a couple hundred dolla bills and bought him the prettiest grey suit money can buy. I looked like a Heroine user. It was great.
It’s been four years. Logan ripped the suit about 1.5 years ago. We still laugh about it. I may just have to give some plasma this year. :)