After reading back through my posts and reading the comments left about my goal of saving $3900 for the month of February, I realized that something was amiss.
I didn't take into account that our cash flowing for January and February is a bit "off". My husband paid my AMEX bill (normally due mid-February) in January out of our savings account. He did this to help us (me...) get back on track by using cash for everyday expenses. So...while my hope is to save $3900 in February, please know that some of this is simply replenishing what came out last month to pay the American Express. By the way...my AMEX card has not been out of my wallet since we started the challenge.
3 days without using AMEX...now that is a new record!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
update #1 - february's no spending month
So, I've made it through 2 days with the "No Spending" challenge. I ended up getting $170 in cash on Tuesday with the intention of it lasting through next Monday. The cash is being used for gas, groceries, gifts, etc.
So what have I spent it on?
$20 gas for my car
$12.71 school supplies
$11 tennis court fee
$7.41 groceries for lunch
$12.69 birthday gift for son's friend
$2.64 travel bottles for husband's suitcase
This leaves me with $103.55 for the next 5 days!
Small victories to celebrate!!!
So what have I spent it on?
$20 gas for my car
$12.71 school supplies
$11 tennis court fee
$7.41 groceries for lunch
$12.69 birthday gift for son's friend
$2.64 travel bottles for husband's suitcase
This leaves me with $103.55 for the next 5 days!
Small victories to celebrate!!!
- I said "no" to giving my oldest son extra lunch money and instead had him take a lunch kit to school.
- I said "no" to going to out to lunch with my husband and instead spent $7.41 and made a "fun lunch" at home for us. (This was a hard one to do!!!)
- I spent less on the friend's birthday gift than I normally would...I normally spend around $20.
- I made dinner "out of the pantry" two nights in a row...Tuesday we had a steak salad using leftover steak from Sunday night, and last night we had sauteed shrimp, couscous, and a salad.
- $11 on the tennis court -- because of bad weather our team chose to play our match at an indoor court instead of trying to reschedule.
- $12.69 on the birthday gift -- it is a fairly impromptu party.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
commissions vs. allowances
For the past year or so, we've given our kids an allowance. The allowance goes towards after school snacks, renting video games, school book fairs, the concession stand a the ball-park, "teen night", and of course, anything that they want to save up for. I have given each of them $25/month.
This past month when my oldest came to me with his hand open and asked for his allowance, I had a very unsettling feeling that this allowance was simply a "hand out". This uneasiness was validated on Sunday at my FPU class when Dave Ramsey talked about this very subject in his Kids & Money speech. While my boys both do quite a bit around the house to help me and my husband, they're essentially doing nothing for the money we give them. Also, I haven't been consistently teaching and encouraging them to SAVE and GIVE.
This month we're transitioning from an Allowance to a Commission. I'm anxious (and admittedly, a bit nervous) to see how it works. We're giving them the opportunity to earn more....my 9 year old can earn up to $9/week and my 12 year old can earn up to $12/week IF they complete all of their chores. But, with this "raise" we're also expecting them to both SAVE and GIVE.
Here's a peek at what their chores chart include for the month of February:
9 year old:
clean his room, vacuum and dust it 1x/week -- $2.00
clean the basement bathroom's toilet, sink & counter, 1x -- $2.50
empty the recycling bin daily, 7x.20 -- $1.40
bring his laundry to the laundry room, 4x.50 -- $2.00
take the recycling and trash bins to the curb on Mondays, 1x -- $1.10
12 year old:
clean his room, vacuum and dust it, 1x/week -- $2.50
clean his bathroom toilet, sink & counter, 1x -- $3.00
empty the kitchen trashcan everyday, 7x.20 -- $1.40
bring his laundry to the laundry room, 3x.25 -- $0.75
if he...
washes, dries & folds it (his laundry only), 3x$1.25 -- $3.75
We'll expect both of them to continue with the "basics" of helping out around the house. Things like feeding the dog, keeping their room tidy, helping to do the dinner dishes are just expected and aren't included in the commissions.
So, what about you? Do your children get "commissions" or "allowances"? What are some of the chores they do to earn their money?
This past month when my oldest came to me with his hand open and asked for his allowance, I had a very unsettling feeling that this allowance was simply a "hand out". This uneasiness was validated on Sunday at my FPU class when Dave Ramsey talked about this very subject in his Kids & Money speech. While my boys both do quite a bit around the house to help me and my husband, they're essentially doing nothing for the money we give them. Also, I haven't been consistently teaching and encouraging them to SAVE and GIVE.
This month we're transitioning from an Allowance to a Commission. I'm anxious (and admittedly, a bit nervous) to see how it works. We're giving them the opportunity to earn more....my 9 year old can earn up to $9/week and my 12 year old can earn up to $12/week IF they complete all of their chores. But, with this "raise" we're also expecting them to both SAVE and GIVE.
Here's a peek at what their chores chart include for the month of February:
9 year old:
clean his room, vacuum and dust it 1x/week -- $2.00
clean the basement bathroom's toilet, sink & counter, 1x -- $2.50
empty the recycling bin daily, 7x.20 -- $1.40
bring his laundry to the laundry room, 4x.50 -- $2.00
take the recycling and trash bins to the curb on Mondays, 1x -- $1.10
12 year old:
clean his room, vacuum and dust it, 1x/week -- $2.50
clean his bathroom toilet, sink & counter, 1x -- $3.00
empty the kitchen trashcan everyday, 7x.20 -- $1.40
bring his laundry to the laundry room, 3x.25 -- $0.75
if he...
washes, dries & folds it (his laundry only), 3x$1.25 -- $3.75
We'll expect both of them to continue with the "basics" of helping out around the house. Things like feeding the dog, keeping their room tidy, helping to do the dinner dishes are just expected and aren't included in the commissions.
So, what about you? Do your children get "commissions" or "allowances"? What are some of the chores they do to earn their money?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
February - No Spend Month
I'm joining Sharon in her No Spend Month! Here are my goals for the month...
Objective -
Spend less than our "normal" budget. My goal is to add $3900 to savings this month.
How we'll get there --
I have alloted $800 to be spent on ourselves. Normally, this wouldn't cover our grocery bill, but because this is a short month, and because we'll be out of town for a few days, AND because this is a CHALLENGE, I've decided on $800 as our "magic number"!
So, what does $800 go towards?
Food! (Groceries and eating out)
Gasoline
Valentine's Day
Scouting expenses
Entertainment
What's not covered in the $800?
Fixed bills, offerings to our church, and expenses that were pre-planned such as a haircut and our vacation.
Where I am today--
I'm starting with $895 in checking. Next payday is February 11th. I'm thinking of withdrawing $400 now and $400 on the 11th and simply live on cash for the challenge. Both cars are almost on "empty" so we'll need to spend close to $100 on gas this week. The pantry is somewhat stocked. I'll need to take inventory of what we have and see how we can make it stretch. I see lots of homemade snacks in our future! :)'
I hoping that with this challenge I'll become more intentional with my spending! And, if we save my goal of $3900...well, that would be totally amazing!
Objective -
Spend less than our "normal" budget. My goal is to add $3900 to savings this month.
How we'll get there --
I have alloted $800 to be spent on ourselves. Normally, this wouldn't cover our grocery bill, but because this is a short month, and because we'll be out of town for a few days, AND because this is a CHALLENGE, I've decided on $800 as our "magic number"!
So, what does $800 go towards?
Food! (Groceries and eating out)
Gasoline
Valentine's Day
Scouting expenses
Entertainment
What's not covered in the $800?
Fixed bills, offerings to our church, and expenses that were pre-planned such as a haircut and our vacation.
Where I am today--
I'm starting with $895 in checking. Next payday is February 11th. I'm thinking of withdrawing $400 now and $400 on the 11th and simply live on cash for the challenge. Both cars are almost on "empty" so we'll need to spend close to $100 on gas this week. The pantry is somewhat stocked. I'll need to take inventory of what we have and see how we can make it stretch. I see lots of homemade snacks in our future! :)'
I hoping that with this challenge I'll become more intentional with my spending! And, if we save my goal of $3900...well, that would be totally amazing!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
track first, budget second
Because we haven't been tracking our expenses lately, it's hard to tell what a realistic number is to budget. For instance, I would think that about $500 would be a good amount for us to use each month for groceries. After doing some homework though, I found that we spent almost $1500 at the grocery store in December alone. Add to that $425 that we spent eating out and we're at nearly $2000 in food for the month! While $2000 in food is an ungodly amount for a family of four...even with 3 different sets of guests during the month, it's a real number and shows what we spent. $500 wouldn't have been realistic to budget for food last month.
I'm realizing that one reason I get frustrated with my budget is that I tend to budget what I think is a reasonable amount. When we are unable to meet these numbers, I get frustrated and my husband wants to know why we're over budget. But...the budget wasn't necessarily realistic.
So, over the next couple of months, I'm not going to be budgeting per se, but tracking our spending. Beginning April 1st we'll have our budget in place with a new system of paying bills. More about that later.
But, just for fun...I'm joining Sharon in her February No-Spending Month. The rules will be posted on January 31st. I'm participating, but won't be doing it at 100% like others. We have a vacation planned for the 3rd week of February. So, while there will be spending going on with that, my goal is to have a "no spend" month for items that were not already in the budget.
I'm realizing that one reason I get frustrated with my budget is that I tend to budget what I think is a reasonable amount. When we are unable to meet these numbers, I get frustrated and my husband wants to know why we're over budget. But...the budget wasn't necessarily realistic.
So, over the next couple of months, I'm not going to be budgeting per se, but tracking our spending. Beginning April 1st we'll have our budget in place with a new system of paying bills. More about that later.
But, just for fun...I'm joining Sharon in her February No-Spending Month. The rules will be posted on January 31st. I'm participating, but won't be doing it at 100% like others. We have a vacation planned for the 3rd week of February. So, while there will be spending going on with that, my goal is to have a "no spend" month for items that were not already in the budget.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
repeat post
I realize after posting my goals that this post is very similar to my post about being intentional. I wish I could say it was "intentional" but it wasn't. More than anything I wanted to write my specific goals down so that I could post in the future what steps I'm taking to meet these goals.
goals for 2011
I have been thinking of my goals for a while now and need to get them written down. More than ANYTHING, I want to "have a plan and work my plan". It's something my husband says to me over and over again. And you know what? It works!
Finances -
Make a budget & work my budget.
Save 15% towards retirement.
Health-
Eat cleaner.
Since this is something we have always wanted to do, but just haven't turned it into a lifestyle, I'm starting with a smaller goal. Eat "clean" at least 50% of the time.
Lose weight.
I need to lose 15 pounds.
I want to lose 3 by Winter Break (that is in 4 weeks)
Lose another 8 by Easter. (that will be a total of 11 pounds in about 3 months)
Lose the last 4 pounds by Memorial Day.
That's a weight loss of 15 pounds in 4 months...a definite challenge, but possible IF I have a plan and work my plan.
Drink less wine.
I love to have a glass or two...sometimes three (I'm being honest here...) at night. And when the one glass turns into 3, it's because I might have a glass while I'm cooking, a glass with dinner and then a glass with a piece of chocolate after the kids go to bed. Drinking more than a glass of wine a night is definitely not helping me lose weight. So, my goal is to open a bottle of wine on Monday night and still be drinking from the same bottle on Thursday night. (DH will have to have his own bottle. :) ha, ha!)
Get outside more!
I absoltutely love where I live. There are trees, trees and more trees. We have both paved and non-paved trails through our woods. I need to get out and enjoy it more. My goal for this is to start by going on a weekly walk. Once I get into the habit of truly getting out, then I'll change this goal to get out more than 1x/week.
Family & Personal-
My main goal here is to be intentional with my time. When my husband and kids are home, I want to be in the moment with them.
And the same with me. When I have the house to myself during the day, I want to be intentional with my time. Do housework and desk work when it's time to do that, but when I have "free time", I want to use it wisely.
So - that's it for my goals. How about you? Have you made all of your goals for the new year?
Finances -
Make a budget & work my budget.
Save 15% towards retirement.
Health-
Eat cleaner.
Since this is something we have always wanted to do, but just haven't turned it into a lifestyle, I'm starting with a smaller goal. Eat "clean" at least 50% of the time.
Lose weight.
I need to lose 15 pounds.
I want to lose 3 by Winter Break (that is in 4 weeks)
Lose another 8 by Easter. (that will be a total of 11 pounds in about 3 months)
Lose the last 4 pounds by Memorial Day.
That's a weight loss of 15 pounds in 4 months...a definite challenge, but possible IF I have a plan and work my plan.
Drink less wine.
I love to have a glass or two...sometimes three (I'm being honest here...) at night. And when the one glass turns into 3, it's because I might have a glass while I'm cooking, a glass with dinner and then a glass with a piece of chocolate after the kids go to bed. Drinking more than a glass of wine a night is definitely not helping me lose weight. So, my goal is to open a bottle of wine on Monday night and still be drinking from the same bottle on Thursday night. (DH will have to have his own bottle. :) ha, ha!)
Get outside more!
I absoltutely love where I live. There are trees, trees and more trees. We have both paved and non-paved trails through our woods. I need to get out and enjoy it more. My goal for this is to start by going on a weekly walk. Once I get into the habit of truly getting out, then I'll change this goal to get out more than 1x/week.
Family & Personal-
My main goal here is to be intentional with my time. When my husband and kids are home, I want to be in the moment with them.
And the same with me. When I have the house to myself during the day, I want to be intentional with my time. Do housework and desk work when it's time to do that, but when I have "free time", I want to use it wisely.
So - that's it for my goals. How about you? Have you made all of your goals for the new year?
Friday, January 21, 2011
jane eyre
I just finished this book last night! And...wow! I absolutely loved it and could not put it down. I joined a Book Club last month and this was my first book to read. I don't remember ever having to read it in High School. I'm glad to have joined the Book Club group and am looking forward to reading some good books. Next on the list is Still Alice.
Have you read any good books lately?
Have you read any good books lately?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
i resolve to be intentional in 2011
Do you ever feel like you're doing too much "stuff" and not getting done what (1) needs to be done and (2) what you really want to get done? I feel like I've been in this rut for the past year. I hate to complain too much about it because I'm doing fun things with my time, but these fun things aren't necessarily what is most important to me. Curious? Well...I play on a tennis team. If you have ever played team tennis you know that it's fun AND it's competitive. AND....it can be a bit more expensive than what one would like. I enjoy tennis, but I've gotten to the point where it's taking up too much of my thought process. I plan my week around lessons and matches. If one of those days gets rained out then they have to get rescheduled. So...something that I wanted to do (like go to the gym, go to lunch with a friend, take a walk, try out a new Farmers Market, etc.) all of a sudden gets bumped due to tennis. You can see why I've not complained too much about this...it seems a bit petty.
Here are some things that I've neglected this past year and I'm taking a stand in 2011 to do my best to make some changes.
#1 - Our Finances - We continue to be debt-free (except for the house), which I'm very happy about. But...we lost some momentum in saving money in 2010. We were able to get several things accomplished (like getting our wills completed and getting the correct amount of life insurance for me and my husband), but we didn't save near as much money as what we would have liked.
So - after years of wanting to do this, I'm finally taking the Financial Peace University classes at our church. Classes start this Sunday! I think starting off the year with this class and having people to hold ourselves accountable to, will really help get us back on track.
#2 - My health. I have struggled with this for the past couple of years. My health is okay, but my weight is higher than what it should be. I need to lose 15 pounds. We purchased an elliptical and home-gym and my goal is to exercise. Note that I didn't say "exercise more", as I'm not really exercising at all now. (I don't count tennis as exercise...)
I've also started going back to my Tuesday Weight Watcher meetings, and my husband and I have agreed that we need to eat more "clean foods" and drink less wine during the week.
#3 - Things that bring me peace - Often times I feel selfish doing things that clear my mind. Whether it's taking a walk through the woods, scrapbooking, or sitting on the back deck and reading a good book. Since I'm not being productive while doing these things, I rarely take the time to do what really makes me happy. This year I'm changing this. I realize that I can't do these things 100% of the time (or even most of the time) because our laundry would never be clean, the house would be a wreck and my children wouldn't ever be fed. But still...I REALLY like to scrapbook and when I'm wanting a "break", wouldn't my time be better spent scrapbooking than playing Internet Spades on the computer?
This is enough for now. I'll be playing less tennis in 2011, and focusing on what is truly important to me in my family. As a result, I expect to be much more INTENTIONAL with my time. And with that said, I'm now going to get on the elliptical for 30 minutes, as tennis was rained out today.
Here are some things that I've neglected this past year and I'm taking a stand in 2011 to do my best to make some changes.
#1 - Our Finances - We continue to be debt-free (except for the house), which I'm very happy about. But...we lost some momentum in saving money in 2010. We were able to get several things accomplished (like getting our wills completed and getting the correct amount of life insurance for me and my husband), but we didn't save near as much money as what we would have liked.
So - after years of wanting to do this, I'm finally taking the Financial Peace University classes at our church. Classes start this Sunday! I think starting off the year with this class and having people to hold ourselves accountable to, will really help get us back on track.
#2 - My health. I have struggled with this for the past couple of years. My health is okay, but my weight is higher than what it should be. I need to lose 15 pounds. We purchased an elliptical and home-gym and my goal is to exercise. Note that I didn't say "exercise more", as I'm not really exercising at all now. (I don't count tennis as exercise...)
I've also started going back to my Tuesday Weight Watcher meetings, and my husband and I have agreed that we need to eat more "clean foods" and drink less wine during the week.
#3 - Things that bring me peace - Often times I feel selfish doing things that clear my mind. Whether it's taking a walk through the woods, scrapbooking, or sitting on the back deck and reading a good book. Since I'm not being productive while doing these things, I rarely take the time to do what really makes me happy. This year I'm changing this. I realize that I can't do these things 100% of the time (or even most of the time) because our laundry would never be clean, the house would be a wreck and my children wouldn't ever be fed. But still...I REALLY like to scrapbook and when I'm wanting a "break", wouldn't my time be better spent scrapbooking than playing Internet Spades on the computer?
This is enough for now. I'll be playing less tennis in 2011, and focusing on what is truly important to me in my family. As a result, I expect to be much more INTENTIONAL with my time. And with that said, I'm now going to get on the elliptical for 30 minutes, as tennis was rained out today.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
project 365
I have been spending some time dusting the cobwebs out of my mind and really think about the priorities in my life. I'll be pack to posting...soon! In the meantime, I've started a 365 project. Many bloggers have them and I have been envying those who do, as I LOVE to take pictures and do so almost every day.
If you're interested, check it out steady plodding 365!
If you're interested, check it out steady plodding 365!
Friday, November 19, 2010
so what have we been up to?
This has been a year of "getting things taken care of". In February 2009 we became debt-free, minus the mortgage. In February 2010 we had our Emergency Fund fully funded. We'd halted saving for retirement for 2 years as we paid off debt and saved for emergencies. This year we started saving again for retirement. Just 6% going to retirement...I'd like to get it to 15%.
So, what did we work on this year? Planning for our deaths. NOT a fun topic. We worked on our Wills and Life Insurance policies all summer long. It was really a downer, but something that truly needed to get done. I really didn't know ahead of time how depressing it would be to plan these things. For our Life Insurance policies, we're assuming that DH gets hit by a bus today and is gone. How much is needed for us to continue as we are now? Well, more than we realized since our children are still young. It's always been important for us to have me be at home with the kids...this would still be important to us if DH was no longer living. We have a wonderful advisor who really helped us come to an agreement on the size policy that we needed.
The Wills were tough too, but not quite as depressing. It's awful to think about me and DH passing at the same time and trying to decide who would take care of our boys. After quite a bit of praying and thinking, I think we made an absolute wonderful decision. I pray that we never had to use our named guardian, but I certainly will feel better next time DH and I travel together without the kids.
So, while we were not as aggressive with our savings this year as I would have liked to have been, we did get some very important things taken care of. I'm very glad that these things are done and behind us now. And with that, I can sleep much better at night.
So, what did we work on this year? Planning for our deaths. NOT a fun topic. We worked on our Wills and Life Insurance policies all summer long. It was really a downer, but something that truly needed to get done. I really didn't know ahead of time how depressing it would be to plan these things. For our Life Insurance policies, we're assuming that DH gets hit by a bus today and is gone. How much is needed for us to continue as we are now? Well, more than we realized since our children are still young. It's always been important for us to have me be at home with the kids...this would still be important to us if DH was no longer living. We have a wonderful advisor who really helped us come to an agreement on the size policy that we needed.
The Wills were tough too, but not quite as depressing. It's awful to think about me and DH passing at the same time and trying to decide who would take care of our boys. After quite a bit of praying and thinking, I think we made an absolute wonderful decision. I pray that we never had to use our named guardian, but I certainly will feel better next time DH and I travel together without the kids.
So, while we were not as aggressive with our savings this year as I would have liked to have been, we did get some very important things taken care of. I'm very glad that these things are done and behind us now. And with that, I can sleep much better at night.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
plans for today
I have a little one home sick today so I'll be tackling some of my things to do that are here in the house....such as:
*Working on 2011 budget
*Hemming a pair of khaki pants (this has been needing to be done since April!!!)
*Tidy up craft room
*Clean off desk
*Get out stuff to scrapbook my oldest's past school year (needing to be done since May!)
*Wrapping a couple of Christmas gifts
*One load of laundry!
What's on your to-do list for today?
*Working on 2011 budget
*Hemming a pair of khaki pants (this has been needing to be done since April!!!)
*Tidy up craft room
*Clean off desk
*Get out stuff to scrapbook my oldest's past school year (needing to be done since May!)
*Wrapping a couple of Christmas gifts
*One load of laundry!
What's on your to-do list for today?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
christmas cards
For the past two years I've spent way too much money on Christmas cards. Even though we were working to become debt free and to build up our Emergency Fund, spending money on Christmas cards was one area where I splurged! I normally purchased a designer brand 5x7 Christmas card where I could add my own picture to the front. On the inside of the card, I had our names pre-printed and then would have a collage made up of our favorite pictures from the year and attach that to the inside of the card. All said and done, our cards would be about $3-$4 each. And that didn't include postage. With 125 or so friends and family who we send cards to, that really was adding up.
After last year, we decided to scale back on how much we were spending on our cards. I thought about not sending cards at all. I thought about sending only 50 cards. But...I have been spending some time working on projects at Shutterfly (that I'll share in a minute) and saw that they have some really cute cards that are very affordable! After seeing what a great selection that they have this year, and seeing how much money we'll save by switching card companies, we've decided to order Christmas cards through Shutterfly.
I'm not sure which family picture we'll use, but here are some of my favorite designs.
What do you think?
Now I mentioned that I was working on some other Shutterfly projects too. If you remember, we went on a award trip to the Dominican Republic this summer with my husband's company. One of the awards given to the winners of the trip was a digital camera. Everyone took pictures while they were on the trip and then the pictures were eventually shared with everyone. But that was it. They didn't go into frames and they certainly didn't go into an album. Now...we usually give Christmas gifts to my husband's boss and another executive that works with DH. I decided this year for Christmas to make and give these two families (both were on the trip) a photo book from our vacation. It turned out great and was easy to do! In fact, I think that each year I'm going to make and give them a photo book of our annual awards trip.
My other project that I have been working on is a 2011 calendar for each set of grandparents. I've given them calendars for many years, but didn't realize how much they enjoyed these until I didn't give one to my father-in-law last year. The day after Christmas, he asked me if I had made any and if I had extras because he'd like one. He said it was his favorite gift each year. So...I made sure I made one for him this year!
I was excited to get so much of my gift giving taken care of at Shutterfly. Now, I just need to decide which Christmas card I want to order and which family picture I want to use. As much as I already love Shutterfly, they sweetened the deal by giving me 50 free cards for this post. And since our Christmas card list has more than 50 people on it, I will be ordering even more cards from Shutterfly. Are you a blogger? Would you like to get some free holiday cards or invitations? Just go here.
After last year, we decided to scale back on how much we were spending on our cards. I thought about not sending cards at all. I thought about sending only 50 cards. But...I have been spending some time working on projects at Shutterfly (that I'll share in a minute) and saw that they have some really cute cards that are very affordable! After seeing what a great selection that they have this year, and seeing how much money we'll save by switching card companies, we've decided to order Christmas cards through Shutterfly.
I'm not sure which family picture we'll use, but here are some of my favorite designs.
What do you think?
Now I mentioned that I was working on some other Shutterfly projects too. If you remember, we went on a award trip to the Dominican Republic this summer with my husband's company. One of the awards given to the winners of the trip was a digital camera. Everyone took pictures while they were on the trip and then the pictures were eventually shared with everyone. But that was it. They didn't go into frames and they certainly didn't go into an album. Now...we usually give Christmas gifts to my husband's boss and another executive that works with DH. I decided this year for Christmas to make and give these two families (both were on the trip) a photo book from our vacation. It turned out great and was easy to do! In fact, I think that each year I'm going to make and give them a photo book of our annual awards trip.
My other project that I have been working on is a 2011 calendar for each set of grandparents. I've given them calendars for many years, but didn't realize how much they enjoyed these until I didn't give one to my father-in-law last year. The day after Christmas, he asked me if I had made any and if I had extras because he'd like one. He said it was his favorite gift each year. So...I made sure I made one for him this year!
I was excited to get so much of my gift giving taken care of at Shutterfly. Now, I just need to decide which Christmas card I want to order and which family picture I want to use. As much as I already love Shutterfly, they sweetened the deal by giving me 50 free cards for this post. And since our Christmas card list has more than 50 people on it, I will be ordering even more cards from Shutterfly. Are you a blogger? Would you like to get some free holiday cards or invitations? Just go here.
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