Have a happy New Years Eve to all my bloggy friends. Be safe and responsible tonight!

Yes, like my friend Baselle, I spent the day cleaning out the closet and doing various other tidying up for the New Year! Found 2 outfits I will give up to ebay. I only wore each one once! Got rid of some old sheets - glad to see them holey things go! Made sure all the laundry is caught up on too. Washed all the bed linens and remade the bed. Still need to go through the Christmas decorations and get rid of the ones I did'nt put out this year, make room for the packing up in a few days.
I have lots of stuff for charity. Still torn between no more garage sales and just giving it to charity. So far getting rid of it is still holding out.They are getting some good stuff! The best stuff I will ebay.

Ha ha! Okay, just the basement. We had a large Christmas explosion down there and it was time to clean up! I reorganized all the gift bags/tags/bows, etc., merging in all the new items bought at the after Christmas sales. I marked and put into a special box all the gifts I purchased for next year, then made a special list for my calendar book, so I don't rebuy anything for next year. Have enought Christmas cards and wrapping paper to last a couple of years again!
Also prepurchased the girls Valentines gifts (after clearance jewelry at Kohls) and cards and put them in a special spot, then all I will need to do is run by Walgreens when they have the Valentines candy on sale and pick up a few things! Got DH's anniversary card ready too!
Inspired by my buddy Contrary, I am going to try to organize the scrapbooking area I created downstairs so my best friend and I can start doing some serious work on our books! We will be a little chilly, but it will be our spot!

The new budget has not gotten off to a happy start. As I stated before, we are taking a monthly $3170.00 cut in pay and have agreed to supplement $1550 out of our EF each month for the house payment. Otherwise it is all up to me to magically squeeze all the other bills and groceries/gas out of our piddly salaries per month. Already DH has been screaming. I think he is just being a little defensive because it hurts his ego some to be making less than he wanted. I will list our expenses/income next week for the big January 07 bonanza! Will be able to pay all the bills for January, but my personal EF will be down to about $20. :-( Scary!!

DD2 and I went out this morning to forage for bargains. I try only to do this every few years. I got my Sis, and SIL's all something and all the teacher gifts for next year. Yee ha! Now I just have to remember I have them! Will put them in a special Christmas box. Also picked up some more Christmas lights. Also got an early morning "doorbuster" set of luggage that I used the JCPenney gift card for so our luggage for the trip is FREE! :-)

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have been safe and jolly!
What have you all received for the holidays? I got lots of gift cards, which will come in handy for preparing for the cruise! And I got my super, wonderful, neato new camera that DH broke down and bought me! Have already been using the heck out of it!
Did you get what you asked for from Santa???

We were on our way to my SIL's for Christmas eve brunch and I insisted we stop by the grocery and pick up a hostess gift. I BOUGHT a cruddy Stollen for 6.99, a bottle bag for $1 and a bottle of wine for $15.99. What a waste of money. The wine was'nt that good, and it was a screw off cap! Gee classy. Anyway, just one of those little attempts to try to look better for the "snobbery" side of the family. Better planning on my part (homemade goodies, a regift, something...) would have been better. So, I'm a little bummed. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Only another 1/2 hour until I am done at work! I can't wait! Then Christmas can officially start! :-) I miss my kids! I won't have to be back here for almost 2 weeks, which is GREAT for me, but not for my pocketbook! Com'on time - fly!

When we purchased our lemon of a washer and dryer from Maytag, I knew it was inevitable that we would have to buy the extended warranty. In the first year it was worked on 7 times including rebuilding it from the "milkstool" up. Of course, nothing we could do would get them to replace it! I had to call them out again because it had leaked onto the floor (apparently it was just off balanced and that is what caused it??) and they replaced the middle part that you can put your fabric softener in. Total came to $156.00 that we don't have to pay! Yeah! So now I have to catch up on 5 days of laundry!

No, not those!! Geeze!
The downer is in actuality we will be living on $1620 less per month starting out our new year. Yikes! We will be bare to the bones! Won't it be fun to follow me on this journey?
The speeder question I had was, I also went on bankrate.com to see how much I would have to put toward my mortgage every month to pay it off early. To pay it off 15 years early, it would take an extra $500 per month! Yikes! Will put that on the back burner for now!
Pay back for taking off from work is that now others are having surgery (why is it always before the holidays?) and are out sick - I get to work extra hours for the holidays. Gee- yeah. I guess it will help for the "downer" part of my blog! ;-)

Well, I ended up taking back the black leather coat and 2 shirts. $100 back on the card that we really need anyway. Of course I went out and picked up a few more Christmas gifts for others and now I swear I'm DONE!! I have one more return I have to take to Wally world (Ray, want me to take the shoes?)

I received a $10 payout from one of the online survey places. What to do, what to do? Frame it? Blow it? Put the down payment on a new car? I will consider all options. There is the $20 challenge too.... Oh you know, I will throw it in the checking account to be absorbed to pay something! Oh well, it's fun to dream! :-)

I am having trouble resisting buying the extra Christmas gifts. Since I was done early, I have paid everything off, so it is easily tempting to pick up "just one more thing". I did buy MYSELF a black leather jacket. I got it 20% off from JCPenney, so it was $63.00. It is just a short black leather one that "everyone" has been wearing for the last couple of years. I thought it was a great price and I will probably wear it till it falls apart. I told DH he could wrap it up for me for Christmas. He was mad at me and I guess I thought if it was a present, it would justify it. I guess it is "Merry Christmas" to me from me. Will have to think about whether it stays or goes.
I have the urge too, to pick up more gifts for the girls. Especially ones I think will keep them busy during the holiday break!! :-)

If you keep up with my blog, you will know that DH changed jobs last year, (new insurance - less money), then the new company was bought out (new insurance), and now they are changing "management companies" (new insurance- less money). We went down $170 per month!
He really wants me to go full time to carry the load, but the insurance I get anywhere will probably be expensive too! Will see about picking up more hours in January to make up for the $170.00.

I did not get something good to pass on at the neighborhood bunko!
I got a funky glass handblown 14 inch PINK Christmas tree , with silver sparkle circles on it. Looks very vintage 50's, but pink? DD1 snatched it and took it to her room. Here I thought I did bad with a gingerbread home interiors Christmas candle, a holiday serving tray and some wine glass charms. Now I have to dig up something. Maybe I will get another gift card I don't like and I can move that along with something. I can seriously say I am not enjoying the gift exchange part, but I love the company and visiting with my friends! I like the idea of an ornament exchange and may suggest that for next year!

Everywhere is the gift exchanges! Yikes! The girls had a gift card exchange at girl scouts. It was only for $5 each, so that was not a bad deal, but we were short a GC, so one of my girls did'nt take one (the leaders daughters always get the short end!), but my DD2 wanted certain earrings from the mall, so I told her I would get them for her and she was happy.
Tonight is the office ladies dinner and gift exchange. Trying to hunt for something from around the house to use. It is supposed to be $15-20 gift (which I think is a little high!) I am hoping I get something decent enough to exchange at the neighborhood bunko next week!
Our regular bunko meets tomorrow and is exchanging $10 gift cards. I had one from my birthday to a store I will never go to, so I will use that one! :-) It has no restrictions on it, so I feel okay about regifting it!
Still recovering and working through the pain of recovery. I have had a certain chronic pain that just can't get away from. The doctor just said to keep taking my vicodin and it will go away. I hope shes right! It makes sleeping diffcult!

I was very excited to get a JCPenney catalog with some good deals on some new clothes for ME!:-) I talked to DH and he said go for it. Then in the mail came an ADDITIONAL 20% off on Sunday. So I thumbed the pages and made my game plan. Then I get online to make the big purchase and yep, you guessed it.... NOT AVAILABLE! Holy cow, everything in the stores must be sold out!! So yes, I picked up a couple things, I will try them on at home and return them if they don't fit, BUT I was really disappointed!
Also, the kids get ANOTHER snow day tomorrow, bringing the grand total of days home in a row to about SIX!! So much for recuperation, although DH has been very helpful!!