It is that time of year again, the time to start Christmas shopping.  Well it is if you want to get an early start. This year, my wife and I tried to do something different, we actually started our shopping back in October and we did this to avoid a lot of bills and charges in December at the end of the year.  Our goal was to slice our budget in half this year and so far, we are on track. We set a limit of $100 on each other, but then we decided to give more practical gifts for the gifts and for family members.

As much as I hate shopping, I love giving gifts. And with the boys being 2 1/2 this year, they are really going to at least have some idea of Christmas. Though they want totally understand the concept, they will for the first time wake up in their beds on Christmas morning and get to open gifts in their house.  But we are going to also have the boys make some crafts for grandparents too. Let’s be honest, most adults don’t need anything. So, let them get something that is not expensive to make and from the grand kids. It is a win-win.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I really hope to be finished all of our shopping in the next 2 weeks.