Mid-month Progress: Pre-Christmas panic, family stuff, coping mechanisms
December 19, 2011
I’m still working on this deceptively short but ridiculously time-consuming list of things to do to save money for the household. And I’ve added several items. Lists make life seem more manageable. Until you have lists of lists, at which point the system starts to break down.
1. Benefits seemed easy but it’s spawned more paperwork for life insurance purposes. I say thee, tomorrow. I shall complete the last bits tomorrow. Or at least make the next sets of phone calls to finish the last bits tomorrow.
2. Auto and property insurance research was utterly demoralizing. ie: took hours and was still nigh-on impossible to nail down a good comparison.
3. The mortgage stuff we’re getting a start on but we’re not at the point of dealing with the actual refi.
4. I’ve been madly dashing around at work trying to get everything to the right point for the upcoming new year and battling madly but quietly for my next step.
So ….
Check! I have finally wrapped five gifts purchased earlier in the year. But we’re still down at least five gifts. Yeeks!
Check! PiC blew our gift budget on ME. It wasn’t the classic (stupid) car commercial but it was a big gift I wasn’t expecting.
_____ And has been mum on the subject of his family’s gifts so they really may be getting socks. [see, blew our budget]
_____ We’re traveling a little for the holidays and then hosting a full house for a few days so we’re double whammy on the stress of preparations.
_____ I still haven’t planned anything for our anniversary. He wanted to do something special for our 1-year engagement anniversary.
_____ And I’m working on Holiday Gifts for the Office.
Check! Mission: Find Non-denominational Seasonal Cards was accomplished, though! I triumphed in the face of great mobs and traffic. *shudder* I had forgotten the state of any mall and parking lot in the end of December, since all the shopping’s been online lately.
That’s not terrible, eh? How’s everyone else doing out there?
US gifts posted (on time, how did that happen?). Cards posted or handed out. Email card still to do. Will go today and buy bottles of wine for fill-in gifts for half a dozen people (‘plonk’ is entirely acceptable in this family). Tree is up and decorated. Need to shop for Christmas Day food. Have sewn a couple of presents; will work on a couple more. If they get made, great, if not, no big deal. Will shop for New Years Eve pig out next week. Need to bake a few spice cakes for gifts. It’s pretty much all under control, which is very weird. Mainly due to Bill being retired and a bit bored, so he has pitched in a lot; I can’t take much credit at all. Season’s Greetings (is that properly non-denominational?) and Best wishes for 2012!
Well, you’re ahead of me. I figure that since Christmas Eve is on a Saturday, which is still a shopping day, I can wait. Hmm–maybe that’s why I was looking for stocking stuffers at the 7-11 last year!
Whew! What a handful of major projects! Hope you get them done and off your desk soon.
Today, finally climbed out from under the mound of financial paperwork that’s been neglected the past month. Yesterday, met the new client: tomorrow, work on his stuff.
Thursday & Friday: rebuild Eng 102 websites. Saturday: rebuild Eng 235 website; spend entire evening unto midnight singing – potluck dinner – singing some more. Sunday: finish Eng 235 site; dinner with friends’ family. Monday: possible dinner with M’hijito, who has to spend Xmas with his dad’s family.
Week between Xmas and New Year’s: work on client’s stuff; work on blog traffic; start organizing and figuring out how to publish e-book. After that: in 2012 get serious about marketing & networking.
@Shelley: I STILL haven’t posted any gifts that need mailing. Or ordering. /headdesk/
I’m perfectly happy with a Merry Christmas greeting, I just have to be non denominational for the staff because some of them celebrate Christmas and some do not and rather than select out the ones who do not as “other”, I prefer to give them all nice non-denominational cards 🙂
@Grace: I think I’m going to set up for next year NOW. 😛
@FaM: OOOOF. I think, still more to do!