Tis the Season

Tis the Season... well, it is according to the stores anyhow. Since before Halloween there has been Christmas stuff out. Anyone listening to Christmas music yet? :).

Christmas is a time where a lot of people can get into trouble. You want to do everything you can for people you care about, but your heart usually gets bigger than your wallet. Instead of stopping, most people just charge it -- and before you know it you end up getting yourself a big nasty bill for Christmas.

For the last couple years now I've been doing a cash only Christmas. The first year was a bit of a train wreck due to medical bills and improper budgeting, but things have been getting a bit better as I get more experience. Even last year, I couldn't do as much as I wanted due to medical bills, but I used those two experiences to make this year spectacular.

I had planned way ahead of time and got all the Christmas money put back for the girls this year in October. Words cannot describe the feeling of satisfaction I had when I deposited the funds into that account. No more do I need to worry about where the money will come from. No more do I need to worry about if I can get things for the girls . No more do I need to worry about the aftermath of how to pay for a debt fueled sea of disaster. It is all taken care of -- and it's going to be a blast to do the shopping.

I've felt pretty bad about the last couple years just for the fact the kids got screwed because of my poor planning and not being able to handle the financial maelstrom we were handed. Not this year though. I'm making up for those lean years and then some. I know they are too young to really know or care, but this is something I feel I really need to do for them. They have been through so much in their short little lives, I want Christmas to be spectacular for them this year.

Speaking of spectacular, we now have four debts about to fall out in the next 6 months (all pretty much at the same time). The combined payments for all of these are right around $600 a month. That's $600 I get back almost immediately as they all drop out within months of each other. That's huge, and will go a long way in bringing the next monster down. One of those four is the Van. It only has about $1000 left, and will be a big psychological win for us (actually something directly tangible for payments).

The only thing that could be a sore spot is medical expenses for the first part of next year. Our insurance resets, so we are going to be having to pay for the girls medication (retails at $2000 a month) until all the deductibles and out of pocket expenses are hit. Thankfully there is a non-profit that is going to be working with us next year to help raise funds to offset some of these expenses. "From the Heart" is a organization started by a friend of ours with the goal of helping families in need of care they cannot necessarily afford. Go find it on Facebook or Twitter and follow. It is a great organization with a good heart and very noble goal. They will also appreciate any donations you want to contribute for their sponsored families :)

I guess my only parting words of wisdom would be to not charge Christmas this year. Sure, it may be hard, but you'll be thanking me in January when that bill doesn't arrive in your mailbox :).