I started my Christmas shopping this weekend. The first weekend in November is definitely a lot later than I would have liked to start my shopping, and what I did buy wasn’t planned. I happened to be out with my oldest daughter, buying her a few new things, and saw the perfect gift for a family member, AND it was on sale. Once I bought it, I realized I really need to get my rear in gear, because Christmas is in less than 2 months! With our trip to as Vegas this week, I don’t see myself getting any more Christmas shopping until the middle of November, but that’s ok. I’ll have a bit more cash then, so I won’t need to take out a loan to buy what my kids want from Santa. I won’t need to spend the mortgage money either! And, I won’t be using any of my credit cards to buy gifts this year. It’s a little thing I like to call a “debt free Christmas”, and it’s important to me. In fact, we’ve made a pact not to spend as much on junk the kids want, and the bulk of their gift will be a January ski trip. Memories are so much more precious than things!

(And speaking of memories, on my geeky mom list is a digital picture frame for my desk. Hint, hint!)