The Savvy Life

Christmas

On Christmas Day, Paul and I enjoyed the holiday hanging out at home with our dogs. We cooked, ate, had a few cocktails and watched movies. Paul and I both have parents that are divorced. Consequently, we have had four families to visit during the holidays – which is a great! However, a few years back I learned a nasty lesson about trying to visit everyone at Christmas… On Christmas Eve we spent the evening at my father-in-law’s home in San Mateo, CA – just a few miles from our own. The next day is really what kicked my butt. We got up at the crack of dawn and drove to Camp Haze (my dad’s ranch) in Chowchilla. – 148 miles From Camp Haze we drove to my grandmother’s home in Fresno. – 40 miles From my grandmother’s home we drove to my mother-in-law’s in Loomis. – 193 miles From her home, we drove back to Redwood City. – 135 miles Total miles driven 480 in a 16 hour time period. It might not have been so bad except for that bad habit Paul has of falling asleep as soon as the car hits 60 miles an hour. By the time we got home he was wired from getting so much sleep and I was so exhausted I was in tears. I will never put myself through that again. We now spend two relaxing weekends celebrating the holidays and I love every minute of it – even the driving. Write comment (0 Comments)

 

Celebrating Christmas at Camp Haze

{mosimage}The Saturday before Christmas my stepmother Linda hosts a cookie decorating party and lunch at Camp Haze*.* This is a chance for all the kids and grandkids to get together and enjoy each other’s company. It's a very low-key event and one that my husband Paul and I look forward to every year. This year, on top of the wonderful food, decorations and company, there was a brand new litter of golden lab puppies to play with. *”Camp Haze” is my dad’s ranch in Chowchilla, CA. Forty acres of farmland with horses, cows and the occasional litter of puppies. Write comment (0 Comments)

 

I Am Not a Shopper

I am not a shopper. It’s just not something I enjoy. That said, I think it is cruel that the only time I ever find things that I want to buy for myself is at Christmas – when I am madly shopping for everyone else. This year I have a plan! I am writing down all the things that I fall in love with and waiting to pick them up after the holidays. With any luck, they will be on sale. Am I the only one out there with this problem? I plan on hitting the stores after Christmas to shop for birthday gifts as well. My brother, dad, niece, grandmother and father-in-law all have January birthdays. Again, with some planning, I hope to take advantage of the sales. We’ll see if that actually happens. I often have the best of intentions, but the time to act is not always available. Write comment (0 Comments)

 

Living the Budget Savvy Life

Welcome to Living the Budget Savvy Life – my pseudo blog. I hope to post something new every week or, when there is something worth posting. Over the course of publishing Budget Savvy these last two years I have seen my own views about life and money change. This blog is as much for my own amusement as yours. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Write comment (0 Comments)