May 2008 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
christmas & holiday shopping: status
how far along are you on your shopping? are you done, almost done? did you keep it within budget? if you aren't done, how many more things are on your list?
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Re: christmas & holiday shopping: status
we aren't done yet, but i have done a whole bunch of shopping online, for the first time. i am usually so busy this time of year with the end of the semester but this year, i acutally got started earlier than years past. i have just a few more things to get and we should be done. it's actually pretty exciting to almost be done. i also need to buy wrapping paper and such b/c i think we ran out of the pretty stuff from last year.
i think we are in budget, although i don't think we really set a budget. we try to shop smart and not buy super expensive gifts. i'm paying more attention to coupons this year too, which i haven't done in the past either. my target debit-redcard even saves me an extra 5% so that's better than nothing!
i hate the feeling of being broke, so that fact that we aren't stressing over the $$ spent, that makes it soooooooooo much better and enjoyable to buy people gifts they will enjoy.
We're completely done - the benefit of traveling - you're forced to be done early. I think we're exchanging stockings with each other tonight.
The only budget that was set was $150 for each of us and I stayed within it. I'm assuming H did too. Everyone else we kind of just bought what we wanted to get them. I always end up getting my mom more than everyone else, but she's my mom so I am fine with that (and H is too).
I did go a tad overboard buying baby things for a donation table at walmart yesterday, but it's for a good cause and baby things are so dang cute.
I have one gift left to buy, and I'm hoping to find it today (I know what it is I'm getting, just have to find it).
I don't know if I had a budget....I think I spent wisely and got good presents and since I've been shopping since September, the costs were distributed over a few months.
Mostly done. I'm making everyone's gift this year, so I'm pacing myself. My gingerbread cookies, fruitcakes, candied orange peels, dark chocolate bark with cherries and almonds, white chocolate bark with blueberries and toasted coconut, and peppermint bark.. are all made. My regulagh dough was made last night, and I'll bake them Friday. Later I'll make my shortbread dough, and bake it Thursday. At some point I need to make caramels and jelly/gummy candies. Maybe tomorrow for that.
I also need to make a cranberry orange loaf for Christmas morning, and a chocolate spice cake for dessert Christmas day. Those will wait for saturday.
And I stayed within budget because I had most things already on hand!
***City***
What does a girl have to do to get on your gift list?! Yum!!!! What amazing goodies! Very jealous!
I need to pick up some nail polish for a girly exchange and a couple gift cards. I finished up today with a couple photo prints for frames (4 generation thing for my grandma) and some liquor and hot sauces for exchanges and DH's stocking. I was tired of giving stupid like trinkets or games for the white elephant. I went with consumables this time. I think it will go over a lot better.
Thor those are always the most coveted gifts when we play white elephant with J's family. Any liquor or foodstuffs. However, some people also have some fun with it and wrap up cases of vienna sausage and six packs of cheapo beer, etc.
I need to pick up one more thing for sure for one of our nephews. Maybe a few other small things to add to their gifts. Our girls are pretty much done, unless I come across a good deal (like how I totally wasn't planning on getting that $50 drum playing Elmo toy that I'm sure would drive me nuts, but when I was able to pick it up at Target for $12 I was like eh why not - then the next day I was asking Gabby what she was going to ask Santa for and she busted out with "Lalaloopsy and Elmo!" yay me!).
Shmooz - J and I aren't exchanging this year. I"m not as sad about it as I thought I might be. I kinda would rather just buy what I want when I want it through the year anyway.
LOL.. invite me to Italy?
I'm sure I'll get a lot of snark from my family, but whatever! I'm having fun doing it 
Why on earth would they give you snark? For baking gifts instead of buying?? Do they not understand the time you're putting into that?? I hope no one gives you snark or they go on my "punch in the face" list.
I'm getting pretty close...I went to Hallmark today and got Christmas cards for the family (we didn't get around to sending out cards this year...might do New Years cards...). I only do them from Bennett...otherwise we end up buying a gazillion cards. i'm just not a card person...i think they're a waste of money to be honest.
Also went to about 8 different stores looking for Hershey's Hugs to make these pretzel, hugs, m&M things (a variation of the rolos and pretzels). apparently everyone else had the same idea bc every store was out of the hugs specifically. finally found them at meijer bc they were hidden on the top shelf in the candy aisle. yay me.
got some random stocking stuffer items for various people today as well. also got bows and tissue and tape for wrapping, which i need to do. Picked up groceries to do my baking. To do includes rolling out and baking my gingerbread dough, making the aforementioned pretzel things, baking mini pumpking bread loaves and packaging them up, and roasting about 12lbs of cinnamon-sugar pecans and almonds. I also have a bunch of Hot Chocolate on a Sticks left from the party I catered this past weekend, and i'll probably include those in the gift packages.
still need to get a gift basket for my dad's gf....i am putting together a little gift basket of items for my dad's house for her to use when she stays there...since we haven't lived there in so long, there aren't things like nail clippers,good shampoo, soap, loofahs, etc. in the bathroom for her to use. i need a couple more items and the actual basket (why are baskets so expensive!)
also need to get brad's gma something...a sweatshirt i guess per his mother. my dad's done, sister is done, brad and B are done, my grandparents are done, brad's parents are done, and i really should get my mom one more thing but she is SO hard to buy for. if anyone has any ideas for an uber materialistic person who returns everything, let me know! she asked me for an ipad for xmas...um my budget for her is $50. not happening.
thats about it! just need to bake mostly and then hand out those items. oh, and get something for our sitter...ugh. almost forgot about that!
I've been done shopping since the 9th. I finished wrapping on the 11th. Everything is done except I am missing one gift from Etsy. The USPS is pissing me off. It says expected delivery date was Dec 15th but my package was still in LA at that point in time. Its now been in MD for 4 days and it still hasn't been delivered.
I did stick to budget this year and I feel really good about it.
I am done with my dad, dad's gf, sis, BIL, SIL#1, SIL#2, and FIL...just MIL left.