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My dog, Agamemnon, (yes, that’s his real name. For the record, I had nothing to do with it.) never overspends during the holiday season. Never. So when January rolls around, he does not succumb to the stress and guilt that the rest of us feel after a full month of consuming.
Now, this is for a number of reasons. First, he is a dog and doesn’t have any money. So naturally he’s got that going for him. Second, he knows how to tune out periodically during the season. Allow me to explain...
Agamemnon is quite committed to spending hours--even days--during the season avoiding all forms of holiday advertising. He stays off the computer. He avoids television. He casts disdainful glances at catalogs. He steers clear of shops. 
This behavior, I realize, is quite radical for us humans to adopt. But perhaps we could learn a thing or two from Ag. For instance, ever since Thanksgiving commenced, my inbox has been stuffed to the gills with advertisements. At least every other new message I receive is from the Loft or J.Crew or Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Even Walgreens is cyber-stalking me!
And this, of course, says nothing about the tv ads and tantalizing Pottery Barn catalogs and beautiful gift guides that the glossies are printing--all calling out to me to spend.
Now let me tell you a selfish little secret of mine: I only pay attention to the items that I want, and disregard the rest. So naturally when I head out to the store, or onto an online retailer, I catch myself picking up “just a few small things” for myself while shopping for others. Things I didn’t really think I wanted until...say...I saw them in my inbox.
This, of course, leads to much overspending and feelings of guilt following the season.
So though I could never be as committed as Agamemnon this season, I do think that I might try his technique every now and then, by turning off the tv and shutting down my email and enjoying an afternoon at home instead of at the stores. Sort of like a consumer-detox during the shopping-binge.
It certainly seems to work for Ag, anyway.
What are your tricks for staying within your budget during the holidays? Share your comments here by posting them below!
Monday mornings are better--WAY better--than they used to be for me, mainly because I get to wake up and do the work I love. But every now and then I still have a Monday morning when I drag my feet to get out of bed and lament the weekend gone by.
This was one of those Mondays.
And so to pull me out of my malaise, I'm placing my focus on three things that have already brightened my day.
1. pumpkin pie for breakfast.
Not only did I make this pie last night specifically so that I could eat it for breakfast this morning, but it is the second pie I've made for exactly that purpose this month.
What can I say? I love pumpkin pie early in the morning. And after spending years and years of only eating it for Thanksgiving, I decided that I needed to make up for some lost pie-eating opportunities.
Besides, Martha Stewart Living has a great recipe for pie with shortbread crust. (I'd give you the link, but I can't find it on MS.com. I found it in November's issue, on shelves now.) It is the perfect combination of salty and sweet.
If salty and sweet won't get me out of bed on a Monday, I don't know what will!
2. this stuffed elephant I knit over the weekend.
Isn't he cute? Or maybe I should say "she" since my husband informed me that boy elephants do not wear pink scarves. I still think it's a boy...just don't tell him. (fyi: pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.)
And what is the purpose of this elephant? Well...other than the fact that it coordinates perfectly with my new favorite children's book, There is a Bird on Your Head, it has no purpose. I just really needed a project that was fun and had nothing--absolutely nothing--to do with work.
Of course now my yellow lab, Caesar, has officially adopted the elephant as his own. I may never get it back....
3. my new (used) rose-toned metallic ballet flats.
When I saw a similarly-hued pair of flats from J. Crew earlier this season, I fell in love. It was that special shoe love that only women understand. And ever since my encounter with Cupid's footwear arrow, I have been smitten with rose-metallic flats.Unfortunately for me, J.Crew's price for said flats were a little steep for my budget. So I decided to trek out on Saturday to my local used clothing store and see if I could get lucky.
And by "lucky," I mean see if I could find a pair of used shoes in my size that are this particular shade of metallic for a price that I could afford. It was a fool's errand, for sure.
But apparently I'm a fool (and evidently God wanted me to have rose-colored metallic flats) because I found Exactly what I was looking for at the bargain price of $6.00.
You can guess what I'll be wearing around town this week.
Here's to hoping you have three cheery things to brighten your Monday!
--steph
Agamemnon is quite committed to spending hours--even days--during the season avoiding all forms of holiday advertising. He stays off the computer. He avoids television. He casts disdainful glances at catalogs. He steers clear of shops. 
This behavior, I realize, is quite radical for us humans to adopt. But perhaps we could learn a thing or two from Ag. For instance, ever since Thanksgiving commenced, my inbox has been stuffed to the gills with advertisements. At least every other new message I receive is from the Loft or J.Crew or Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Even Walgreens is cyber-stalking me! 
Now let me tell you a selfish little secret of mine: I only pay attention to the items that I want, and disregard the rest. So naturally when I head out to the store, or onto an online retailer, I catch myself picking up “just a few small things” for myself while shopping for others. Things I didn’t really think I wanted until...say...I saw them in my inbox.
