December first is here and we’re still eating Thanksgiving leftovers.  The last of the turkey and a few slices of cheese from the meat and cheese tray went into a casserole yesterday with lots of rice, a can of black beans, a can of  tomato sauce and half a tub of aging salsa from the fridge.  Yes, a main ingredient here is white rice which is getting a bad rap all over the place but we’ll  be eating this with a serving of stir fry veggies from the freezer.   When you can’t afford a diet of nothing but lean protein and fresh vegetables, you can use your pantry and adopt portion control.

My wife has been checking into some healthy eating/living blogs for economical recipes and forwarded me 5 Ways to Stretch Your Food Dollar and Shrink Your Waistline on ronisweigh.com.  We’ve already been buying meat in bulk and bulking it up by adding veggies but I never thought to water down juices and dressings.  Genius! I already feel guilty when we don’t make our own dressing but I hate paying for a healthier ranch I can’t buy in bulk and having it gone in a week.  There’s one more thing we can stretch this month.

In case you haven’t been reading lately,  we’ve got just over two weeks until we fly home for Christmas (and to weeks of free meals) and we’re not buying any groceries in between.  This is both to save money and out of principle: we will experience restraint and our holiday snacking and home cooked meals will be that much more special.  There is ONE exception: we plan to buy just enough frozen and/or cheap fruit so our toddler can get enough fruits and veggies each day.  Plus, we’re still working on that mega bag of whey protein powder and blending it with frozen blueberries and milk is as close as we’re getting to dessert until the week before Christmas.

Speaking of which: 24 days and two paychecks ’till Christmas . . .

I highly recommend drawing names.  Last year, in the wake of more than a few layoffs, my wife’s extended family agreed to this.   Three of us (my wife, my son and I) will buy only three presents – our contribution to gifts for the entire extended family of seven aunts, two uncles, four grandparents and of course all the cousins.  They also set a modest $30 limit per gift.  I can’t tell you how it comforts me to know that her family is taken care of for less than $100.  If two of the relatives we drew weren’t under the age of 19, I’d be buying and giving everyone silver for Christmas like I’ve been saying since 2008.  I’m so glad we’ve spent the last two years building a security stash of gold and silver but I can’t project my worries about the economy onto an innocent kid.  I may be a softy but I know how I’d feel as a 10 year old tearing open the wrapping paper to see a couple hunks of metal.  Hopefully the family members reading my blog have already bought some.

Every year our family plans to buy at least half our Christmas presents the day (who am I kidding) the morning after Thanksgiving.  You could accuse us of perpetuating a materialistic culture or you could recognize that often these ARE the best prices on goods clearly advertised and well organized.  Motivated shoppers make a list, set a budget, plan their stops in order of times the doors open and relative importance of each item, particularly specialty items or big-ticket purchases like electronics.  Smart shoppers do all this and arrive back at home before dinner or even before lunch on Friday with an entire Saturday and Sunday of relaxation still ahead. Why WOULDN’T you take advantage of a Friday off work to knock out one of the most annoying responsibilities of the holiday season?

This year most of our giving takes place in Michigan; the extra baggage fees to fly all our family gifts cross-country would far outweigh whatever great price we paid for them originally.  Instead, the wife shopped online and I braved the crowds to pick up four relatively boring items just for us, strictly because we would not be able to get them at this price any other time of the year.

nice vacuum – because seasonal allergies + cat hair = very unhappy and unproductive adults,

nice knife set – because the chopping and dicing necessary to cook your own meals requires more than a dollar store steak knife,

jewelry box – because she wants to stop losing earrings and I want my toolbox back,

midor saw – because I prefer building over buying and I’m sick of borrowing from the neighbor.

 I suppose we could have wrapped them, labeled them with “to” and “from” and waited ’till right before we leave for Michigan to open them but that just seems contrived.  We both knew what was being purchased.  We had a plan and we stuck with it.  Besides, I just can’t see calling a vacuum cleaner anyone’s “gift”.  Our surprises will come from seeing our son’s face as he opens grandma’s gift or experiences snow for the first time.

I’m happy to report our family is still functioning on one paycheck, temporarily sharing one vehicle.  Junior and the Wife have limited appointments  and playdates to the same day each week and so far, my job hasn’t required me to visit multiple locations on Tuesdays.  We will hold out as long as we can in this state as I slowly start fixing the Benz.  Most of it is maintenance; hopefully the upcoming holiday will let me squeeze in some time in the garage. I’m asking Santa to bring me some Auto Zone gift cards this year.

We did end up spending a little of our savings in order to buy tickets for the holidays.  Junior is still under two so the three of us are traveling for about $550.  It could have been worse.  Now that Junior has more of a personality than last year, he’ll visit all the relatives and create some memories.  We have decided to warn family that this is our last visit for a while.  Next year, they can come see us for a change.

Another mildly debated spend this month was Junior’s first birthday.  We arranged a small party of about 20 people (most were our friends who also have kids) and had burgers, fajitas, chips, veggies, cake, ice cream and of course beer.  Note to Self for next time:  No one will eat two fajitas AND two burgers like we allocated when we bought supplies.  Maybe it was frivolous to have a party, but some of those friends hadn’t seen Junior in months.  He got a lot of great books and toys and we as parents got to breathe a sigh of relief: we made it, he’s healthy and happy, and we haven’t checked into a loony bin just yet . . .

The bill wasn’t THAT bad; we spent two weeks worth of grocery budget in one week and have plenty of leftovers.  We will be eating burgers and cake until Thanksgiving, then when the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, it is Ramen until Christmas.  The wife thinks I’m joking with the Ramen bit but I am not.  Not even close to joking.  Even if we weren’t trying to save money, I’d do it to offset the holiday weight gain and make Christmas dinner taste that much better.

Since the day I paid cash for my 1984 diesel Mercedes 300SD, I’ve thought that with proper care it would never die.  I’ve believed that at the very least I’d drive it well into my own middle age.  Today I find myself wondering if it makes financial sense to keep fixing it.

Some history:

After moving to Texas and securing jobs, my wife and I made a plan.  I’d keep driving the Benz and do most maintenance myself, while she’d get a new car.  I researched the hell out of mid-size vehicles, and finally we decided on a Toyota RAV4.  We chose it because of its resale value, fuel economy, room for car seats, and trips to Lowe’s.  We’ve been paying about $125 more than the minimum payment every single month, and as a result we’re on track to have the car paid for in exactly 19 more months.  When my wife became a stay work-at-home mom, we smiled at the realization that only one car would be driven daily, saving us money on gas and repairs.

Sure, my car was needing more and more repairs, but I loved the cushy seats and the tank-like exterior.  Sure, I was having to prioritize crawling on the garage floor over freelancing at $75 an hour, but I didn’t mind.  The car rarely required complex diagnostics, was easily repaired, and was still more than capable of cross-country treks.  I didn’t need a new car … most certainly not until my wife’s car was paid off.

Now, the Benz sits in our driveway unable to start.  There’s an elusive vacuum leak, which makes the breaks hard and engine idle after shutoff.  The clear coat is almost completely gone thanks to the scorching Texas sun.  There’s 530 dents form the March 2009 hailstorm.  Two window motors are shot, so is the telescopic antenna.  Since we still need two cars — one for work, one for baby appointments — we are faced with a decision:

1. Spend a week and around $1,500 replacing all rotors, brake pads, housings, vacuum tubing, window motors.

2. Reduce the Toyota payment back down to the minimum, then up my freelancing gigs and trim the budget to put together $400 for a used car payment.

3. Slowly start working on the Benz, and get creative on the days the family needs the car — wife and junior drive me to work, etc.

I’m torn between paying off the Toyota fast and having that extra $125.  Number three seems to be the cheapest, smartest way to go, even though 19 months of that will get pretty annoying.  Another wrench in this plan is the fact that my job often requires me to visit multiple locations in the same day, sometimes not on a predictable schedule.  Soooo . . . that could mean I have to tell my wife the night before to reschedule a doctor’s appointment they’ve had planned for 3 months.  Ulgh.

Halloween is over and we survived with candy to spare – we spent exactly $20 on the first holiday of the most expensive season of the year.  Damn near all traditions honored October through February can be reduced to two things: eating and spending.  And what is a delicious meal if not a good excuse to spend money?  With just one paycheck before Thanksgiving and three between Thanksgiving and Christmas, its time to plan how we’ll survive without buying on credit or tapping into our savings accounts.

For Thanksgiving, I have a theory: More is Better.  More people that is.  Whatever family member is brave enough to surrender their home and their kitchen to the food-fest should only have to buy the turkey and maybe the stuffing.  There is no reason each other guest can’t contribute an item or two.  Aunts Sally and Rita can make a couple pies each, Dorris can bring her famous green bean casserole, Grandma Jean and Grandpa John can bring the mashed and sweet potatoes and even the craziest aunt, uncle or cousin can probably handle rolls or (gasp) store-bought cranberry sauce.  The hosts will have so much less to worry about, everyone can just relax and have a good time.

I realize that for some family members, football competes with turkey for the most important part of this holiday.  I’m sure you’re shaking your heads lamenting missing that “game changing” play while you’re slaving in the kitchen.  To this I say:  Man Up.  DVR it or if you have to, turn the tv up loud for the less than 60 minutes you’ll probably be in the kitchen.  Make the food the day before so you can just heat it up the day of.  Everyone loves leftovers anyway so this will taste as good or better than if the poor hosts had been cooking nonstop since 4am.  Give one dish and you shall receive many; you’ll catch up on zzzzz’s after the tryptophan kicks in.

This way, the cost of the meal is shared relatively equally.  In 2009, the average cost of a basic Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people including a 16 lb. turkey was $42.91.  Completely manageable if divided among 8 or more people.  Besides, knowing I’m not the host (read: I don’t have to be the one putting the turkey in at 5am and washing the dishes after the meal), I’d be willing to spend half that much on ingredients for the side dish and beverage(s) I’ll be bringing.  Show me a way to avoid trashing my house on a holiday weekend and I’ll show you a man who is truly thankful.