A frugal solution. . . .

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday! I certainly did, although my frugal tendencies went right out the window when faced with fabulous food, lots of opportunities (and time) for socializing, and, alas, the dreaded spending.

As has been the case since I began my frugal journey several years ago, the Christmas season seems to trigger the 'shopping gene' and I end up not only spending more than I intended to on others, but also on myself! For some reason, the act of purchasing gifts for others seems to get the juices flowing and I end up buying things for myself as well. It's as if all of my self-control, which I wield so successfully during the rest of the year, simply flies out the window for a two-week period.

Although I did score a wonderful new jacket and a pair of boots (70% off!), the upshot is that I had to send my last paycheck not to my second mortgage-holder or to my student loan balance, but instead to my credit card! Aaaarrrrrrgggghhhh! It's frustrating, to say the least.

Although I am kicking myself (even while wearing my fabulous new duds) the silver lining is that I have come up with a plan to help myself avoid this next year. My solution is this: for the first time ever, I'm going to set up a savings account just for Christmas costs, to include travel (airfare to visit the family) and gifts. I had intended to nix my savings (except for the savings that goes towards paying my water and auto insurance costs, of course) so that I could concentrate on sending every extra penny to my debt. However, in the long run, I think sending $50 a month to the Christmas savings account will benefit me by helping me avoid the frenzy of spending that I experienced this year.