I believe charity though this year with extra medical bills, I haven't experienced much. But this weekend in my hometown I'm meeting a bit of a problem.

Last week I was told by a friend of a fundraiser for Senior Party Grad night. It is pretty neat and it is for kids. Community breakfast, I think $20.00 for a family, and then your child is sent in with a high school student (with about $15.00 for my family size) and your child picks out a gift for each family member and it is wrapped. Cute idea and we were planning on going. Total cost, around $35.00.

Then tonight, my husband is volunteering at another charity event. I'd like to spend a little time with my husband but for me and the kids to go, it is going to be another $20 - $30!

That doesn't seem like much but when you add in the two -- it's like $65.00 for the weekend! I'm still attempting to decide if we're going to go tonight. It's just a bummer.

Does anyone else have these problems?

I don't have any unplanned holiday expenses. However, I'm sure something will break this month!

You bet my SIL was upset because the holiday pans we made (this is the year we spend x-mas with my side) So since no one was giving in and changing there schedule and figuring something out it is always us having to change out schedule this means going down to my parents back to MILs back to my Parents and 200 miles of extra driving which while I don;t mind its a lot of gas money. So thats the only one so far.

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

We were going to get the kids / family pictures taken last weekend (except we had a major snowstorm) but I could use the place tonight (it will be decorated - it's a Festival of Trees and they have many different trees decorated in many different styles) -- we'll all be dressed up! I can take my camera and do our pictures there! That will save me money! And I'll still be able to send the pictures out in time!

Sure. This year it was 4 new tires for our car which obliterated our Christmas money. And DH is starting a new job with a month of training over an hour away, so our gas budget will have to steal from other parts of the budget. My dear sister decided this year to push the gift exchange, though we have SQUAT for money til DH's new job paychecks roll in. -- and even then, we'll be paying off any gas we needed to charge on the card, etc. Christmas will likely be postponed for us. She'll be quite disappoitned when I tell her (again) we don't have money to exchange gifts with everyone (10 people just on my side of the family).

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Great idea! Last year we started taking a family picture on our ski boat during the summer. We use that picture for our Christmas card. Gives everyone a little sunshine at Christmas.

We take our own holiday picture too. Usually we go down to Miami Beach, and take the boys in front of either the beach or some ritzy hotel/area. They are usually in whatever shorts and tanks they normally wear - no dressy clothes. Then we send it in a card that looks like a postcard-type. Very cheap and it really reflects how Christmas looks in South FL.

As for the unplanned expenses, I think it is pretty much inevitable. Like, you should PLAN that you will have unplanned expenses! Every year I try to buy more and more early in the year - but I'm still not that great at it.

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Heather