Dec 26...Happy Guiltmas....

Its Dec 26 the day after Christmas...if there was any day on earth that could be counted as an annual day for guilt it would have to be this day. Guiltmas as I have dubbed it.


 On Christmas day you have the love and joy of family and friends to distract you through the celebrating. Then afterwards you have all the wrapping paper, dishes and left overs to clean up. Finally with a delightfully full belly and Cheshire cat smile on your face you drift off into a deep sleep.

Here's where it starts....You wake up to a mind going about a mile a minute. The holiday haze has faded and the reality of what you have done weighs on you like the sound of gallows being built to an ancient prisoner.

There are usually two main causes of Guiltmas....Money and Food

If you are anything like me then the over eating started around Dec 1. You start hearing the Christmas Carols on the radio, in stores, at the doctors office, in schools, and at work. You come home and bake so much a small orphanage would be set for months. Well somebody has to eat that food....

Then the treat gifts start coming...it all begins innocently enough. A paper plate of cookies or covered pretzels. Your really close friends know that guilt can come and so they only done one for each member of your family. Oh but the gifts keep coming, neighbors, coworkers and family all have already baked their families out or they are just really nice people and soon you have enough sweets and chocolates to open a small bakery. 

 Christmas week has arrived! I count myself among the lucky I only have one dinner to attend. Nevertheless, for majority of you its not one or even two...it's multiple!! Sometimes they are strewn out over the course of the week but often it's Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You have to eat!! You don't want to offend anyone...right? Don't forget about all those intoxicating smells...and how the only way to stop salivating is to eat! 

That was then and today is now. Welcome to Guiltmas....fa la la la la! 

Repeat after me..."I chose to eat those foods and the quantity. I will not allow myself to feel guilty. I will not make drastic New Years Resolutions based on this feeling of guilt. I will eat more greens and drink more water over the course of this week solely because I need to get myself regulated and back on schedule. Not because of guilt."  Now do it and look forward to New Years.

 

This one will not be as easy...If you didn't pay your bills and your mortgage or rent is do next week and you are flat broke....you need to head on over to Dave Ramsey's site cause I got nothing for you here. 

If you are sitting down to the checkbook and cringing because you haven't balanced it in a week or if you are like me and are making a point to be as far away from your husband when he signs on to the online banking...I can help. 

I'm going to take a second and brag on myself. Yes I am prideful. This year is significantly different for my family than last year. We are in a better financial situation.  Last years gifts were mostly second hand or clearance gifts out of necessity--this year it was a choice. The choices I made in gifts were very specific as well. We live in a tiny apartment (for now) and the stuff I got had to fit and be what they really wanted. I bought early and I refused to buy anymore when I was hitting the last minute sales with friends. 

If you did not do this and are having a small coronary at all the over spending here are a few suggestions.

1. Dig out all those receipts that are all over your desk, buried in your purse or in random bags. Take back what is not the right size, is unlikable or just plain ugly. Exchange this for things that are usable. I don't care if it shampoo or toothpaste. You are saving money you would be spending later now. 

2. Use the gift cards! Use them for your lunch, buy groceries with them or gas--this enables you to set that money aside from your budget to pay the other bills that may have popped up or you forgot. 

3. Write down all the things now that you did wrong, put in an envelope addressed to yourself and put it in your Thanksgiving decor. We all start on Black Friday anyway. 

4. Now repeat after me... ""I will forgive myself for overspending. I will not lie or mislead my spouse about my overspending. Instead I will fess up so they can help me keep from doing it again. Most importantly I will enjoy the rest of this year with a new self awareness and go into the next year with a desire to not make the same mistakes."   Now do it.

So did anyone get any use from this post at all?

Bri