Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Post Christmas Recovery

My Christmas guest has just departed, all the gifts have been given and I am having a pj afternoon - no more cooking or entertaining to be done.

December is a strange time. All year I carefully keep to my grocery budget and use coupons and plan meals. December I blew the grocery budget (but will be held accountable by taking my December overage off January grocery budget) and have to shop up a storm to complete all the gift giving lists. I really feel like I have a post Christmas spending hangover. Fortunately we have no credit card hangovers - we charge everthing to the credit cards (for the points) but immediately pay them off so there is no debt. I am just a little sick of shopping, eating and cooking at the moment. Do you ever feel that way?

My mind is on packing and purging for the upcoming move. The weekend before Christmas hubby managed to sell the final piece of workout equipment we had up for sale on Kijiji $275.


It was purchased used for more ($500) but hubby got three solid years of use (and yes, he actually did use it as well as his son who recently got into working out). It is a bit of a boat anchor as weighted about 500 lbs so there was no way we were taking it in our move (nor do we have the room for it). We have worked it into our budget to both join a gym which will be easier to keep up a regular workout routine as it is too easy to do other things when you work out at home.

Over the New Years weekend I will carefully pack away all the Christmas decorations that will be mover ready. I did downsize some Christmas decorations this year, but realized some of the decorations meant more to us than we realized. I will purge other items that have no meaning to make up for it. It is difficult downsizing to a home half your current size - but also liberating.

Even if you are not moving consider a post-Christmas purge! Give away at least 10% more than entered your house in the month of December. Sell it on ebay, hold a garage sale, list it on Craigs List or Kijiji or Freecycle or give it to friends or Goodwill. I guarantee it will make you feel better about your space.

1 comment:

  1. I love post holiday pj days! I'm getting into the post holiday purging & organizing as well. I agree that it's a must:). Tomorrow will be day, that is of course if I can tear myself away from all my new toys, LOL!

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