how much did we spend $$ on Christmas?

I love the holidays and tend to be one of those people that go completely overboard. Over the top with decorating and excessive gift giving. That being said, I still have a Christmas budget that I stick to because at the end of the day, I want to enjoy the holidays and not have to stress about money. 

We normally save up for Christmas well in advance, but found ourselves cash-flowing the entire thing this year instead. I always base our budget on the year before, but somehow it keeps increasing. Ha! Here's what we spent on Christmas 2019...

they're here!

Thanks to a bit of a mix up, our holiday cards were delayed this year. I was beyond worried that these wouldn't arrive on time, but they came in just a few days ago and I rushed to get them out. We hand delivered quite a few, but all the ones we mailed arrived right on Christmas.  

I will forever be sending out holiday cards. And right now for this season of life, I especially love that we send out our cards with a real photo that represents the year, as opposed to staging and posing for a photo just for the sake of the card. 

money diaries vol 1: holiday edition

Money has always been such a taboo subject, but ironically, it is also one of the most important factors in our day to day lives. Yet, no one wants to talk about it. I love that my generation is stepping away from this faux pas and is being more honest and upfront with series like CNBC's Millennial Money and Refinery 29's Money Diaries. 

And while I've always shared our travel budgets, I'm hoping to talk money more in this space in the coming year, and I thought doing my own version of a money diary series could be a fun way to do that. With the holidays in full swing, I feel like we are definitely indulging and spending more than usual. Juggling between trying to enjoy the holidays while not jeopardizing our financial goals has been quite the balancing act, so I thought  this would be a good time to share my first money diary. Here is everything that the Husband and I spent money on last week. 

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg

When we moved to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area a little over a year ago, I immediately made a list of things to do and try. And a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg has been at the top of that list. The timing just never quite worked out until now, which turned out to be a good thing, because visiting during the holiday season was extra magical. Every year the city has a wreath decorating contest. And it is beyond intense. 

If you live in the area, you are required to put up a wreath for the contest and there is an entire published manual on rules and regulations for what can and cannot be used in the wreath. Basically, it has to be all natural items, similar to colonial times. A community where tasteful holiday decorations are required, is definitely my kind of place. And while, it's a little crazy to think about, it makes for the best holiday visit to tour the wreaths with all the neighbors competing for the blue ribbon and bragging rights for the year. 

holiday cards from christmas past

I know the idea of holiday cards may be an outdated one, but it's a tradition that I love. I think that it honestly comes from fond memories of helping my mother address cards every year. And once, I had my own little family, I couldn't wait to do the same. 

where have I been?

So I disappeared again. But you already knew that didn't you? I barely visited this space all summer because well...I was living my best life while visiting all the countries during not one, but two separate backpacking trips through Europe. After all that traveling, I totally had the best intentions to focus on documenting all of those experiences in this space. And then, the most unexpected thing happened...my license to practice dentistry showed up much earlier than I was expecting. 

Apparently graduating from an accredited dental school isn't enough, you have to go through this whole arduous process to get legal permission to work. And I survived it. Within days of receiving my license, I applied to jobs and immediately landed interviews, received job offers, and signed a contract within just a week's time. So off to work I went. It's honestly taken some time for me to get acclimated to this whole working adult thing, but I'm finally settling in and getting back to my everyday life-including this space.