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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

6 Things About Our Merry Little (Non)Frugal Christmas


Well I guess I could call our Christmas celebration frugal, if I couched it in terms of what we didn't do,  like.....
"We didn't fly the entire family to Vegas and spend Christmas wantonly gambling away our savings."
OR
"We didn't hit the local Mercedes dealership and there was no new car with a big bow on top in my driveway on Christmas morning."

Yes, compared to those two scenarios, ours was a very frugal Christmas. 8-)

Here is the main offender to our frugal celebration.....

A standing rib roast.
And here is why I have never bought one of these before, in my entire 53 years on this planet....

I about fainted after I saw the price in the grocery store! lol
And THAT was the "on sale" price.  Look above the yellow sticker part for the regular price for a 7lb hunk of this steer.....Geez!

It did look purty though, nekkid and going into the oven....


Unfortunately I don't have an "after" photo as I was too busy to snap a photo before serving it to my ravenous crowd......and there were no leftovers.
We almost had fist fights breaking out over second helpings.....


Now here are the Frugal Points to our Christmas Celebration.

1.  We stayed home and cooked.

2.  No relatives here that required anyone to fly cross country or drive further than 5 minutes away to get here. (Excepting #1 Son, who arrived on Sat. night, driving and he was in PA anyway.)

3.  Other than the roast, we made our meal from items in the stockpile(except for a couple of cans of whipped cream and a bag of carrots).

4.  Entertainment consisted of voyeurism like
Watching family members opening gifts.....



Tormenting the family dog......

Tormenting the children and spouse too by making them smile and pose for a photo.....



5.  Making food from scratch or buying complicated desserts from the Bread/Bakery outlet.
We had 5 desserts Christmas evening.....a cheesecake and Stollen from the Bakery Outlet, 2 kinds of pie and fudge(all made from scratch)


And scratch made rolls from my Great Aunt Lula's recipe.  I made a double batch of rolls actually, since they are quite popular and we hardly ever have leftovers.  So I saved myself some time and energy by making double to throw into the freezer for later.....IF they all don't get eaten in the next few days.....which they probably will.....
I made 11 pans of rolls, and I had 6 pans leftover when the clock struck midnight on Christmas night.

6.  We give sensible gifts mostly.  Though #2 Son's Christmas Wish list consisted of 1-a 2 thousand $ flute and 2-a $400 smartphone(which he can't afford to pay the plan for anyway), he received neither.
And he KNEW he wasn't getting them because this Santa mom doesn't roll that way.
We spend sensibly on children, even teenaged and almost grown ones.

When Hubs and I married, and thus marrying our vastly different Christmas traditions, gifts and spending were at opposite ends of the spectrum from what each other had experienced.  His family, which struggled financially for many years, didn't lavish money/gifts on the kids.  1 present was their norm.
My family, which had struggled early on but grew to be upper middle class and had parents who enjoyed spending their wealth and going into debt, thought nothing of dropping serious money on kids at Christmas.  In our family, there were many many gifts under the tree for each of us kids and usually 1 big(and expensive) present too.

So compared to Hubs parents, we are spendthrifts at Christmas, but compared to my parents, well, just call us Scrooge and a very Merry Hum-bug to you all. ;-)

We have a monetary limit for spending on gifts.  I try to get deals to make the spending seem like it's more than it really is.  I try not to buy mindlessly.....buying "things" just for the sake of buying stuff.  If it's a "thing" I buy, it's a thing that was asked for or a thing that is needed.  While I prefer to give services and consumables, it's very hard to do that with teens and almost adult children who don't live around here to buy services.  Since 1 is 21 now, buying consumables for him at least, adds a whole new dimension.


With my crowd now, MONEY is the most popular gift.  It always fits. lol

Now you will excuse me because I have $5 in +Up Rewards expiring today so I need to get up to Rite-Aid before the roads get any worse.
Yes, we are having a White Day-After Christmas here. 8-)



Merry Christmas!

Sluggy

22 comments:

  1. You actually save enough each month with your frugal ways that you could afford to buy lots of expensive items. I am not suggesting that, of course. The dog does not look happy, just tolerant...lol. It has snowed all day, but none of the teeny, tiny snowflakes stuck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the dog puts up with alot from us but she is rewarded with good snacks. lol

      If you need snow, come on up and bring lots of tupperware to haul it home in!

      Delete
  2. I think you spend $0 on your shopping enough times all year that you could afford to buy the roast that costs as much as a coat.

    We got the whitestorm today, too. I thought of going to the store but was too much of a sissy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gawd....cost as much as a coat! That makes the price sound even worse!LOLOL

      More white stuff coming on Saturday.....gee, I can't wait.....ha!

      Delete
  3. Looks like a fabulous & fun holiday! Sounds like you guys are striking just the right balance. :-) And, holy rolls! That must be one heck of a recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a low key holiday, like most of ours are. I was glad my oldest could come home for it.

      My grandmother's sister, Lula, had 7 kids, so her recipe makes quite a large batch of rolls, enough to feed 9 people.

      Delete
  4. Cash is king with my kids too. But I am REALLY mean and saved their cash for their car insurance in my account! I gave them a note in a card. They are used to my tricks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should start using your tricks! I did hold back a piece of the last of #1 son's college funds and didn't tell him. He didn't notice either. He'll thank me after graduation when he can't afford an apt. security deposit and I give it to him. Moms are so devious, but in a good way. 8-))

      Delete
  5. That roast looks sooo good! Yum!! Worth every penny I bet! :) Looks like you had a fabulous Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was nice and low key/low stress....just the way I like it.
      And the hunk of meat WAS yummy! 8-)

      Delete
  6. It sounds like it was a wonderful Christmas at your home. Would you consider sharing the roll recipe? They look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Precious, I could share it but then I'd have to kill ya. It's a family secret thing.
      But go google the roll recipe for Logan Steak House....it's pretty close. ;-)

      Delete
  7. Was totally looking to the after-oven photos of that roast. I am always scared away of hams, just because of the price! Looks delicious though. Those rolls I'm sure went quick.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A ham would have been a cheap alternative to the roast. Unless it was a Smithfield salt-cured ham....lol
      I still have rolls on Friday, only because my oldest left and my daughter is sick....but they WILL ALL get eaten. Trust me! lol

      Delete
  8. It looks like y'all had a wonderful Christmas. I would be scared to cook a hunk of meat that cost that much--what if I messed it up!! We do the same thing to our dogs---they don't look happy either!!! Hope y'all have a wonderful 2013!! Belated Merry Christmas to you and yours too!! Take care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sheila, I used the Paula Deen foolproof recipe for the roast. Even my hubs could have cooked this correctly!lol

      Here's hoping your 2013 is the best one ever!

      Delete
  9. I considered a roast too but just for the three of us, it would have been over twenty bucks. But I bet your meal was delicious and your dog didn't suffer too much....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The dog probably enjoys the attention really....especially if she gets some meaty snacks afterwards.

      Delete
  10. Good gravy!!! That's a pricy roast! With my luck, I'd over cook it and someone would ask why I bought prison grade roast.
    Looks like you guys had a great time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Val, I'll post the recipe I followed....it can't be goofed up, seriously!
      I could have bought the cheaper rib roast but I threw caution to the wind and bought the pricier per lb. one. What the heck!?!

      Delete
  11. It looks like your family had a wonderful Christmas! I am so glad!

    Now I want some fudge....and rolls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course you want fudge and rolls.....lol
      I'm glad your DH is out and home now.

      Delete

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