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Sep 21, 2015    |       16 comments

Alternative Wedding Gift

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Have you ever been to a wedding where they have said “your presence is our present”? In other words, saying there is no need for gifts?

A couple months ago we got a wedding invite with that printed at the bottom of the invitation.

The problem is we were NOT able to be present (as the wedding was being held in Austin at a time when we could not return). Also, these are relatives of ours that gave us a very generous wedding gift when we were wed 5 years ago. Not that everything has to be tit-for-tat, but we definitely wanted to do something for the couple, especially given that we were unable to be there personally to support them on their big day.

Also, the main reason (in my opinion) why they said no gifts were necessary is because they have been together for nearly a decade, living together for the past 7 years. So most of the newly married type gifts (kitchen accessories, household items, etc.) were unnecessary since they already have a fully furnished home they own together. Why did they not get married years ago? Well, without turning this into a political thing, it’s a gay couple so they were legally unable to be wed until the new law passed. My point is that they don’t want/need the traditional wedding type gifts. But that doesn’t mean their marriage shouldn’t be recognized!

The wedding was actually about a month ago, but according to Emily Post (the go-to name on etiquette), wedding gifts can be sent within 3 months of a wedding. (side note: good thing I’m still within that time frame! I’d thought etiquette was within a YEAR of the wedding!)  Soooo, I finally got around to getting a wedding gift figured out.

First, I bought a card for $3. This is a splurge for me because I typically buy cards from the Dollar Tree, 2 for $1, so getting a $3 card is certainly an exception (not my norm). Next, I checked out what kinds of points I’ve got available on my credit card. If you recall, I still use a credit card for set withdrawals (not for everyday purchases, but for big expenses like preschool). I had enough points to order a $25 Amazon gift card totally free! And, because I felt like that wasn’t quite enough, I made a $25 donation to the Human Rights Campaign in the couple’s honor.

In all I spent $28 (that’s a $3 card and $25 donation), but I was able to gift $50 worth of gifts:  a $25 Amazon gift card for their use, and a $25 donation to an organization the couple supports.

I just dropped the card in the mail, but I wrote a nice letter to the couple and included the Amazon gift card and the email print-up about the donation made in their honor.  I’m sure they’ll be happily surprised when they open their mailbox to discover a little something for them and a little something for the Human Rights Campaign. I realize it’s not a lot of money for either source (the gift card or the organization), but I think the gift shows thought and consideration and I hope it is appreciated.

Have you ever made a donation in someone else’s name in lieu of buying the person a gift?

Sep 18, 2015    |       8 comments

Weekly Update #24- Handling Stress

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I hope everyone has had a great week.

I want to talk to today about how I and everyone else handles stressful situations- both financially and non-financially. This week has, for whatever reason, been particularly stressful for me with regards to work related items. Nothing too bad- just timing, in the sense that a lot hit me at once this week. Between starting projects up and closing old ones out, it created a perfect storm of having to do it all at once.

Adding to this, late last week I got a bill from my dentist. It appears that they under quoted me when I went it and paid after the appointment, and now they want an extra $100. It’s minuscule, but with being crazy busy at work, it was enough to really stress me out.

In situations like this (and the roof leak, for instance), I would have normally turned to over analyzing the situation and making a bigger deal out of it than it was. If you recall concerning the roof leak, in 2 minutes, my mind wandered from a minor repair, to having to repair the entire structure. Not only was it counterproductive, but on a health note, I’m sure it made my blood pressure spike and my heart rate to go crazy (update, I fixed the leak with a tube a roof sealant and a caulking gun. Pretty easy, and all for under $10.)

Since the time of the roof leak, I’ve consciously tried to minimize how the stressful situation gets into my head and even use the stress to be productive. During the summer, I’ve used stress as my motivation to get into the gym and the weight room everyday. But this past week, I found myself mostly playing video games during the time I was home as my way of “unwinding”. And when I wasn’t playing video games, I was playing guitar. One of these habits is probably healthier than other, but regardless, I couldn’t get myself to do anything other than these hobbies. Now that’s it’s the weekend, I can really loosen up and get to the things I’ve put off this week- blog posts and chores.

How do you handle stress? Do you have a go to hobby or task that eases your mind?

For those interested in my debt totals, here they are as of Tuesday 9/15:

Loan NameInterest RateOriginal Balance- May '09Current BalanceTotal Paid OffPaid Since Last Week
Sallie Mae 015.25$27,837.24$23,719.92$4,117.32$0.00
Sallie Mae 024.75$22,197.02$18,604.04$3,592.98$0.00
Sallie Mae 037.75$20,692.10$0.00
$20,692.10$0.00
Sallie Mae 045.75$10,350.18$2,895.78$7,454.40$446.32
Sallie Mae 055.25$6,096.03$0.00$6,096.03$0.00
Sallie Mae 06 and 074.75$6,415.09$0.00$6,415.09$0.00
Sallie Mae- DOE 015.25$5,000.00$0.00$5,000.00$0.00
Sallie Mae- DOE 025.25$3,000.00$0.00$3,000.00$0.00
AES6.8$9,000.00$0.00$9,000.00$0.00
TOTALS$110,587.66$45,219.74$65,367.92$446.32

I’ll see you back here on Tuesday!

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