More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not ev Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not every moment needs to be filled with productivity. And sometimes I don't need to multitask. Easier said than done for me anyway. But I'm trying to intentionally practice slowing down. How do you try to slow down?

Shoes @naot.northamerica
Dress @shopbohme
Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋 Do Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋

Doing fun hairstyles with Ev has been a new way for us to bond, especially since Cleo's joined us. Would you try this one??
I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I n I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I need to rush while the baby's asleep to get things done to rather bringing them along with me when I can. 

Cleo loves being worn and, for the time being, is super content just watching me unload the dishwasher, make dinner, or tag along to grab Evy and David from the bus. 

And I'm way more at peace when I don't feel like I need to rush or time is running out. We have time and most things we have to do in a day aren't urgent.
Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 What was the first food you gave to your baby?
Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖 👀 th Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖
👀 the comfiest heels I own by @naot.northamerica 
#naotic
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Family, Finances, Life & Finances, Sponsored · August 24, 2018

4 Tips to Make Holiday Spending Less Stressful

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own.

Josh and I have been all over the place when it comes to where we’ve stood financially. In the past, we’ve had more than we needed, and we’ve gone through some times that were really tight! I remember once feeling like I needed to hide the potato chips I bought at the grocery store because I didn’t want Josh to think I was splurging.

Now, we’re somewhere in between those two points. When we got married, Josh inherited my student loan debt and we’ve been working towards paying it off regularly every month. Last year, we decided that we really wanted up our intensity when it came to paying off our student loans. So we packed up what we had, sold the things we didn’t need, and moved in with Josh’s parents at the end of last summer. They have a very large, gorgeous home in Washington State and we’re blessed to be able to live with them and throw more of what we have at the loans to get them paid off faster!

But putting a larger focus on putting any money we had in excess at my loans made us really buckle down and take a hard look at our finances. First of all, we had to see where our money was going. If we were spending too much in one area, we could cut spending there and budget more towards loans!

Creating a budget was so useful for us! Once we kept track of where our money was going, we were able to rein it in and spend it with much more intentionality!

Which is exactly what we hope to do this upcoming holiday season. Since we’re focusing hard on saving and paying off loans, we’re going to need to be really intentional about how much we spend on gifts, hosting, and being generous this year! Seeing kids play with fun new toys or giving your sister the bag she’s been wanting for weeks- of course, it’s going to make you happy! But it’s important to not get carried away when it comes to gift-giving and generosity. As much as being generous is a good thing, it should really come from the surplus of what you have and not something you go into debt for!

These are a few of the things we’re trying this year along with a couple others we’ve done in the past to keep our spending in check when it comes to holiday shopping and generosity!

1 | Set a budget per person

Pretty simple, right? First, you’ll need to figure out how much total you want to spend on holiday gift-giving. Then, divide that number between the people you have to shop for. Of course, you might want to spend more on, say, your parents than your 3-month-old niece (I mean, is she really going to remember what you got her?) and that’s ok! Just be sure that the total adds up to the same number you determined at the beginning of your budgeting. If it helps, try listing a goal dollar amount next to each person so you know how much you’re spending on who. Just make sure no one else finds the list or you’ll have a Ross and Rachel problem on your hands…

2 | Give group gifts

Buying an individual gift for every family member and friend can get pricey! Why not combine the gifts into one group gift or activity that many people can enjoy together. Board games, wine, a family portrait, or a family-focused gift card can be a great gift!

Sponsoring a family activity can also be a great gift to give that may very well be less expensive than buying individual gifts. In the past, Josh and I have created movie theater baskets for our families. We bought tickets for each person and filled a basket with candy they could bring as a snack.

3 | Assign gift buddies

Josh and I did this with our family last year since several of us were trying to save money at the time. At Thanksgiving, we each wrote our name on a piece of paper, wrote a few gift ideas down, and put it in a bowl (we had the option to combine ourselves as a couple or throw our name in individually). Then, whoever name you chose out of the hat was the person you would buy a Christmas gift for! Our guideline was to spend about $200 since it would be the only gift we were buying someone that Christmas. We still bought individual gifts for the kids but we all loved the game as adults because we ended up getting a few things each that we really wanted and giving gifts didn’t break the bank! 

4 | Set aside a little each month

Like I said, budgeting is so important. In order for you to better be able to spend your money the way you want, you need to know where it’s going! For a long time, Josh and I would just buy things here or there and live paycheck to paycheck when we both knew that we probably didn’t have to live that way! But taking a close look at our finances and reining in spending where we didn’t need to be, it helped us free up money that we could use elsewhere! By taking that money and setting a little aside each month, saving for holiday spending is no longer stressful, but fun!

I’ve loved using the SunTrust Budgeting worksheet that has a special holiday budgeting section! It helps us take into account things that we might not normally think to plan for like travel expenses, holiday events, childcare, gift giving, and all the details in between! It even has a fun gifting guide that helps you keep track of the people on your list, how much you plan to spend per person (and then how much you actually spent), and what the total comes to in the end! It really covers all the bases when it comes to holiday spending and helps us to shop guilt-free because we’re in full control of our finances!

Download the SunTrust Budgeting worksheet for free and start planning your holiday spending today!

 

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own.

 

In: Family, Finances, Life & Finances, Sponsored · Tagged: birthday, budget, christmas, family, finance, gifts, giving, holiday, money, noads, presents, shopping, spending, thanksgiving

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Comments

  1. Aditya Tiwari says

    August 24, 2018 at 9:47 am

    if I ever thought of a trip, I will make sure I follow each of your step as I am not a traveller. I do not like to travel, all the time. these tips are insanely amazing, but I don’t think I am open for gifting.

  2. amzpro says

    August 24, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    testing comment

  3. Monidipa Dutta says

    August 24, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    Once you are married these ideas are truly helpful. Though I am single but I still always believe in setting a budget. That really helps a lot.

  4. matt says

    August 24, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    Some really good and simple tips here that anyone can put in to practice. It’s really encouraging to read the example too! Hope you get those student debts paid off soon, you are certainly doing the right thing.

  5. Laura Dove says

    August 24, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    Great tips! We always set a daily budget so we know that should we over spend one day we need to rein it back on another. we always save more than we need too just incase.

  6. Elizabeth O says

    August 25, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    This is such a helpful article indeed. Sometimes the most stressful thing about holidaying is how much you will spend while there. You gave some really great advice!

  7. Dalene Ekirapa says

    August 25, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    Holiday spending can be so awesome and stressful at the same time. We always await the experience and what better way to get ready for holiday spending than actually starting to save up early? As well, It’s always nice to set a budget per person to minimize spending and make it much easier.

  8. Rosey says

    August 25, 2018 at 11:08 pm

    We’ve started spending intentionally too because we are saving for a house. I’d love to get better with making the budget.

  9. Jackie says

    August 26, 2018 at 3:05 am

    We do the secret santa thing here too, it makes it so much easier. We buy for the kids and then I think it’s a $100 limit for the adults. Makes it more affordable and a lot easier for sure!!

  10. Flyingkids says

    August 26, 2018 at 9:39 am

    Holiday is something we always want and spending money is always with it. you have such very nice tips on how to budget without stress.

  11. Vaibhav Mehta says

    August 26, 2018 at 10:24 am

    Like the fact that the joy of giving is being discussed in a way. Not married yet but can relate to the tips

  12. Jade says

    August 26, 2018 at 8:20 pm

    As a student i can Relate to not having enough money to splurg on gifts. These tips are really useful and fun! ThAnks for sharing 🙂

  13. Jennifer Prince says

    August 26, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    These are great ways to reduce stress, and honestly, the time to start IS now for sure. It’s good to start planning early!

  14. melissa major says

    August 26, 2018 at 10:26 pm

    These are some very helpful tips here. Setting a budget is a massive help for going on holiday

  15. Susana Parker says

    August 26, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Those pictures are truly beautiful.
    I can see them already in a magazine.
    you have a wonderful family
    thanks for the useful tips!

  16. kim says

    August 27, 2018 at 8:32 pm

    The holidays can definitely be stressful, but your tips are great! Will for sure be putting some of them to use!

  17. David Elliott says

    August 28, 2018 at 12:14 am

    I can see how doing gift buddies would make things less stressful. And I get trying out the individual budget thing. Maybe the family would pay attention. It would be nice if they did.

  18. Blair Villanueva says

    August 29, 2018 at 7:56 am

    What a lovely ideas you have! Nowadays, it is wise to know how to save in many ways, and only splurge on important things and needs.

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Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.

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More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not ev Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not every moment needs to be filled with productivity. And sometimes I don't need to multitask. Easier said than done for me anyway. But I'm trying to intentionally practice slowing down. How do you try to slow down?

Shoes @naot.northamerica
Dress @shopbohme
Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋 Do Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋

Doing fun hairstyles with Ev has been a new way for us to bond, especially since Cleo's joined us. Would you try this one??
I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I n I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I need to rush while the baby's asleep to get things done to rather bringing them along with me when I can. 

Cleo loves being worn and, for the time being, is super content just watching me unload the dishwasher, make dinner, or tag along to grab Evy and David from the bus. 

And I'm way more at peace when I don't feel like I need to rush or time is running out. We have time and most things we have to do in a day aren't urgent.
Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 What was the first food you gave to your baby?
Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖 👀 th Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖
👀 the comfiest heels I own by @naot.northamerica 
#naotic
When you get home from the event and immediately t When you get home from the event and immediately turn into Adam Sandler..

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