Our friend's family does Yankee Swap and then spends the rest of the day trying to sneak the presents they got into everyone else's car.

Wow, you're really having Casino Night? No way!

except i don't work with a Jim Halpert, a Pam Beesley or even a Dwight Schrute. that might make it worth it.

Call me crazy, but work should never require you to spend money.

don't get me started. we all have to chip in money to buy both bosses these ridiculous gifts that they almost never like and spent way too much money on. a few years ago when i was strapped for cash, i told them that and i proceeded to get a guilt trip about everything the bosses have given me. my eyes were almost rolling out of my head.

I thought the whole point of a Yankee Swap / white elephant exhcange is that you're all giving away crazed and hideous things that nobody would want. I've seen plastic flamingoes go in that sort of swap, and last year in my little department one it was flip-flops, a puzzle, funnylooking potholders, and a Patriots bottle-opener that played sounds. (That one was popular.)

While claiming to be "the least racist person, like, on earth."

Did you respond with, "Honey, I think you need to get to know the rest of the planet before you say that."?

Yes, hello, queen of the too-late repartee.

I was tempted to invite people to bring small canned goods to our party that I could donate to a food pantry that I know is in need, but then I realized I would have to carry the cans.

Oh and the thing with bringing mac, not going to happen. I had never looked at the details of party. it starts at 7pm on a MONDAY - we live an hour from there and his bedtime is 8:30 - so no.

it starts at 7pm on a MONDAY

That's jacked up.

I thought the whole point of a Yankee Swap / white elephant exhcange is that you're all giving away crazed and hideous things that nobody would want.

I think that's just for White Elephant. Yankee Swap is just the method, not anything about the presents.

Oh and the thing with bringing mac, not going to happen. I had never looked at the details of party. it starts at 7pm on a MONDAY - we live an hour from there and his bedtime is 8:30 - so no.

That is so not on. You're not going either, are you? I totally wouldn't.

The party here last year was great -- started mid-afternoon, and the big boss left after like an hour and a half or something, so all the rest of us left, too!

don't get me started. we all have to chip in money to buy both bosses these ridiculous gifts that they almost never like and spent way too much money on. a few years ago when i was strapped for cash, i told them that and i proceeded to get a guilt trip about everything the bosses have given me. my eyes were almost rolling out of my head.

Rules of etiquette are that bosses buy gifts for employees, employees should not buy bosses gifts.

Rules of etiquette are that bosses buy gifts for employees, employees should not buy bosses gifts.

Seriously.

OK, just spent some time on the phone this morning with a debt counselor. (It's amazing how long the financial repercussions of a bout of unemployment and then being too stubborn to admit your freelancing thing isn't working out for you can stay with you. Sigh.) Anyway, her recommendation was that the first thing we try is to see if a credit union will give us an installment loan, ideally to cover the entire debt and to be paid off in 5-7 years. She seemed to think there's a good chance we'd be approved, since our income is pretty high and we don't have any other debt, and DH ran some numbers suggesting that payments on a 5-7 year loan would be within our reach and, in fact, considerably less than what we're paying on the cards most months, which would allow us to start building an emergency fund, investing toward AB's education, etc.

Has anyone ever gone this route? Any thoughts--recommendations or warnings? The advisor did say to make sure we checked our credit history before applying so we can correct any errors that might get us in trouble.