Jesse, you should work your way up. Ask for nicer-than-Target-but-not-$100 towels this year. Like, $25 towels: [link]

I got nothing on the debt thing. I am fantastically consumer debt-averse, to the tune of never having carried a credit card balance. On the other hand, if anybody wants my top 10 ways to be a cheapskate, I am happy to help.

Actually, in other towel news, I bought some of these for a wedding gift recently, and they are unbelievabley soft and awesome and on sale, and most of my current towels are many years old, so. Hmm. I should tell my grandmother to get me that for Christmas. (Although, she would never take direction that clearly and I'd probably end up with something weird.)

I want to dry my ass on $100 towels.

We're watching Shrek the Halls and boy, is it funny!

Have I mentioned here about how I want to get married so I can get all new housewares? A lifetime of love and partnership? Pfft. New towels and flatware and everything? BRING IT.

I have a generic monthly budget template in excel if you want me to send it.

Sure! Profile addy is good.

I'm just glad I'm not the only one who's dealt with stuff like this. Debt, for me, was the subject of the Mom-lectures when I was growing up that I think a lot of people got for grades, weight, or appearance, which is a big part of why I'm carrying around such a colossal guilt burden on this issue.

I will send as soon as I get home tonight.

I'm just glad I'm not the only one who's dealt with stuff like this.

You are so not alone. My parents never had debt of any kind. Ever. If they couldn't pay cash, they didn't buy it. I should know better.

And my sister is rich, and not at all sympathetic.

Happy Birthday to Princess Em!!

Susan, a lot of have gone through it; nothing to be ashamed about. Looks like you're on the right track.

Re: the wedding gifts. My boyfriend and I were discussing this recently and he's of the mind of having no registry and seriously telling people no gifts. He's quite a bit older than I am, and was married for a brief period in his 20's. He lives like a grad student still, even though he's in his 50's (grad student: broken mismatched furniture and no matching anything--dishes, or towels) and has $$$ in the bank. I have always been sort of of the mind of having no registry, and downplaying the gifts, too. But then the selfish part of me started adding up ALL of the wedding, bridal shower, baby showers, etc gifts I've given. And I guess part of me happily participates (including being a bridesmaid four times, and throwing five separate baby showers) knowing that one day, it'll be my turn.

I realized something ugly about myself: I've been looking forward to the "my turn" and was disappointed to think it might not happen.

I am ashamed but there you go.

What I realized only recently was that Mom's lectures were so emphatic because she and Dad had been there, when they were first married and quickly had three small kids while Dad wasn't making much money. By the time I came along they owned the land and the house, Dad was a union electrician, and they were generally doing well in a blue collar, rural middle class way. But I didn't know the backstory; I just absorbed the idea that debt was something that only happened to people with no self-control or responsibility.

ION, my baby is growing up.

We've always called her Boo, at least when we're not calling her Annabel, AB, or Anna-boo. Today when DH called her Boo, she said, "My name is Annabel." He tried to explain that she was his Boo, but she just reiterated, "But I'm not Boo. I'm Annabel."

It sounds like when my nephew explained to me that he couldn't hug anyone but his Mom and Dad anymore (which lasted all of a day, until he fell down and came running towards me crying and with arms outstretched).