I'm glad that shopping with your Dad was good, Jilli. Shopping with my kids has been one of the few nice bits about the holiday season this year. For some reason I'm just not really feeling it yet, it just feels like work. Which reminds me, I need to go finish cleaning Isaac's room.

For some reason I'm just not really feeling it yet, it just feels like work.

Yeah, I'm not quite to holiday spirit yet. Maybe I'll go mix up a batch of gingerbread dough so I can bake ginger bats tomorrow.

Oh right, baking! That helps. And my BiL and his GF are coming over either tonight or tomorrow for a gift exchange. That'll be fun.

where did you end up taking your car, smonster? Glad the estimate is reasonable.

I just realized this afternoon that I hadn't rented a car for my trip to New England next week. That's so unlike me! Found a decent Hotwire rate though, thank god.

Sounds fun, Jilli. And I'm glad your dad has found someone to spend time with.

I, too, am having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. I'm invited to a Cookies and Cocktails party tonight, and it's going to be hard to change clothes and drag my ass back out of the house. I only know the people throwing the party, pretty much.

Money stuff is mostly what's got me down. I'm going to whitefont the rest because I feel self-conscious and want to give people the option to scroll by without even skimming.

It's frustrating that despite all the stuff I do and all the help I have, I still have no leeway whatsoever. I hate feeling this pinched, I hate feeling like I can't be generous or even participate unless someone treats me, and I struggle to budget when I'm already in the hole. How do I set aside money to have a drink or dinner with friends while home when I don't have any?

And I hate feeling like these are all money management lessons I "should" have learned a decade or so ago.

Sorry, the stress has been building up again, and I needed to vent.

Nora, Park Place.

Ugh smonster, it's an ugly feeling, and it's not your fault.

That's cause it sucks, Smonster. No one wants to feel like that, of course it makes you feel shitty. I hope things turn around for you soon. :(

Thanks, y'all. I did go, and it was fun. And I stayed too late, but my coworker threw the party and it's just us on the job site to care if we're a little late and/or hungover tomorrow.

Holy crap! I just found out what my bonus is this year and it's more than my bi-weekly pay. Which means even after the somewhat larger tax bite, it's basically going to pay for what I just dropped on the car. Woot!