My Holiday Budget

Here’s how I figure out what my holiday budget is going to be each year.  I buy everything I want for my family and friends, including decorations and party needs, and save all of the receipts.  When I’m done, I add up all of the receipts – and tadaa! – my budget.

This always makes Ed angry.

Gifts!

For some reason, he thinks this is not a budget.  He says a budget is an itemized summary of estimated or intended expenditures for a given period along with proposals for financing them.  What?!  What does all of that mean?  Where does he get this stuff?

But, trying to be a good little budgeter I said the items were gifts and the given period was the holidays and my proposal for financing them was the same as last year, he’d pay the bills when they came in.  See – I can budget.

For some reason, that made Ed angry.

I’m not good with a budget.  In fact, I’m bad with a budget.  Budgets always seem to prevent you from getting all of the stuff you need.  What good is a budget if you are left unhappy?  Life is too short for that and I want to be happy.  Happy during the holidays!  Therefore, I refuse to be hemmed in or constrained by a holiday budget.

But don’t tell Ed.