Holiday Grand Plan, Anyone? - Page 3

[Charmie981]

When I did this plan three years ago, I was also on the compact. You don't have to buy anything and I think the "buy a new doormat" type suggestions are for those of us who haven't paid any attention to that kind of stuff in the last few years. My doormat got tossed to the side when DH built our deck (out of mostly salvage lumber, thankyouverymuch). It has grass growing THROUGH it. I'll wash it and try to restore it, but if I can't, I'll be looking for a new, inexpensive one.

The "new" things on my list (porch light, mums and pots) are things that I have dreamed of for my front porch area since we moved here and never done. Honestly, they probably won't get done this year either unless I can find them for free/cheap somewhere.

My Christmas gifts for everyone except DH and the kids will be 100% homemade and any decorations I plan to add this year will be home/hand made, found items.

This doesn't have to cost a fortune. You just have to be smart with how you do things. If you can't or don't want to do everything they suggest, then DON'T!

ETA: I just re-read and the only thing I see suggested to buy this week is new porch swing cushions, IF the old ones are beyond repair and cleaning and new bug light bulbs. I really don't think these suggestions are upper middle class/dictating that you spend money. Everything suggested there is to clean/declutter, hose off, scrub down, turn a screwdriver, not go out and buy a new one and throw the old one away. I think we should all just plan to do what we can and want to and keep the judgment to a minimum. This is supposed to be fun!

[Valian]

I don't see this as pushing people to spend needlessly. She didn't suggest buying a porch swing to make your home look nicer/more comfortable. I see these as reccomendatsions for 'upkeep' spending. She seems to be trying to draw people's attention to the current state of repair of their home/possessions.

Our front 'porch' is about 4 feet by 4 feet. If you open the front door there is barely enough room to stand without toppling down the three steps. The idea of a swing there is laughable!

We're spending some money but mostly taking care of to-do projects that have sat on our list for waaaaay too long. So far--

1. Dh installed the new doorbell (that we bought 20 months ago), but it isn't working yet.

2. He scraped the concrete (it had faux green grass all over). We will need to buy some paint to finish this project.

3. We shopped for house numbers. We actually don't have ANY posted on the home. Only a sign in the yard and the fire dept. cited this as a hazard as its hard for emergency vehicles (and take-out delivery folks) to find us.

4. We looked at new screen doors. Dh will likely paint our own front door and then we'll buy a new screen door. That isn't exactly a dire need, but our current one is falling apart in places.

We'll be ignoring most of the decorating suggestions because they are just out of the budget. One possibility is a flower box for under one of the front windows. I have wanted one, and the same style now, for over a year. So, I feel confident that is the right buy for us. Just have to find one at a price I am willing to spend.

Mostly, I am super excited to feel like we're moving forward. Though I must admit that so far, this read's like Dh's HGP.

[Charmie981]

Originally Posted by Valian

Though I must admit that so far, this read's like Dh's HGP.

I know. I feel bad that most of my list this week is not things I can do and the stuff I could do...well, I'm not. : I'm ready to have some ENERGY to do this stuff (or ANY stuff!!)!!

[Thalia]

Editing because I reacted too quickly.

[rightkindofme]

I went through the entire thing at once and printed/wrote down everything at once. If you see how many things she talks about replacing over the next three months in a one hour window it feels very overwhelming. If that perception bothers other people--so be it.

That said, I like a lot of the ideas and I'm pretty excited about the concept.

eta: I think the thing that sticks out the most in my memory is when she says to go through bath towels and get of any that are kind of ratty and go buy new. That is an extravagant middle class mindset. I'm still using the same towels my mom had when I was a kid and they weren't in good shape then. :P This is my class issue and I'm ok with other people not sharing it.

[daytripper75]

LOL! I think it is funny how devisive my issue with spending money is! I've got no issue with anyone else spending their own money on their homes, I just am not alloting any of my own money to replace anything that isn't a need.


Having said that, I started on my living room today. I have two closets in mine and now they are both cleaned out and organized! Yay!

[Thalia]

Originally Posted by rightkindofme

I went through the entire thing at once and printed/wrote down everything at once. If you see how many things she talks about replacing over the next three months in a one hour window it feels very overwhelming. If that perception bothers other people--so be it.

That said, I like a lot of the ideas and I'm pretty excited about the concept.

eta: I think the thing that sticks out the most in my memory is when she says to go through bath towels and get of any that are kind of ratty and go buy new. That is an extravagant middle class mindset. I'm still using the same towels my mom had when I was a kid and they weren't in good shape then. :P This is my class issue and I'm ok with other people not sharing it.

Ah, I only looked at the front porch list, haven't looked at any of the others yet.

Originally Posted by daytripper75

LOL! I think it is funny how devisive my issue with spending money is! I've got no issue with anyone else spending their own money on their homes, I just am not alloting any of my own money to replace anything that isn't a need.

I'm sorry; I don't want to be divisive. I was just surprised at some of the comments made upthread (not by you, daytripper) and it caught me off guard. I'm going to go and edit my posts now and tone it down.

[transformed]

:

[transformed]

Originally Posted by Thalia

For the first week, the cleaning focus is the front porch. .

So weird...I JUST found this thread and I deep cleaned the front porch yesterday, and my entry inside my house. I'm psychic.

[transformed]

Printing everything...and apparently this is a seperate book? http://organizedchristmas.com/printa...tdown-dividers

[rightkindofme]

Ok, rereading this thread is making me feel a bit guilty. I'm actually ok with people being materialistic and upper middle class if they want to be and can afford it. I have some materialistic upper middle class things that I care about a lot. (Wanna see a picture of my Mikasa Stephanie crystal collection? ) I just get cranky when someone tries to act like of course everyone has all of the same values about stuff. I shouldn't have reacted as strongly as I did.

No really, I am very excited about doing this and I've started my lists. I'm kind of uber into Christmas so this is perfect for me. I haven't done the front porch yet because I finished up the new sandpit for my daughter instead. I'll get to the porch tomorrow. :

[Thalia]

Originally Posted by rightkindofme

I just get cranky when someone tries to act like of course everyone has all of the same values about stuff.

I totally understand and agree.

DD is down for a nap and I'm about to go get rid of those cobwebs on the front porch and clean the light fixture. Yay!

[AFWife]

I'm a bit late joining but we don't have as many rooms to clean so I think I'll combine a couple of weeks to catch up!

I'm in...probably first part of next week.

[wombatclay]

Well, dh just sort of "solved" the porch cleaning problem... he, well, removed the porch!

We have a very small house (roughly 900 sq ft, one bedroom/one bath for a family of 5 plus a dog) and we're putting a small addition (about 320 sq ft) onto the back of the house to create a second bedroom and a living room. It's a funky lot (heavily wooded) and the only access to the back of the house is along the side with the entrance. There was a little porch but... to pull the truck back and make construction easier DH needed to remove the porch.

I guess I'll swap out a week later on to work on the porch... once I have one again.

[transformed]

that is really funny wombatclay. seriously. :

[Charmie981]

I'm wondering if we're all looking at the same plan. Organized Christmas has like three different plans, so be sure you're looking at the Holiday Grand Plan.

I guess I just feel a little defensive about it and yes, the other day was a really, really bad day for me, so probably reacted stronger than I should have. I WAS indeed on the compact when I first started doing the HGP, though, so I know for a fact that it can be done on a $0 budget or with the goal of only using repurposed/recycled items. I didn't buy any new items when I was on the compact and felt like the plan was quite successful for me, for the weeks I could do it.

We haven't gotten any of our porch stuff done. It just isn't in the budget of money or time for DH to work on it right now, plus it's rained a lot this week, so it'll have to wait. I started working in my entry area because I want to do SOMETHING that feels like the house is getting better.

Tomorrow starts week two...the entry/foyer and question week.

[The Hidden Life]

Jumping in here to join the thread. I may be a week behind but my front porch is only about four feet square, so I should be able to catch up pretty quickly. LOL
I do need to do something about the horribly weathered park bench on our porch and the sad little garden gnomes and the hundreds of spiders everywhere. Eeek. Lots of cobwebs! We painted our front door a very glossy red a couple years ago and we love it. It does need a touch up though since the cat has scratched it to heck. Grrr. We are getting a head start on week 2 by coincidence. We just totally emptied the hall closet and my husband is at this moment cutting boards to attach new coat hooks to--we are removing the closet rod as we've decided we are more "peg people" than "hanger people."

[AFWife]

Yeah...we have a front porch but apartment rules dictate that we can't have much more than a mat and a wreath. So it stays pretty clean. Our "entry way" is a small patch of wood/vinyl in the front. Again, other than catching a couple of shoes and trash that needs to go out it's not bad.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Jumping in too. I definitely think this could be the kick in the pants that I need. I don't have a front porch, but I do have a front yard. It is very tiny, but it is a mess. It is the first thing everyone sees when they come into my apartment, and there is a little platform/porch thingie that you step up onto when you come in. I will give that a good scrubbing, and scrub out the window and sill of the window that faces the yard as well.

I am a week late, but there are a few weeks that don't pertain to me, so this should be a good fit.

Here goes!!

[Thalia]

Time to move onto the living room! We don't have much stuff in this room yet, as we just moved in earlier this year, and don't even have anything up on the walls yet. This should make cleaning easier.

I do need to get estimates on repairing the fireplace, however. When we bought the house the materials said it had a newer chimney liner, but that turned out not to be the case. :. The first estimate we got for replacing the chimney liner and fixing the damper was $5,000. Still trying to decide if it is worth pursuing this with the seller/seller's attorneys, etc.

I liked the questions for this week:

• Develop ideas for gifts, decorations.
• Order Christmas cards and address labels.
• For your friends of other religions take the time to find out what their major holiday is and look for an appropriate card to send to them at that time.
• Divide gift responsibilities with other family members.
• Do I see Christmas time primarily as a time for entertaining friends and renewing long lost acquaintances or as a time for family?
• How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas?
• How involved is my family in the Christmas preparation?
• What activities are particularly important to our family at Christmas? To myself?
• Why do we observe the traditions we do in our house?
• How important is an elaborately decorated house, homemade gifts or food, to my feelings about Christmas?
• What would my ideal Christmas be like?

Is anyone here thinking about doing a no-gift Christmas or something like it? We tried this last year with some limited success. DD is the only grandchild on one side and the first of two on the other, so the grandparents tend to go a little crazy. If possible I would like to do either three gifts for DD (in the tradition of the three wise men) or four in the Victorian Christmas tradition of "something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need". We were thinking of starting a book exchange tradition with one side of the family and maybe an ornament exchange with the other side. They have a hard time with giving up the gift-giving altogether, but narrowing things down to one kind of (relatively inexpensive) gift might be a good way to simplify. We could do homemade ornaments and maybe even used books to keep things even simpler.