I'm confused, where are you seeing those prices? I went here https://tickets.thefim.org/nutcracker, which I think it the performances you referenced and it has cheap seats. The problem is that it's almost sold out and the only seats available are obstructed views from my quick check. Are people reselling the tickets elsewhere?

Thanks, I'll have to check out the sales because I haven't spent the points yet. As far as competition. She'll be doing one in March. Her teacher has picked the classical piece she'll be doing so I imagine private training for that will start within the next few weeks. And the person choreographing her contemporary piece has been working with her to find music they both like.

Yes I did. I meant to tell you but I had been waiting to actually spend it to make sure it worked. They put the points back into my account so I could repurpose the discount codes

I don't really know what I want for Christmas. Maybe for our deck to be fixed and cleaned up so I can sit out on it and enjoy the beautiful yard I have. But that is a tall order and really something I just need to schedule on a tolerable weather day and the family would get it done. So, maybe I'll just do that.

Nice! My son would kill me if he knew I was holding out for a while year. Luckily, he doesn't mind when things aren't the right holiday. He actually wears Christmas shirts until right after Halloween and will wear Halloween shirts until March when he finds it appropriate to ironically wear a Christmas shirt again. So, he'll be tickled pink that they're not Christmas gingerbread kits

I have two of these sets. One has a stable and one does not. One is from my childhood and resides at my house because my parents live with us. The other one I bought early in our marriage because I loves that I could play with the set growing up and wanted my kids to have the same experience

This is going to sound silly but, I got my ds10 4 haunted house themed gingerbread house kits for Christmas. Found them at the grocery store today in the clearance section for $3.75 each. This kid searches for these kits after Halloween and Christmas every year because he likes them so much. He also makes his own gingerbread to make houses but the kits are a fun easy activity that brings him so much joy. So, he's getting 4 of them. He'll get more if I find more but I'm not hunting them down

thanks! I was waiting for this to pop up so I could purchas each kid a book for Christmas.

That is what I'm seeing. I was checking Facebook marketplace and it seems like there are a lot in like new condition at great prices. So, tonight or tomorrow I'll be reaching out to people to inquire about them

Ds14 asked to go to goodwill today because he wanted to look for a few pair of pants. Great idea, but I didn't hold out much hope for him finding anything. He's the kid who gets most of his clothes new now because I can't find stuff used for him. He ended up finding 4 great pairs of pants and the warmest zip up hoodie ever. I found some Christmas presents too. A brand new pair of roller skates for $4 for ds6. An almost brand new bike for dd8 for $20. This is a $180 bike, that someone clearly donated after it was used a handful of times and then sat in a garage for a bit. I also got 2 pottery barn kids backpacks for $4, which will be perfect for the little kids carrying their own water and towel in Puerto Rico. This Christmas is going to be a bike filled Christmas, since all but 1 kid informed me they want/need new bikes. So, I'm really hoping to source all of them in like new condition.

Most of the time by this point I'm almost done. But I hadn't really started until yesterday. I already had a few small things I've picked up when I see good deals. But not much. Yesterday, I did Amazon shopping for all my nieces and nephews, plus mil. That leaves my kids, fil and his husband, and a few friend for dh and me to figure out. Dh and I aren't exchanging gifts this year since we have a bunch of stuff we're working through using and enjoying. We'll do a treat yourself day in March or so where we spend the whole day together enjoying each other's company and doing what we want without budget in mind for the most part

Gotcha. They don't know specifics but we've talked enough about it that I don't think I can do it as gifts. Next big trip which I think will be Universal will likely be a Christmas gift for everyone next Christmas though

Our trip is fully planned. We've got a day in the rain forest, 2 snorkeling days at two different locations, a day in Old San Juan. And the days in between will be spent at the beach. No real need for paid experiences. We are the explore things on your own type of family. They'll all get some spending money. But other than that they are set for that trip. It also falls right after one kid's bday, during one kid's bday, and right before 2 other kid's bdays, so the things we are planning already take that into consideration in terms of bday gifts!

No the trip isn't a gift, they've known about it since January so that doesn't really seem fair to call it a gift. It is just a planned family vacation and they don't really need anything for the trip.

ok knocked out gifts for mil and all my nieces and nephews (23) with $122 left of the amazon gift card. One of mil's gifts came from a $25 gift card purchased with credit card rewards. The kids in the 2 families on dh's side got joint gifts they'll love. And my side nieces and nephews get the normal small gift that every kid loves, candy! In past years we've done boxes of cereal or just Ramen noodles. My side is all about consumable gifts that don't break the bank or go overboard with the sugar. It's a win win for adults and kids all around. Dh and I will sit down tonight to evaluate what gifts we already have for our kids and we'll likely figure out how to use up the $122 for the kids before expanding on that. We're really trying to think of ways not to overfill out house with stuff.

Hola! We're hosting my families thanksgiving the Sunday before. But all the food contributions are split among all the families. We usually do the turkey, pies, and asparagus. No candy purchasing for us this week. Other than Christmas shopping we don't have much in terms of additional spending. We have $200 Amazon gift card that I got with credit card points that will go towards gifts. I'm hoping that will knock out gifts for everyone but our kids with a bit left over for stocking stuffers. I'm doing that shopping today so we'll see. I don't really know what to do for gifts for our kids. Usually by this time of the year I've got most of my shopping done and a list of the rest of what I need. But this year, I've got almost nothing. Dh and I will be discussing it tonight and figuring it out.

For me it isn't that I'm not a cheap date it is because I really hate all those restaurants listed. I'm not a chain restaurant person. I'd go on a date to one if someone picked it but I wouldn't be excited. Keep in mind that i live in an area that has a ton of independently owned nonchain restaurants with the same price points, so it wouldn't be difficult to find a place that I would be excited about

Nutcracker season is in full swing over here too. DD8 has one role and dd13 has 3 roles. Plus, I'll be helping out in the quick change room and during all dress rehearsals. We host a family/friend Thanksgiving the Sunday before actual Thanksgiving and I really love it. I also love sitting out by the fire pit in the evenings.

I'm not sure if I've been on a bad first date of my own but I've been on plenty of my best friends' first dates that she didn't even know we're dates but the guy was under the impression they were. Those were always so awkward

Oh, it has nothing to do with feeling pressured by the guy. It is that going to a fancy restaurant isn't the laid back experience/atmosphere I'd want for a first date. Especially when I dated, which was when I was in college. I hated the idea that a guy would feel expected to dish out a bunch of money on a first date at an expensive restaurant. And then both of us being dressed up in clothing that certainly isn't how I'd normally dress, so neither of us are being our everyday selves. It just wasn't the type of thing I liked. Now after a few dates with clear attraction and interest, I certainly enjoyed being wined and dined at a fancier place.

We don't really count. We do a lot of family gifts and then each kids get 3 or 4 individual gifts. But then they get tons from mil, fil and his husband, aunts and uncles.

I've never understood this idea. I understand it is an expectation for many but man I just wanted low key, low pressure first dates that had good conversation so I could figure out if I was interested enough for a 2nd

I will say, I wouldn't be excited to go to any of the above mentioned restaurants on a first date. I would do Starbucks because I love drinking coffee and chatting. But if I'm eating I meal none of those restaurants are appealing.

Where is one supposed to go on a first date? This makes me realize I don't know where my first date with dh was. I guess his house. We would hangout after he got off work and watch new episodes of The Office and other shows he set to record while he was working. First public date was at a sandwich shop called Pure Bred

We just buy 2 big bags of candy, leave it out in a bowl since we walk with our little kids, and when it runs out we turn the lights off. This year there were like 5 pieces of candy left at the end of the night whe