The Third Christmas

This year is going to be the third Christmas of us keeping our commitment that we've made since July 2014. My husband and I have been in this journey called "Total Money Makeover" from Dave Ramsey, and we're still on to it. This is the third Christmas that we won't buy each other gifts until we reached our common goal: a paid off house.

No, Dave didn't say that we couldn't buy each other Christmas's gift. He said to budget it.

But both my husband and I know that if we continue keep buying each other's gifts, from the same source of money that should be put more toward paying house, then we won't reach our finish line sooner. We both want this so badly. So very very badly that we are willing to sacrifice Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, valentine's gifts, any day gifts. Simply put, no gifts until the house paid off!

On the bright side, these journey had made me more discipline in budgeting and I do see the result. I'm in control now towards our money and how we spend it, and not the other way around. Managing our finances is easy when we have common goals and only have to say no to ourselves.

But, sometimes there was a trying times. The hardest part is when there are others outside our family that giving us an awkward look with my attitude towards my money (my money, not their money.) A stare. A look that make me feel like I'm doing something wrong, although it was right in my book. Like when some friends are trying to pool some funds to buy somebody else something for whatever reason you can name it. It's probably only a ten or fifteen dollars, which is nothing to that person. But for me, that means a lot. While I'm sacrificing to not buy my fave snacks, skipping my fave Starbucks drinks that I used to drink everyday, omitting the chance of hubby buying me precious birthday and anniversary gifts, giving up my fave channel which is the Disney Channel when we had to cut down our cable to the most basic package that's basically just news and other channels I don't care for, letting go dining in restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, saying goodbye to vacation for the next 15 years; all these sacrifices so we can pay house faster and sooner, ...  then why in the world I should give them ten or fifteen dollars that I don't even have? It doesn't make sense.

I did get that hard-stare look. I did get the "are you crazy?" look. I probably get the "she's cheap" talk behind my back. I don't care. I said no. Because I know these are only distractions. Will I suddenly gain any popularity and raise up my social status if I volunteer to join the pool fund? I don't think so. The hardest part is keeping your face straight and not feel guilty about it. And I didn't feel guilty. Why? It's my money, not theirs. Whatever I do with my money is my 100% rights and responsibility. I don't answer to them. I answer to my family. I do have a responsibility to my family. And right now, paying house asap is a priority for us. If nobody wants to understand or respect that, that's not our problem.

And this is why this year's Christmas won't be so different than the last two. It's getting easier actually. Christmas without gifts, why not? We have each other anyway and that's all I need.

Daylight Saving Time

I've lived in Asia for the first 26 years of my life. I've lived in a beautiful country called Indonesia, where there are only 2 seasons: dry and rain, for 6 months each. The sun always rise in the east at 6 am, and sunset always happen at 6 pm in daily basis. We never change our time back and forth, except when the battery runs out.

So............ imagine my surprise when I found out about the Daylight Savings Time concept!

Before I move to America and get married with my lovely husband, we had a long distance relationship. Me being in Indo and him being in US, that means time difference between the two of us. Long story short, we decided to call each other after my work at night, which means in morning for him before he go to his work.

One time, I call him after my work done, probably about 7 or 8 pm, don't remember the exact time. All I know is that it was night at my place, which will be early morning at his place. I thought it will be 5 am in US, but it was 4 am! I thought, hm, did I calculate it wrong?

It turns out that in US, there is such a thing called daylight savings time. When everyone has to change their clocks to one hour ahead or later. Odd concept isn't it? But it is true. It's the time when you might get an extra hour of sleep. Or be shorted an hour. Depends on the timing. My husband's grandma made it easy for me to remember:

Spring forward (March) = adjust your clock to be 1 hour later. 
*Aargh! Lose 1 hour sleep!*

Fall back (November) = adjust your clock to be 1 hour before. 
*Yay, gain 1 hour to sleep!*

I'm sure there is a history of why and how the daylight savings time was born. But for me, this is another reason why I no longer wear a watch anymore. Don't want to be bothered to adjust one more clock.

Have I still live in Indonesia, or if I never meet my husband from yahoo chess, I would probably don't know and don't realize that there are people on the other side of the planet adjusting their clocks every November and March, and that's not because they ran out of battery.

Interesting isn't it?