birthday gifts

Theoretically with what Rodrigo earns and with what I earn, it seems that we should have a whole lot more money left over than what we do. In keeping with my psycho list-making, I've been listing everything that I've been spending for the last couple of months. EVERYTHING. I wanted to see exactly where the money goes. I knew I'd find out that I spend too much on eating out. That wasn't a big surprise. I also knew that I use a lot of money getting things for the kids. That, on the other hand, can't be helped. There is always something that the kids need, from clothes to shoes to diapers and toiletries. Those are just things that I have to buy. No question. The one thing I was surprised about was how much I'm spending on birthday parties. Not for my own children but for other kids. Now, I'm not trying to sound like a birthday grinch or anything. I also don't feel obligated to get gifts. I'm just surprised at the cost. I had no idea but once you put it on paper, it really adds up. Brianna's kindergarten class has birthday parties and they all invite each other. We've gone to all the parties so far and it's not like you can show up without a present. It also seems that everyone has a birthday around March & April. Maybe I should stop going to Target to get the kids' gifts. Everytime I'm in there I always end up buying stuff I don't really need. My co-workers suggested I make little craft gifts like bracelets for the girls. But, come on, six year old kids don't really want crafts unless they're going to be making them. What they want is toys and their parents want clothes. I hope I don't sound ungrateful. I mean, I'm really glad Brianna gets along with her friends. Are kids more social now? I mean I remember when I was that age we all invited our family to our parties and maybe a couple of friends. Not the whole classroom. Plus, you can't go to some of the parties and not others. Oh well, I shouldn't even complain. It would be sad if there were no parties to go to. *Sigh*

feeling: mmmm, coffee
-I also spend too much on coffee-
watching: The Tonight Show
what I should be doing instead of blogging: sleeping