Wants, Needs, & Practical Things

One of the most popular posts here has been my post about Four for Christmas. In this post, I talked about how we buy Christmas presents for our kids. What I didn't share was the gifts for Tim & I. We don't buy much for each other usually, though this year Tim went all out for me. We almost always ask for practical or needed things. We also may ask for some things we want, but don't want to spend the money on.

We were truly blessed by our families this Christmas. I was thinking yesterday, how the gifts we received fall into the same categories that we use in buying for the kids. We got things we needed, wanted and that were practical. We didn't receive any gifts to help us grow spiritually, but I guess those are the gifts from the Lord!

Wants
Tim totally spoiled me this year and got me gifts certificates for a massage, manicure and hair cut. I can't wait to use them all! I've never had a massage or manicure so those are real treats. I don't get my hair cut often and usually just at a cheapo place. I have a big change in mind. I'd feel more comfortable at a better salon. More on that later.

My parents also got us a what I would call a high priority want; a new digital camera. Our old one is really just a web cam. It didn't take great pictures. They got us this new camera. I haven't gotten much chance to play with it because it is hard to get away from Tim! He has taken some nice pictures with it though! (ours is red!)


Needs
We really needed new dishes. We had been using a set of plates we got as wedding presents twelve years ago. We were down to four dinner plates and six bowls. Doesn't work too well for a family of six! Tim's parents and grandmother really came through. They got us three sets of these dishes. We love them!


Practical
Money is always practical right? We got a unexpected cash gift from Tim's father. We aren't sure exactly what we will do with it. We may need to use it for bills since Tim recently took a pay cut. We talked too about using it toward a different family vehicle. For now we put it in savings.

I also got two cookbooks; Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today and Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens (Paperback)) I can't wait to try some of those recipes.

We had a great Christmas, spending the weekend before with Tim's family and this past weekend with mine. The most important gift of course was the time spent with our families.