I am a material girl, born of a childhood in which my family always struggled. As soon as I started making an income that was in excess of my absolute necessities, I started in on my role as the family Santa, buying multiple extravagant gifts for my parents and siblings each year at Christmas.

Lately, though, my family has taken to giving much more modest gifts for the holidays; all my siblings but one are welcoming new babies this year, along with the attendant expense, and everyone seems to be on an extremely tight budget. Even me, the Gilbert family moneybags: though I'm not eating Ramen for Christmas dinner, I'm working at simplification in my life. For today, that will mean homemade gifts for some, and nothing for others.

In the past I would have felt guilty for not having several hundred dollars of shopping under my belt, but I've managed to re-attach value in my life: giving something I've made means more, anyway, and for someone near and dear to me to have an expectation of me going broke to buy them a thing would be silly (and, in fact, might affect the dearness of said individual).

In my opinion, a spirit of generosity throughout the year can get you off the hook for the old spendthrift guilt come the holidays; setting expectations helps, too (I've been talking up the simplification and enlisting my family members in my quest for less, for example). Inviting family over for simple celebrations can be useful: my sister will be joining us for Christmas brunch, and my in-laws just left after enjoying hot cider and sugar cookies. How do you spend less and give less, without the guilt, this year?

I am a simplification newbie.

Though I've always been stubborn and loved to do things authentically -- I whisk my butter and cream by hand, I use a film camera, I once pieced a quilt with only needle and thread, by God -- I did not come easy to simplification. I used to scoff at those who would give up plastic, and who would home school, and raise all their vegetables in their very own garden. I secretly made fun of composters.

And then, one day, I decided to give up our family car. Though my husband eventually came to embrace the choice as his own, I was rather forceful about it. We'd gotten a flat tire, and the car was due for all kinds of expensive tune-ups and fix-its. We were a little late with our insurance renewal.

It wasn't really as hard as it seems.
And let me know how it goes.

You mean well. You want to start saving; paying off debts; or just get by without running out of money three days before pay day. But you just have so many needs! And your spare cash just seems to disappear. What to do?

Let's take a closer look at your spending habits -- a really close look. Pull out a shopping list from a recent grocery store run; and then pull out your receipt. Let's get out our checklist and evaluate the things that could be better left on the shelves, in the bins, at the coffeeshop ...