Expense Report #33

Well, I kept my word and didn't buy anything discretionary last week (beer is not optional, a sentiment I believe I've expressed before). And I'm sticking to it this week as well.

Of course, it's now time for holiday shopping, but in recent years most of the family gifts have been in the form of gift cards or certificates, and the purchase of those can be delayed so the expense is absorbed over multiple pay periods.

And the holiday shopping season always results in new temptations that need to be resisted, like this handsome red wool coat from Orvis:

It's a very nice coat, but it's $400, which is steep for this sort of thing. Similar coats from Filson would be between $250 and $300 and made in USA, though they no longer offer them in red. Maybe after the holidays, though Orvis tends to be somewhat less than generous with sales and markdowns.