Monkey #1 turns 8 at the end of this month... gulp... BIG gulp! I am not ready to have an 8 year old, but ready or not her Birthday will be here soon. Thankfully I have all but one of her gifts. In fact I have had some of her gifts since November of last year. Yes I know, I was planning waaaaaay in advance. I took advantage of all the awesome Christmas deals and decided to challenge myself and see just how far ahead I could plan. And so far, so good. We celebrated Monkey #2's Birthday in June and yes I had also been saving her gifts since Nov. I did buy a few more gifts over the past few months as the items came on sale, and those got hidden away as well.  And since this was a new experiment I have to say that so far I am finding that being prepared ahead is actually...nice! I don't have to wonder what I am going to give them for their Birthdays, or if we can afford it. I have kept a list of what I bought for them, and I know that I saved a bunch by taking advantage of all the sales and deals. I actually came in under budget for the both of them! I feel more prepared knowing that their gifts are bought and saved, and all I have to do is take care of the parties. And wrap my head around the fact that my baby is soon to be 8!!