Sherie, you are looking mighty hot in your Christmas outfit *makes sizzling noise* ! I know which parcel your DH is gonna want to unwrap first LOL!

Jingle all the way, that's it! I LOOOOOOVE Christmas movies. Going to pick up Christmas with the Kranks at the library today (chopped off the last 10 mins when we taped it on the telly last week) and we're shopping for the tree today so it'll be feeling pretty Christmassy at my house tonight!

Umm, re the real estate. We bought a really cheap (and a bit shabby) little house with a view to renoing etc, still yet to renovate anything! It was only affordable because it's in the outer suburbs and we *just* got in before the boom, and made sure we bought within the price range that we could service the mortgage on only one income. Noni, it's early days yet, you're still young, and you will find your earning power and wealth levels increase gradually as you get older. I was 28 before we could even start thinking about it and yes I've never driven a new car either. There is still affordable housing out there, you've just got to find it and make sacrifices and you'll get there eventually. There are some really good schemes for first home buyers on lower incomes (and a single income family these days usually qualifies) so it's worth doing your research too as you never know, you might get a foot up that way.

Hayley, good tip about the new mum's group for Noni. I don't have any friends either (LOL well I do they just all work FT and live over the other side of town or worse in other states). New mum's group is easy peasy even for us shy ones because they get the conversation started for you. You just have to turn up.