Thanksgiving Gluttony

Another week, another 2.2 lbs of fat lost and another $870 added to our income (sold a couple of things).  Here comes the beginning of the holiday season and with it stretching wallets and waistlines.  This year, I cannot afford to overindulge on either.  Here is the plan:

Diet:
Although I am not cooking this Thanksgiving, I will actually be eating two dinners.  I work on Thursday and we will be having a pot luck.  It will be tempting to eat all day.  I will attack this by eating the main meal only once and still having a reasonable breakfast so that I am not starving by lunch time.  Call me crazy but I will be armed with my measuring spoons, food scale and light condiments (i.e.: margarine) and ready to battle the endless spread of calories in front of me.  The same goes for my family Thanksgiving on Saturday.  I WILL LOSE WEIGHT THIS WEEK!

Money:
I love Black Friday.  Typically, I loathe crowds but the idea of getting a great deal excites me.  I have already begun my master plan for Friday's festivities by searching the ads on blackfriday.com.  However, we have decided Christmas will be small this year as we are trying to eliminate clutter and "stuffitis" and teach our children that time spent together is better than a new toy.  We don't really need much for the house so that eliminates that as well.  I will mostly window shop and pick up a few presents and other things that I need (i.e.: new workout clothes).  I am planning to be done with shopping by noon, leaving time for a trip to the gym (work off that turkey) and to clean out the garage (I would love to actually be able to park a car in it before moving again).  We want to get rid of our storage garage (costing an extra $160/month) by January 1st so we are in search of more things to sell.

Debate of the week: To get or not get a housekeeper?  I have battled this idea for awhile now.  A long time ago (pre-kids) I had someone clean the house once a week and it was highly unnecessary as I was perfectly able and had the time to do it myself.  While I had (or thought I had) more disposable income back then, I need it more now.  I can barely keep up with the laundry and dishes and shopping most of the time.  My house is typically in an embarrassing state of disarray.  A housekeeper would eliminate this.

Pros: Clean house, less stress about condition of home, more time to spend with family.
Cons: Budget (a housekeeper would run about $75 biweekly in this market), someone in your house, still have to pre-clean the clutter.

Any thoughts on whether a housekeeper is a wise choice?  I think I would feel better about my house with one but am unsure if that is worth the cost.