Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all over but there’s one more chance to save big on holiday gifts coming up – Free Shipping Day which is set for December 17. Free Shipping Day is a one day shopping event when participating merchants offer free shipping to customers with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. So far more than 585 retailers have signed on to participate. That’s a major movement as last year only 250 retailers participated. Al Free Shipping Day promotions for participating merchants will be kept under wraps until Thursday, December 17 at 12:00AM EST. It’s not a total free for all as some merchants may have minimum order restrictions but according to event news, more than half will have free shipping on... [Read more]

During the holidays it can be tough to find a trusted sitter, and worse sitter’s rates have seemingly gone up and up in recent years. Coming to some parent’s rescue are KidsPark national child-care centers. KidsPark centers offer day, evening and weekend care for children ages 2-11 and is open almost each and every day of the year with parent schedule friendly hours – they’re open from 8 am to 10 pm Monday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. KidsPark also offers recession conscience prices (about $7.50 per hour) so most families can afford it. There’s no reservation needed – families register once and they’re in the KidsPark system. Safety - KidsPark exceeds state licensing requirements... [Read more]

Little kids are easily confused by money and money flow. Having an eight year old has made me realize that kids carry many common misconceptions about money include thinking that money will never run out (ah, the ATM just keeps spitting it out), money is only for things like items you can touch not bills like rent or electricity, and that things cost pretty much the same be it a house, an apple, or a toy. As my son has gotten older he’s really started getting a grasp on money but when he was 7 years and under, he just didn’t get money all that well. Some of us, as parents make many mistakes when dealing with money and kids, so the kids aren’t just to blame. How we can help our youngest kids is to make money more real. Your... [Read more]

With fewer than 20 days to go until Christmas, I thought it might be time to do a little holiday money-saving round-up here at Thrifty Mommy. Karen and me discuss holiday savings at length each year and we’ve built up a pretty awesome amount of money saving holiday posts. If you want to learn how to save more money for this year’s holiday celebration then this handy tips post is for you. Check out the ideas below and see just how thrifty your holidays can be. SAVE MONEY ON CELEBRATIONS & FUN Cutting Back on Your Christmas Expenses How to Give Holiday Tips Save money on holiday family events Stop stress and save money this Christmas Tips for Avoiding Christmas Mistakes Find a charity you can trust After the holidays re-gifting... [Read more]

We’re always looking at ways to save on holiday food here at Thrifty Mommy, and of course Christmas is one of the biggie holidays. Lots of people, lots of food, and sometimes lots of costs. That said you can save money on holiday food if you plan it right. Go homemade: It costs less to cook from scratch AND you get the added benefit of less food wasted. Whenever anyone I know buys one of those precooked holiday meals there’s a ton leftovers because those precooked meals just don’t taste that great. Why buy food if you’re going to toss it? It is more time consuming to cook homemade, but if you gather everyone together to help it makes it faster (and more fun). Buy frozen holiday food: Normally I say go fresh and organic,... [Read more]