Many times we want to give someone a special gift, but our budgets are limited.  Gift baskets can make nice gifts without costing a lot of money.  Of course, you will need to make them yourself.

Here is a gift basket that I recently helped my mom make for a birthday present. Included in this gift basket is a mug with matching plate, two boxes of tea, a devotional book, $10 Target gift card, and some peppermints.

Even making this gift basket yourself, you could easily spend $50 or more on these items. Here are some tips on spending less:

1)  Look for used baskets that are in good condition.  You can find these at yard sales and thrift stores. 

2)  Shop for clearanced items.  Believe it or not, the coffee mug and plate were purchased at Marshall’s for only a few dollars.

3)  Use coupons to purchase food items.  You can combine a sale with a coupon to get boxes of tea or other items very inexpensively.

4)  Check out the selection at your local close-out or dollar store.  Sometimes theses stores get in close-out items that you can get at a fraction of the normal cost. 

5)  Use your prescription promotion coupons to receive gift cards which can be used in the gift basket or to purchase items to include the basket.  The card shown here was free because of a prescription promotion.

6)  Purchase clearanced ribbon or reuse ribbon from gifts you have received.  The ribbon shown here was purchased for about 75% off and only a small portion of the roll was used for this gift.

7)  Shred your own filler paper or purchase it at a dollar store.  You can shred colorful paper to go inside the bottom of your basket or you can purchase some for $1.  You will only need about half of the bag.

8)  Purchase the gift bag at the dollar store.  The dollar store where I shopped had two gift bags in a package for $1 which was half the price of the discount store.

9)  Use craft store coupons.  Your gift recipient may enjoy craft items, but you can purchase other items at craft stores.  Notepads, picture frames, flowers, and decorations are just a few examples.

10)  Add some baked goodies.  Just about everyone enjoys homemade treats.  Add some to a basket for an inexpensive personal touch.

What ways do you save money on gifts?

images (c) Karen Weideman

Each year we have the same two problems: 

1) My daughter outgrows almost all of her pants in the length. 

2)  It’s hard to find shorts that are long enough.

What is the deal with short shorts anyway????

This year, I decided to take some of her old jeans and try to make shorts out of them.

I cut the jeans right above the spot where she had wore out the knees.  I was just going to roll them up,but decided they might unravel so I had my mom put a stitch in the bottom.

Ta-da. Now we have cute shorts that are long enough and they didn’t cost us any money.   Reusing old pants is a great way to save money on your summer wardrobe. 

You might also like this video on making maternity pants from old jeans.

images (c) Karen Weideman

I had to take the cat to the vet today ($$$$$, sigh) and stopped in Food Lion for a few things.  They have some of their Kellogg’s cereals buy 1 get 1 free.   What makes this deal so great is that the $1 Kellogg’s coupons are still on the shelves.  Save $1 on each box of Kellogg’s cereal.   Combine a coupon with a bogo opportunity and you can save big!

There is a limit of 2 free boxes per transaction.  I did two transactions so that I could get 8 boxes of cereal.   With the buy 1 get 1 free sale and the $1 coupon, the cereal ends up being around $.67-$.75 per box.  Isn’t that great?!?  With our family of five, we go through a lot of cereal. 

The cereals that are on sale are Kellogg’s Special K varieties, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, and Rice Krispy treats. 

Another stockpile opportunity is applesauce.  The Food Lion applesauce and the Whitehouse High School Musical applesauce is buy 1 get 1 free.  This makes the applesauce $1.10-$1.25 each.

By the way, I had to drive back out again to pick the cat up from the vet and I stopped in Food Lion again for 4 more boxes of cereal.  I got 2 boxes of Special K, 1 box of Fruit Loops, and 1 box of Rice Krispies for $2.89, including tax!  This means I bought 12 boxes of cereal today.  My husband says they’re going to change my name from Thrifty Mommy to Cereal Mommy.  lol

*There is also a $1 Kellogg’s coupon in the April 5th Red Plum coupon insert of the paper.

Enjoy the savings! 

image by Karen Weideman

Lately it seems that printable coupons have become very popular.  There have been coupons for more popular products and the coupon values are higher.  Some of my recent favorite coupons are $5 and $3 off Huggies products, $1 off Quaker oatmeal, $.55 off Pop-Tarts, and my most favorite is the Johnson’s coupons.

It seems the printable coupon competition is soaring, but that’s good news for the thrifty.  Here are some recent coupons I found from coupons.com. 

• $1  Scott tissue
• $1 Quaker oatmeal (has been on sale lately for $2.50)
• $1 McCormick extract or food coloring (just in time for your spring baking)
• $2 Dry Idea
• $5 Hasbro Sorry! game
• $5 Hasbro Guess Who? game
• $1.50 Dove Cream Oil Body Wash
• $.35 Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls

Have you found any great printable coupons lately?

image from coupons.com

Playing outside is one of my children’s favorite activities. Cuddlebug has some trucks that he received as gifts and some that were passed down. I also picked up a hand held shovel and rake at Dollar Tree and he has a great time digging in the sand.

What kinds of frugal activities do your children enjoy?

From time to time, I get asked to do an interview.  A new one is up at Thrifty Townsonites.  In case you’re interested, you may want to drop by for a little light reading. 

Thanks.

I saw this tutorial this week and of course I thought of Kelly. Poor thing is small and petite and is having a hard time finding maternity jeans that fit. Kelly, maybe you and the other pregnant ladies can give this a try. This is a much more frugal choice for maternity clothes!

How to Make Maternity Jeans Using Regular Jeans and a T-shirt - More DIY How To Projects

Ok, so I am not really trying to turn Thrifty Mommy into a political blog but there are some things that are just griping me!!

This stimulus package is a big one.  These ideas are just mine and feel free to disagree as I am really wanting someone to explain the other side because I am just not getting it right now.

• If we don’t have the money to spend, why are we spending it?  I realize that we need to do something.  However, I am of the mind that if we don’t liek the practices of a bank, then we don’t do any business with that bank.  If we feel that the auto industry is not being responsible with their finances, then we don’t buy their cars.  That is what bankruptcy restructuring is for.
• If it doesn’t create a job in the next 6 months, it shouldn’t be in the bill.  I don’t see any reason why $650 billion dollars is in the stimulus package to fund the digital TV switch.
• If it needs to be funded by the government, it should be passed through committee and voted on it’s merit instead of being pushed through in the stimulus package.  I am not against giving $300 million to combat violence against women, but it should go through committee and be voted on by it’s own merit.  Don’t bypass the system and sneak it in here.
• Every child needs to be taken care of.  But $2 billion for child care assistance should be passed on it’s own merit.
• Funding college scholarships will benefit in the long run but it won’t bring on new jobs in the next 6 months.  Deal with it separate and find a way to pay for it that won’t bring us further in debt.
• $4.2 billion for “neighborhood stabilization activities” should be a local governance issue.  Not a federal issue and not here.
• Come on!!! $448 billion for a new home for the Department of Homeland Defense?  Yes, it will bring more construction jobs, but why does it have to be here?  Why can’t you pay for it in the budget for DHD?
• $350 million for Agriculture Department computers? That will make their jobs easier but it won’t add a single job or stimulate any economic progress.

I think some of these spending bills are good and will increase productivity but they shouldn’t be in THIS bill.   Here are some good ideas that are in the bill that I think are good ideas.

• Money to rebuild bridges and roads
• Money to create jobs in the private sector in the next 6 months - not 2 years from now
• Giving the people back their money to spend how they want. I can spend it much better  than they can.

My financial background has taught me a few things that I do try to live by.

• If I can’t pay for it in cash, I either need to save for it or do without.
• If I can’t afford to pay it back, I don’t need to borrow - a loan or credit
• If I can’t afford to save a little each month, I am spending too much.

So please tell me where you think I am missing the boat because I totally don’t uderstand why if we are in such a deep hole already, why we need to spend $1.3 trillion after interest.

I walked into the grocery store yesterday and a man from the newspaper had his little booth set up to give out Sunday papers and to promote the subscription.  For 13 weeks, the price was about $32, but for signing up he gave me a $10 gift card to the grocery store. 

Now, I can start back up with The Grocery Game.

Some of you already know this, but last year my husband and I worked and lived at a ministry for a while.  Before moving there, we lived off our stockpile of groceries.  There was no sense in buying more groceries, when I had a pantry full of things I got at awesome deals.

Now that we’ve moved away from the ministry, it has been difficult to start over again.  I am not the kind of person that walks into the grocery store and only buys what I need for that week’s meals.  I was not raised that way and it’s simply not thrifty!  After all, why would I want to pay $4.99 for meat this week when I could have bought it last week for $1.99?

Shopping the sales with coupons is the best way to stockpile and to avoid paying full price for groceries.  When using The Grocery Game (TGG), I can easily save 50% or more on my grocery bill each week and have a pantry full of items.

So, here I am . . . All ready to start looking at TGG list each week and clipping coupons.  I’m ready to start saving again.

In case you’re wondering what the big deal is or how you can save 50% or more on your grocery bill, please check out these links:

How to Play The Grocery Game
10 Tips for Using Coupons
An Interview with Teri Gault, Founder of The Grocery Game
Time is Money and Money is Time

If you do decide to play The Grocery Game, please use me as your referral. knowhimwell at hotmail dot com. The introductory membership is $1 for the first month.

image: mine

Following are highlights of this week’s specials, along with select items available during this weekend’s “2-day Sale” (Friday, November 7 to Saturday, November 8, while supplies last) at Toys“R”Us stores.

Special offers valid now through Saturday, November 8.

FREE $10 Glimmering Disney Fairies Gift Card with any Disney Fairies purchase of $40 or more
FREE Fashion Pack ($9.98 value) with the purchase of any Cabbage Patch Kids 25th Anniversary Doll from Play Along
50% off Cinderella Dance ‘n Doodle from Spin Master
25% off ALL LEGO Racers, LEGO Ville and Belville sets
25% off ALL Erector sets
25% off ALL Skeleflex toys
20% off ALL Maclaren Doll Strollers
20% off ALL Shining Stars plush
$10 off FurReal Friends Kitty Cat from Hasbro

Doorbusters offered Friday, November 7 from 3 – 10pm and Saturday, November 8 from 7am – 1pm

60% off Spider-Man Electronic Sit ‘n Spin from Playskool
50% off Animal Alley 43-inch Sammie the Pup plush from Toys“R”Us
50% off Battle Wheel Warriors from Learning Curve
50% off Chicken Dancers from Fisher-Price
50% off Cook ‘n Learn Kitchen from Little Tikes
50% off Purse Pals from Wild Planet
50% off select Nintendo Wii videogames
50% off select preschool games from Hasbro Games
40% off “A” Kick Scooter from Razor
40% off select Nintendo DS videogames

All-Day Deals valid Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8

50% off Fast Lane Speedway Chasers from Toys“R”Us
50% off Hot Wheels Speed Racers Big Sounds Vehicles from Mattel
50% off Keychain Digital Camera from Sakar
50% off Spy Gear Spy Shooter Super Set from Wild Planet
50% off Rubik’s Revolution from TechnoSource
50% of Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine from Sababa Toys
50% off Dream Dazzlers Fashion Styling Head from Toys“R”Us
40% off Hot Wheels Xtreme Moto-Cross R/C Cycle from Mattel
40% off select Preschool Ride-Ons
40% off iPod Speaker System from Memorex