It’s easy to save money on holiday meals using some basic common sense, sharing in the meal prep, and keeping it green. Shop early: Finding holiday fare on sale means shopping early. You can pick up a budget turkey right after Thanksgiving, and freeze it til Christmas.

When you wait too long, you may be forced to pick up national vs. store brands of items like condensed milk and pie filling, which will cost you.  Save fresh fruits and veggies as day before buys, but get everything else early.
Share the fame: I know folks who want to whip up an entire …read more

Recently at Keeping the Castle, I told about my decision and journey to switch to cloth napkins. The switch has gone well and the family is accepting of the napkins.

One concern that some have about switching to cloth napkins is the cost involved. Here are some ways to save.
1)  Shop for used napkins.  You can find napkins at thrift stores and yard sales.  Many times you can find interesting fabrics and laces that you can no longer find in the stores.
2)  Make your own.  Use scrap fabric that you already have or make them from an old sheet.
3)  Check the …read more

In a word, YES!
Not sure if you know this, but while I do write on other topics, my main interest is green living. It’s what I write about most of the time, what I think about almost all the time, and in my opinion, green living can be applied to almost anything, including finances and your budget.

Here are two green living ideas that can save you money each day:
1. Using cloth over paper whenever possible: Using cloth napkins, cloths for cleaning, and cloth handkerchiefs is a great way to save cash and the environment.
Example:
Set of basic cloth napkins …read more

When it comes to shopping Americans are pros. They can shop until they drop and then get up and shop some more. Of course we all know there are negative issues related to this mentality. People are in debt, people choose non-necessities over basic needs, and over-consumption is terrible for the environment.

Before you place an item in your cart or on your credit card ask yourself the following questions…

Do I really need this?
Will the item improve my world? My family’s world? How?

Can I live without it?
Am I only buying this item because it’s on sale? Plenty of people buy items …read more

So at the Lifestyles channel, we are doing a round house called Three Doors Down. I take the third blog down from Thrifty Mommy and introduce you to the blogger and their blog. I got lucky and get to start with Unplugged Living , helping you free load off mother nature. Noel does a great job of introducing us to the green lifestyle. He tells all when it comes to the green life. I personally loved the post on how exactly to recycle. There is nothing more frugal than taking care of what we …read more

Do you like buying and stocking your office with recycled paper and office products?  If so, then check out The Green Office.  With prices and selection similar to those of the big office suppy chains, there no excuse not to.  Plus, they have free shipping on orders of $49 or more.  The site also offers articles and tips.

Does anybody remember Ed Begley Jr? I loved him on 7th Heaven. He played the OB-GYN brother-in-law. Now, he and his wife have their own reality show. Turns out, he is a real environmentalist who tried every way possible to save energy and the environment. I bet tuning in will be an educational experience for us thrifty people. Solar panels and his own garden are a few ways that he tries to save money and the earth. We should be able to get some great ideas from him. But from what I …read more