Wear cheery colors - Although you probably won’t see me in a Christmas sweater, you’ll likely see me wearing a bright red sweater.  Many of us have something red or green in our closets.

Jazz it up a little - Add some festive tights or a fun scarf to a plain outfit.

Wear some colorful jewelry - Shop discount stores for jewelry or make your own.

Don’t rule out the “cheap” stores - Target has some really cute clothing and fairly inexpensive prices.  Also try stores such as Marshalls, Ross, and T.J. Maxx.

Shop for used clothing and accessories - Last year’s holiday decorations, clothing, and accessories many times end up in yard sales.  People don’t want to bother with them or they grow tired of what they have.  This is a great opportunity for you to end of with a few treasures.

What ways do you save money on your Christmas outfits?

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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 with an average teacher-child ratio of 1:8. At all times, no matter the number of children present there are two staff on site. If a child needs one-on-one attention, another teacher is available to the group.

All KidsPark staff is:

• Certified in First Aid and CPR
• Screened by the Department of Justice
• Trained in Early Childhood Education and Recreation
• Required to attend staff development and skill building workshops

KidsPark offers lots of hands-on projects, art projects, games and a pretty slick calendar of seasonal special events. Additionally, various areas for different activities are designated at each center. Such as…

• Creation Station – for art, cooking, hands-on-science and more.
• Activity Area – where kids can play individually or in group with toys, play pretend in the playhouse or investigate the book nook.
• Mountain of Energy – an active minded structure that kids can pretend is a mountain, space ship and more.
• Theater – an areaused for story times, music, G-rated movies, games and guest performers.
• Sport Court – perfect for kids tired of being inside all winter, kids can kick goals, shoot baskets, play 4-square or just enjoy a game of catch.
• Blue Crew – a school-age area that encourages interaction with peers. Older kids can learn more detailed art projects, play age appropriate games and non-violent video games or do homework.

The only downside I see to KidsPark is that there are not nearly enough of them. Current locations include Arlington/Texas, Jacksonville/FL, Scottsdale/AZ, Olathe/Kansas and in California – Chico, Northridge, Corona, Fresno, Rocklin, Sacramento, and their pilot centers in San Jose, CA. That said there are also three additional locations opening in the first half of 2010.

If you live in one of the areas with a KidsPark you may want to check them out for holiday care this year while they’re out of school or while you need to holiday shop OR set up a date night with your partner.

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Look for pre-Christmas 50% off sales - Craft stores such as Michael’s, AC Moore, and Hobby Lobby frequently have select merchandise 50% off before the actual holiday.  The sales change each week, so be sure to keep a watchful eye on sales papers or better yet, sign up for their emails.

Use coupons - Some stores have online printable coupons or coupons in the Sunday paper.  Again, it’s important to sign up for emails from stores.  This is usually where you’ll score the good printables.  Also, check coupons.com.  A few weeks ago, I was able to get a $5 coupon off Mr. Potato Head.  Using the coupon, I only paid $.99 for the toy.

Shop after Christmas sales - This tip isn’t going to help you now, but it’s a great money saving tip.  Each year, I try to put aside a little bit of money so that I can add to my collection.  Some years I buy things for my village and other years I purchase things for my tree.  Now that we have our own home, I’d like to buy a few things for the yard.

Look on Craigslist and Freecycle - Sign up for email alerts for Craiglist and Freecycle postings in your area.  Many times during the holidays, people use time off from work to sort through things and get rid of things they don’t need.  You can also post a wanted ad.

Make your own - There are so many cute ideas out there for making your own decorations.  Martha Stewart and Better Homes & Gardens always have such great suggestions.  There are many other sites out there as well.

Look at dollar stores - Over the years, I have found some nice ornaments and decorations (including Hallmark ornaments) in Dollar Tree.  Things can sometimes be a bit junkier than in times past, but occasionally you can still find some treasures in there.

Put it on your Christmas wish list - When your family and friends ask what you want for Christmas, be sure to tell them some Christmas decorations.  You might want to be specific though, so that you don’t end up with something hideous.

Be content - Realize that it’s not reasonable to have everything at one time.  It takes years to accumulate the things you want.  Be happy with what you have, try not to covet other people’s things, and have a simple and happy time.

What tips do you have for saving money on Christmas decorations?

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Wear your black clothing more than once. If you’re wearing your black clothing to church or if you’re working in an office building, then you can probably get away with wearing them several times before laundering.  Sometimes I take a damp washcloth and brush off any dirt or other marks.

Wash them inside out. This will prevent the fabric from being damaged and from losing it’s color.

Use the gentle cycle. If possible, wash your black clothing on the gentle cycle or hand wash it.  The more agitation the garment receives in the wash cycle, the more color it loses.

Wash in cold water. This keeps the color from running and fading.

Use special detergent. There is detergent available that’s specially formulated for dark clothing.

If your black clothing does fade, try this tip – Wash the black solid garments with black Rit dye.  I have done this with some of my black clothing to help freshen it up and make it look newer.

What tips do you have to keep your black clothing from fading?

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Finding a place for everything is definitely a challenge.  Another challenge we have faced is affording the organization supplies that we need. Here are some tips for saving.

1)  Plan out your purchases.  This month we bought closet organizers.  Next month, I’m hoping to purchase some shelving for one of the closets.  An extra $30 doesn’t hit as hard as the $150 you’d like to spend.

2)  Improvise until you can afford what you want.  The first month in our home, we knew that we couldn’t spare the extra money for closet organizers.  Our master bedroom closet is pretty large and had nothing in it.  For the first six weeks, we put our clothes in the hall closet and only unpacked essential clothing items.  Now we have two closet organizing systems in our closet and can utilize our hall closet for other things.

3)  Plan before you buy.  So many times we see a cool gadget or organizer in the store and we impulsively purchase it.  Instead of doing this, think about your needs and what you have to store.  Take measurements for the space you have.  Be sure you’re not stuck with an expensive gizmo that is useless to you.

4)  Get a second opinion.  Sometimes it’s best to tell or show your friends your storage problems.  They might be able to suggest something you hadn’t thought about or better yet, they might have something to give you that they no longer need.

5)  Search yard sales, Craigslist, and Freecycle.  These are free and inexpensive ways to get the things you need.  Place a wanted ad on Freecycle and Craigslist or search the ads already there.

What tips do you have to save money on organization?

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1)  Use it for Christmas.  The candy that doesn’t have Halloween colored wrapper would work well in the kids’ stockings.  No sense in spending money on new candy when you have plenty.  Set some aside for later.

2)  Put out a candy bowl at work.  A little Snickers bar or Reese’s cup helps make the day a little brighter.  Cheer up your co-worker’s day with a little treat.

3)  Put it in your shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  Each year, our family does several shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse.  I usually save our hard candy for the shoeboxes.  Of course, you’ll want to inspect the candy first and pick out the non-perishable stuff.  Put it in a sandwich size ziploc bag and place in the shoebox with your other items.  Don’t forget - collection dates for shoeboxes are this month!

4)  Use the candy in recipes.  I’ve heard of people adding chopped Milky Way bars to their cake batter or making homemade ice cream.  Search the internet and I’m sure you’ll find recipes.

5)  Donate it.  The local food bank could use it as a special treat to put in their food boxes for those in need.  Perhaps your child’s teacher could use it as a special treat or in the prize box.  Some schools have policies against using sweets, so check with the teacher.

What ways can you use the leftover candy?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1)  Grow your own.  Growing your own can help to drastically cut your food bill.  As an added bonus, you get to control the use of fertilizers and pesticides. 

2)  Can and freeze for the winter months.  Many people plan a large garden so that they will have enough to can and freeze for future months.  These come in handy for soups, casseroles and crock pot meals.

3)  Buy in-season produce.  I am more likely to buy cucumbers, tomatoes, and other produce when they’re at seasonal low prices.  When tomatoes are $.99/lb I’ll plan to make pico de gallo, tomato casserole, and other dishes that use tomatoes.  When they’re $3.99, I find something else to make that’s less expensive.

4)  Buy locally.  Last week I was thrilled when I stopped at the farmer’s market and found squash and zucchini for $.19/lb and sweet potatoes for $.29/lb.  I walked out with two large bags of produce for only $2.97.

5)  Properly store the vegetables.  Some vegetables like to be stored in air tight containers.  Storing vegetables the proper ways lengthens their lifespan. 

You might also like 10 ways to eat more fruits and vegetables.

What ways do you save money on vegetables?

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1.  Borrow books from friends. Of course, be willing to let them borrow your books too.

2.  Shop yard sales and thrift stores. Sometimes you can find some great deals in those stores.  Once while shopping at Good Will, I found a bunch of Scholastic books and some curriculum.  It was obvious that a teacher had donated it all.

3.  Shop online. I’m thinking Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon.  Of course, there are other sites.

4.  Visit the library. The library may not have every book you ever wanted, but the computer database they have allows you to search other libraries in the area.  If another local branch has the book they can put it on hold for you.

5.  Try a book swap. A local business that I used to frequent had a small book exchange inside.  You could swap books without any money spend or commitment.  If nothing like this is around in your area, perhaps you could organize something at your home with friends or for the public at a community center.

6.  Shop at book exchange stores. These are stores that sale mostly used books.  You can buy, sell, or trade.

7.  Order in bulk. If you’re part of a book club, see if you club can order in bulk.  Sometimes you can save 50% or more on your books this way.

8.  Be realistic about what you purchase. How many times have you bought a book and then never read it?  I know I’ve done this a few times.  Be realistic and save money.

9.  Shop at warehouse stores. Stores such as Sam’s Club, BJs, and Costco can offer great savings on books because they buy such a large quantity.

10.  Get the download. Many books are available online for download as a much lower price.  The downfall is there is no hard copy, but some people like that option.

What ways do you save money on books?

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There are some ways to make sure you get your rebate money.

1)  Make copies of everything before you send it in. My husband and I always make a copy of all of the paperwork.  This includes the papers we filled out, the receipt, UPC, and any other information that we send in.  We also write the date mailed on top of the paperwork and file it away.

2)  Follow the instructions. Follow the exact instructions on the rebate, no matter how silly they sound.  Be sure to include the original receipt (if stated on the form), completed paperwork, any labels or UPC labels specified.

3)  Mail the paperwork immediately. This is one of the major causes of unclaimed rebates.  We get home, open up our new gadgets, and forget to send off the rebate before it expires.  Send it off immediately!

4)  Check your mail carefully. Many times rebates come in an envelope that looks a lot like junk mail.  I have almost thrown out some rebate checks.  Be careful.

5)  Put a reminder on your calendar. It’s easy to forget about the money that’s due to you.  If the rebate says to expect your money in 6-8 weeks, then be sure to mark it on your calendar around that time.  That way you’ll be sure to follow up if you haven’t received your rebate back in time.

Have you ever had any problems collecting money from rebates?

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Here are few ways to save on babysitting.

1)  Go on a lunch date. This is our newest way to save.  Our three oldest children are in school and our youngest is in preschool part-time.  We finally have a consistent time that we can get out together.

2)  Trade babysitting with others.  If you know of other parents that have kids, offer to trade with them.  Everyone needs some time alone and they would probably be willing to work something out.

3)  Call on friends and relatives.  We are really unfortunate that we don’t live near family.  If I did, we wouldn’t have any issue with babysitting.  Thankfully, we have a person that we call on every few months to give us a night out together.  She does this for free because she loves us.  I used to do this more often before I had kids.  There’s nothing wrong with helping people out, right?!?

4)  Join a babysitting co-op.  Some co-ops are very organized and they have systems with points where you can earn points per hour, per child, etc.  It sounds a little complicated, but these parents have found a system that works for them.

5)  Check into community babysitting services.  Some churches offer free or low cost babysitting.  Sometimes it is a fundraiser for the youth group.  Activities are planned and supervised by adults while the youth of the church play with your kids.  Some churches offer a night of free babysitting as a service to the community.

What ways do you save on babysitting?

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