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

Sanity is a good thing to keep intact, and one November strategy is to skip the overcrowded, stressful, irrational day we call Black Friday. Black Friday in my opinion is not THAT big a deal. I normally skip it because of the consumer issues; seriously, most of us get that day off so why not spend it on time with your loved ones vs. standing in lines at store. But even if you don’t frown on the over-consumption issues related to Black Friday, there are still good reasons to let it go. Skipping it can also save you time and …read more

With the arrival of the fall and winter seasons comes the fact that we’ll be seeing more black clothing.  I enjoy my black pants and skirts.  They go with so many different sweaters and blouses.  The problem is keeping them at their best.  To save money on your clothing expenses, try these tips to keep your black clothing from fading.

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 …read more

Cars cost families a lot. At first glance it may not seem like much of your budget goes to your car, but the Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that car ownership costs are the second largest household expense in the U.S and can take up about 17% of the family budget (that’s for one car).

Ditching one car if you have two can be an excellent way to lower household costs. You can save that money you would be spending on depreciation, interest on your loan, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance, repairs, and more and …read more

Many of you will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at your house this year. It doesn’t take long to figure out that this feast can break your food budget.  Here are some tips to help you to spend less and hang on to that money for upcoming Christmas expenses.

Prepare the foods yourself.  Don’t go out to the ham store and order a precooked ham or turkey.  I’ve heard of some people paying $30-40 for a precooked ham.  Yikes!
Shop the pre-Thanksgiving sales.  Some stores offer tremendous weekly specials to lure you in.  Look for buy 1 get 1 free specials on vegetables, …read more

Christmas is not only overly expensive but can be totally stressful too. In fact the issues usually go hand in hand. Really it’s time to end this stressful holiday nonsense and get back to holiday celebrations that actually matter and that are actually fun, don’t you think? Here are some ideas to cut your budget and your stress level this Christmas…

Stay put: Holiday travel is more expensive than traveling at other times of the year and bonus, it’s hyper stressful with long lines, crowds, and layovers due to nasty winter weather. Stay put. Call your family on the holidays to …read more

We’ve officially been in our new home for two months now.  We’re pretty settled and it feels like home, however, we’re still working on finding a place for everything.  Today I tweeted saying, “Putting away more stuff and organizing a little more.  Will we ever be totally unpacked?”.
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 …read more

Reward clubs come in many forms from warehouse shopping clubs, to store rewards, to roadside assistance, to movie rental rewards and more. BUT they’re not always worth it. Most cost a fee, sometimes monthly, sometimes annually, and once in a while a flat join rate fee.

To work out whether a reward club is worth it to you, consider the following.
Are you compulsive when shopping or do you carefully consider each purchase? If you’re compulsive (be honest) warehouse shopping clubs like Costco may not be the best deal. These stores are set up to get you to buy more AND to …read more

A 2007 study from the Stanford Graduate School of Business notes that shoppers who are forced to pay separately for each item purchased spend less that shoppers who buy a lot all at once. The study states that people who spend more may be doing so because they’ve built a “shopping momentum” with an initial purchase. Researchers found that for most people buying a first item leads to a “purchasing floodgate.”

In one of the field tests, students were given the opportunity to buy discounted items from the researchers as compensation for their participation. Some students initially were offered a light …read more

We’ve covered all sorts of ways to save big time on holiday goodies and celebrations here at Thrifty Mommy – here are six new bonus holiday saving tips…

Don’t waste money on gifts you can’t send – the post office will have a heart attack if you try and send gifts like perfume or items with batteries (both are considered hazardous materials). Don’t even bother.
Get one gift in bulk and go nuts – wine retailers, for example and other retailers who specialize in one item only (say chocolate truffles or poinsettia plants) will give you a nice friendly discount if you …read more