There is an awesome series at Telegraph.co.uk about growing your own wedding. From the flowers to the food, if you’ve already got a small plot of land, you can grow it all and you can save BIG bucks. This is also a super choice for an organic green wedding.  The series looks at the possibilities of growing your own wedding – is it possible, what you could serve, and how to manage it all.

Some of the cool ideas offered include:

Peach or raspberry Bellinis for guests, made with some fruit picked from the garden.
For canapés with the early drinks, lots of …read more

We have a pretty big family and a lot of birthdays to celebrate. When we realized the other day that we were up to five birthdays in a single month, we decided something had to change. So, we decided to celebrate all the birthdays in each month with one party on the weekend closest to the 15th. This means that we only have to buy cake, decorations and refreshments for one party instead of making these purchases over and over again.
Now, since we have a lot of kids in the family, we can’t just ignore their actual birthdays. However, they’ll …read more

One thing we do for kids’ birthday parties is get a list of themes each child would like for next year’s party. Then, we keep an eye out for sales on things that will match one of the themes. For example, one little guy wants pirates, Batman or Speed Racer for his upcoming February birthday. When I was in the party store the other day and found all the Speed Racer stuff drastically reduced, I finalized the party plan right there and then. He’s doing Speed Racer. It really helps us have a nice party for much less than all …read more

This month, Lifestyles decided to have a little fun with one of summer’s favorite pastimes – picnics & potlucks. Here are all the tips from around the channel, there’s recipes, tips and a few laughs thrown in for free.

Just because you choose to live thrifty doesn’t mean you have to throw a thrifty picnic. Here at Simply Thrifty we looked at tips for an elegant and inexpensive potluck
At Declutter It you can read five tips to help you organize your summer BBQ. 
Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch by Robust Cooking
Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade at All Holiday Cafe
Rice Krispie Treats at Keeping the Castle
Homemade …read more

Today the Lifestyles Channel is holding a potluck / picnic of sorts. Each of the channel blogs will be somehow discussing potlucks and picnics today – a favorite recipe, or maybe some planning tips. Here at Simply Thrifty, we’ll look at how to dress up your event on the cheap.
Potlucks are known as a thrifty alternative to other dinner parties, but rarely do the terms elegant (or cool), and potluck go together. Here are some inexpensive ways to liven up the typical potluck event.
Have a theme. Same old potluck = dull. Create a theme; like an around the world potluck, …read more

I hope you can all forgive my recent lack of posting. I have been blessed with the job of planning a charity event to benefit two very special little boys. This has added a whole new dimension to my efforts at being thrifty. Everyday kind of thrifty is hard enough, but meeting others’ expectations,  impressing party guests and staying within budget is quite a task. Here are a few things that I have learned so far. Perhaps it will help you in your own party planning endeavors.
I’ve learned to use connections to get things done at more reasonable rates. There is no …read more

 
The fourth of July is my husband’s favorite holiday. His family has always gotten together for a huge potluck (I say ‘huge’ because it is at least 40 people strong,) and a night time fireworks display. However, times have changed and most of his family goes camping at the beach, now. Since gas prices and rental of a motor home are too outrageous to even consider, we are left behind. Does that mean that we cannot have fun? Heck no! We are going to stay local and make our own simple celebration. Here are some ideas that I’ve come up …read more

Our family does not watch a whole lot of television. My kids cannot sit still long enough to make it through even one episode of cartoons, without getting up to go find something more stimulating. We do, however, enjoy having movie night, on occasion. We have always been horrible at returning movies and losing them. Every trip to the video rental store cost a pretty penny in late/lost fees, from the previous month. Once those movies are in the house, I seem to forget that they are not ours. Then, one usually ends up MIA. Until, that is, the kids beg …read more

What are your plans for the weekend? My family has been staying close to home lately since we’re doing all the work outside, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. If you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few things you can do this weekend without having to reach into your wallet:

Go for a bike ride.
Visit the park.
Go for a hike.
Visit the library
Take out movies from the library to watch as a family
Have family game night (ours is always Saturday night)
Read together …read more

If you know me, you know I’m not at all interested in football. There are plenty of people who are, however, and lots of parties are going on. While it’s not my thing, I’d like to offer a few suggestions for hosting a football party that won’t break the bank.

Have a potluck – Assign an appetizer, beverage, main dish or dessert to each of your guest.
Shop for decorations and traditional Super Bowl fare at the last minute – Every thing you’ve seen on display for the past few weeks is going to be on sale as managers don’t want …read more