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, potatoes, stuffing, and frozen pies.  When the turkey and sweet potatoes hit rock bottom prices, go ahead and buy those too.  Make sure you freeze the turkey and follow these safety tips to avoid food-related illness.

Ask others to contribute. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner by yourself is a big undertaking and it’s costly too.  Most people will ask what they can bring.  I recommend suggesting something easy like a pie and green bean casserole.  If you can’t think of anything at the moment, tell them you’ll get back to them in a few days.  If the person doesn’t offer to bring anything, you can say, “Is there a special dish you like that you’d like to bring?”. 

Borrow or use natural decorations.  Avoid spending money or new decorations.  See if someone has something you can borrow.  If not, go outside and gather pretty fall colored leaves, pinecones, acorns, etc.  If you’re looking to save money on new decorations, try stores like Michael’s and A.C. Moore.  Many of them offer 50% off sales before the holiday.  Sometimes The Dollar Tree has some good finds.

You might also want to read Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner.

What ways can you save on Thanksgiving dinner?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1) Shop sales and use coupons. During this time of year, you might see holidays items on sale. If you see the cocktail weenies on sale buy 1 get 1 free, go ahead and purchase enough for your party rather than paying full price later. Of course, make sure they’ll still be in date.

2) Have a potluck or cook off. Have a soup party or chili cook off. Award a prize to the winner.

3)  Borrow decorations and glassware.  Some of your friends and family may have a punch bowl, hurricane lanterns, greenery, and other items you can use.

4)  Serve inexpensive foods.  Rather than paying high prices for expensive finger foods, have a simple inexpensive meal.  Something with pasta is usually inexpensive.  You can also make cakes, brownies, and cookies for little cost.

5)  Make your own invitations.  You can make your own invitations using card stock.  Also, check discount stores for bargains on premade invitations.  If you feel it’s ok to go paper-free, you can email the invites.

What ways do you save while entertaining?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Use the coupon code MOM and you can purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 for weekday shows.  Any additional tickets beyond the 4-pack for the shows during the week are still priced at $11.  Or if you prefer to go on the weekends, you can save $4 off weekend tickets. To receive the savings, go to TicketMaster.com and enter MOM in the “MC promotion” box when purchasing the tickets. 

This offer is not valid on Rinkside or VIP seating and it cannot be combined with other offers.  Service charges, facility, and handling fees will apply.

Show dates:

Charlotte: October 8-11, 2009
Philadelphia: October 14-18, 2009
Atlanta: October 14-18, 2009
Oakland/San Jose: October 14-25, 2009
Fairfax: October 21-25, 2009
Sacramento: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Baltimore: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Uniondale: November 10-15, 2009
Houston: November 11-15, 2009
NYC: November 17-22, 2009
East Rutherford: November 24-29, 2009
Denver/Broomfield: December 3-13, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/12/09
St. Paul: December 9-13, 2009
Los Angeles: December 17-20, 2009
Toronto: December 18-27, 2009
Anaheim: December 22-27, 2009
Philadelphia: December 23 – January 3, 2010 *available for purchase on 10/12/09
Boston: December 26-29, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/3/09
Ontario: December 30 – January 3, 2010
Cleveland: January 8 -18, 2009 *available for presale on 10/2/09

Enjoy the savings!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Last fall, 650 theatre companies, in 120 cities from coast to coast, opened their doors to over 65,000 new theatergoers. This year, our participating theatre companies will offer even more tickets for free. Join thousands of audience members – from Portland to Charleston, and from Houston to Minneapolis – and explore all the wonderful entertainment your local theatre community has to offer!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Entertaining a family on a budget can be a challenge. It isn’t impossible though. Investing a little time and following a few simple tips, can save you a lot of money. 

Research.
This doesn’t have to be a lot of work. I regularly check the event calendars on our state, state parks, and library websites. These are full of free and low cost events for all ages. We also get a free paper that lists quite a few events.
If there is someplace you want to go, check their website first. You can find coupons or times that are discounted. For example, by checking the website I found our local art museum is free on Tuesdays and offers free kids classes on Saturday. Another museum near us is free on Thursday nights.

Sometimes the website will have deals you can’t find anywhere else. I learned of a local theater’s free movie camp (kids movies in the AM) on the web site. I haven’t seen this advertised anywhere else, not even at the theater itself.

Go early. Go late. Don’t go on the weekends!
In other words go when it isn’t busy. Not only is it more enjoyable, (in my opinion!) it is cheaper. Movies offer matinees, restaurants early bird specials, some museums and amusement parks offer after 5 specials. (and with little kids do you really want to spend the whole day at the amusement park?!) We used to have a minor league ball park near where we lived. They offered lots of family specials and discounted tickets during the week to try to fill the park.

During the week you can find great deals at restaurant. Does going out to eat count as entertainment? Well, in this house it does. We love to go out to eat. During the week there are often specials where kids eat free. There is a local Italian type restaurant here that offers Two for Tuesday, buy one pasta dish and get one free. As rule going out for breakfast is also cheaper than lunch or dinner.

Buy the Membership.
To the museum, to the zoo or other places your family loves. It is one money for a year of entertainment and fun. Zoo and museum memberships are very reasonable. In addition to allowing you year long access to your local location, many also give you free (or discounted) entry to zoos and museums all over the country. This is wonderful when you are traveling to visit family or on vacation.
What I really love about memberships is that you can pick up and go whenever. You don’t have to plan it for the budget or even plan to spend an entire day for your outing. You can go to the zoo for an hour. You can the budget is tight. By the way, memberships are great family gifts to give and receive!

Pack a lunch!
If you are not taking advantage of cheap dining as mentioned above, save yourself a ton of cash and pack enough food and drinks for the day. The food at places like the zoo or amusement parks is so over priced! Even running through the drive thru for lunch can make free entertainment at the park an expensive day. If you find yourself with little in the house to pack for your outing, swing by the grocery store instead of the drive thru. Quick and easy foods at the grocery store cost a fraction of what you will pay at a restaurant.  

So enjoy cheap entertainment this summer, and all year round! Research. Go early or late and during the week. Buy the membership and pack your lunch! 

Stephanie at Make it from Scratch and Stop the Ride!

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Sunday I decided to stop by the local Movie Gallery to rent it for my husband and me.  There was only one video left on the shelves.  I took it up to the front and almost croaked when she told me $5.11!!!!!!! 

Five dollars and eleven cents to rent a movie????  Are they insane?  The lady probably thought I was crazy because I thought $5.11 to rent a movie was an outrageous price.  She said, “Well, we’re cheaper than Blockbuster and you get to keep it until Friday.”  For $5, I should get to keep it for a month!

If I didn’t live 30 minutes from any decent stores, I would have bought it instead of renting it.  I just can’t get over how much movies cost to rent.   Apparently it has been a while since I’ve rented a movie.  

Do you rent movies often?  Do you have a membership such as Netflix?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I love movies.  I have a confession, when we didn’t have kids and had more money than we had sense, we used to go see movies every weekend.  Sometimes even 2 a night.  We were money wasters <shocked face>.  Now that we have to really watch every penny, movies are out for the most part.  We download movies and watch them on our laptops – totally legal and almost free.

But I recently got the opportunity to watch Open Season 2 and to tell you what I thought.  So here is my honest opinion.  I thought the movie was cute and relatively clean.  It wasn’t a movie that I would let my kids watch once they reach the age of understanding adult humor.  Sometimes, it was funny for adults but not for kids that you are trying to teach appropriate humor.

I realize some of you will think I am prudent but that is ok.  I want to protect my kids’ innocence as long as I can.  So for teenagers and adults, it’s a great movie, perfect for sleepovers and kid friendly activities.  I laughed several times and that is hard to get me to do.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

What does this mean for you?

If you’re like me and you’re cutting costs by using an antenna, then you’ll need to do something so that you’re not stuck without channels.  You can purchase a tv with a digital tuner, connect to a paid service such as cable or satellite, or you can purchase a TV converter box. 

The TV converter box costs about $50, but the government is issuing $40 coupons to help with this purchase.  You can get up to 2 coupons per home.  There is a problem though . . . the coupon fund has reached its budget limits.  They are issuing new coupons as the unused ones expire.  You can still apply for a coupon and possibly receive one.  The coupons are issue on a first come first served basis, so the sooner you apply the better your chances.

To get the $40 TV converter coupon, go to dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the words county fair I think of nauseating rides, weird smelling food, and money.  Of course, the reason I think of money is because you can really spend a lot of money at the fair. 

Here are some ways to help you keep from spending so much money at the fair:

1.  Set a budget and stick to it.  There’s nothing wrong with having fun, but there needs to be a limit.  Whether it be $20 or $75, you need to have a set amount that you won’t go over.  You don’t want to get wrapped up into spending more than you planned on some food that’s going to make you feel queasy anyway.

2.  Check to see if the fair has a free day or a time that’s free to get in.  When we lived in Virginia, the entry to the fair was free.  It was great because I only wanted to walk around anyway.  Some fairs offer free admission before a certain time.  It’s worth looking into, especially if you have a large family or are on a tight budget.

3.  Eat a meal before you go.  Then you’ll only need to buy that funnel cake you’ve been craving.

4. Check to see if you can purchase advance tickets at a local grocery store, bank, or at the fair’s website.  Sometimes you can save several dollars per ticket.

5.  Maximize the cost of your admission by staying the entire day.  Get there early and leave late.   

6.  Take a backpack with you.  We always carry a thermos of water with us or some bottled water.  It’s ok to buy some treats at the fair, but if you’ll be there for long, you’ll need to keep hydrated.  Drinks at the fair can cost a lot of money.

7.  Research different transportation options.  Some fairgrounds charge $10 or more for parking.  See if they offer a free lot to park in.  You’ll probably have to walk a little farther though. 

8.  While at the fair, scope out different food booths and then decide where you want to eat.  Otherwise, you might be disappointed with the choice you’ve made and you’ll find yourself buying from another booth.  This has happened to me before.

9.  Preplan your day.  Look at the schedule of events for that day.  Choose the activities you want to see and plan your route.  Better yet, check out the events for the week and choose the best day.  Get the most bang for your buck.  You can probably find the activities listed on the fair’s website.

10.   Look for freebies.  Most fairs have an exhibit hall where vendors can promote their products and many times you can find lots of freebies.

I know there are more ways to save money at the fair. What ways can you recommend?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy