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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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

If a person smokes just one pack of cigarettes each day for 20 years, the cost of the unhealthy habit will be at least $25,000.  Think of what you could do with $25,000!  The thing is, smoking just doesn’t cost you money for cigarettes, it also costs you money for other things such as higher premiums on health and life insurance.

Other reasons to quit smoking:

• decreased coughing and shortness of breath
• decreased risk of coronary heart disease
• decreased risk of stroke
• decreased risk of lung, mouth, throat, and other cancers
• decreased health risk from secondhand smoke
• more environmentally friendly

The American Cancer Society has support for those who are quitting.  Help is available 24 hours a day.

Have you thought of quitting?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

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

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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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) 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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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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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

With only one grocery store in town, I was left with the option of shopping there or driving 30 minutes each way.  My grocery bill had jumped 30% and something needed to be done.  It took me a few months to develop a system for saving money, but I think I’ve adjusted pretty well.

Here are some tips for saving money in a small town.

1)  Talk to friends and neighbors.  Let them know that you’re trying to find the best deals.  They may have suggestions for certain grocery stores or they may know of some discount grocery stores in the area.  Now that my friends know that I’m looking for deals, they sometimes email me to let me know of good sales.

2)  Stock up on deals when they have them.  I’ve mentioned the stockpiling/buying ahead principle before.  If something that you use is at a rock bottom price, stockpile that item while you can.  My husband doesn’t understand why I bought 15 cans of tuna last month.  It was 3/$1.  We won’t be needing tuna for a while and now it won’t cost me $1/can.

3)  Comparison price online.  Subscribe to grocery store weekly sales that are within 30 minutes of your home. 

4)  Shop in the city on occasion.  After comparison shopping online, plan to take part of your day to shop in the city.  Plan your route with your sale information to save money and time.

5)  Check your town’s website.  Some towns have their own website which includes information about free events, coupons to businesses, and promotions in the area.

Do you have any tips for saving money in a small town?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1)  Check out the selection at close out stores.  One year my husband stopped in a close out store and found Spiderman and Backyardigans costumes for only $5 each.  Those costumes would have cost us at least $40. The kids were thrilled!

2)  Borrow from a friend.  Check with your friends to see if anyone has any costume pieces that you can borrow.  Sometimes you can borrow enough for a whole costume or enough to where you just have to buy a few things.

3)  Purchase unisex costumes for kids.  This was easier when my kids were younger.  One year my daughter dressed in a Disney Pooh Bear costume. Another year she wore a pumpkin costume.  My younger son was able to use both of these costumes when he got older.

Stay tuned for part 2 of ways to save on Halloween.  What ways do you save?

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You can use the 80/20 rule on…

Groceries – 80% of your groceries should always be staples like bread, milk, produce, rice, and so on. Only 20% (or less) should be allotted to soda, chips, cookies, and other treats or specialty food items that cost more like crab or energy bars.

Clothing – 80% of your clothing should be clothing you need either for the day to day or for work. SHOES beyond the everyday belong in the 20% category, as do things like cool festive clothes, party wear, a snazzy top you won’t wear much and so on.

Household – 80% of your budget should be used for needed repairs or items that will make your home more livable while 20% should go to decor and extra items like houseplants, candles, and art. It can take longer to decorate a home on 20% but it will encourage you to save money.

You can even use the 80/20 rule when traveling in order to keep your spending in check when on the road.

Do you use little rules like this to save money?

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