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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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Here’s an example of how I have used the “buy ahead principle” for purchasing my daughter’s Christmas gifts.

• bath robe – regularly $20, after Christmas sale in Feb for $5
• two-wheel scooter – regularly $17, Black Friday sale for $5
• Hanna Montana doll set – regularly $28-32?, after Christmas sale in Feb for $7-8
• guitar purse – regularly $8-9, clearance for $2-3
• Barbie Advent calendar – regularly $20, after Christmas sale for $5
• Pet Shop bubble bath – regularly $10, clearance for $2.50
• High School Musical umbrella – regularly $8, clearance for $2
• Pet Shop electronic game – regularly $13, clerance for $3.24

This is approximately $125 in gifts for the bargain price of about $35.  My daughter will have a nice selection of toys under the tree this year, and all things that she likes.

Those of you with older children may find buying ahead more difficult, however, it is not impossible.  Try picking up just a few things that you’ll know they’ll like, even if it’s just stocking stuffers or dvds.  Every little bit saved helps.

Did you shop all year for Christmas?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

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

Build-A-Bear Workshop – CyBear Monday Savings (online only)
select 5 animals will be $5 each
limit 5 $5 animals per person
Plus, free shipping on orders of $35 or more. Enter code 94620 at checkout.

Kmart
6 qt stainless steel roaster with porcelain cookwell $29.99 (reg $54.99)
extra 10% off diamond jewelry already 70% off
50% off 20 pc gold or platinum banded dinnerware set, $14.99 sale
free standard shipping on orders of $29 or more
Other online specials available.

Family Christian Stores
Take an additional $5 off any purchase of $50 or more with promotional code 1268629.
The Flow Show Creates a Buzz dvd $5 (reg $14.99)
The One Minute Collection $7.49 (reg $14.99)
The Bible Experience – audio $81.24 (reg $124.99)
Believe cd from 33 Miles $6.97 (reg $9.99)
Abe and the Amazing Promise from VeggieTales $5 (reg $14.99)
God’s Green Earth dvd $5 (reg $9.99)
More Cyber Monday sales available at FamilyChristian.com.
Also $.99 shipping available.

Kohls
Take an extra 15% off everything. Enter code CYBER15 at checkout. OR
Spend $75, take an extra 15% off plus free shipping. Enter code CYBER15. OR
Spend $100, take 20% off, plus free shipping. Enter code CYBER20 at checkout.
Other sales available.

Have you found any other great Cyber Monday sales?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Come to find out, there are several other magazines that have these $5 coupons in their December issues.  Here are a list of magazines to find the coupon:

• Real Simple – page 124
• Martha Stewart Living – page 74
• Southern Living
• Woman’s Day
• Taste of Home
• O (Oprah) Magazine

The $5 coupon expires December 24, 2009 and cannot be used on gift cards.  A minimum $5 purchase is required.

This is a pretty thrifty treat for me because I only paid $5 for the Real Simple subscription and the Martha Stewart Living subscription was a freebie subscription from earlier this year.   

There are many ways to use this Hallmark coupon.  You could purchase a special Hallmark Keepsake ornament that you’ve been wanting, perhaps to celebrate a baby’s first Christmas.  You could purchase some birthday cards for upcoming birthdays, Christmas cards, gift wrap, or other gift items.  I don’t shop in Hallmark very often, but I’ll probably end up using mine to purchase Christmas gifts.  Every little bit helps and I’ll have $10 to put towards gifts. 

Have you clipped your Hallmark coupon?

image (c) Karen Weideman

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

1)  Landlines have 911 tracing to your home which provides extra protection and security.  This is a main reason why people with children have a landline.  Some cell phone provide tracking. 

2)  You can call your cell phone when you misplace it.  When I only had a cell phone I would search the house for my phone.  There was no way to locate it. 

3)  Cell phones have limited coverage.  The increase in cell phone towers is helping the coverage to get better, however, there are still many places with limited coverage.  Some of my friends have told me that their cell phones do not work well in their homes.

4)  The landline is an additional cost.  This is certainly my biggest complaint of having a landline.  I haven’t missed this extra expense each month.  We have a package deal from the cable company, so it doesn’t seem as bad as once before.

5)  Cell phones receive less telemarketing calls.  In the last five years, I’ve received less than five telemarketing calls on my cell phone.  Now that I have a landline, I’m receiving that many each week.  With a landline, you can register your number with the Do Not Call Registry which cuts down on the number of call you receive.

What other advantages are there to having a landline?

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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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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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Last night we went to the community fall festival.  There were games, vendors, inflatables, candy, horse rides, face painting, and all kinds of fun stuff.  It was all free! 

Last night Alligator Girl wanted to be a ballerina.  She already had the outfit.  Her cousin had recently outgrown it and passed it down.  Alligator Girl was excited to wear it out in public.

Cuddlebug was a baseball player.  We had the hat and shirt and he got the baseball bat last year for Christmas.

Tonight, Alligator Girl was a chef and Cuddlebug was a knight.  I had bought the chef outfit earlier this year from a clearance sale for only $4.  I was going to save it for her for Christmas, but she wanted to be something unique for Halloween, so I went ahead and gave it to her.  She definitely was the only chef around.  I got Cuddlebug’s knight parts at Dollar Tree for $1 each.  I wasn’t sure if he was going to use them for Halloween, but at $3, I couldn’t pass it up.  I knew they’d make cool dress-up clothes.

J’s not legally adopted yet, so I can’t show you pics of him.  The first night he wanted to be a ninja.  I was so thankful that Linette posted these homemade costume ideas because one of them was for a ninja.  Tonight J was a baseball player.

The kids (and adults) had a great time and very little money was spent.  I hope this encourages you know that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

Was your Halloween thrifty?

images (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy