Northern Cheapskate

Frugal. By Nature.

Frugal Last Minute Gift Ideas for Procrastinators

Frugal Last Minute Gift Ideas for Procrastinators

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photo credit: Dan Nguyen If you're out of time and out of money, don't panic.  That's exactly what retailers want you to do so that you'll buy a bunch of stuff at full price on your credit cards. Instead, take a deep breath and consider giving one of these thoughtful and frugal gifts: Magazine Subscriptions.  Magazine subscriptions make great gifts because they are a gift all year round and are usually inexpensive to purchase.  Score great magazine deals at DiscountMags or Magazines.com … [Read more...]

How to Make Graham Cracker Houses

How to Make Graham Cracker Houses

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One of our favorite family traditions during the holidays is to make graham cracker houses. It's far simpler to make little houses out of graham crackers than it is to bake gingerbread or to shell out for those expensive gingerbread kits.  And the kids love being able to be messy and creative. Making graham cracker houses isn't hard, but it does take time to decorate them, so you'll need a good block of time, some great holiday tunes, and a sense of humor. How to Make Graham Cracker … [Read more...]

Ideas to Green Up Your Holiday Gift Wrapping

Ideas to Green Up Your Holiday Gift Wrapping

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 Today I would like to present you with a variety of ideas to help you green up holiday wrapping. Some of these ideas take a little more creativity that others, but all are relatively simple to create. For most of these ideas I used items I already had around the house. This first idea it to print your own wrapping paper on the inside of a paper grocery bag (or some packing paper, or leftover tissue paper). I used this project as a creative opportunity with my daughter and we had fun stamping … [Read more...]

Switch to LED Christmas Lights and Save

Switch to LED Christmas Lights and Save

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We've been upgrading our Christmas lights over the past few years to LED lights. The main motivating factor behind this is to conserve energy and reduce our electrical costs but still enjoy lighting up our how with lots of multicolored twinkling lights. Most of our lights are of the mini version, except our tree which has C7's. There are many advertisements suggesting that you will save money on switching over, but really what I wanted to know was HOW MUCH? The average C7 bulb are an … [Read more...]

Organizing on a Budget: Holiday Decor

Organizing on a Budget: Holiday Decor

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Oh, the holidays!  How I love thee! Seriously, I l-o-v-e this time of year.  I love the white snow, the bright lights, the music, the beautiful decorations and it does not hurt that red is my favorite color. Earlier in my adult life, I accumulated A LOT of holiday decorations.  First from craft-type shows, and later on clearance the day after Christmas (times several years).  I put up three trees (a narrow one in the dining room, a larger one in the front window and a real one in the … [Read more...]

Tips to Help You Survive the Holidays

Tips to Help You Survive the Holidays

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photo credit: John Attebury From the shopping to the meals, the holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. And if you're not careful, it can also be one of the most expensive times of the year. I've gathered up a collection of more than 35 of my favorite articles to save money, time and stress during the holiday season to help you survive the holidays. Read the Northern Cheapskate's Holiday Savings Guide for planning tips, ways to find the money to pay for the holidays, and … [Read more...]

Get Creative and Save on Shipping Gifts

Get Creative and Save on Shipping Gifts

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We're pretty fortunate that most of our family lives nearby.  But there have been years in which we've had to ship Christmas and birthday gifts to relatives who lived far away. Shipping can really add up if you're not careful.  You have to worry about not only how much the gift weighs, but what its dimensions are as well. You can visit your local post office and try to squeeze your gifts into a priority mail quick ship box. The "If it fits, it ships" packaging starts at $7.95.  You can … [Read more...]