I wanted to share with you one of the gifts I am making this year. I love to make homemade gifts for my family and friends. Every year I come up with many ideas and this is just one of them that I have planned to gift to two people. This Patchwork Soup in a Jar will accompany a set of five bamboo utensils that I hand painted. … [Read more...]
Every holiday season it happens. We head to the kitchen to bake, armed with ingredients, cookbooks, and determination. We bake all kinds of goodies. Some are traditions we simply refuse to skip. Other times we itch to try a new holiday recipe. But have you ever stopped to think how many of those holiday treats go to waste? How many times have you tossed out a tray of Christmas cookies because you simply could not eat any more goodies? One way to save time, money and effort is to start … [Read more...]
A gift is a token of appreciation. It's a way for you to express your sentiments for someone close to you. When you can find the perfect gift for an important person in your life, it can make you feel wonderful inside. But what happens when the person you are shopping for has everything they need? What if they tell you they don't want anything? Well, you could be very frugal and just not get anything... but, if you just can't (or won't) do that, here are some gift ideas for folks who … [Read more...]
The bright lights, sounds, and chaos of the grocery store and shopping mall unnerve me as I run my errands. I return home and turn on my computer, only to be bombarded with e-mails and ads and blog posts all telling me to buy things. My kids are busy making their holiday wish lists. My birthday is coming soon, and my family is asking me what I would like. I reply, "Nothing." They don't believe me. … [Read more...]
You made your list. You checked it twice. You even have a budget. You're ahead of most people when it comes to the holidays. But don't get cocky just yet. You may make some critical mistakes that can break your holiday budget. Learn what they are and you'll keep your budget and your sanity in tact this holiday season. … [Read more...]
For years Black Friday was THE day to shop for the best deals. Then Cyber Monday entered the picture. And now the holiday sales seem to start earlier and last longer. So what are the best times to buy during the holiday season? … [Read more...]
I remember getting the phone call from our credit card company after a particularly full day of shopping. They were calling to verify that we had actually made all those charges. I made a joke with the customer service rep about it and admitted that we had indeed put over $800 on our credit card in a single day. Our card had not been stolen. We had been Christmas shopping and in an effort to make things easier on ourselves, we spent all day at the mall and finished buying every single … [Read more...]