Search Results for: blog frugal gifting

A Very Frugal Christmas Part I

While I try really hard not to get too caught up in the commercialism of Christmas gifting, I absolutely love the magic of Christmas morning with stuffed stockings and a good number of beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree.  In years past, I have purchased moderately expensive gifts for my family and thought nothing of it.  However, the current economic downturn combined with graduate student loans and a car payment, has changed my ability to buy whatever I deemed to be perfect gifts for my family.  This year we are doing something very different. Unlike previous years, we set … Continue reading →

Frugal Catalogue Shopping

Do you do any holiday shopping through catalogues? They are very convenient. You can pick and choose items at your convenience, and you can shop early. Shopping through catalogues can also be better than shopping online simply because for the most part, the print photos tend to be large, more detailed and more true in color (especially important when you are shopping for clothes or home decor). Here are some ideas for doing your catalogue shopping the frugal way. Keep it organized Corral those catalogues in one place, so you don’t wind up in chaos. You want to make it … Continue reading →

Frugal Weekend Report: Sunday, July 13th

Have you done anything frugal this weekend? I find weekends the hardest time to be frugal. There is all of this running around, the grocery shopping, the events, etc., that make spending a temptation. Are weekends harder for you to be frugal or easier? I’m sitting here enjoying some quite moments out on the porch this Sunday, reflecting on some of the frugal things that we have been doing and will do this weekend, before the pull of the day carries me away. One of the first frugal things we did was to load up one of the cars with … Continue reading →

Frugal Ideas for Unwanted Gifts (1)

Did santa miss the mark on a gift or two? Maybe you really wanted a mixer instead of a Hermes bag or vice versa? Your first instinct might be to stuff the item in the closet, basement and garage and forget about it until the next time you decide to clean one of those areas. But, there are plenty of frugal ways to deal with gifts that are less than perfect and save yourself some money. If you have an unwanted gift, you can do one of the following things: Re-gift Return Exchange Sell Donate. I’ll offer the hows and … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: November 26th Through December 2nd

It is finally December. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by. It has been a year now, since I first started blogging here at Families.com in the Frugal Living Blog. A lot has happened in the world and in my own life. I continue to be in awe of anyone who practices a frugal lifestyle, and I have learned many different ways to save money. I can’t wait to learn even more. I hope that we can help each other in our efforts to save money and provide for our family. And now, here is the Frugal … Continue reading →

Frugal Gift Ideas: Free Personalized Stationery

Pretty stationery is a wonderful gift for someone special for Christmas. It is the kind of gift that you can give almost anyone, from close friends and family to service providers that you want to thank for helping you throughout the year. Personalized stationery makes a great gift for teachers, especially. You can the pair stationery with desk accessories, such as pens, pencils, postage stamps, stickers and paper clips to fill out the gift and make it grand, or just give the stationery as it is. Making your own stationery is the best way to go when it comes to … Continue reading →

Re-gifting and Re-using

Many people shy away from re-gifting after having heard horror stories of giving a gift back to the original giver. However, with care you don’t have to end up embarrassed. You can also do “partial” re-gifting. If you or your kids received one of those large popcorn tins with a holiday scene on it, you can re-use it once the popcorn is gone to package another gift. It will work great as packaging for a fragile item, with a little filler inside to help protect the gift. On the other hand, you could use it for one of Mary Ann’s … Continue reading →

Money Saving Ways to Prepare for Christmas Now!

Yes, the summer is still here, and temperatures may still be in the 90s or higher, but it is a perfect time to start making some preparations for Christmas right now. From gifts and decorations to food and entertainment, making the right moves now will be big savings during one of the toughest seasons for the budget. Stock up on the following items during the summer and fall, while you still can. Fresh Produce You’ll get the best prices on fresh produce right now, thanks to the bounty of late summer. Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, corn and other fruit and vegetables … Continue reading →

How to Organize Your Coupons: Two Ways

Every coupon clipper needs some sort of coupon organization. Otherwise, you may miss out on using the best coupons before they expire. There are many different ways to organize your coupons, and I’ve tried a few different methods over the years. How do you organize them? The Clip and Store When I first started clipping coupons this is the method I used. I would go through each Sunday insert and clip only the coupons that my family would use. Then I would organize these coupons into a coupon holder. It was an envelope-sized bag that had paper separators to divide … Continue reading →

More After Christmas Sales

Are you ready to head out and get all of the after Christmas sale bargains? With some smart shopping, you can really do well, picking up gifts for the year as well as household items that you might need for yourself. Of course just because something says that it is on sale doesn’t mean that it is at the best price that you can get. When shopping the after Christmas sales, it is important to understand what things originally cost, and then to focus on the products that are most likely to be on the deepest discounts. I’ve already covered … Continue reading →