Search Results for: blog frugal gifts for teens

Frugal Fun Resolutions for the New Year

Being frugal can be fun, just as long as you keep some fun in your life. Sure there is joy in the fun of finding the best deal and feeling like you are stealing, but being frugal day after day, can be a downer if you shut the joy out of your life in your pursuit of frugality. With that said, here are my frugal resolutions for 2010. Frugal fun resolutions #1: Find free community activities to do and do them at least once a month. There are movies in the park. There are free museum days. There are local … Continue reading →

This Year Teens Want Cold Hard Cash for Christmas

I think the teens in my life (kids, nieces, nephews, my kids’ friends) have been feeling the negative effects of the economy. Their Christmas gift request of choice has been a bit of an indicator. Maybe it’s because we have been less free with money demanding more for the chore money and handing out less just because. Maybe it’s because there are things that they want that they don’t have the heart to ask us for. Perhaps it’s because they have learned to be thrifty shoppers themselves and know they can get alot more for the same money after Christmas. … Continue reading →

An Ikea Christmas IS a Frugal Christmas

Ikea has dozens of great gifts that cost less than $15.00. If you want to give good gifts this Christmas and don’t want to make anything, and want the gift to be impressive, consider visiting IKEA for Christmas shopping. For less than $15.00 you can buy: Portable laptop desk for your laptop Ikea has several of these in different shapes and sizes. A child’s chair you can paint the child’s name on it for a personal touch. A pair of tab-top curtains in numerous colors. A mobile to hang over a child’s bed. A child’s easel to hours of drawing … Continue reading →

Frugal Gift Wrap Ideas

Any frugalista knows that you should purchase your gift wrap and holiday paper during post Christmas sales to stock up for the year. At many of the Hobby Stores and Pharmacy chain stores, you can easily find it for 75% to 90% off. This can easily save you $100 to $200 in gift wrap costs for the year. But what do you do when have run out of gift wrap or (gasp) didn’t make it to the post Christmas sales? You find free options around your home for wrapping gifts. Here are some things you can try. Use your origami … Continue reading →

Frugal Ideas for The Christmas Sweater

Some time ago I wrote about my frugal exception. In this blog I described the one thing that I really couldn’t cut corners on. My secret is that I never purchase used shoes. I prefer to get these new. I nearly forgot about my Christmas sweater obssession. I love Christmas sweaters and try to get a enw one very year. But buying a somewhat gaudy sweater that I will only wear for one season is a collosal waste of money. Here are some furgual tips that I used to enjoy the Christmas sweater season each each year. 1. Keep it … Continue reading →

Frugalista Fashions: Time for a Coat Makeover

I recently wrote about how to update your old boots to get another year’s wear. (Frugalista Fashions: Making your old boots look new) You will be happy to know that you can do the same thing with your old winter coats in order to avoid purchasing a new winter coat this year. In the blog, Periodic Elements of Style, the blogger shows off an old coat before and after updating alterations. The changes are quite beautiful, not to mention, cost effective. Likewise, the Today Show recently did a coat makeover fashion show pointing out that the changes could cost from … Continue reading →

Frugal Fashions for Fall: Sweater Dress

This week’s foray through the discount stores found a curios wardrobe item that I hadn’t seen in such great abundance since 1986, the sweater dress. They were everywhere. They were available in mid thigh to knee length versions and in sleevless to long sleeved styles, with or without a turtleneck or cowlneck. Colors ranged from black to gray, to to shades of pinks and purples mostly. They come in empire waist styles as well as straight hug-your-body versions. Now that I have described this season’s biggest fad, here is how you get one for less. We got one for my … Continue reading →

So, What is a Frugalista?

While discussing frugality with fellow frugal blogger, Mary Ann Romans, I learned a brand new word. “Frugalista”. Apparently my style of frugality has a name. As I previously mentioned, in my blog ‘A different type of frugal blogger’ , my goal in life is to get things my family (especially my husband) needs, and sometime wants for as little money as possible. So, what is a frugalista? The urban dictionary defines a frugalista as “A thrift shopper who will stop at nothing to get a bargain; including trampling store employees to death. The term is a combination of “frugal” and … Continue reading →

Frugal Month in Review: November 2008

November to be is the beginning of two things. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, and then there is winter. Despite the fact that winter doesn’t officially start until next month, the fall seems to give way to the winter in November anyway. We had a day of snow already. Here is looking ahead to December and the end of the year! November 1st Frugal Month in Review: October 2008 “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot. November 2 … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: November 17th Through November 23rd

There has certainly been some good news about gas prices going down, but I don’t think that we are out of the woods just yet. Being good stewards of our resources is a necessity. Take a look at last week’s articles about Frugal Living. November 17th Frugal Living Week in Review: November 10th Through November 16th Job losses seem to be increasing to the point where I am hearing about more and more people that I know being laid off. But I am hopeful that things will turn around. Look for some future posts on dealing with some of these … Continue reading →