Valentine’s Day Gifts with Heart

According to the National Retail Federation, the average American will spend approximately $125 on Valentine’s Day gifts this year. What the… A hundred twenty five bucks on high-calorie chocolate that will force you to spend even more time in the gym and overpriced flowers that probably won’t live to see the weekend? I barely have enough money to fill up my car now that gas prices have jumped 20 cents in less than 10 days. Believe me; no one in my house is spending or receiving Love Day gifts that exceed $5… if that. Just call me the Valentine’s Day … Continue reading

How to Say “I Love You” Without Breaking the Bank

Listen. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Valentine’s Day sneaking up on you. Love Day is less than a week away. That’s good news for lovebirds, not so much for eagle-eyed frugalistas looking to preserve their bank accounts in these tough economic times. Given that overpriced flowers, jewelry and chocolate are among the top Valentine’s Day gifts in the United States, it’s no wonder many wallet- watchers get nervous this time of year. Fortunately, there are a variety of inexpensive ways to show your sweetheart how much you love him or her on February 14th. The following simple … Continue reading

Inexpensive Valentine Decorations

Valentine’s Day decorating can be a lot of fun. Who doesn’t love all of the hearts in their colors of red and pink. It is just the thing to brighten up a drab winter month, celebrate your love of your special someone or your family and bring a little cheerfulness into your home. Another great thing about decorating for Valentine’s Day is that is a a fun activity for the kids to do, too. Children love cutting out hearts, adding glitter and all of the other activities associating with decorating for Valentine’s Day. You can also have fun surprising a … Continue reading

Cute and Frugal Valentine Idea

You can make Valentine’s special without spending a lot of money on candy and trinkets. It really is the thought that counts, and you can make those thoughts shine and stand out this Valentine’s Day. In this age of mobile media, texting, Facebook and email, a long lost art can be revived to make a really special gift. I am talking about the love letter. But wait. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of writing a love letter from scratch. Instead make the letter whimsical with the use of conversation hearts. Conversation hearts are the little heart-shaped candies that come … Continue reading

Fun and Frugal Valentine’s Day Gifts

With some of these creative ideas, you’ll be able to get Valentine’s gifts for all of the sweethearts in your life. Make it fun and frugal. Valentine Gifts for Kids Sneakers with fun designs are in demand for girls right now. If you don’t want to spend $50 on one of these types of sneakers, make them yourself. Purchase an inexpensive pair of tennis shoes or other plain sneakers on sale. Then using fabric markers, add some fun Valentine’s designs. To make them really special, add the child’s name as well. Create a little card craft kit. First check with … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: January 28th Through February 3rd

Did you keep warm this week? Yesterday was such a nice day that we took advantage of it an went out for a long outdoor outing before the Super Bowl. We got a lot of fresh air and exercise all for free! This past week, we shared some ideas for keeping warm with a low thermostat, temptations, library and laundry tricks and some ideas for Valentines Day. Here are all of the articles, in case you missed any. Thanks for reading. January 28th Frugal Week in Review: January 21st Through January 27th With talk of a recession, many more people … Continue reading

Frugal Valentines Blogs

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope your day is filled with lots of good things. Here we are battling lots of snow. Yesterday, I paid a group of kids $15 to shovel the walk, and it was not very frugal. They did a very poor job. So, I was very resigned to having to shovel the rest of the snow today. Wow, as I was writing this, my very great neighbor knocked on the door. He offered to move my car so he could use his snow blower on the street. He already did our walk and the sidewalks on the … Continue reading

Creative Gift Wrap Ideas

Why spend a fortune on gift wrap when you can create beautiful and inspired packages at home? Birthdays, anniversaries and of course Valentines Day..it seems as if there is always a present to wrap. While you can shop the after holiday sales for gift wrap and keep it in your gift closet, there are plenty alternatives right now in your home. Why not try some of these ideas or let them inspire your own? Comics for kids: As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Squeezing Money from The Newspaper, the comic strip (or funnies, as my parents always called it) … Continue reading

Planning a Valentine’s Party for School

Today I am busy planning games for the Valentine’s Day party for my twins’ third grade class. Their winter holiday party got canceled due to a blizzard. So I want the Valentine’s party to be extra special. I’m trying to think up fresh ideas or at least fun slants on old ideas. I think we might do the old guess how many valentine heart candies are in the jar game. But since they are learning multiplication now, I think I’ll throw a multiplying slant to it. How many candies would there be if there were three jars with just as … Continue reading

The Frugal Blog Week in Review: Jan. 27 to Feb. 2

Hello there! It is a quiet Saturday evening on the day before the Superbowl. my husband is getting the last kid to bed, I’m listening to my new Nora Jones music, and I am seriously thinking of taking a nice hot bath. Before that, though, I wanted to bring you the week in review for the Frugal Living Blog. I know you read every blog faithfully, so I’ll just assume you want to reread them all again. Saturday, January 27 Save on Paper: Take Advantage of Junk Mail In an earlier blog, Save on Paper: The Three Best Ways, I … Continue reading