Search Results for: blog getting the holiday budget ready

Retailers Hope You Have Frugal Fatigue This Holiday

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that retailers are really hoping that you, the consumer, will be suffering from frugal fatigue this holiday season, and they will be doing everything they can in order to encourage you to let go of frugal habits and spend this season. The holidays are usually a time to spend and indulge, so it really a danger zone when it comes to falling off of the frugal wagon. If you aren’t careful, you may wind up spending more than you planned. If you have solid financial goals, such as to pay down debt, to save … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Earn Extra Money for Christmas without Getting a Job

It will be here before you know it. Already my kids are making their wish lists, and the stores are starting their holiday sales. As I mentioned before, our Christmas tree is more like a “couple of sticks with some green toothpicks on it,” as my son describes, and there is extra tithing and charity. All of these things aren’t normally in the budget. That is why we are employing some strategies to earn a little extra money this year. Some effort now will help avoid great debt later. Because our schedules are already packed tight with kids and work, … Continue reading →

Getting Flowers on a Budget

Recently, I was asked to help coordinating the decorating of our church’s main hall for the big Christmas festivities. We are going to have a local outreach featuring a live nativity, a bonfire, a Christmas Tree raffle, lots of food, live music programs and more. We would love to have plenty of Christmas plants and flowers, however, our budget isn’t very large. So, I have been gathering all of the ideas I can get in order to save money. Here are some of the ways, you too can get flowers on a budget, whether it is for the holidays or … Continue reading →

Making the Most of Your Holiday Trip the Waterpark

In a previous blog I suggested gifting your favorite family with passes to an indoor waterpark. These days practically every city in the nation is home to a resort that features an indoor waterpark. They are extremely popular with families since they can be accessed without getting on a plane, plus you don’t have to blow thousands of dollars to visit one. Since most resorts include the price of admission to waterparks in the room rate you can save right out of the gate. However, to really get your money’s worth it’s a good idea to make sure your kids … Continue reading →

Home Blog Month in Review: October

As I sit here looking out my window at the backyard, the birds are hovering in the pine tree against a strong wind and steady rain. The temperature is chilly today, and the calendar reminds me that we have left October behind. October 1st Buy a Home for $1.75 It seems that the housing crisis has made some interesting news lately. Home Month in Review: September 2008 Has the weather turned cooler now that September has passed? Pretty soon, it will be time to get that heat turned back on! Meanwhile, check out all of the articles that were posted … Continue reading →

Getting Back in the Groove

I have had several people ask me if I have “recovered from the holidays” and if I am “getting back in the work groove”—as many of you home business owners know, there isn’t always a big lull for us. Sure, some of us take advantage of the time flexibility to take time off during the month of December, but some of us don’t. Either way, the New Year tends to bring a time of re-focusing and getting re-energized for another fiscal year. I have been writing about budgeting, planning and getting ready “on paper” for another twelve months of work … Continue reading →

Is It Too Early To Think About Holidays?

I think there are two types of single parents—those of us who put everything off until the last possible minute because our plates are so incredibly full; and those of us who try to get everything done early because our plates are so incredibly full. I admit—I tend to vacillate between both of these extremes and there have been years when I just couldn’t wrap my head around the holidays until they were upon me and there have been years when I was able to get organized early and “spread out” the planning and obligation. I have a friend who … Continue reading →

Time Saving Tips to Keep You on Track

With the holidays fast approaching, things might be getting a little busy around your house. Some people are able to back off a little bit from their home based businesses during the holiday season and focus on holiday activities. People with seasonal home based businesses are likely to be putting in as much time and effort as they can right now. Either way, you are likely to be feeling a little bit crunched for time. Of course, there are only so many hours in a day. While we can not create additional hours, we can employ a few strategies to … Continue reading →

Smart Mama Shopping

You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.  That goes double if you are a penny-pinching mom playing Santa Claus. I am all about retailers trying to make cash this holiday season.  I get that, but when you are living on a tight budget and you have kids who are expecting St. Nick to deliver a little more than just a few stale candy canes this Christmas, don’t … Continue reading →

Is it Time For a Different Car?

Anyone who owns a car has probably wondered at least once how they will know when it is time to get a different car. Please note that I said “different”, not “new”, because getting a different car does not necessarily entail buying a brand new one. There are plenty of wonderful used cars out there and if you do your research and inspect any prospective purchase thoroughly, you can score an awesome car for a budget price. New car vs used car is a different topic for a different day, though. Today’s post is about how to know when it … Continue reading →