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Family History of the Thanksgiving Turkey

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us are thinking about purchasing a very important part of our Thanksgiving feast – the turkey. Have you ever wondered about how the turkeys that many of us buy at the grocery store evolved from the turkeys that were being raised on family farms before commercialized turkey breeding became common? Today, I learned a little about the history of the turkey. Be forewarned though, as fascinating as this information is, it may not be great dinner table conversation on Thanksgiving because no one really wants to talk about Mr. Butterball’s genealogy and history while enjoying … Continue reading →

Our Frugal Monday Night Dinner

One of my goals this year is to spend even more time in the kitchen doing some cooking from scratch. While this does take time, it reaps many benefits. I can serve my family good healthy food with minimal preservatives, and for a price that we can afford. Since I do most of the cooking for our family of five, I need to find filling meals that will stretch. The cost of food seems to be growing weekly, and the stores have more and more rules that make saving money with coupons not as easy as it used to be. … Continue reading →

A First Thanksgiving

11:42 AM: My son woke up today to greet his first Thanksgiving day. He doesn’t know what it is or why (or even if) it is different than any other day but today was special for that reason alone. He watched his mother make an apple pie and watched dad fiddle with computers and do some dishes. He was asleep in the early morning hours when the dead bird was filled with bread and sausage, stuffed in a bag, and placed in the oven. As I write this the bird is out of the oven. It has been replaced by … Continue reading →

10 Tips for a Green Thanksgiving

Halloween’s over, Thanksgiving is upon us, and Christmas is just a step away! It is busy time for everyone, but you can still stay green. Here are a few tips to green up your Thanksgiving: 10. Stay Home Yes, I know the holidays are usually about travel to be with family, but consider staying home. You can help reduce emissions and stress by not taking a trip this year. 9. Travel Smart Okay, I realize many will ignore #10, so if you do have to travel, travel smart. Make sure the car is working properly before leaving, check your tire … Continue reading →

Frugal Trips for Holiday Travel

If you are planning to travel over Thanksgiving or the winter holidays, there are some things that you should know. The Today show recently did a story called What the Travel Agents Do Not Want You to Know. They discussed some very important expenditures that could run your budget over during while traveling. Car rental: While airlines and hotel deals are very reasonable this winter, car rental companies have doubled their prices. Instead of renting from car rental companies, go to car dealers instead. Many of them are glad to rent cars that are sitting on their lots costing them … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Decorations for Less

I just read an article that was sitting in my news feed. It was all about how much we generally spend during the holidays. There is no doubt that spending tends to increase quite a bit around the holidays. After all, there is all of the gifts, all of the food and all of the clothes. One thing that struck me out though, is how much people spend on decorations, from flowers to paper, from ornaments to lawn signs. Of course we want our homes to look good for the holidays, especially if we happen to be the ones who … Continue reading →

Frugal Family Meal Ideas

Whether you are cooking from your pantry or just trying to knock down your food budget, it helps to have an arsenal of some great frugal family meal ideas. And while beans can certainly be part of your recipe book, it doesn’t have to be the main part. Here are my favorite ideas for frugal family meals that both the kids and your wallet will love. Kids love pasta. That is a given. So one of my favorite frugal family meals uses it, but with a twist. Everyone enjoys eating this slightly more sophisticated (notice I said slightly) and much … Continue reading →

Frugal Holiday Parties

The Holiday season will be here soon.Are you prepared for the expense of socializing? Here are some frugal tips to get your through it all with both the holiday fun and the budget in tact. I had a nice conversation with my mother-in-law last night. We started discussing what we were going to do about the upcoming holiday season and the Thanksgiving and Christmas get-together events. No one ever really wants to host either because of the work, and well, the expense. That is understandable, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Two words have gotten me through … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: December 1st Through December 7th

By the first week in December I am almost ready with everything for the holidays–at least shopping wise. Of course there are always a few things to pick up here and there, hopefully frugally. December 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: November 24th Through November 30th How was your holiday? Was it a frugal one? In case you missed any of last week’s articles, here are the posts that were featured. December 2nd 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 … 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 →