Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

Time for some festive little ornaments to sweeten up the house! As soon as Thanksgiving is over I need to get the house ready for Christmas, it’s a compulsion! This has to be the easiest cinnamon ornament recipe I’ve found and it works great. They smell wonderful, are easy to work with and last a long time. They are even more fun if you have a little helper or two. I like to make these at the beginning of the season to get the smells of the holidays going in the house, when you hang these every time someone walks … Continue reading

Salt Dough: A Versatile Tool

Salt dough—a staple of life when you have children. You can shape it into Christmas tree ornaments, baked to use year after year. You can keep it in a plastic tub and use it like Play-Doh, molding your creations and then smashing them back down into a blob when you’re done. But have you ever thought about using it as a tool in your homeschool? Think of all the different ways you can take this incredible compound and use it to enrich your studies. Are you talking about geography? Use the dough to create a topographical map and show hills … Continue reading

How to Store Your Ornaments without Buying Anything

Doesn’t it break your heart when you dig out your Christmas ornaments only to find that some of them have broken while in storage? Or perhaps you just cant locate that favorite ornament from your childhood or early marriage, despite turning everything upside down. This year, when I opened up our ornament box, we found a couple of little toys that my youngest must have thrown in sometime during the packing up process last year. It is just chaos. This year, I resolve to be more organized in storing ornaments. I might be tempted to go out and purchase some … Continue reading

Salt Dough Ornaments

If your Christmas tree is looking a little bit bare, you can fill it quickly with some home made ornaments. Home made ornaments are generally very frugal, especially if you use inexpensive materials that you already have at home. Homemade ornaments, I think, are more precious than the store bought ones anyway. Every year, we add some home made ornaments to the Christmas tree, and it is always a delight when we take them out of their boxes and hang them on the tree each year. One wonderful way to make homemade ornaments is by crafting them from salt dough. … Continue reading

Last-Minute Holiday Money Savers

This is it. With just a few hours left until Christmas morning, there is not much time left to procrastinate. If you’ve been holding out on shopping for gifts because you planned to take advantage of last-minute doorbusters, you may be in for a big surprise. Money experts warn that while some stores claim their last-minute deals are major money savers, in most cases they aren’t. In fact, financial wizards are quick to point out that retailers prey on procrastinators and the amazing deals you think you are scoring are in fact not much bigger than those advertised at any … Continue reading

Hosting Santa’s Workshop

Each year, it seems that we wind up spending too much money on the holidays. One of the ways to cut this expense down while reinforcing the validity of Christmas is to concentrate on gifts that come from the heart, gifts that are made by hand. But coming up with something that doesn’t look homemade can be a bit of a challenge. Why not get organized with a Santa’s workshop that will not only yield great gifts but also create a warm social engagement during the holidays. Setting up the workshop Making gifts is really fun when you do it … Continue reading

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas – Part 1

You may think it is a bit early to be thinking about Christmas, but I noticed garland hanging at my local Hallmark last night. This year, instead of having a white or blue Christmas, how about having a green Christmas? First, let’s think about the Christmas tree. Many plastic trees are made from PVC, the product that many are telling us to avoid for safety reasons. This year, you may want to consider a fresh cut Christmas tree. Make it a fun family tradition by going out to chop down your own tree. Sure, it will probably take a bit … Continue reading

Two Things to Buy Now for Holiday Giving

One wonderful thing that frugal living people can do is to share their bounty with others. Whether it is sharing with friends and family or giving to special charities and families in need, you can take advantage of some opportunities right now. Not only will this give you the ability to give more for less, but also your spending on gifts will get distributed quite nicely instead of occurring over just a few weeks. School Supplies One brilliant mention in our church’s newsletter reminded us to stock up on school supplies. In December, we have a few different giving missions, … Continue reading

How to Take Advantage of After Easter Bargains

As soon as Easter Sunday rolls around, you’ll find all sorts of Easter-related products that are on deep discounts. Snap up the following items when they hit 75 percent off and use them in some creative ways. You’ll save money and get points for resourcefulness. Easter Baskets Baskets can be used for all sorts of things around the home, from gathering clothespins to holding houseplants. Some of my favorite ways to use easter baskets include corralling baby board books, holding diapers, as gift baskets for birthdays and baby showers, for desk supplies and even as stair catch-alls (for items that … Continue reading

Frugal Easter Fun

I had complete sticker shock when I added up the cost all of the Easter basket goodies and fixings for three children who still believe in the Easter bunny. Since we live in an affluent area, I knew there might be a little comparing of treats when school started back the next day. Still, we have to watch the budget. Here are some ways to be frugal but still have fun for Easter. The True Meaning It goes without saying that we, especially kids, should be aware of the true meaning of Easter. Focus more on the reason behind the … Continue reading