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Time to Start Thinking About Christmas!

I know Halloween was only yesterday, and that we still have another holiday in between now and Christmas, but if you are like most single moms you don’t have a bundle of cash sitting around come December when it’s time to start Christmas shopping. If you start now, it helps keep the holidays a little less stressful, plus now all the Halloween candy is on clearance. That means you can get a ton of candy to fill those stockings for dirt cheap! Candy can get expensive around Christmas time because it is in such high demand. This way you don’t … Continue reading →

How Christmas Creep Can Cost You

If you haven’t seen Christmas decorations and other items in your local stores yet, then my guess is that you’re living outside of the United States, or maybe even the planet. As soon as the back to school items went away (the first week in September!) the Christmas stuff came out. Forget Halloween, those items started being displayed in August. While all of my friends are hunting for those Candy Corn Oreos that have already sold out, I’m avoiding the stores as much as possible, so I can ignore the Christmas creep. There are a few ways that thinking about … Continue reading →

Money Saving Ways to Prepare for Christmas Now!

Yes, the summer is still here, and temperatures may still be in the 90s or higher, but it is a perfect time to start making some preparations for Christmas right now. From gifts and decorations to food and entertainment, making the right moves now will be big savings during one of the toughest seasons for the budget. Stock up on the following items during the summer and fall, while you still can. Fresh Produce You’ll get the best prices on fresh produce right now, thanks to the bounty of late summer. Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, corn and other fruit and vegetables … Continue reading →

Making Do

You’re this close to completing a holiday-themed scrapbook layout. All you have left to do is place letter stickers on the page to spell out “Merry Christmas.” You get as far as “Merry Ch” when you realize you don’t have a third “R” sticker. Now what? One of my biggest pet peeves about using letter stickers is that single packages don’t feature enough of the most common consonants and vowels. Most alphabet packs will provide you with an extra vowel or two, and if you are lucky you’ll score a couple extra “T”s and “S”s. However, this doesn’t help if … Continue reading →

Don’t Get Me Anything!

For Christmas, my husband and I bought a gift card for my brother. Yesterday, my brother called me and was extremely upset because the gift card did not work. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, and this unexpected problem was more than he could handle. My brother is an adult, but he still lives with our parents. I think my brother might still have a job, but I am not entirely certain of that. He is brilliant, but, due to his Asperger’s Syndrome, does still need someone to watch over him from time to time. Yesterday, I got a phone call from … Continue reading →

Post-Christmas Shopping Tips

I haven’t even finished clearing the sea of ripped holiday wrapping paper from the living room floor and I’m already being flooded with post-Christmas sale reminders. My email inbox is filled with alerts heralding major day after Christmas deals. Macy’s sent me a link to a WOW! Pass, which allows me to take $10 off my purchase of $25 or more. JCPenney is offering the same deal, while Old Navy is selling women’s jeans for just $15 all-day tomorrow. In addition to the after-Christmas discounts, retailers are poised for an onslaught of shoppers looking to redeem gift cards they’ve collected … Continue reading →

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas–Yikes!

Is it just me, or is there anyone else out there that is overwhelmed by the fact that tomorrow is Christmas Eve?!? I’m not ready. I could use another week or two… It isn’t that I am not ready in a practical way, although I confess that I feel guilty for not baking as many cookies or decorating as well as I would like this year. I haven’t attended enough parties or visited with friends and family or taken advantage of all of the local holiday events and celebrations. I did get my shopping done early–how could I not with … Continue reading →

Sticking To Your Holiday Budget

As we head down the final stretch to Christmas Day, stores are pulling out all the stops to lure in last-minute shoppers with sensational seasonal sales. If you have gotten this far sticking to your holiday budget, don’t be tempted by these late season offers. Often, they don’t save you as much money as you’d think. Procrastinators on a budget should stray from big-box retailers during the final days leading up to Christmas. To preserve your budget, head over to the local Dollar Store for economical gift ideas. For example, if you are looking for a last-minute present for your … Continue reading →

The Best Dollar Store Gifts

Dollar store gifts can be inexpensive without looking that way. It is all in how you find the treasures and how you bundle or package them. With more and more Americans spending less and less this holiday season, it is important to find new creative ways to get great gifts for everyone on your list. You can do this through dollar and discount stores. First, take the time to visit a few different dollar or discount stores. They aren’t all created equal. You may find that some offer better deals than others, or offer specific kinds of great gifts. Take … Continue reading →

Do You Do “Stocking Stuffers?”

Every year, I have a little debate with myself about stocking stuffers. Do we continue to do stocking stuffers? Do we just have stockings for the kids or include the parents as well? Do I have to buy myself stocking stuffers, since, well, I’m the stocking stuffer lady and if I don’t do it no one else will. I learned this last one during one Christmas when the kids wanted to know why there was nothing in my stocking. Whoops. Then I always wonder what to put in the stockings. How much money do you spend on an individual stocking … Continue reading →