There is nothing spookier on Halloween than the prices of all of the stuff on your list. Here are some of the common Halloween expenses along with some strategies to help you save money. Hayrides and Haunted Houses Visiting your local hayride, haunted house or corn maze can be a lot of fun. If you have a larger family like mine, though, the cost of entrance can be a little daunting. To save money, check for coupons and discount days. You may be able to find out about these on the event website or through local businesses. Our favorite pizza … Continue reading →

Fill your Easter Baskets this years with plenty of good stuff for a fraction of the price you paid the year before. On Easter morning, I always proudly look at the beautiful baskets laying in wait on the table. What a bounty. But then, a few days later, I am always disheartened. A lot of money was spent, and yet, there is little to show for it. The cheap toys have broken, the candy was too much and a lot of it had to be given away and the garbage can got filled with Easter grass and packaging. This year, … Continue reading →

Don’t wait until right before Christmas if you want to save on decorations and gifts. There are several times throughout the year where items go on deep discount. These things are perfect for the holidays and will actually much more expensive in December. Here is your seasonal guide telling you what to gather for the holidays. New Years Grab all of those after Christmas specials when they reach 90 percent off and store them with your current items when you take down your Christmas tree and decorations. Don’t forget any shiny new year decorations that don’t have the year on … Continue reading →

Wouldn’t it be fun to frugally celebrate Valentine’s Day? Forget the $12 boxes of chocolate from the drugstore or the $45 flowers from the florist. Instead, celebrate with some great ideas that will put you in the mood but won’t add to your expenses. In the Kitchen Have the family create a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with something full of love from the kitchen. Roll out pizza dough to form a heart shaped pizza and add your favorite toppings. Serve heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and make heart shaped sugar cookies. Basically, any food that you … Continue reading →

If your house is like mine, you haven’t quite done all of the after Christmas clean up. If so, consider yourself blessed. There is a lot that you can save from your Christmas festivities that will save you money throughout the year. Make use of the following items. Then look around your home and add your own suggestions in the comments! Baskets Have you gotten any holiday baskets this year, such as fruit baskets, pampering baskets, etc. Put them to use around your home. Large one can collect waste paper in the office, magazines or books in the bedroom, fresh … Continue reading →

If you are struggling financially or if you don’t have enough money this month to buy all of the things on your gift list and wish list, you might be tempted to get out the plastic and charge. But there are several good reasons not to give in to temptation here. When you charge money, you are making a promise to pay it in the future. That seems obvious, but the convenience of a charge card makes it easy to forget. Before you know it, you can be in a serious amount of debt that all comes due. If you … Continue reading →

It happened to me this weekend. We were in a toy store looking for one particular gift, and I could feel the tension rising. All around me, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all grabbing up gifts left and right. An item that my daughter admired was no longer on the shelf when I returned to the store 30 minutes later. Neither was the other two copies of it. It was late in a long day and I was tired. I grabbed up a couple of extra things for the kids in case they weren’t there later and headed to … Continue reading →

When you have to watch your budget over the holidays, you may start to feel like Scrooge himself. Always being the watch dog over finances can do that to a person. You can begin to feel like the bad guy. Just remember that Bob Cratchit was on a budget, too, and he represented the very spirit of Christmas…a loving family who honored the Savior’s birth. Take the Focus Off of “No” It is easy to get into the habit of focusing on the “nos” all of the time. “No, you can’t have an iPod even though your friends all have … Continue reading →