In theory, making all your holiday gifts sounds great. Not only will you save money but your recipients will be charmed and love that you put so much thought and effort into your gifts and not only that, you’ll be striking a blow against materialism and consumer culture. Except when that doesn’t happen… No matter [...]
Celebration
While we haven’t gotten the first report of “Eek – Christmas decorations already?!?” it’s bound to happen soon and so begins the 6 months talk of getting ready for the holidays. For many people, shopping is part of the fun and they relish the opportunity to start – the sooner the better. I’ve even heard [...]
Holiday parties, family get-togethers, charity auctions, and dinners of all types are plentiful during the next two months. If you do not have at least one on your calendar, you are certainly the exception. In fact, some people have two or more holiday events scheduled every week from now until New Years! With all those [...]
Growing up, I always went to the Black Friday sales with my mother. She would scope out the flyers, make lengthy lists and even scope out store layouts to make sure that she could get everything she wanted. My mom would team up with friends to make sure that someone in their group was at [...]
Chances are, you are probably trying to get your Christmas list together for the year. The last thing you are considering is what you will do for Christmas next year. But, if you want to reduce the financial stresses that can come with the holidays, planning now is a good way to get ready for [...]
Every year, when Thanksgiving rolls around, I start thinking about the big spread my grandmother always put on. I want to be able to do something similar, but every time I sit down and start planning, I’m reminded that the budget she set for Thanksgiving was always more than I budget these days. So what [...]

