Saturday, November 29, 2008

Money Saving Idea's

(This was the 100 good wishes ornament I made last year.)
26 more days until Christmas! Where is the time going? Heck for that matter where does our money go this time of year....or better yet where does it come from?!

Here are a few ideas I've come up with to free up some money this year. I'd love to hear if any of you have some ideas to add to my list or tips on freeing up TIME! I'd love some tips on that topic!


1. Skip your next visit to the grocery store....yes believe me you can do this. You can live out of the food in your freezer and shoved in the back of your cubbard for at least 2 weeks. It may mean a little creative work but the money's you will save from doing it will pleasantly surprise you, and it's a good way to clean out stuff that has been there for awhile before it is too late.


2. Don't go out to a restaurant to eat this month.... Seriously...if you have a nice size roast in your oven and you know it will be too much for the 3-4 of you....invite someone over and have a game or movie night or make up a couple of plates and bless your neighbor or a friend.


3. Talk to your kids about taking a lunch instead of money for the cafeteria and instead of all the expensive lunch items send snacks that are inexpensive to make like rice crispy squares or popcorn balls.


4......yes brace yourselves and be prepared for the comments from your significant other.....NO MORE TIMMY'S or STARBUCKS...ok well one or two if you must....Invest in a travel mug and perk via home!


5. Limit your driving into town...gas prices may have gone down but you'd be surprised how much a car will burn whilst your waiting for it to warm up in your driveway not to mention the puttering around town in this slop on the roads! Catch hunny before he leaves work to pick up that item you need. I'm notorious for running out for 1-2 items when I could wait til I had a few more things on my list.


6. Ahhhh the baking....it's actually cheaper to make tones of one thing and your friend to make another then trade off. Like a cookie exchange. Or find out if there are any charity bake sales in your area, you'll be blessing someone else rather than buying all the ingredients and having it cost more in the long run..


7. Contrary to commercial/media hype....not everyone loves an expensive gift at Christmas...frankly it causes somewhat of a tension with people trying to out do one another. I personally would rather a gift made from the heart like a "Gift in a Jar" cookie mix, a tray of goodies, a surprise meal or something other than the latest gadget. Be creative....I know you are! Use those God given talents to bless others. One of my favorite gifts of all times was a surprise that Jaclyn made me in Grade 4....she took a stack of old Christmas cards and cut them into circles and laminated them into a place mat for me....it goes on my coffee table every year to this day.


If you were to do all of these things you will be more than surprised to realize you have spared 200-300 hundred smackaroos in just these four weeks before Christmas.

8 comments:

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

Great tips Deb!! I can't believe there is only 26 more days...where the heck does the time go....it feels like yesterday we were on the beach under the hot sun!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Lisa

Kim said...

Great ideas...
And as for the 100 Good Wishes Ornamanet.. I will be doing this as soon as I get all my pieces together..
Waiting on some people to send their piece of material..
Have a Great Weekend..
Hugs girly..

OH MY #6 said...

You are so thoughtful with this post. I love it. Good reminders for me!

Have a great day my friends.

Lea
xo

Becky did my BLOG and she is amazing. Her link is at the bottom of my page.

Nadine said...

Lots of great tips. You're right. I've done some of those - like creative cooking and it's amazing how you don't need that extra stuff at the store.

Dawn and Dale said...

What a GREAT post!!!

We've been using almost all these ideas lately and they really do work!! Actually....we are 2 hrs from the nearest Timmies or Starbucks and I'm thankful!!! lol They are a great treat when we head to the city for the day but we get one a month instead of one a day for some people!!! lol

redmaryjanes said...

I just read your list to my husband and it is very realistic and doable. We are watching every dollar this year!

Anonymous said...

What great tips!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's always so nice to meet others in this wait. We actually don't have our LID yet, we are 5 months since DTC and keeping our fingers crossed that we will get it soon.

I love your blog, and will keep checking in.

geminirn said...

Great tips Deb,thanks for sharing and yes we will try a few this year!