In my “I’m Putting Christmas on a Budget” post, I talked about the importance of creating a budget to help you save money this holiday season.  In addition to gifts, you need to figure out how much you want to spend on decorations, food, and supplies as well.

To help you plan your holiday spending budget, I’ve created a free worksheet, which you can download here.

Planning who you want to buy for, what you want to buy and how much you want to spend will help you save money by allowing you to shop around and get the best deals on gifts this year.

I’m doing something that is very out of character for me… I’m thinking about holiday shopping in the first week of November.  Normally, I’m one of those last minute, barely get it there on time Christmas shoppers, so this is very unusual for me.

But like a lot of people, I want to save money this holiday season, and one of the best ways to do that is to start my Christmas shopping early.

For all of you who want to join me and put Christmas on a budget this year, here are some tips to get you started:

Start early - Perhaps the best tip this year will be to start early.  It is expected that retailers will be offering deals far earlier this year than in previous years, and starting early will help you plan better and scope out those deals.

Make a list - Make a list of items you plan on buying this year, whether it’s gifts, decorations or food for the holiday entertaining.  Having a list will allow you to snag items as they go on sale, and it will keep you from procrastinating til the last minute.

Set a budget - It’s easy to get excited and go overboard on gifts, especially if you don’t have a budget in place.  Write down everyone you want to buy for this year, and set a specific dollar amount for each person.  You’ll be surprised at how much this will help reduce your overall holiday spending!

Continue Reading I’m Putting Christmas on a Budget This Year!

Here are some more articles on how to save money with meal planning:

Quick Ways To Save and Be Frugal With Meals - Make a list. Always keep a list on hand for what you need and what’s on sale. This will also help with your meal planning. Plan your meals around sales. If pork is on sale that week add it to your menu for the week. …

7 ways to save money at the grocery store - Fresh, frozen or dried, fruit makes a satisfying, sweet end to any meal. It will add vitamins, minerals and fiber that aren’t found in cakes or candy. Working some small changes into your grocery shopping habits will not only save money …

The recent volatility in the stock market and economy has finally got people asking how they can save money.

Well, I’m not the most frugal person in the world, so I decided to search some of my favorite personal finance blogs to find the best “money saving” tips I could find.

• How-To: Save Money on Heating This Winter - Recently, heating expert Chris Cooper shared some advice for thrifty Winter heating. Check out these ideas for reducing your Winter heating bill with these tips, which may surprise you. Even small adjustments in everyday life and habits …

One of my favorite websites is Allrecipes.com. I go there anytime I’m looking for a new recipe or just need inspiration for something to cook for dinner.

On my most recent visit, I noticed a section called ‘Cooking on a Budget’. Since inflation and rising food prices are at the top of many people’s minds these days, this was a great find!

In ‘Cooking on a Budget’ you’ll find articles on smarter meal planning, budget friendly recipes (the lemon garlic tilapia looks awesome!), tips on how to buy in bulk and how to freeze food, and videos on how to prepare “cheaper than takeout” meals for your family.

Earlier this year, Rick and I were planning on driving to Colorado for a week of camping, hiking and canoing. After watching gas prices rise, we have decided to vacation closer to home this summer.

While I was looking forward to the scenery in Colorado, we have plenty of good rivers for canoing and camping right here in Missouri, so it doesn’t make sense to spend the extra money it would cost to drive all the way to Colorado.

What about you? Have rising gas prices changed your vacation plans this summer?

With gas prices above $3 a gallon (and more, depending on where you live), you may be wondering what you can do to save on gas.

Some of the best ways to save on gas include:

* Combining shopping trips
* Downsizing to a smaller car
* Carpooling or taking public transportation whenever possible

There are many ways to save on gas, but this one might surprise you…

Did you know that just by slowing down, you can save on gas? According to this article on CNNMoney, in a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon.

I love cooking with my crock pot, so when I saw Cara’s (of TheHouseholdHelper.com) article about how cooking with a crock pot can help save money I just had to share…

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:

1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

Continue Reading Save Money By Cooking with Crock Pots

You’ve heard it a million times… “pay yourself first”. And every time you hear it you think “I can barely pay my bills, how can I afford to pay myself first?”

Many people never start paying themselves first, because they are too concerned that they won’t have enough to pay the bills if they put any money in savings.

Well, this is one of those things that you just have to do, even if you don’t think you can afford to.

So how do you pay yourself first when you are worried that you won’t be able to pay the bills? Here’s how…

by Cara Mirabella of The Household Helper

Purchasing groceries is one big area where you can save loads of
money each month. The next big area where you can save extra money
deals with household expenses. Everyone has these and everyone can use
all or just a few tips to save money each month.

If you can, change out all your light bulbs (or all the light bulbs
that you can) with new energy efficient light bulbs. These light bulbs
can cut your electricity bill by ten to twenty percent each month just
by changing the light bulbs out. These bulbs are meant to use less
electricity than older light bulbs.

When possibly, don’t run the heater or air conditioner. This only
works if you can go a few days in a row without having them on at all.
This will save you money plus if you can open the windows and be
comfortable, you’ll also be getting fresh air in the house. Another tip
is to turn down the heater in winter and turn up the air conditioner in
summer.

Continue Reading Frugal Living Tip: Household Expenses