Mother's Day is One Week Away... Are You Prepared?

Ahhh... Mother's Day... it's just around the corner and time for a bit of planning. I've been a bit lax lately on putting a lot of thought into gifts. Call it frustration on my financial situation or
attempting to put as much towards my debt repayment as possible. Either way, I have been feeling really guilty about it.

There are certain holidays that I have mixed emotions about... Valentine's Day, Father's Day, and Mother's Day. This is primarily because I believe that we should be celebrating the people we love throughout the year. So with concerted effort, I am looking for a compromise to the greeting card and candy holidays and am looking for meaningful ways to let mom know how much she means to me without spending more than $5-$10, staying environmentally friendly, and ensuring my efforts are memorable rather than put into the next Goodwill donation bag.

I made a pledge some years ago that I will only give gifts that are usable. (No singing trout, Chia pets, or other last minute panic gifts.) Gift wrap must also be reusable or recycled. I work in an office that receives lots of gift baskets during the holidays and I'm known for grabbing seltzer and unwanted baskets for reuse.

So how do I meet my self imposed guidelines and feel good about the gift I give? Here are some ideas:

• While reading through some blogs I stumbled upon this idea, (as soon as I find it again, I promise to give the well deserved credit) take a number of slips of paper and write down things you are grateful to mom for, special memories, or favorite mom sayings. Fold them up and put them in an attractive container. She will enjoy reading them over and over and the cost is next to nothing.
• Go to the local farmers' market to pick up seasonal flowers. Put them in a mason jar or vase picked up at Goodwill for a $1 and tie a ribbon on it. The money paid helps support the local economy and is much more reasonable than the traditional $50 bouquet from a florist.
• Create a coupon book for mom with gifts of your time. Mow the lawn, weed the garden, a home cooked meal that she doesn't have to cook, hugs, etc. anything goes and you are giving her time spent together as well.
• Create a CD of her favorite songs from her collection, yours, or even the library's.
• Scan the newspaper or web for free events in your area and take her. Bump it up a notch and pack a picnic lunch.

Take Advantage of Holiday Savings

Holidays are a great time to save money on groceries. Ham, pineapple, asparagus, strawberries, butter, breakfast sweets, eggs, and entertainment items, now is the time to push your grocery budget and stock up.

Unfortunately, I've never had any success freezing ham. It oozes water, becomes mushy and just doesn't freeze well. Instead, I'm looking for smaller portions to use in sandwiches, omelettes, casseroles, and soup. My favorite dish is an adapted spaghetti carbonara, a pasta with a parmesan, cream sauce, peas, and panchetta. Panchetta is an italian style bacon.

This is also the beginning of the growing season. California strawberries are at their best, big, juicy, and flavorful. Not only am I picking some up for breakfast and snacks, but I'm also getting some to freeze for smoothies later in the year. Stawberries also bring homemade jam to mind, but I admit I'd rather just eat them fresh.

Other items to think about picking up include:
For the freezer ~ butter. rolls, baked goods, and fish.
For next easter ~ baskets, easter grass, plastic eggs, and paper goods.

Holiday Season Challenge - Planet Friendly Wrapping

For this season, I've made a goal for myself to use only planet friendly wrapping. Think reduce, reuse, recycle. Instead of wasting wrapping paper that's been chemically treated and ribbon that is made out materials that won't break down in the landfill, consider other options.

Reduce -
- Instead of buying rolls and rolls of paper just to get different designs, swap old patterns with friends to get variety.
- Use containers or materials that can be reused for other purposes, cloth bags that can be used again, a kitchen towel tied with a ribbon, or a decorative bowl.

Reuse -
- Save decorated bags and reuse them for other presents.
- Packing materials can be reused over and over again. My office gets a lot of gift baskets. Once everything has been eaten, claimed, and picked over, I grab the seltzer (the shredded paper used for filler) before its thrown away to reuse for packing or my own baskets.

Recycle -
- Use the end of newspaper rolls as wrapping paper and let kids decorate it or pull out your crayons and try a doodle or two yourself.
- Use those great paper bags with handles that you get from stores and cover up the logo with a decorative, fabric cut out.

Even if you only make one adjustment in your tradition it will have a big impact not just on the planet, but also on your budget!

Get A Jump On The Holiday Shopping Season

While poking around The Motley Fool, I found an interesting article on Black Friday and websites that leak holiday ads before they actually come out in the papers. The article, titled Holiday Spoiler Alert ~ Sites Already Leaking Deals begins by giving out three websites that will give you the inside scoop on holiday sales out the day after Thanksgiving.

Now before you think that this is some sort of espionage or someones making a mint off of selling company secrets, the company's are are getting free publicity and able to find out what their competition is up to.

The article finishes up with outlining a clever how-to guide for taking advantage of the sales without having to get up at the crack of dawn. This is the most appealing part. While I like a good bargain as much as the next person, I am not a morning person and the doors seem to be opening earlier and earlier. When they stop bothering to even close, I'll be right there in line at midnight.

For the full article, check out http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/general/2007/10/23/holiday-spoiler-alert-sites-already-leaking-deals.aspx

Thanksgiving Is Only Two Weeks Away

We are entering what is considered one of the most stressful times of the year. Expectations are high, time is short, and finances are stretching, so how do you prepare? My family is working on redefining expectations while working together to discover what is truly important to each of us. It still gets a bit stressful. My great aunt has been the hostess for many holidays, but we are working on transferring the responsibility and workload to my mom and I. I've hosted a couple of Thanksgiving feasts, but this year will be at my mom's. We will also invite a few people that don't have a place to go for the holiday. Rather than expect her to take care of everything, the meal will be shared between a number of family members and friends. Mom will take care of the turkey and gravy. I usually get potatoes and rolls. My great aunt is in charge of pie (her specialty!) There are certain traditions we keep, but we also switch things up a bit to try new ideas and keep things fresh.

So how do we take advantage of Thanksgiving, switch it up, and utilize it for our frugal lifestyle?Use my family as an example and share the cost by asking family members to bring a dish or two. The bonus is you also get to share in the leftovers.

November and December see the most sales in the grocery stores because the competition is high to lure our grocery budgets out of our pockets. I tend to save more left over grocery money in September and October to prepare for two months ripe with stock up opportunities, specifically baking supplies and cuts of meat and poultry that lends itself to frugal meals that stretch to multiple meals. No Credit Needed has posted an example of a grocery store price book he uses to track bargains.

Take advantage of Thanksgiving leftovers to really stretch you grocery budget. Start planning the menu now so you know how much to put aside for which meal. Don't feel like you have to finish the whole turkey in three days. Freeze portions for later use.

Keep an eye on the stock market and search for bargains there too. While the fall is a great season for good returns (minus that black monday thing of course), its the move to cut loses before the end of the year tax deadline that is where to find the deals.

Holiday Season Challenge - Catching Up With Friends And Family

Its really easy to get overwhelmed with everyone you want to see during the holiday season. Consider starting early and scheduling get togethers in November. After all, there shouldn't be an expiration date on time out with friends and family. There is no rule that states you must see everyone between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. Try scheduling time together preparing for festivities like baking, writing notes, creating gifts, or participating in holiday events. It's not about checking someone off of your list, but rather enjoying the time you spend together.

Holiday Season Challenge - Keep It Simple

I lost count how many times I found the perfect gift and then, concerned about how inexpensive I did it for, went out and bought an expensive gift that had no meaning. I thought about this while reading The Simple Dollar's post, "Children's Gifts - Don't Spend A Lot On What They Don't Want." In it The Simple Dollar discusses birthday presents for a two year old. When thinking about what the child would want most, things like Hot Wheels cars, drawing paper, and books came up. Ask the child and it was apple juice. Out of the mouth of babes. In my own experience, I think of a couple of key times this was true for adults as well. For my best friend's first child, I knit her a blanket. At the last minute I panicked because I had only spent about $5 on the yarn. I ended up purchasing a silver spoon and sent it with the blanket. Before you think I totally lost my mind, I did purchase it at a going out of business sale for about $30, but when she called to thank me, she kept raving about the blanket and just mentioned the spoon. Moral of the story, the cost of the present isn't important, the thought is.

Holiday Season Challenge - Double Benefit Presents

One of the things I try to do is purchase presents that are double duty. I purchase presents that benefit charitable organizations. If I need to attend a fundraising event, I bid on items that are less popular and will make a good gift. My city has a few stores that benefit local organizations and people from third world countries. (Just for the record, if you consider this way of contributing back to the community, this is not an excuse to buy all of those things that are just going to become clutter.)

Holiday Season Challenge - Focus On What's Important

Before the season gets any closer, take a moment, grab a post it, and write what is most important to you about the holiday season. Put it up somewhere you will see it everyday. Use it refocus when everything starts coming at you and you find it impossible to get everything done.

Holiday Season Challenge - Bulk Grocery Fund

During November and December, sales are popping up everywhere and not just at the malls. This is the time to stock up on groceries you will use throughout the year including baking items, turkey, roasts, dairy, entertainment foods, citrus, etc. Don't miss out on the savings. Start socking away some savings today to be able to take full advantage of those savings in the coming months.

Holiday Season Challenge - Do You Feel Guilty If You Get a Deal?

Whether its for the holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc. I always feel like its not enough if I don't spend enough money. I find these terrific bargains, but if I didn't spend enough I'll add to the present until I feel like its enough. My challenge this year is to find presents that are useful, but also accept that bargains happen and the giftee will not know how much I spent.

btw ~ no, I haven't found one present yet, but I'm on the hunt for bargains.

Holiday Season Challenge - Start Shopping Sales, Clearence, and Overstock

Ideally, you should start shopping for the bargains right after the holidays to take advantage of all the great sales. Unfortunately, most people (me included) put it off. There are two months to go until the December rush is on. Stick to the goal of paying as you go and purchase a couple items with each paycheck.

Holiday Season Challenge - Evaluate Your List

Okay, so you've figured out everyone you need to buy for this holiday season, but did you really need to include your dog groomer and third cousin you only met once? Take a good look at your list. How many people listed on it are there because you feel like you have to? How many people are you going to spend more than you'd like because you feel like you have to? Take the challenge and simplify. You'd be amazed how many people on your list will be happy to just spend time with you catching up.