frugal underground

It’s almost that time of the year again, folks! If there’s ever a good excuse and a reasonable time to go overboard on your budget, it would be during the holiday season. After all, Christmas is all about family dinners, get-togethers, gift-giving, and all other activities that somehow, whether we like it or not, call for us to shell out some amount.

But wait just yet. Holidays or no holidays, it’s always a perfect time to save or cut back on expenses too. So before you go on a spending frenzy and rack up additional credit card debt, take a step back and see where you can buck tradition without skimping on the things that really matter. Here are some tips that might come in handy:

Trimming the tree (or not)

True, having decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas may be one of the highlights of these occasions (especially for the kids) but it doesn’t mean that you’d need to order 7 lbs worth of tinsel for your tree. Remember that the decors will only be there for a few days or few weeks at most, so putting up a lot will be a big waste of time, money and effort. Instead:

• Buy your decorations from dollar or thrift stores.
• Go walking through the park or around the neighborhood for pine cone varieties rather than buying them.
• Use LED lights to save on energy. You may have to spend more upfront for this type than traditional lights but you get to save up to 90% on energy costs.
• Make homemade decors. I usually bake a batch of gingerbread cookies (or any of my kids’ favorite characters in gingerbread dough) and have the little ones decorate them to hang up on the tree.
• After the holidays, look for marked down decorations (some can get as low as 75% off!) for use next year.

‘Tis the season for giving

While being an age-old tradition of Christmas, giving gifts is again, more of a kids’ affair. Now I’m not saying that friends and family wouldn’t appreciate getting a present or two, but as cliché as this may sound, there’s really truth to the saying that it’s the thought that counts. That said, you could save on gifts this Christmas by:

• Narrowing down your gift list. Save for immediate family and really close friends, we rarely give out gifts to anyone else on Christmas. However, I do send out Christmas cards to far-off friends and relatives, and prepare some baked sweets my co-workers can share.
• Sharing a gift with someone else for someone close to you both. For instance, siblings can split the cost of gifts for dad and mom, or for nephews and nieces.
• Exchanging, rather than simply giving gifts. Alternately, you can also broach this idea to your family or group of friends. And I mean the exchange where you take out a name from a hat and just give to that one person. That way, all of you save a ton on gifts yet everyone, and not just the kids, still gets to open a present. (Admit it, we never lose the thrill of such moments!)
• Offering your services or expertise as a holiday present. Mind your best friend’s toddlers for a day, offer to lead in the games and entertainment at the local orphanage holiday party, fix that computer your brother hasn’t gotten to bring to a repair shop yet, or help out your elderly neighbor on his own holiday errands. Whatever skills or talents you have, I’m pretty sure they can be of good use to the people around you.

Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Hanukkah are long-standing religious celebrations we would never think of giving up just because times are hard these days. But if we can take out some of the commercial value attached to them, we’ll find that these holidays can be enjoyed just as much without needing to spend a lot.

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The moms have had their day in the sun last month. With Father’s Day just a few days away, shouldn’t we be racking up our brains to make this day as special as we can for the men in our lives? Whether it’s for our own dear dad or our beloved husbands, let’s spare no effort in making the man of the house king for the day.

Serve him breakfast in bed.

Nothing really fancy; just what you and your kids can (literally and figuratively) cook up. Toast with bacon and egg? Swell. And while you’re at it, you and your kids can also throw in some salty pretzels shaped and arranged to spell D-A-D. Whatever’s on the breakfast menu, our men could sure use some pampering too.

Have a barbecue with lots of beer.

Set-up the grill, take the meat out, and share some of your best dad stories over hearty laughter, good food, and lots of beer. If your man is the type to tend to the grill himself, then a gift of BBQ-related accessories like an apron, or cookbooks would be a nice touch. Or if you feel like you could splurge a little more, a new grill or smoker would be great as gifts too.

Go on a camping or fishing trip.

What more memorable family and father bonding than going on a camping or fishing trip for Father’s Day weekend. Not only will Dad enjoy taking some time off, the kids, especially younger ones who haven’t tried it before, would also love the experience of doing something new and adventurous.

Make Dad smile with a bobblehead doll.

Adding some playful humor to the celebration would definitely make this Father’s Day an event he will always look back to with fondness. Not only that, putting a smile on Dad’s face will certainly make our day too! A bobblehead dolls that portrays him in his light and fun side (as a superhero, golfer, action star – you take your pick) is a unique and cool way of telling our man he is the central “figure” in our lives.

Write him a poem and put it in your homemade card.

Bring out the writer in you and pour out your appreciation for Dad. Perhaps it could just be a simple “Top 10 Things I Love Most About Dad” where the kids could also pitch in a line or two. Sounds too cheesy? Believe me, dads could sure use a little more “cheese” in their lives and Father’s Day is good enough a time as any to do this.

Make him a Dad Coupon Book.

Think up of a collection of various special favors. Create coupons for these that he can use up in the next few days or whenever he feels like availing of it. Some ideas: a special back rub, his favorite dish or dessert that you seldom make because it took too much time, a “Kids’ Turn to Wash the Car” voucher… anything that you can come up with that will make life more convenient and pleasant for him.

Go out on an outing that he loves.

Is he a big baseball fan but you don’t care much for it? Or does he just love horror movies but you simply hate being scared out of your senses? Just for this day, surprise him by getting tickets for both of you to the big game, movie, or theater – whatever it is that he loves but you don’t do as often.

Making a day special isn’t always about how much you have to spend. In these times when money isn’t that easy to come by, all it takes to have a wonderful Father’s Day celebration is a few good ideas and lots of love.

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Photo by Plates&Packs

Edible presents can be a real treat for some people. Good food, desserts or snacks can definitely say that you care. Here are some gifts of food ideas.

1. Home baked bread (recipe included)
2. Chocolate bars with fancy wrapping
3. Home baked cookies
4. Pancake or waffle mix with genuine maple syrup
5. A home-baked cake personally decorated
6. A home-cooked ethnic meal
7. Home-made cinnamon buns (with extra frosting on the side)
8. Home-made ice cream
9. Gourmet popcorn
10. Coffee beans

A nice basket, bow, ribbon, or nice wrapping paper can dress these gifts up nicely. Add a little note card with a special message, and your gift of food is complete. It is also a nice idea to give the recipe if the item is homemade. Plenty of people would love a gift they can enjoy inside and out. (Just make sure you aren’t ruining someone’s diet!)

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Photo by Megan Troyer

Gifts don’t have to cost you a fortune to come from the heart. Here are some nice ideas for gifts that shouldn’t cost you more than ten dollars. They are sweet, and would probably be more meaningful to that person than the money.

1. A child’s artwork in a frame
2. A coffee mug with a special message (you can add a box of herbal tea)
3. A collage of significant pictures (special memories with that person)
4. A decorative basket of fruit and cheese
5. Cloth napkins with napkin rings (great house warming gift)
6. A decorative container of candy (make sure it is their favorite)
7. Create a simple but fun board game to play with them
8. A nice stationery set (choose a design that shows their personality or favorite animal)
9. An elegant box for keepsakes or jewelry
10. A decorated and hand written recipe book (original recipes are always well-received!)

The more thoughtful you are with the gift, the more special it will be. Remember, it is the thought that counts.

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My sister just alerted me to today’s Amazon Gold Box offer: Your choice of either the Pinzon 10-Piece Stainless-Steel Cookware Set or the Pinzon 10-Piece Hard Anodized Cookware Set for $69.99 (free shipping, too).

Conventional wisdom suggests buying cookware a piece at a time, because with sets, you often end up with pieces you don’t really use (but paid for anyway) and sets are often low quality. However, if you actually need pots and pans, I think this case is an exception because both sets are highly-rated and contain the basics without a lot of obscure pieces.

My sister just moved into her own apartment last week and has very little in the way of kitchen stuff, so this is a great option for her (she’s planning on getting them), and if you’re in similar need of cookware, this may be opportunity knocking. Even if you miss the one-day sale, keep an eye on these items; Pinzon is known for producing good quality stuff at low prices, and Amazon frequently has sales on Pinzon products.

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Have a sewing machine or access to one? I’ve just posted a tutorial on Crafty Geek called “How to make a rice bag”. The supplies are just a hand towel (check the dollar store), 5 pounds of rice, and a little bit of thread, so it’s extremely affordable, and it’s a great gift (especially for people who are always cold) because they add comfort to the recipient’s life.

Edit: My Crafty Geek site has gone down (I am consolidating hosting right now), but you can see the Wayback Internet Machine’s copy of the rice bag tutorial in the meantime.

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