Search Results for: blog have a merry cheap christmas

Holiday Themes on the Cheap

Use the word “cheap” during the holiday season and you’re likely to be labeled “Scrooge” or “Grinch.”  However, not everyone can afford to bleed through wads of cash in order to deck halls, make merry and spread holiday cheer. Fortunately, there are ways you can get into the spirit of the season without spending a ton of money.  One way is to stick with a theme.  There are a slew of holiday-friendly themes you can use to spice up your home in time for Christmas.  For example: Hawaiian Holiday:  You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars importing fresh flowers … Continue reading →

Post-Christmas Shopping Tips

I haven’t even finished clearing the sea of ripped holiday wrapping paper from the living room floor and I’m already being flooded with post-Christmas sale reminders. My email inbox is filled with alerts heralding major day after Christmas deals. Macy’s sent me a link to a WOW! Pass, which allows me to take $10 off my purchase of $25 or more. JCPenney is offering the same deal, while Old Navy is selling women’s jeans for just $15 all-day tomorrow. In addition to the after-Christmas discounts, retailers are poised for an onslaught of shoppers looking to redeem gift cards they’ve collected … Continue reading →

Christmas Free-dom

Cheap is good, but free is better. If you are one of the millions of Americans suffering during these tough economic times, Christmas can seem more like a curse than a gift, especially if you don’t have enough money to buy presents for all of your family members and friends. As we enter the last few hours leading up to the big day, don’t allow yourself to be sucked into the abyss of commercialism that overshadows the true meaning of Christmas. Who says holiday presents have to be shiny and expensive? Often, the most treasured gifts are the ones that … Continue reading →

Christmas Debt

It’s that time of year again. Everyone is out and about trying to get their shopping done for the holidays. Some of you may have even braved the Black Friday sales last week. As a single parent money is always tight. Most of us are living paycheck to paycheck. There’s barely enough money to provide the essentials, let alone everything else. There is rarely any money left over at the end of the month as it is. The thought of having to find a way to finance Christmas on top of that can be more than a little daunting for … Continue reading →

Have a Merry Cheap Christmas

Who says “cheap” is a bad thing? Just because you are trying to avoid a holiday debt hangover doesn’t mean you have to look like Ebenezer Scrooge in the process. There are a myriad of ways you can make merry this Christmas season without breaking the bank. Some frugal ideas include: Hooray for Homemade: Use your vast array of talents to make gifts to give this holiday season rather than draining your wallet at the mall. Whether you knit, bake, paint, sew, or you’re a whiz at woodworking, there are plenty of presents you can make that are creative, thoughtful, … Continue reading →

Merry Christmas Breakfast Recipes

Christmas morning is not the time to be serving cold cereal and dry toast for breakfast. The special day deserves an extra special morning meal. However, it shouldn’t require you spending hours in the kitchen while the rest of the family enjoys playtime with their new gifts. So, what do you do? Consider whipping up the following simple, yet festively sweet breakfast recipes: ORANGE AND CRANBERRY CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST Ingredients: 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1 loaf Texas Toast 5 eggs 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 teaspoon vanilla … Continue reading →

Interview with My Fellow Pets Blogger and Mystery Author Courtney Mroch

Recently, Courtney and I decided it would be fun to interview each other. After all, we’re both writers and pet lovers. So read on, and learn something you maybe didn’t know about my awesome blogging partner, Courtney Mroch! Aimee: What kind of things do you write about? (Genre, subject matter, themes, what have you.) Courtney: I’m not prejudiced to any form of writing except maybe poetry (and that’s only ’cause I suck at it) so I pretty much write everything. Essays, short stories, novels, articles… Whatever notion my muse strikes me with, I run with it. As far as genre … Continue reading →

Give the Gifts of Time and Talent

Retailers make it seem as though the holidays wouldn’t be anywhere near merry and bright if you don’t spend, spend, spend from now until Christmas.  But, the truth of the matter is that you don’t have to drain your wallet in order to show family and friends how much you love them.  Instead of presenting your clan with a bunch of overpriced items this year, consider gifting them with your time and talent. If you have a special skill, share it with your loved ones to create a thoughtful present. For example, if you are a whiz in the kitchen, … Continue reading →

Get Into the Holiday Spirit Without Breaking the Bank

Last Friday, a Christmas tree lot opened up across the street from our church. Who buys a Christmas tree a week before Thanksgiving? It was much easier to denounce the premature holiday madness in October when Wal-Mart and Target were selling Christmas wreaths next to the Halloween candy, but now that Thanksgiving is just a few days away, I suppose it’s time to make merry. One of the cheapest ways to get into the holiday spirit is to hit the road and soak in the spectacular Christmas light displays… that you didn’t have to erect. Some of the nation’s most … Continue reading →

The Gift of Time

If your child is like mine, then she likely got more plastic junk… I mean, Christmas presents… than she knows what to do with. My kid hit her meltdown point shortly after lunch, which, if memory serves me right, is a few hours later than last year. At least she made it through breakfast. Christmas morning can lead to sensory overload for many young children… and their tired parents too. But when all is said and done, and the gifts have been opened and the paper gets pitched, I will bet you anything that the present your child appreciates the … Continue reading →