1. Stick to your budget. The easiest way to break your budget is not to have one. Before you start your holiday shopping, create a list of people you want to give gifts to, decide how much you want to spend on all gifts, then decide how much you want to spend on each person. Then stick to it!

2. Write out your gift list. Refer to your budget and come up with a gift idea for everyone on your list. If you don’t know what to buy, then at least write down a rough idea. Having a gift list will make it easier to hit the right stores and buy a gift your friends and family will remember.

3. Make a plan. One of the best ways to save money is to come up with a plan. Many websites have already started leaking Black Friday promotions, and more will release info in the coming days. If you want a specific gift, then find out where you need to be and get there early. If you don’t want to wait in line for the door buster deals, then at least come up with a plan of which shops you want to visit and the best order in which to visit them.

4. Stick to your list. Cross off items as you go or write a new list as you buy each gift. Be sure to keep a running tab of how much you spent – that way you know exactly how close you are to your budget.

5. Avoid credit. Credit cards can get you in trouble if you aren’t careful. In fact, some studies show that shoppers spend as much as 30% or more when they swipe the plastic instead of using cash or a check. If you must use a credit card for convenience or rewards, then be sure to pay it off in full at the end month.

6. Don’t sign up for store credit cards. Store credit cards usually offer a nice incentive to open an account – often a 10% discount or other perks. But they usually fail to mention the extremely high interest rates and the fact that store credit cards are often treated differently on your credit report than a traditional credit card (they can actually hurt your credit score in some instances).

Black Friday can be a fun day of you make it a challenge to find the best deals and enjoy bargain hunting. But it isn’t enjoyable if it leads to high interest credit card debt or other financial problems down the road. Make a plan and stick to it, and you will have a great time.

The holidays are a time to be with friends and family, sip tasty egg nog, and, for many, rack up eye-popping credit card balances.

If that sounds all-too-familiar, you can relax; I’m here to tell you that you donít have to wait for next February’s paychecks to pay for this year’s holiday gifts.

Although finding the best inexpensive gift ideas is one way to keep your holdiay spending in check, an even better method is to follow a few simple steps to the perfect holiday spending plan:

• Plan
• Pad
• Personalize
• Donít Procrastinate

Plan your holiday shopping. To avoid spending more money than you have, first you need to figure out just how much money you have. If youíve been setting aside money in a savings account for holiday gifts, youíre ahead of the game. If not, itís not too late to scrape together some Christmas cash.

As I write this, weíre about six weeks away from December 25th. So figure out how much you can pull out of your paycheck every week to put towards holiday gifts. If the numberís $75, then you have a gift budget of $450. You can then either take cash out each week and buy gifts over time or use your credit card, knowing youíll be able to pay the bill in full as long as you donít exceed your budget.

Once you know your holiday shopping budget, itís time to figure out everybody you need to buy for and how much youíre willing to spend on them. That brings us to our next ìPî:

Pad your budget. Setting a holiday budget is the only way to ensure you donít overspend on your holiday gifts. Of course, putting limits on what to spend on your loved ones can be a loveless process. One solution? Pad your budget by 20 percent. If your budget is $450, use 80% of that number ($360) to plan your holiday purchases. Inevitably, youíll come across the perfect gift for somebody that costs more than you planned to spend on him or her. But if your budget is padded, you can still buy it without blowing your overall limit.

Personalize your gifts. In a perfect world, you could give everybody something homemade and not have to spend a penny. Unfortunately, itís likely not everybody on your list will appreciate crocheted socks or ìfree hugî coupons. Still, itís often the case that the more personal you can make your gift, the less you have to spend.

Gift cards, for example, are convenient but entirely impersonal. Got an office Secret Santa? A $10 coffee card is OK. But as soon as you start to give gift cards to friends and family, youíre likely spending more than you have to. If you know the recipientís tastes, you can shop sales and bargains. You might find two $20 items of clothing on sale and give them instead of one $50 gift card. The result? A more personal gift for $10 less. And if youíre worried about picking out the wrong size or something the recipient wonít like, remember, thatís what returns are for!

Finally, try not to leave your shopping until the last minute. The sooner you start planning your holiday shopping, the more money you can set aside, the more carefully you can plan and personalize your gifts, and the more likely you are to find great gifts at good prices. If able, shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to take advantage of once-a-year deals.

Hopefully these steps can help you avoid financial stress this holiday season. After all, isnít dealing with mall parking lots and Crazy

Uncle Artie stressful enough?

What about you? What are your favorite ways to avoid going into debt around the holidays?

Are the holidays tough on your budget?  Buying gifts for all your friends and family can really take a bite out of your savings account.  It’s tough because you want to show you care about all of them but all those presents can get pretty expensive.

The good news is that there are gifts you can buy for someone you care about that won’t set you back a lot of money and can really help make their life better.  The key is to focus on the things that many of us are short on, like time and money.  Here are four gifts that can help friends and family save time and/or money next year.

1) Home Repair Gift

Home repairs and remodeling can eat up tons of time and money from any home owner’s budget.  I know plenty of people who have tried to tackle a home project themselves only to have it end up taking a lot longer than they thought.  In the worst cases they end up having to hire someone to come in and fix something they messed up along the way.

A few years ago we discovered a service called Angies List that offers customer reviews of local contractors in cities around the country.  We’ve used it to find good deals on several types of local contractors like electricians, plumbers, & home inspectors.  Not only do they offer gift memberships, they also have Angies List promo codes where you can save on your purchase.

2) Car Maintenance Gift

Getting your oil changed can be a pain, not only do you have to make time to take in your car it’s something else you have to spend money on every few months. Although not pleasant, regular oil changes can help add thousands of miles to the life of a car and end up saving a lot more than they cost.

In order to compete with the big chains, some local garages will give you a discount if you pre-pay for several oil changes at once.  Some will even drive you home after you drop off your car and pick you up when it’s ready so you don’t have to waste time sitting in the waiting room.

If any of your local garages offer pre-pay discounts and drop off service, then buying someone two or three oil changes will save them time and money over the coming year.

3) Personal Finance Gift

Personal finances can be a tricky thing to master, not everyone is as interested in managing their money as you and I.  Of course we know that these skills are key to getting a lot out of life, but how can you share this as a gift?  You don’t want to be pushy about it and make people feel like you’re lecturing them and you don’t want to overwhelm them with facts, acronyms, and formulas either.

I’ve found that a good way to help them become a little more money savvy is to buy them subscriptions to top personal finance publications. Particularly ones that don’t focus just on investing and markets but also include topics on things like careers, real estate, and technology.  This can help get people interested in reading and they pick up some good personal finance tips along the way.

Many of these newspapers and magazines offer gift subscriptions and some even offer a trial period, like this Wall Street journal free trial.

4) Dinner Gift

Dinner time can be a challenge for busy families.  Eating dinner at home is both cheaper and healthier than eating out but finding the time to cook can be tough.

One good alternative are “take and bake” services like Super Suppers or Social Suppers that help you quickly make a week or two worth of healthy dinners for a good price.  Of course it’s not as cheap as buying the ingredients yourself but it does save time and it’s cheaper than eating out.  You can help make it even cheaper by buying them a “take and bake” gift card for one of these services.

Hopefully these gave you some good gift ideas; none of them should be outrageously priced.  The most expensive is probably the oil change idea and the cheapest are the Angies List membership and the personal finance magazine subscription.  All of them should help save your friends and family money, happy shopping!

Tithing

The concept is called “tithing” and it basically means that you should give 10% of your income.

However, what does that really mean? If you own $1 million in land, do you count that? What if you have no cash assets? Is this 10% based on your income or your net worth? Should you still tithe while paying off debt?

I’m going to try to answer these questions, and will do so in the context of the “church” just for consistency’s sake throughout. But this post applies to any religion or even non-religious principles. If you’re not religious at all, tithing or giving to charity is probably still a very important decision in your life and I’m sure there are questions as far as exactly how to approach it.

Keep It Simple

The way I see it, what you decide to donate to your church is a very personal decision. And this is under the assumption that you have a church and that you do donate to it. You certainly have a right to not have a church at all or to have one and not donate.  Of course you need to trust your church with your money before giving as well.

For those that want to donate, here’s what I do currently. I give 10% of my income to my church – that is, 10% of what I make on my weekly paychecks.

What to Donate

But I would also include one other very important point which I think a lot of people overlook. The way I look at it, donating “time” counts towards this 10%. How do I compute this? Well, in a very non-scientific way, I value my time at some sort of hourly rate and include this in my weekly donation to my church.

I actually think that churches understand and value this concept as well. If no one donated their time to a church I doubt it would exist for very long. And I know that the time that I donate to my church is probably valued far higher than my weekly offering.

And obviously any other “donations” that are not necessarily monetary should count too. I also include any clothing and/or food that I donate to this 10% as well.

Do We Need to Micromanage Tithing?

The tone of this article may sound like I get out my sharpened pencil and keep track of an updated record of every dime I donate to my church. No, to the contrary. What I’m trying to do is simply offer up some advice and guidelines to those who have asked themselves the same questions I am asking. But I do feel that donating should be a part of your budget.

In a nutshell, my true answer to the question of how much you should donate is this:  whatever you feel comfortable with, as close to 10% as you can get, if not more. I doubt that you’d want to go broke donating your money to church, but I also imagine that if you can’t afford 10%, then maybe your finances need some work.

Emphasize Your Time

If you don’t think you’re able, or willing, to donate 10% of your income, then try donating as much time as you can. I have never been affiliated with any church that has not needed help with people donating their time and service.

Let us know your thoughts on the subject. How do you go about donating to your church?

While it is painful to watch the sum of purchases add up, sometimes you can find relief in purchases if you know that the money you spent is going farther than the wallets of business owners.  Spending money at a charitable business can really ease the pain of spending because not only are you making purchases you need to make; you are also indirectly giving back.

But what are some businesses that use your money philanthropically?  Here are 13 noteworthy companies that use your money for good.

Target

Chances are there are purchases you can make at Target.  They have everything from food and toys to furniture and clothes to electronics and books.  But did you know that Target donates 5% of its profits to charities, amounting to about $3 million each week?

Toms

We all need shoes.  The ones at Toms are really cute.  What’s even better is that for every pair of shoes that is sold, Toms donates a pair to a child in need.

Durable Ideas

You may not have heard of this company, but the reason they are on the list is because they will not only save you money but are also charitable.  They make Frisbees for dogs that are virtually indestructible and will save you hundreds of dollars on cheap plastic Frisbees over the course of your dogs life.  The Frisbees also double as a water or food bowl.  Even better is that for every 10 discs sold, they will donate 1 disc to an organization that helps dogs.  Be sure to keep an eye out for their next charitable product, a chew toy/treat dispenser combo (20% of the proceeds from each toy  sold will go to charity) .

Starbucks

While I am really against spending a few bucks a day on coffee, I realize that sometimes people just need their Starbucks fix.  Starbucks is very community oriented and also has a line of (STARBUCKS)^RED products.  When you buy a (STARBUCKS)^RED product, Starbucks will make a contribution to the Global Fund that helps people in Africa living with HIV.  So if you are going to splurge at Starbucks, be sure to at least do it philanthropically.

Tide

While laundry tends to be a total hassle, it is something that has to be done.  Why not use Tide to get it done?  For every yellow-capped Tide you purchase and register on their site, they donate $1 to their “Loads of Hope” program, which helps families of disaster have clean clothes.

PetSmart

If you have a pet, you have to go somewhere to buy its food, bed, toys, etc.  By spending your money at PetSmart, you are helping PetSmart contribute to animal welfare agencies, programs that save the lives of homeless pets, and providing disaster relief to pets.

Walmart

As with Target, Walmart is another store you could undoubtedly shop at and find items in your budget.  With their National and State Giving Programs, scholarships, and volunteer programs, you will rest easy knowing that shopping at Walmart is doing good in your community.

Toys”R”Us

If you have kids, you know that kids love toys.  So why not purchase toys from Toys “R” Us?  They are highly philanthropic, donating to charities such as Save The Children, Walk Now for Autism Speaks, and Toys for Tots among others.

Coca Cola

Instead of Pepsi or A&W, buy Coca Cola or Barqs.  After all, Coca Cola donated $82 million dollars to charity in 2008.  I’d be willing to bet that if you purchased a Coca Cola product that year, some of your money went towards their charitable contributions.

Vons/Safeway

Everyone needs groceries.  You can’t argue that fact.  So why not buy from Safeway or Vons?  They donate to cancer research, hunger relief, and education.

AT&T

Whether you need Internet or a cell phone, choose AT&T.  With over $155 million dollars in charitable contributions, it seems like a safe bet that part of your monthly bill will be going to a worthy cause.

Origins

I’m a girl who loves makeup.  But sometimes makeup costs more than I can justify.  Unless of course I find a company that is philanthropic.  Origins gives any woman the excuse to spend money on makeup.  With contributions to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Global Relief, and The Weil Foundation, Origins is the perfect place to spend money on makeup.

Ford

Nowadays it seems like everyone either has a car or is looking for a car.  If you are in the market for a new car, check out Ford.  They have a philanthropic fund that is pretty impressive and will ensure that at least part of the money you spend on a new car is ultimately spent in an even better way.

If you spend money with any of these companies, don’t feel too guilty.  You are buying necessities and some of your money will be going towards a good cause!

Know of any other philanthropic companies not listed here?  Share them in the comment section!

There are so many gift options available for dads and it is hard to sort through them all to find a gift that combines awesomeness with frugality.  Personally, I think gifts given from the heart that will genuinely mean something to your dad are the way to go.

Here are my top 7 picks for the best inexpensive and meaningful Father’s Day gifts.

Picture and Frame

Yes, this one may be a little cheesy, but find a good recent picture of you and your dad, buy a frame, and give it to him for Father’s Day.  While it may seem like pictures might be more of a “mom gift,” I’d be willing to bet your dad will put the picture on his desk at work or at home. (Chances are he already has a few of the two of you together sitting on his desk).

“Dad Date”

Did your dad always take you to a certain ice cream parlor when you were growing up?  Or did he take you to a specific arcade to play skee ball when you were little?  Show your dad you remember the good old days by treating him to a “dad date” where you take him back to a spot you two used to frequent when you were younger.

A Homemade Meal

What is your dad’s favorite food?  Make it for him!  He spent years making money so you would have food in your stomach (in addition to possibly cooking for you), so make him his favorite breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Make a Playlist for his Ipod

My dad and I have very different taste in music.  While he always tries to show an interest in what I listen to (American Top 40), I know he loves Fleetwood Mac and Kenny Loggins.  Chances are your dad doesn’t listen to the same music as you, but I can guarantee you it would blow him away if you took the time to make a playlist on his Ipod of his favorite songs.  He has spent your whole life showing an interest in you and what you like, give him a gift that shows you have been paying attention to him and what he likes.

Make Him a DVD

If your dad is anything like my dad, you are used to seeing him with a video camera in his face.  This means he has hours upon hours of unedited family videos sitting around somewhere.  Find his stash of family videos and edit them together to make a video of some of your favorite childhood memories.  Your dad took those videos for a reason and will love being able to watch them once they are edited into an awesome DVD.  Not sure how to edit the videos?  Find a friend who is familiar with video editing to help you.

Coupon Book

Allison touched on this in her Mother’s Day blog and I touched on it in my Valentine’s Day blog, so I have to reiterate it here.  This gift is so personal and really costs nothing to give.  So take some time and come up with a thoughtful coupon book for your dad.  You could include things like “Good for 1 Car Wash” or “Good for 1 Practice Session at the Golf Course.”  Any dad will love a coupon book filled with coupons he will use and enjoy.

Time

Allison wrote about this idea in her Mother’s Day blog and I absolutely love it.  My dad once told me about the saying, “love is spelled t-i-m-e.”  I think this saying is so amazing and incredibly true.  The best gift you can give anyone is time because it is so valuable and demonstrates how much you love them.

Pair any of these ideas with an awesome card thanking your dad for everything he has done for you and you are all set!

To my phenomenal, selfless dad and all the other dads out there: Happy Father’s Day!

Have any frugal Father’s Day gift ideas not listed above?  Share them in the comments section!

So how do you survive Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank or disappointing your significant other?  Here are four tips to help you save money AND make Valentine’s Day special.

Dine In- Making your significant other dinner is not only a great way to save money, but it’s also a fantastic way to have the quiet, one-on-one time that may be rare due to hectic work schedules.  A delicious, candlelit dinner complete with champagne will not only save you money, but will also be far more special, intimate, and meaningful than dropping a boatload of cash at a fancy restaurant.

Give Meaningful Gifts- Yes, girls love jewelry and guys love gadgets.  But those things are expensive and not nearly as meaningful as a gift that comes from the heart instead of your checkbook.  Giving your partner a gift that will have personal meaning to them, for example a CD of all their favorite songs or a homemade coupon book filled with coupons you know your partner will appreciate (i.e. doing the dishes for a week or bringing them lunch when they are at work) will mean so much more to them than dropping hundreds of dollars on the latest Ipod or a Tiffany’s necklace.

Greeting Cards, Personalized- Yes, Valentine’s Day is the ultimate Hallmark Holiday.  BUT that doesn’t mean you have to actually go out and buy a Hallmark card.  Instead, hand make a card for your significant other.  Not only will you save a few bucks, but your card will be much more personalized and special to them because YOU wrote it especially for him or her.

DIY Flowers- Yes, Valentine’s Day brings in loads of cash for Hallmark but it also puts a ton of money into the pockets of those who sell flowers.  The traditional dozen red roses bouquet is romantic and sweet, but a bouquet of roses can be expensive and won’t last long.  So instead of splurging on the bouquet, hit up your local Trader Joes or gardening store and buy a small pot of miniature red roses.  Not only will this save you money, but they will last a long time and be a constant reminder of your love.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to drain your bank account.  It can still be special without costing you more money than you want to spend.  By giving from the heart, you will not only make your significant other feel special and loved but you will keep your wallet full.

Am I in a position financially to donate?  Can I contribute without making a sizable dent in my monthly budget?  If I can afford to only donate a few dollars, will it even matter?

The answer: absolutely!  It is possible to help the earthquake victims while keeping your budget goals in check.  And any size in donation, no matter how big or how small, will make a positive impact.  Consider the following three ways to contribute:

1. Microdonations - Make a small-limit, large-heart microdonation on your credit card of $5 to $10 to one of several organizations, such as Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF.  Charging a few bucks to your credit card won’t lead to financial ruin.  To see a list of the best relief organizations who take microdonations, Click Here. On Feb 1st, or when your new cellphone billing cycle begins, text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross or text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele Haiti.

2. Buy Something Awesome. The iTunes store is offering The Complete 2-Hour Hope For Haiti Now Concert in Full HD and Surround Sound for only $2.99. 100% of the purchase price will go to Haiti relief. Click here to get it (must have iTunes). Also, DoUntoOthersHaiti is now offering a red Haiti bracelet for only $7, or a stylin t-shirt for $15, to show your support for Haiti. 100% of your purchase goes directly to Haiti relief.

3. No Money? Donate or Click — Here’s How. Instead of making a monetary donation, clear our your closets and pantries.  Check with local church groups in your community to see if they’re planning a drive for clothing, food, or supplies.  If not, volunteer your time and start your own.  Also consider donating gently worn footwear to www.shoes2share.com According to the charity’s website, many businesses and organizations across the country are providing drop-boxes for shoes, as well as much-needed supplies. Also, you can also give free food relief to Haiti just by clicking on the sponsors link at www.thehungersite.com.  Now that’s easy!

Note: The Center for International Disaster Information is urging contributors to donate cash rather than “in kind goods” such as clothing and canned food.  Cash donations will get Haitians the help they need in the most useful and efficient manner.

We’ve all been struggling through the economic recession, but our challenges are nothing in comparison to what Haitians are currently facing. If you cut back on Starbucks a few times for the next month, make dinner at home instead of eating out one night, or cut back on your minutes or text messages for the month,  it will easily make up for your contributions.  It really doesn’t cost that much to score a few karma points.  Those in need will be grateful for any size in contribution you can afford.  Be a part of the global response.

1. Create a master gift list.
To get a sense of how much you will need to spend—in both time and money—write a list of everyone you want to buy gifts for. Make two columns of recipients, Tier 1 being the people critical in your life and community, Tier 2 being the outer spheres of influence. For me, that was the postal person, the housecleaner, people who affected my life but with whom I did not have a close relationship.

2. Calculate how much you want to spend per gift.
I like to keep it under $15. To make it easy, festive and inexpensive, I give baked goods to everyone on the list. And for my Tier 1 group, I include a gift I make for each of them. The fun part of this is that everyone knows they are getting the same signature gift, and they love to wonder what it will be this year.

3. Make your gift personal to you.
I love to make gifts that represent my year, and my community loves to be included in it. One particularly nurturing year, I made lip balm and soap for everyone. The next year, I made my favorite work out mix CD, and put it in a gift basket with running socks. Another year, I bought cute, zip-up pencil cases and filled them with all my favorite things from that year: my favorite lip balm, favorite steno pad and pen, even my favorite brand of dental floss! To me, it was one of the greatest gifts, because it was so personal, and fun to assemble. The point is to make it super fun and super cheap. How great is it to share the things you most favor with the people you most appreciate? Make a memory for the people you love. This year, I will probably share all the ways I saved money: include my spending tips, give a year of Green Sherpa™ to everyone I know, and add an awesome checkbook cover.

4. Do a family gift exchange.
Within any family or group, draw names and get a gift for that one person. It takes the pressure off of buying meaningless gifts for the sake of meeting everyone’s expectations.

5. Choose a theme.
On one side of my family, every year, we each choose a paperback we love, and buy enough to give to everyone. Make it $10 or less.

6. Kids LOVE creativity.
Children love wonder. Get creative with ways you can reach their imagination, and their memory of your gift will last a long time. Get a shoebox and create a magical wonderland inside. Or make it a mystery box. Fill it with treasures…crystals, statuettes, miniature cards, feathers, pieces of nature. Then wrap the box in a decorated paper bag, cut a hole in the side, and cover it with a little felt curtain. When they put their hand inside, there are all kinds of mysteries to pull out and play with, keep sacred and secret, or to share.

7. Make time together.
Make the gift meaningful ways to spend time together. For my husband’s birthday, we went to a film I knew he would love at the local university. It was $7! This year for Christmas we’ll take our daughter to see Mary Poppins, the musical. The ticket is only $20, but for a five-year-old, the experience will be larger than life. For my gift this year, I have asked that my family go on the holiday lights trolley tour around our town. And my sisters and I are looking in the local paper to choose and event we all want to do together. Even as I write this, I get excited about the fun we will have in celebration of each other, and the season, all for the sake of gifting each other with more of ourselves.

8. Fill in your ideas here.
Inexpensive, even free, holiday gift ideas are limitless. Think about the person (or people) you love, consider what makes them and you unique, and come together to celebrate. The greatest thing about giving is the way it feels when you do it, and the way it feels to receive. Consider that money is just a vehicle to giving, that, when it comes to receiving, is no better than your love and imagination. Give this season! Spend less.

Happy Holidays.

When my husband and I decided to accept last year’s holiday season  layoff as an opportunity to start a home-based business, we had to get frugal, and I mean fast!

Cutting our household income in half knowing we were planning to cashflow the new business and not accumulate debt was a frightening reality and it required some very creative, fast money-grabbing techniques.

If you’re afraid your Christmas fund is too thin to make it through the holidays without pulling out the plutonium card, think again and try these tricks to see if you can improve your financial situation in a week.

Get every bill out.  Every single one you have.  (Oh, come on, you’ve got a pile of “filing to be filed” too. I know it).  Call every vendor and ask for a better deal, everything down to the utility company. You’re bound to come up with something good, but here are highlights of where you’re virtually guaranteed to find some savings.

Credit cards.  Call and demand a lower interest rate. This will usually work if you have a good payment history.

Your  cable provider.  Tell them you’re considering dropping service or switching to a competitor. Can you get a better deal? (Check out Bilshrink.com for pricing options). Often your cable or satellite provider will simply re-package your account into a promotional package for six months or a year (mark the expiration date on your calendar).  My current cable package is $60 under the regular price because we “re-bundled” in the spring. No change in programming, just a promotional price, even though we’re existing customers and don’t technically “qualify” for this better deal.

Call your mobile phone provider and ask them to analyze your usage and select a cheaper plan.  Most of the time your contract just requires you to keep service with them—not the same level of contract.  I just slashed my business account (two line plus two data packages) from $246 a month to $160 a month by calling and asking for a better deal.

Plan your menus and grocery shopping in advance and shop only from the list. We have a large family and feed the family for $89 a week now, versus our earlier $150-$200 a week bills. We also throw out a whole lot less food!

Shop your insurance around. We found the dropping the gap insurance on our paid-off cars saved us a small fortune. We also got a better deal on homeowners and flood insurance by shopping around.

Coupon your online purchases for the holidays.  The Web site www.retailmenot.com has a coupon code for virtually everything, and I don’t make an online purchase without checking.  Alex’s Coupons http://www.alexscoupons.com/ is also a fantastic coupon resource.

Go home-made!  Last year my kids and I made “candy cane” bath salts and “peppermint hot chocolate lip balm” for friends and family from recipes we found on the Web. It was fun family time together and a great home-made gift.  Previous years we’ve done collections of home-made candies for our loved ones. This year we’ve got another fun plan in the works, but if I told you… well, you know.

If that wasn’t enough quick cash for you to bail out your holiday plans, put down that plastic until you try these quick money-makers.

Dump out your junk drawer and find your old mobile phones, game consoles, personal organizers and other electronics and try re-selling them at www.gazelle.com or find your broken, damaged or out-of-fashion jewelry and re-sell your gold. Gold is at an all-time high right now and many jewelers will appraise and buy it. You can re-sell children’s items at consignment stores. For years I’ve re-sold books Amazon.com (I’ve done this with great success, especially on college textbooks).

I’m confident that you can salvage a respectable holiday budget with these tips and perhaps learn some frugal lessons along the way.

Here’s to a happy, frugal, and debt-free holiday to you and yours.

Jessica (The Penny-Wi$e Mom from http://www.thepennywisefamily.com)

This week I discovered what a nice person I am. I am nice to the exclusion of financially aware. What did I spend that $7.90 on? I was scratching my head looking through daily expenses, when I remembered my affliction: Nice Person With Disappearing Money Syndrome.

I bought my colleague a coffee and didn’t ask to be repaid. But it’s only $7.90, right? …Until the end of the month when you realize you spent $500 on dining out, and “it’s my treat!” accounted for $200 of that.

If you’re a pleaser like me, you have to watch yourself. This month, my wanting to be generous cost me $125. Meanwhile, my family is in the money crunch along with everyone else in the country right now. So I made a pact with myself to notice when I’m doing something to please, and to snap my generosity back into alignment with A) my budget, and B) how I want to be living my life.

I assembled seven tips for pleasers who want to practice nipping the nice. There are other, more financially solvent ways to be generous besides springing for coffee for everyone in the office. Just ask yourself what it’s costing. Then nip it.

Know when your need to please is dictating something not in your budget.
No one has a line item that says take care of everyone around you.

Ask to be repaid if you go to get coffee or go to lunch with someone. Make it a new habit. It makes a fundamental difference on how you provide for yourself.

Set clear boundaries about what you’re spending money on. Resist temptation to spend outside them.

Give yourself permission to NOT treat.
Go through a whole month of not treating others, and see how it affects your bottom line.
Notice how many times you actually were doing it, or how many times someone was treating you.

For one month take responsibility to pay for yourself.
Take note of how much you have, and how often you are spending on others.

Account for it. It may be fine to be a super-pleaser It may feel great and be worth your spending. But readjust your monthly budget to account for it. Most people don’t factor for their spontaneous generosity.

Take time to be generous.
Springing for the check is often a short cut to generosity. But if it is not aligned with your goal to save money, and you still want to be nice…bake cookies. It’s cheaper, and the time invested is more difficult to part with than the cash, illustrating what your generosity is really worth.

For those of you tracking this in Santa Barbara here are some local services for this weekend. A-American Self Storage has offered moving vans, movers and storage for those in warning and mandatory evacuation areas. Santa Barbara Bank and Trust is giving out Los Arroyos gift certificates and free rooms at the Maramonte Hotel. You can find other up to date information on the fire and local support agencies at www.keyt.com.