I realize there are people out there that find joy in going down to the Hallmark store and picking out an ornament each year. Paying that much for an ornament almost gives me a panic attack. I’m thrifty and crafty so the idea of making my own brings me much delight. Maybe that’s because in…
Are you planning some holiday hosting with a group of family members at your home this holiday? Some people love hosting out-of-town guests, while others somehow get roped into it. Either way, here are some thrifty, stress-reducing ideas for hosting a group of people at your house. Tips For Holiday Hosting Menus & Meals Tip…
Last week I wrote a post about making large handled glasses from the dollar store into personalized drinking glasses with simple painting techniques. On the same visit to the dollar store I found some really adorable star shaped glass bowls. They are cute as is, but I thought with a little glitter paint and some…
On my recent journey to my local dollar store I found some amazing large, heavy duty handled glasses. My husband likes these because you can run water over them and then stick them in the freezer and get the glass all frosty and then pour yourself a nice cold Coke. When I saw these I…
One of my fondest memories of Christmas as a child was the “12 Days of Christmas.” This was a little gift giving project that my dad did for my mother and I each year and always made the days leading up to Christmas even more exciting for me! In this post I want to give…
I really love giving baked goods away at the holidays to all the people on my list that aren’t on my “list” if you know what I mean. I talking those teachers, neighbors, pastors, mail people and anyone else you need a nice gift for that doesn’t cut into your main Christmas budget. I was…
One thing I always look forward to each year is making myself a peppermint mocha frapp, playing my Bing Crosby, White Christmas station on Pandora and having a gift wrapping party. This year I’m feeling super crafty when it comes to wrapping my gifts. The problem is that I just can’t bring my thrifty self…
One thing that always draws me into the holiday season is a peppermint mocha frape type drinks. The problem is, I’m super cheap. So going to “Fivebucks” as my father-in-law calls it, isn’t very thrifty. Therefore when I want to get the same holiday specialty drink, I try and make it myself. From year to…
When it comes to getting into the Holiday Spirit, one great way to do this is to watch your favorite movies. ABC Family generally does this for the month of December. They show a different holiday movie each night. A nightly movie might be a bit much but picking an evening and watching a series…
This is day 2 of my “Getting Into the Holiday Spirit” series. Every year I get so busy around the Holidays that they are here before I know it and I almost miss them. So this year I want to be very intentional about prepping my mind, home, family and spirit for the season! One…
I hadn’t planned on being a mom that did Santa pictures every year because they are super expensive. But my mom and sister kind of talked me into it my son’s first year. So I conceded (grandma paid) and the picture came out great! Now I’m really looking forward to his Santa session this year….
If you’re reading this, I’m sure your a guy. Being that your a guy I’m not going to ramble on or create a cute intro. I’m going to get to the point. The point is, you need help. I’m here to help you understand gift shopping for women. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it…
Are you a big shopper, spender or giver? Do the holidays always thrill you with the chance to get out and splurge a little since it’s Christmas. Does the credit card bill after Christmas bring you down from your giving “high”? Then it’s time for you to try a no debt holiday. Does that seem…
I’ve been married for about 8 years now. Each year I have struggled to develop my own holiday traditions. Now that I have a 2-year-old, it seems that it is getting easier and more exciting. So as this year comes around my head is teeming with ideas not just from my own brain but from…
You may be reading this post because you are searching for the perfect gift for a baby or toddler you know. Or maybe you have no idea what your doing and just need someone to say, “Here, buy this!” I believe this post does both. It can guide you down a good path where you…
If you haven’t discovered how to plan a thrifty Disney vacation in the off-season, you haven’t truly experienced the parks to their fullest. Who doesn’t love Disney right? I mean they have created these perfect pristine environments that makes everyone feel like a kid! The parks are the best in the world and are enjoyable…
On Wednesdays I’ve decided to start a series called “Daily Adventures in Parenthood”. The title is self explanatory but the content will change from week to week. This week I want to talk about my force fed kid. Don’t judge me yet. Just give me a minute to explain what I mean by “force fed”….
I’m a thrifty mom. So you would think that I love Black Friday. You would think that it’s the ONE DAY a year I live for or something. The truth is, it’s not. It’s actually the most stressful day of savings of my life. I literally feel like I have to prepare like a pro-athlete…
November is a month of giving thanks and reflecting on our blessings. As I scroll through my social media home feed, I’m noticing more and more people are posting something each day this month that they are thankful for. People are being intentional about thanks. As I was thinking about thankfulness I began to envision…
I regularly have quirky little parenting conversations with other mothers I know. I thought I might just do a little series on Wednesday’s called “Daily Adventures in Parenthood” to discuss topics related to parenting. This first post is all about daily interactions with children and strangers. Lately I’ve been running into these little situations where people…
My first little bundle of joy was due at the beginning of December. By the time Thanksgiving arrived, I wasn’t supposed be traveling anymore. Carrying a pumpkin around on my torso made me feel even less like cooking and hosting a holiday visit. We had one side of the family that was really intent upon…
I’m the type of Christmas giver who’s looking for the perfect, unique, one of a kind gift for everyone. Finding those kinds of gifts rarely happen at Mega Mart shopping stores. Mega Mart has 30 copies of whatever you want on the shelf. Often when I’m going for unique, I don’t mind making it myself….
For many kids, dressing up as their favorite character on Halloween or for fall festival is a dream come true! They love it and can’t wait for it! For one night they get to pretend to be someone else! About as quickly as it arrived, it’s over. That is the best part! When it’s over,…
If you are a pumpkin puree lover, now is the time to stock up on canned pumpkin. This is the season that it is on sale and I have found many manufacturers coupons for it on target.com/coupons as well as coupons.com. There are apparently many ways to add pumpkin puree to recipes. I’ve compiled several…
I don’t know about you, but I was heavily influenced by my mom and sister. Being that my sister is 10 years older than me, much of her 80’s makeup habits rubbed off on me. When I was in high school I was mortified to leave the house without makeup on. On days I ran…