Texture

The textures of fall are earthy and rustic. Especially play these up if your gathering is informal -- a corn roast, a bonfire, a jeans and sweater evening. Use burlap or rough cotton to cover your buffet table, and dish towels as napkins. Weigh down your tablecloth with apples or pears hung on rough twine. Or use rattan placemats and wicker baskets. Terracotta pot saucers make great paper plate holders.

If you're hosting a fancy sit-down outdoor dinner, use subtler textures of hydrangea blossoms and colored leaves on a linen tablecloth. Try bringing your indoor dining table outdoors for evening-it will add unexpected elegance to your setting. Paint gold lettering on small gourds to use as place cards. Grace your table with late-blooming roses in crystal vases.

Whether you hold a harvest hoedown or a stylish sit-down dinner party for eight, fall for outside entertaining this autumn!

-Success is in planning. Impulse purchasing whether it is at grocery store or Mall can kill any attempts to build up savings. When you take time to create, carry out and reap rewards of a plan, you are more motivated to continue doing it and get better results as time goes by.

-Use online resources to scout out deals before you shop. If you wait to get in store to look at deals, you open yourself up to veering off your shopping plan.

-Use online sources to achieve additional coupon savings. Some grocery stores link their shopper card with a paperless coupon system where you select items you might purchase online. Then that information is uploaded to your shopper card and when you purchase these items and your shopper card is swipped, you received additional savings. Web Bucks are also available online through www.valupage.com. These are coupons that print out to be used on your next shopping trip.

-When price is right, stock up. Many times grocery items go on sale or are Buy One Get One Free and this is time to combine your coupon with store savings for maximum savings. Many times an item can end up being FREE!

Keeping household stocked with food and supplies is an ongoing challenge that has to be done. Staying on a budget is a continual process that requires sharp spending skills. After all, spending is a skill, not a pastime.