Family: The Cheapest Christmas Ever!

The Cheapest Christmas Ever!

Written by Ann Scaling Tucker

Have you ever said "I wish we didn't have to spend so much money on Christmas?" or "I wish we could have Christmas without going into debt!" Well here is your answer - tell your family that next Christmas no one is allowed to buy a new, expensive gift for anyone! Yes, I really said that. Tell them that all presents must be from garage sales, tag sales, yard sales, auctions, handmade or made over.

You really need to start now, or start next spring/summer, hit all repparttar garages sales and auctions that you can. Find items that your family collects, things from sports teams that they like, such as T-shirts with silly sayings, posters, glasses, etc. Pick up craft items that will look cute around someone's home. You can find games for repparttar 149376 kids by repparttar 149377 carload and puzzles abound for that person who lives to do puzzles. You won't believe how many golf clubs you can find, bicycles, tricycles, baby toys and clothes. You can find records, cassettes and videos (old classics make great gifts). Did you know that a 45 record of Elvis in repparttar 149378 cardboard cover was found for a quarter recently and a collector offered repparttar 149379 person $150.00 for it. Think how many gifts you can collect over repparttar 149380 summer for a quarter to a dollar. The person who collects cats or bears can double their collection just from items you find. You will be amazed at repparttar 149381 silly things you can find at garage sales for that special brother, sister or best friend.

Look at items as they will look cleaned up or painted. Pieces of furniture like cabinets, bookcases, dressers can look terrific if sanded and restained or painted repparttar 149382 color of someone's room theme. You can make them match by adding wood cutouts, decals, or ornaments. Cute 2 and 3 drawer end tables for playrooms, a home office or kids room can be painted with each drawer a different color or painting stripes. Knobs can be painted or replaced. Old trunks, foot lockers, old part metal suitcases can be made into neat storage or toy boxes. Be sure to fix lids so they won't fall on children when they are open. Decoupage repparttar 149383 inside lids and bottoms with wallpaper, newspaper or wrapping paper.

Take Control and Master Your Kitchen

Written by Gregory Thomas

Those who keep a watchful eye on where their money is spent, have long conquered repparttar

kitchen woes. No last minute panic trips to repparttar 149375

market. No longer needing repparttar 149376

"give-the-kids-$20-for-fast-food" solution. This is no longer a problem or even a concern for repparttar 149377

"Kitchen Master".

You too can be a 'Master Of Your Kitchen'. All it takes is a little time and planning!

Now you might be saying "I don't have time to plan meals, let alone control my kitchen!" That's fine. Wait until you do have some time.

All you need is just a couple of hours some Saturday or Sunday where you can really "dive" into your kitchen.

Where To Start

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Start from scratch. Clean out ALL those cupboards, shelves, racks, pantries, etc.... At some point, you'll want to do repparttar 149378 same to your refrigerator and freezer. You must! This is VALUABLE storage space that will save you hundreds off your grocery bills if they are properly put to use.

Kitchens were designed to act as 'mini-supermarkets'. Everything you need to prepare meals your family can enjoy morning, noon, and night. Once it is setup, you can accommodate quite a number of meals, without having to go to repparttar 149379 market every other day!

Once The Cleaning Is Done

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Now that everything is cleaned and your current supplies organized, you'll need to inventory what you have. What this means is to list out what you have, and what you need to get.

Ideally, you should have at least 2-4 weeks of meals available at your disposal. Why? This will reduce repparttar 149380 number of trips to repparttar 149381 market and help minimize overspending and impulse buying.

What helps is if you list foods and meals you know your family likes (and would) eat. These are repparttar 149382 items you need to stock your kitchen pantry and frig with.

With this approach, you use your cupboards, pantries, and shelves to your advantage. Whenever you come across great bargains on items you use, buy more than usual, and store repparttar 149383 rest. Cans of tuna for 40 cents each, buy a lot. Boxes of macaroni and cheese for 50 cents each, buy a lot.

Sugar, cheese, spaghetti, rice, pasta, bread, meat, cereal, fruit, chicken, sauces, canned foods, vegetables, boxed foods. These are just a few examples of items than can be stored in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer (depending on what it is) for a reasonable amount of time.

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