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Holiday Gift Giving on a Budget

When we’re young, we usually look forward to the holidays with great enthusiasm. As we get older we become less excited about them, but most of us still like to exchange gifts and enjoy the company of friends and family. When you’re on a tight budget, however, the holidays may come with a sense of dread.

Don’t let the fact that you don’t have lots of extra money in your bank account get you down. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to give great gifts. Here are some holiday gift ideas that won’t bust your budget.

* Give baked goods. We all enjoy an edible treat every now and then, so cookies, cakes, brownies and other goodies are always appreciated. Just make sure that the recipient doesn’t have any dietary restrictions that would cause problems before you give the gift of food.

* Make gifts out of photos. A family photo in a nice frame makes a lovely gift for your parents and other family members. You could even decorate the frame yourself if you want to add a personal touch to it. Or how about a collage of favorite family pictures through the years?

* Books make wonderful gifts for those who love reading. New books can be rather expensive, but who says they have to be new? Used book stores sell the same books for a fraction of the price, and they’re often in near-new condition. You could buy several books for the price of one and give them to one or multiple recipients.

* Make handmade gifts. If you love to knit, scarves and warm socks make wonderful gifts for the holidays. If you like to build things, you could make items like planters or toy boxes for those on your list. Even if you don’t have any crafty hobbies, there are projects to be found online that are quite inexpensive, and so simple that anyone can make them.

* Use reward points to buy gifts. You could use frequent flier miles to get a plane ticket for a family member to come visit you. If you have a credit card that offers reward points, you could redeem them for all sorts of different things.

* Give an I.O.U. Make it for a service that you can provide for the recipient. It could be a night of babysitting, a home cooked meal, a home or car repair, or just about anything else you can think of.

Holiday gift giving doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. After all, it’s the thought that counts. And if you put a little thought into it, you can come up with some wonderful gift ideas that do not cost an arm and a leg.

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Using Thrift Store Items for Decorating on a Budget

by Tightwad Times

Redecorating the house is an ongoing process. The look a person wants now may change in a few months and may very well be quite expensive. By researching magazines and the internet before going ahead with a master plan it is possible to save both time and money.

Those who want to make home improvements do not always have to buy new furniture. A person can explore nearby thrift stores that sell second hand items which are almost as good as new.

When people think of thrift stores, the concern of many is that these stores only offer junk that can’t be used anymore. On the contrary, many of these are run by charitable and non-governmental organizations that have agents who look for items to be re-sold to help other people.

These thrift stores usually have items such as furniture, bookcases, phones, cabinets and lamps that will work well in any home. To locate these shops you can look in the phone directory or a shopping guide. Some places allow a person to call ahead and inquire about the availiblilty of a certain item. If it be available, in good condition and meets your need, then it is worth taking home.

One problem with thrift shops is that the items are sold “as is” which means that if a person purchases an item that is defective or broken; it is up to the individual to have it repaired. If only minor repair is needed, then it may still be better than buying a comparable new item. Check carefully before buying.

Some thrift stores are well organized and items are displayed properly; but there are those that are not and a person has to open the boxes to examine the contents.

Most thrift stores no longer sell things that can’t be used or repaired anymore. Some establishments also get merchandise from companies that want to get rid of their existing inventory in anticipation of the new deliveries.

Most customers who want new items probably will not find them in a thrift store. Though there may be products that are not in good condition in these stores, those who are patient enough to search may find a few good deals that will help them improve their home.

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Save a Fortune on Food

by Tightwad Times

Your food budget is the most flexible area of your household budget. Grocery savings will free up a significant amount of money if you need to balance the budget, or fund your savings accounts.

Eliminate eating out! Period! – O.K. if you’re family is screaming mad at you then take them out at least once a month. Make it an occasion. Your family will appreciate a dinner out much more when it’s not such a regular event. Consider it “quality time out”. And, remember to look for coupons good at local restaurants for additional savings.

Minimize the use of convenience foods. – You can make it yourself for a fraction of the cost, try it! Many of us are so accustomed to convenience foods that we forget we can make it ourselves. You’ll find substitute recipes for everything from baking mixes to shake and bake and salad dressing. All it takes is a little extra time. Even if you had to pay yourself for doing the cooking you would come out ahead.

Do your homework! – Know what’s on sale and plan your menu around the weekly sales flyers. Investing a little extra time in planning will help maximize grocery savings and reduce the food budget!

Eat meatless meals at least twice a week. – Beans and rice are a good example. Egg dishes are a nice change in routine for dinner. Try a vegetable stir-fry or casserole.

Don’t use packaged mixes. – Cake, breads, muffins, pastry, pizza dough, pancake, and waffles all come in a variety of pre-packaged mixes. Make your own for not much more effort and a lot less money!

Build your coupon file! – It seems coupons are available everywhere now. Your newspaper is a great starting point. Pay careful attention when looking through magazines. These are easy to miss. I often find coupons in home, ladies, or cooking magazines.
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A Little Goes a Long Way: Smart Secrets to Budgeting

by Tightwad Times

There’s nothing more we want than to be able to efficiently manage our money. After all, the money that we want to manage is money that is oftentimes, hard earned. This is where a budget comes in. A budget executed properly, should help you see where your money is going, get more utility out of every buck, and help you save some extra for future use.

The first smart secret to a budget is to set a goal. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to correctly appropriate your income into bills payments? Do you want to put an amount aside for a big purchase or a huge investment? By having a goal, you will be able to shape your budget to best serve your interests.

Secondly, you would want to take note of where your money usually goes. This includes bills, major but regular purchases (like grocery costs, healthcare costs, and the like), and everyday miscellaneous purchases. Only when you list down where you know your money usually goes will you be able to identify which expenses you can do without. Once you’ve identified these regular expenditures, take into consideration what you can cut back on. How much do you spend on your daily caffeine fix in the morning? How much do you spend on newspaper deliveries to your front door? The measly $2 or $5 of these small purchases cumulatively translates to more than $3600 a year! Instead of buying your expensive latte or reading the newspaper on print, put aside the amount you would usually pay for these small routine purchases in a small container. You will be surprised at how much you’re saving out of your older budget.

Being indebted is a vicious cycle on its own. You’re talking about continuous payments, not to mention huge interest rates. The best way to deal with this is to pay the minimum on all of your debts in order to avoid paying extraneous late fees. Whatever cash excesses you may have, you can opt to add on to the payments you make in your biggest debt. This way, you are concentrated on getting the biggest debts first that cost you the greatest interest rates. Doing this progressively, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll get off your huge debts.

The last and most important step is to jot down the amount you earn the sum you spend. You can make use of computer cash management programs, or make database sheets of your own. Make a system that works for you and will help you keep track of your monthly budgeting progress.

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Plan and Budget for a Successful Party

by Tightwad Times

You want to plan a great party, but you don’t want to break the bank to do it. Don’t worry. The most successful parties are well planned, not the most expensive.

You probably remember a great party you attended at one time or another. Though they are great place to glean ideas, don’t try to duplicate a party you’ve already attended. You want your party to be remembered for the fun and the festivities, not because it was just like someone else’s.

First, set a reasonable budget and stick to it. Ask your friends to help in the planning process. Perhaps your friend who’s a great artist can help you design some affordable and creative invitations. Maybe another friend has an incredible music collection or karaoke system. Borrow and barter with your friends and family members as much as possible to keep your costs down.

Another good tip when you plan a birthday party on a budget is to limit the amount you will have to spend on food. This is easily accomplished with careful planning and thought. Choose to have your party at a time of day when people have already eaten, such as shortly after lunchtime. That way you’ll only have to provide simple snacks. Plan on making most of the food yourself to keep the costs down.

To create a good mix, and keep a birthday party on budget, use your imagination and make substitutions where possible. Choose a theme for your party, but don’t spend your entire budget on decorating. Focus on a couple of key elements and accent with simple items such as balloons and streamers.

The most important part is to have fun. With some fresh ideas and careful planning and organization, you can stay within your budget yet throw a party that all the attendees will enjoy and remember for a long time to come.

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Nine Ways to Organize Your Events on a Shoestring Budget

by Tightwad Times

When you want to have a great event, but you have to do it on a budget, you will want to make sure that you are finding ways to cut your expenses. There are many different things that you will have to pay for and you will want to make sure that you are able to get all that you need with the money that you have set for the party.

The first thing that you will need to do is figure out what your budget is and what you need to do to stay on it. There are many ways that you can stray away from your budget and you will want to make sure that you stay on track and keep your budget in play. Here are a few ideas when creating an event on a shoestring budget.

1. You will first want to find ways to save money. This is most important. However you do not want to go too cheap if you do not have to. You want to stay on the proposed budget and not take shortcuts that you do not have to.

2. The next way to save money is to find all the friends and family members that you can to help you out with your party. You do not want to have to hire people unless you have to. If you can save money by having volunteers help, you should take advantage of it.

3. Shop wisely. You will want to try and bargain shop any time that you can. This will help you save money so that you can get the materials that you will need and not have to spend all of your budget on the things that you need. You will also want to shop as much as you can so that you can find the discounts that will help you with your shoestring budget.

4. Donations are a great way to save money. If you know someone that can help you with your party, you should ask them for a contribution. This will help you raise money that you find necessary to get the things done that you need. You will find that a lot of people like to help out for a good cause.

5. You need to find a location that will be very inexpensive. You want to get a location that will make your party great but also save you money in the long run. You will want to make sure that you are first finding out if the location that you have is going to be the better place for the event. You will want to shop around until you find the price that fits your budget as well as accommodates all your needs.

6. Make the food for your event. You need to have food and appetizers for your event. You will find that you can save a lot of money for your budget when you decide to make the food. Buying or having someone make everything for your event can sometimes be expensive. You will want to make sure that you are allowing enough in your budget to get all the food that you need to make your event a great success.

7. Advertising can take up a big part of your budget. You will want to try and get your event out there for the public to know about. However you will not want to over spend on your budget for this. You want to try and find inexpensive ways to get your event advertised. You can use the local newspapers or make up your own flyers to hand out.

8. There is nothing wrong with trying to make a deal with the things that you need. You will want to try and get the cheaper price for just about anything that you are going to need. This will be a good way for you to save money and get the better deal that will fit your shoestring budget.

9. Ask for support from your community. You will want to try and find the support that you need to make your event happen. You can ask anyone that you know to help out as much as they can. This will give you a break and let you relax a little more when it comes time for the event to happen.

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budget

Holiday Gift Giving on a Budget

Using Thrift Store Items for Decorating on a Budget

Save a Fortune on Food

A Little Goes a Long Way: Smart Secrets to Budgeting

Plan and Budget for a Successful Party

Nine Ways to Organize Your Events on a Shoestring Budget

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budget

Holiday Gift Giving on a Budget

Using Thrift Store Items for Decorating on a Budget

Save a Fortune on Food

A Little Goes a Long Way: Smart Secrets to Budgeting

Plan and Budget for a Successful Party

Nine Ways to Organize Your Events on a Shoestring Budget

Categories

Archives

Blogroll

Follow Tightwad Times on Twitter

Frugal Recipes

Tightwad Living Resources

Subscribe to the Tightwad Times

Common Cents

Recommended

Popular Posts

Free Samples