Money-Saving Tips

Stretch your dollar to buy gifts on a budget

by Alissa on December 18, 2011

Recently I teamed up with some fellow Savings.com DealPros to really test our savings know-how on holiday gifts on a budget.

The challenge: Come up with an awesome Secret Santa gift for just $15.

The background: We were randomly assigned names of other DealPros who were participating in the Secret Santa gift exchange. We were anonymously asked several questions about ourselves to give our Secret Santas some ideas about our likes and dislikes. We were also able to add a few items to our wishlist, if we wanted.

The process: Hit the ground running. Check Black Friday (and other) sales to see what I could score for just $15 out of pocket.

Here’s what I found for my recipient, Briana of Bargain Briana:

The book Cake Pops was on her wish list and was under $15, so I put that in my cart.

I then took a look around Amazon to see what I could add to get to that $15 threshold. There wasn’t much wiggle room. The Cake Pops book cost nearly $13, so I only had a couple dollars left to spend.

And that’s when I saw it…

The daily deal for Kindle books that day was The Glorious Pasta of Italy. The regular price of the book is $30 and the Kindle version is regularly $24. I scored it for just $1.99!

I knew she loves her Kindle and reads often. But better yet, she runs a Meatless Monday weekly series that focuses on finding new and inventive ways to leave meat behind for a night. I hope that The Glorious Pasta of Italy gives her some new options to try!

Total value of items: $49.95
Grand total spent: $14.92
Total saved: $35.03 (Woo hoo!)

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Aimee from The Coupon Diva sent me one of the things I’ve had on my wish list FOREVER! My kids and I love to make pancakes together on Saturday mornings. My sister has had this Pancake Pen from Williams Sonoma and I’ve wanted one ever since I saw it in action at her house last Christmas.

Of course, it wasn’t a necessity, so I kept putting off the purchase in favor of other, more pressing needs. (Sound familiar?)

I was thrilled to open the box and see exactly what I’ve been wanting for so long. We’ve already tried it out and it made getting into all those crevices of our pancake molds so, so easy. Thanks, Aimee!

I’d love to hear what great deals you’ve found on your holiday gifts! Please share them in the comments below.

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Holiday Entertaining Guide from the $5 Dinner Mom – only $1.99!

by Alissa on October 31, 2011

Get YOUR Copy of Erin's Holiday Entertaining Guide

With Halloween (almost) behind us, it’s time to start the many preparations for the holidays.

As you know, holiday entertaining can get pretty pricey. Unless you’re Erin Chase, The $5 Dinner Mom, of course. Lucky for us, she’s sharing all her best tips for how to entertain on a budget – and with less stress.

She’s written The $5 Dinner Mom’s Holiday Entertaining Guide, which you can download for just $1.99 when you use an exclusive discount code for us: FUNFINDS at checkout through Thanksgiving. (It’s regularly $3.99, but I know you’ll save a lot more than that in time and money after reading it!)

I’ve been reading through the guide this weekend and it’s truly packed with helpful information and a ton of unique tips, even for those of us who have already been hosting holiday parties. She includes ways to get the kids involved (and excited about it), an oven schedule (yes!) and tips on how to use up all those leftovers in inventive ways.

Not only do I love that she provides tips for feeding your guests for less than $5 a person, but also that she really stresses a no-pressure type of entertaining. In her words: “Start being your not-so-perfect self. Your guests will thank you.”

You can download the book right to your computer (which I did), or it will also be available for Kindle, Nook and iPad.

Added bonuses: You’ll also get free printable holiday planners and 10 recipes for holiday baking treats.

Want a sneak peek at what recipes you’ll be getting?

Here’s her recipe for Cranberry and Celery Stuffing, which looks absolutely delicious!

Cranberry and Celery Stuffing

A burst of sweet-tart and crunch make for a wonderful addition to the
traditional stuffing mix.
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 14 oz. package herb seasoned stuffing mix
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup dried cranberries
3 green onions, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish, or 9×9 inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Bring 2 cups of water and the butter and chopped onion to a boil, then toss in the stuffing mix until moistened. Remove from the heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the celery slices, dried cranberries and green onions.
4. Spread the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
6. Serve Cranberry and Celery Stuffing.

Makes 6 to 8 side dish servings.

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Money-saving tips from around the web (10/20)

by Alissa on October 20, 2011

'Google Main Search' photo (c) 2010, MoneyBlogNewz - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I read so many helpful tips each week that I thought I’d share a few with you here each week. I’d love to hear what you think – please leave your thoughts (or any other money-saving tips you have) in the comments section. It could be featured in an upcoming roundup!

1. Sneaky Ways to Save on Utility Bills by Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

I’m officially running all dishes overnight. I can’t commit to overnight laundry, but dishes? Dishes, I can do! :)

2. My Donation Box by 20Something Saver

I have a donation box in my closet for clothes that are on their way to the donation pile, but I need to get a general donation box set up somewhere else in the house.

3. Make Your Own Friendly Cone Witch by Family Friendly Frugality

This witch is so, so cute. Heather offers step-by-step instructions on how to make one of your own. The project is a little more involved than others, so you may want to try it out yourself before you sit the kids down to make one, too.

4. How to Organize Your Coupons by Thrifty Wifey

If there’s one thing that keeps me from using coupons as often as I should, it’s the time that goes into organizing them. Check out Laura’s quick tips on organizing those little money-savers.

5. Ways to Save on Groceries (when you don’t have time for coupons) by Frugal Freebies and Deals

This one’s right up my alley. While I can coupon when I need to, sometimes I want to find easy ways to save without having to remember the coupons (see above re: organization). :)

Hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

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