I’m convinced the winter blahs are a combination of freezing cold weather and credit card bills rolling in from Christmas!

If Christmas bills are getting you down, it’s time to come up ways to save for next Christmas! It’s time to try The Budget Diet’s painless penny pinching plan.

According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American family spends $935 on Christmas gifts, so if you can save around $78 a month – you’ll be set! Pick just 1 item from my painless penny pinching plan, and you’ll save at least $78 each month – it’s an easy way to save money for Christmas!

Christmas Club
Open a Christmas Club account at your local bank or credit union. It’s a simple way to save and earn a little interest. Most Christmas Clubs will set-up an automatic deposit from your paycheck in the amount you choose.

Brown Bag It!
The average lunch out costs $8, so if you’ll brown bag it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday – you’ll save $96 a month!

Make Your Own Starbucks!
Does your morning routine include a trip to Starbucks? It’s time to kick the Starbucks habit and start saving about $3 a day or $90 a month! For $90 you can buy a coffee maker, Starbucks coffee beans, flavored coffee syrups and even whipped cream if you so require! After your first month as a coffee brewmaster, start stashing the cash for Christmas!

Credit Card Rewards
Does your credit card offer a rewards program? Cash back? Points? If you can be good about paying off your credit card bill in full each month, you might consider using that credit card for all your purchases, and then use the rewards to purchase gifts!

$5 Jar
This is the old fashioned coin jar adjusted for inflation! At the end of each day, place any $5 bills in the jar. At the end of the year, you should have more than enough money for Christmas, and it will be even more fun than counting coins!

Ditch the Drive-Thru
Try going 1 month without going to a drive-thru for any food or drink, and put all that money in a jar! It’s sadly become the American way, and you might be shocked to discover how much you’re wasting! Is it really necessary to drive-thru for breakfast???

Get Serious About Grocery Savings
You’ll easily cut your grocery bill by $50 a week if you start using The Grocery Game. The Grocery Game shows you what’s on sale, and tells you where to find the coupon to make it even cheaper or FREE! You’ll soon be a coupon queen!

Eat In, Not Out
Growing up, eating out was for special occasions. This year, bring back the home cooked meal! If your family eliminates just 1 dinner out per week, you’ll save over $100 a month!

Buy 1 Gift Each Month
There are no rules that say you have to do all your Christmas shopping in November and December, so start trying to buy 1 gift each month! If you see a bargain, snatch it up, and don’t forget about it come December!

That’s it, just pick one and stick to it! If skipping Starbucks is not your idea of painless, then try the $5 jar. If you’re not sure what to pick, try something new each month! Why don’t you ditch the drive-thru this month and brown bag it next month!

Please leave a comment to share your ways to save for Christmas.

Have you visited The Budget Diet’s freebies page today?

I have a frame on my kitchen counter that comes and goes depending on the season. It started with a Halloween free printable that said, “Eat, Drink and Be Scary.” I put it away after Halloween, and then I pulled it back out for Christmas to frame “Keep Calm and Jingle On”.

When I was cleaning up my Christmas decorations this year, I thought to myself…why not find free holiday printables that I can rotate throughout the year? I’m partial to the Keep Calm printables, so I’ve put together a collection with one for every major holiday – Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Print them out for yourself or give them as a gift, after all…they’re FREE, and they’re festive!

If you’re not familiar with free printables, just click the image that you want, and you’ll be directed to a page with the instructions for printing…you’ll even be able to choose your size (8″ x 10″ or 5″ x 7″).

The malls are packed, the traffic is a nightmare, and it’s too late to order gifts online.

What to do? What to do?

I’ve got a solution for you!

Daily Deal sites are loaded with great gifts, and all you have to do is choose one and print the gift certificate…you’ll be done with your shopping in a matter of minutes!

I turned to Groupon to see if I could come up with some gift ideas for my college age son and my husband…both have absolutely nothing on their wish lists! Problem solved! We recently moved to South Florida, and I was able to find Groupon certificates that will let them enjoy the beautiful blue water! A 2 hour paddle boarding or kayak trip for just $15, and a 4 hour motor boat rental for $99 (regular price: $249!).

Groupon is all about fun things to do in your neighborhood, and today’s Groupon deals in my town include wine glass painting (50% off), Ice Skating (51% off), Bahama’s Ferry (56% off), Spa (56% off), Surf Lessons (58% off). Check out the deals in your neighborhood and finish your Christmas shopping at home!

Merry, Merry!

‘Tis the season to take advantage of bonus gift card offers! Here are a few of my favorites…

Applebees – buy $50 worth of gift cards, get a $10 bonus gift card

Brunswick Bowling – buy $25 worth of gift cards, get a $5 bonus gift card

Bucca diBeppon- buy $50 worth of gift cards, get a $10 bonus gift card

Carrabas – buy $100 gift card, get a $20 bonus gift card

Cheesecake Factory (my favorite!) – buy a $25 gift card, get a free slice of cheesecake…yummy!

You can find the complete list of over 100 Bonus Gift Card Offers at Coupons, Deals and More.

Merry, Merry!

School’s out,

Santa’s coming,

Let the Christmas Break fun begin!
 
 

Christmas is a great time for family traditions, and this year I’ve got a new tradition for you…the Christmas Bucket List!

Instead of letting your children spend hours in front of the TV, let them choose an activity from your Christmas Bucket List each day. I’ve come up with 14 ideas for Christmas Break Family Fun.

Cookie Exchange – My daughter and I have hosted a mother/daughter cookie exchange for the past 10 years! We start testing new cookie recipes in early December before we pick “the cookie” for the exchange. Learn how to host a cookie exchange!

Christmas Lights – Drive around and check out all the Christmas lights in your neighborhood.

Twas the Night Before Christmas – A must read for Christmas Eve!

A Christmas Story – Christmas just wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t watch A Christmas Story at least once!

Reindeer Food – When the children were little, we would make reindeer food and scatter it on the lawn on Christmas Eve! It’s a simple mixture of oatmeal and glitter! The glitter makes it sparkle, so the reindeer can see it!

Cookies for Santa – Every child should make cookies for santa…just make sure to use your favorite recipe! Yummy!

Family Olympics – Our family plays a board game each night of Christmas break, and the winner gets 1 point. At the end of the break, the family member with the most points chooses a restaurant for a family dinner. This is an activity they can look forward to every night.

Sledding – If you live in a part of the country that enjoys a white Christmas, take advantage of it!

Puzzles – Working a puzzle during the Christmas break keeps everyone busy! Maybe Santa should bring a puzzle!

Fudge – Make Homemade Fudge…what a treat!

Fireplace S’Mores – Roast marshmallows in your fireplace and enjoy s’mores!

Family Videos – Watch old family videos, especially Christmas videos.

Christmas Caroling – Go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood or carol at a local nursing home.

Christmas for the Birds – Spread peanut butter on pinecones, dip into birdseed and hang from a tree. Merry Christmas birdies!

What’s on your Christmas break bucket list?

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Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When our children were little, they wanted their two front teeth. Now our teenagers want bright white teeth!

Unfortunately, Mom’s idea of baking soda and peroxide just doesn’t cut it for our Starbuck’s loving boys, and if you’ve ever priced teeth whitening at the dentist…yikes! Thankfully, the folks at Crest have come up with an at-home teeth whitening system that really works because they use the same enamel safe ingredients that dentists use, and lucky me – I get to give it a try! If it works, Santa will be adding these to his list, and we’ll have 3 happy teenagers!

When I was asked to review Crest 3D White Professional Whitestrips, my daughter said, “that’s not fair, you have the whitest teeth in the family!” Much to her surprise, after just 3 days my white teeth were even whiter, and I’ve got 17 days to go…they might be blinding white!

I love how easy they are to use…the directions take less than 30 seconds to read!

1. Apply the strips to your upper and lower teeth…it’s super easy because they have advanced seal no-slip technology, so they conform to your teeth!
2. Use once a day for 30 minutes.
3. You’ll start seeing results in 3 days, and you’ll be ready to show off your white smile in 20 days…that’s it – easy, peasy!

 

I’m not surprised that Crest 3D White Professional Whitestrips are the #1 most awarded whitening brand by beauty editors – they remove over 10 years of set-in stains and whiten 25X better than the leading toothpaste. Save money and save a trip to the dentist for professional whitening because thanks to Crest, professional whitening now comes in a box.

Enter to Win
Leave a comment letting me know why you’d like to try Crest 3D White Professional Whitestrips, and 1 winner will be chosen on December 26th.

Congratulations Lindsay!

Remember, if you’re not whitening, you’re yellowing.

By the way, guess what’s going in my teenagers stockings this year – Crest 3D White Professional Whitestrips!

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I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received product to facilitate my review and by posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

Save Your Money – It’s FREE SHIPPING DAY!

 
If you still have Christmas gifts to buy, your procrastination pays off today!
 
It’s Free Shipping Day 2012, and over 1500 merchants are offering free shipping and promising delivery by Christmas Eve! It’s a Christmas wish come true, but don’t procrastinate any longer!

Just a few of the 1500 merchants include:

Harry & David
Barnes & Noble
Best Buy
Land’s End
Godiva
Red Envelope
Brookstone
Boston Proper
Tom’s
L.L. Bean
Tervis Tumblers

Happy Shopping and Happy Saving!

Snow is falling and friends are calling. The holidays have arrived!

You always put on a great Christmas party, and everyone is looking for your invitation in the mailbox. Unfortunately, your new budget doesn’t allow room for your annual celebration.

Don’t cancel the party. Simply adjust the usual plans to a more thrifty approach. Follow these easy steps to save money on your Christmas party this year.

Bring it Home
Finding a cheap venue to host your Christmas party can prove to be a sad venture. Forget the cheap diner and host the party at your home. The money you save on renting a venue can add up to thousands of dollars. Plus, you’ve already decorated your home for the holidays, so there are no decorations to purchase.

Go Virtual
Ditch the expensive paper invitations and email everyone an invite this year. With all the money you save, you can afford to expand the guest list and get your colleagues out of their cramped cubicles and over to your party this year. You can create fun and interactive invitations with different online services like Evite for free. Most services offer many background and theme choices, and each invitation can be personalized so that you don’t lose that special individual touch.

Make it a Contest
Your usual caterer can be put on hold this year. Rather than telling everyone the party is a potluck, tell them it is a recipe contest. Invite everyone to bring a special side dish, finger food, or dessert with the recipe. Some may decide to opt out and just bring chips and dip, but that’s okay—this party is all about everyone having a great time. Make up cards so everyone can cast their vote for their favorite dish. Make sure to announce the winner before the party ends. You can purchase a prize for the winner with the money you saved.

Show Off Their Talents
Give your guests a chance to show off their talents. Host a talent show instead of hiring a DJ for entertainment. You need to make sure you have a CD player with speakers and at least one microphone. Someone may have one you can borrow, or you can rent one for a low price from a local party store. Karaoke machines make for great entertainment, too. Don’t forget to offer fabulous prizes and incentives.

Make it Easy
Buying sets of matching dishes really adds to the overall costs of your party, and clean-up can take forever. Don’t be left with the mess. Buy plastic utensils, paper plates, and paper napkins at a local dollar store or party store. These throw-away dishes don’t have to look cheap. Many stores now carry inexpensive plastic and paperware that looks very stylish and trendy.

Once you start cutting corners on costs, you will probably find even more ways to save money on your Christmas party this year. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, so spread some cheer and host a party everyone will always remember.

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written by: Kim Wade

Kim Wade is a freelance writer who writes about motherhood, trends, and popular culture.