I have Easter on the brain. I even had a dream last night that it was Easter morning and I have forgotten to make Easter baskets for my kids. I woke up in a panic. I must get this done. The first year I did it, I spent a small fortune and it was totally unnecessary. Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years to save you money on your Easter baskets.
1. Use candy coupons. Thrifty Divas will be posting candy deals so watch for them. Don’t pay full price for Easter candy. Also, if you have leftover Christmas candy, use that. I promise your kids won’t care.
2. Skip the pre-made Easter baskets. The stuff they put in these baskets are usually not worth much and are poor quality. Skip the pre-made and go for making your own.
3. Buy your basket on clearance. So yes, this won’t help you this year, but if you don’t already have a basket from last year, make sure you snatch them up after Easter. Unfortunately you can’t keep candy for a year, but the baskets you can for sure!
4. Check out your dollar sections at places like Target and Wal-Mart. Target is especially great about themed items around the holidays. I looked today and they have a great selection of little odds and ends toys for your child’s basket.
5. Find your local Easter egg hunts. Your community and local churches probably have Easter egg hunts for the kiddos. This is a GREAT way to stock up on some candy and have fun.
6. Use real eggs vs. plastic. Call me traditional, but I just don’t like plastic eggs. Also, there is only one use of plastic eggs, but with real you can make deviled eggs or potato salad for your Easter meal.
7. Check out Goodwill or another second hand store. There is no reason you need to buy new for your Easter basket. I know stuffed animals are popular for them and at the second hand stores you can get them for $.25-$.75!
What tips do you have for a Thrifty tips for Easter baskets?
I love St. Patrick’s Day! Maybe because green is my favorite color or maybe because I am Irish. Who knows, but I do love it! It’s also a holiday that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on. Here are some Thrifty Diva ideas for your St. Patrick’s Day.
1. Corned Beef and Cabbage. This is a MUST for any St. Patrick’s celebration. Plus, I don’t think there is a cheaper (and more tasty) vegetable than cabbage! Here’s my go-to recipe.
2. Green EVERYTHING. Grab your green food coloring and dye anything you can tolerate eating. Milk is awesome to do to surprise the kids with. Try it in their cereal too. Making a cake or cupcakes? Try some green food coloring in their as well! The possibilities are endless and it’s a lot of fun.
3. Go to a parade. Most bigger cities have parades and a lot of smaller cities are catching on. Parades are free and fun for the whole family.
4. Make a leprechaun trap. We live close to a town that is VERY Irish. You’d swear you were in Ireland sometimes. So St. Patrick’s Day is HUGE there. One of the assignments that 1st graders had was to build a leprechaun trap. How fun is that? Need a tutorial? Go HERE.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Thrifty Divas!
As you begin to think about taking down all the decorations, it’s a good time to give yourself an organizational head start for next year. Here are just a few tips to keep in mind as you say good bye to the holidays and hello to 2012.
1. Donations. As you begin to pack up your decorations, it’s inevitable for you to ‘run into’ those things in your attic, your garage or any other storage spot in your house that you haven’t used in a long time. It has been said that if you haven’t used something (aside from seasonal items) in six months, you probably won’t use it again. But, if you want to give yourself an even more conservative timeline, you can ask yourself if you have used your “stored” items in the last year. If not, then get rid of them. And, if they are in decent condition, then you may want to consider making a donation to a non-profit organization with a 501c3 status so that you can get a tax write off for 2011.
2. Make Lists. If you haven’t already taken advantage of Christmas clearance sales, take note of what’s missing, broken or just something you wish you had this year and see if you can get it now while all the decor is discounted. If you’re not in hurry, then the list will help you for next year’s clearance sales. Put the list IN THE BOX with all the Christmas decorations so that all things Christmas stay together.
3. Trash. The trash can is your friend, really. As you go through your “storage,” if there are things that don’t work or that you planned on fixing four years ago and just haven’t gotten around to it, dump it! No need to collect dust and take up space you could use for more valuable items.
I like going into the new year a little more organized and these are just a few easy ways to do it. What do you like to do to get organized for the new year?
As you pick up the deeply discounted wrapping paper and Christmas decorations, don’t forget that you could also score some great deals at your local grocery store! Last year after Christmas, I bought two turkeys (one 13 lbs and the other 16 lbs) for $5 each. They were all-natural, hormone and antibiotic free turkeys, which normally cost much more than conventional turkeys sold at the grocery store.We had one of them a few months after buying it but the second one remained in our freezer for almost a year. Did you know that if you freeze a turkey, it’s good for one year! I didn’t until Thanksgiving rolled around and I did a little bit of research as to how long a turkey stays good when it’s frozen. Sure enough, the 16 lb all natural turkey we purchased last year for $5 became our Thanksgiving turkey! And, it was yummy!
So, this morning, I went to my local grocery store early this morning on a mission to get turkey deals. I was there at 6:30 am. I was one of very few people in the store and even one of the cashiers I know questioned my early arrival. When I mentioned after-Christmas deals, she looked puzzled. Sure enough, in addition to picking up a nice 50% storage container for Christmas decorations, I also ended up buying three 15 lb. all-natural turkeys at $7 each. They have more turkey, including organic turkey, that has yet to be put on sale. However, as their “sell by” date approaches in the next few days, they will all be discounted.
These quality turkeys are a great, inexpensive way to eat throughout the year. So, go check your grocery store’s meat department and freeze that turkey…or, if you’re not tired of it just yet, make a turkey dinner. Since we didn’t eat turkey for our Christmas meal, guess what we will be eating tonight? 
What other grocery store deals did you find after Christmas?
In the same way that Black Friday shopping required some planning, the best after Christmas shopping also requires a bit of strategy.
Holiday Items
What is it that you wish you had either for decorations or preparation in the last few weeks? Last year, I noticed quite a few houses started putting ornaments on the trees in their front yard. I thought they were adorable. However, they were pricey. They, as a result, were on the top of my post-Christmas shopping list. I ended up getting them for 75%. Though, I ended up getting colors that I didn’t like. However, it’s nothing that a small can of $3 silver spray paint couldn’t fix 
Also, items like holiday decorated tins to use for baked goodies for next year. Those are on my list every year! Why pay full price when I can pay a fraction of the price for adorable, easily stored tins that will be just as good next year?
Gifts
I know people who do some of their Christmas shopping AFTER Christmas. So, gifts and even things like ornaments that could be gifts for next year. Also, children’s Christmas clothes for next year. You’ll have to anticipate sizes. But, usually prices are so good that even if your child is too big for the size you purchase, it would make a great gift item next year for someone else.
Compare Prices
Be sure to do a little bit of homework before hitting the mall. Just like Black Friday, you want to make sure you target the best deals.
Plan A Route
Make a route to the stores you want to hit based on a prioritized list. For example, you’d like to get some holiday children’s clothes but you really need decorations or a new holiday table cloth. Be sure to go the store(s) with the decorations first. That way, if you miss out on any deals, it’s not because you went after the children’s clothes first. There’s no guarantee that you get everything you want. But, for me, it helps a little bit to know that I started with a good game plan. I can’t help how many people get there before I do, but I can help my own plan of action.
Do you have any other strategies to survive post-Christmas shopping?
Merry Christmas!
BabyLegs has leg warmers, socks, and tights and they have an AMAZING sale right now. Use code JOLLY75 when you buy $75 and receive 75% off your order. These means an order of $75.00 retail would end up costing you only $18.75 for about 6 pair of leg warmers!
Merry Christmas! In case you need batteries (free ones!), Blockbuster L.L.C. will be giving away free batteries in all stores, while supplies last. They will open from noon – 10 pm on Sunday, 12/25. Blockbuster will offer two free packs of either AA or AAA batteries. Additional battery packs will be available for only $0.99.
A recent Time Magazine article revealed a growing trend, even in this economy, during the holiday season: self-gifting.
“According to a National Retail Federation poll, 6 in 10 holiday shoppers this season will be making ‘self-gift’ purchases—intended to be kept for themselves or their families, not given away.”
That’s more than half of holiday shoppers actually buying gifts for themselves to enjoy! Some say that it’s merely a reflection of our very self-centered, self-absorbed society. When I read this, I think that perhaps it has something to do with the deep discounts that are offered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
But, maybe it has more to do with doing so much more, giving so much more and feeling the need for a little reward? That may also be a reasonable motivation to buy yourself a gift?
And, what is it that self-gifters are buying?
“The usual stuff: TVs—lots of TVs, apparently—along with clothes, home goods, etc. Pretty much anything that wouldn’t wind up under the tree or handed over during a gift exchange would fit the category.”
Economists suggest that the extra buying is a result of shoppers having put off buying for themselves for months, or even for years. However, the very same economists say that this purchasing behavior reveals that most Americans haven’t learned the lessons of the recession we have endured. The spontaneous buying can be interpreted as a lack of discipline and financial responsibility.
What do you think? Will you self-gift? If so, what are you buying? Why are you buying it now?
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