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    • WFMW: What do you put in an inexpensive Easter basket besides candy?

    April 1, 2009 by

    This week is a reverse Works for Me Wednesday, when the participants get to ask their readers for help. And I need your help! Tell me: What inexpensive non-food items can you put in an Easter basket?

    I don’t let my boys eat candy, so I don’t want any food in the basket. And the last time I checked the Salvation Army store, they didn’t have a toy section. (I’m afraid to go to Goodwill, they have the worst parking lot ever. But I may brave it, if I have time.) Also, we have enough craft supplies to host a dozen crafting parties without spending a dime.

    So … any suggestions?

    Find more Works for Me Wednesday tips dilemmas at We are THAT Family.

    Filed Under: easter, holidays

    Works for Me: Start shopping for next year’s holidays right now

    December 24, 2008 by

    I’ll let you in on a little secret: I love after-Christmas sales.

    Most stores will put their holiday items on 50% clearance the day after Christmas. If you have your eye on something particular that might run out, this is the time to pick it up. For example, I always try to buy my cards for the next year on the day after Christmas because I have certain criteria that my cards must satisfy, and there’s too good a chance that the few cards that meet those criteria will sell out.

    About a week after Christmas, the clearance price drops to 75% off and about one week after that, it’s 90% off. The actual dates vary according to store, so it’s worth popping in often to see what’s going on. I’m not nearly as particular about wrapping materials as I am about cards, so I always wait until there’s a 90% clearance for paper, ribbon and tissue paper. I try to buy a couple of wrapping paper rolls that have a neutral pattern and white tissue paper – that way, I can use them year-round and no one will know how cheap they were.

    I’ll also look for anything that can be given as a gift throughout the year. For example, I’ve picked up multi-packs of little Playdoh tubs in the past (although this year I got a whole bunch during Halloween clearance sales).

    I will caution against buying the cheapest wrapping paper because it tends to tear extremely easily (yes, that was a lesson learned the hard way). But the reverse side makes for inexpensive and huge sheets of paper to draw and color on.

    Another word of caution: While the prices are tempting, especially at 90% off, try not to go overboard. The very first time I shopped an after-Christmas sale, I bought half a dozen bags of bows because they were about 25 cents per bag. It’s now five years later and I still have two full bags left. The lesson: There will always be another sale next year, so you only need one year’s worth of supplies!

    Filed Under: holidays, shopping deals

    More on buying holiday photo cards

    November 19, 2008 by

    As I mentioned last week, I decided to see if I can get all of my holiday photo cards for as little money as possible. The price I want to beat is 15 cents per card, which is what I paid for a set of 10 and what made me realize that my cards don’t need to match, they just need to be cheap! I’ve come to realize, though, that 15 cents per card is probably going to be unbeatable, and that anything under 30 cents is actually a pretty good price.

    I’ll probably wait a couple more weeks to see if there are any more outstanding deals on photo cards, and if not, I’ll just order a set from Costco. (Thanks to Clean Clutterfree Simple for the reminder that they’re usually the most inexpensive place for these things.)

    Gina at Mommy Making Money has some great tips on saving on holiday cards. After calculating what I’ll end up paying this year to send out holiday cards, I’ve decided to borrow one of Gina’s ideas for next year. As I always do, I’ll pick up boxes of cards on clearance after this Christmas. Next year, I’ll get a stack of inexpensive or free prints of the photo I would have used on a photo card, and simply enclose it with the holiday card.

    I like to enclose a little note each year with an update on our family, but I hate writing the same thing out over and over by hand, so I end up printing out letters on full size holiday paper. But with the photo already in there, I’m afraid it’s going to get too bulky. So what I’ll do next year is print up a brief note on a large shipping label and affix the label on the inside of each card or to the back of each photo. I think I should be able to fit my note onto labels like these.

    In fact, I may even try the label thing out this year . . .

    Filed Under: holidays, money saving tips

    Halloween Safety Tips from the CPSC

    October 30, 2008 by

    The Consumer Product Safety Commission sent out these safety tips for a safe Halloween:

    Costumes

    • When purchasing costumes, masks, beards and wigs, look for flame-resistant fabrics such as nylon or polyester, or look for the label “Flame Resistant.” Flame-resistant fabrics will resist burning and should extinguish quickly. To minimize the risk of contact with candles and other fire sources, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.
    • Purchase or make costumes that are light, bright and clearly visible to motorists.
    • For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights. Bags or sacks also should be light-colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle and sporting goods stores.
    • Children should carry flashlights to see and be seen.
    • Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Oversized high heels are not a good idea.
    • Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over children’s eyes and obstructing vision.
    • If your child wears a mask, make sure it fits securely, provides adequate ventilation, and has eye holes large enough to allow full vision.
    • Swords, knives and similar costume accessories should be made of soft, flexible materials.
    • Supervise pumpkin carvings to avoid lacerations.

    Treats

    • Warn children not to eat any treats until an adult has examined them carefully for evidence of tampering.
    • Carefully examine any toys or novelty items received by trick-or-treaters under three years of age. Do not allow young children to have any items that are small enough to present a choking hazard or that have small parts or components that could separate during use and present a choking hazard.

    Decorations

    • Keep candles and Jack O’ Lanterns away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame.
    • Indoors, keep candles and Jack O’ Lanterns away from curtains, decorations and other combustibles that could catch fire. Do not leave burning candles unattended.
    • Remove obstacles from lawns, steps and porches when expecting trick-or-treaters.
    • Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, such as UL. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Discard damaged sets.
    • Don’t overload extension cords.

    Image credit: Baby lobster costume at Amazon.com.

    Filed Under: holidays, safety

    Happy 4th of July!

    July 4, 2008 by

    One of our favorite books to read with Alex is the one pictured here: Lane Smith’s award-winner, John, Paul, George & Ben.The art is great, the story is great, and it’s somewhat educational. There is a short and irreverent vignette about each Founding Father – John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. John Hancock, for example, is shown writing his name in huge letters on a chalkboard in elementary school.

    So yesterday, Marc was explaining the significance of July 4th to Alex. He gave a rough description of King George and taxes, and explained how Jefferson (“Independent Tom”) wrote the Declaration of Independence. And then, as Marc explained that John was the first of many leading colonists to sign the Declaration, the courage of these men really struck me.

    I probably haven’t reflected on American history much since my U.S. History class in college. But it was truly remarkable what these men did, putting pen quills to paper and just daring the English to kill them and quash their independence. And after they won the revolution, they didn’t stop. They went on to craft the Constitution and our system of government, which, while not perfect, is better than any other system out there. I’m so proud and grateful to be an American.

    God bless America.

    P.S. My sentimentality might be attributed to the novel I’m currently reading for my book club, Matthew Pearl’s The Dante Club.It’s a murder mystery set in the late 1800′s, with famous poets as the main characters and Dante’s Divine Comedy as a primary plot point. I’m about halfway through – the first 100 pages or so were exceedingly slow, but the last 100+ pages have gone quickly and I’m quite curious to find out what happens next.

    Image credit: Amazon.com – John, Paul, George & Ben(affiliate link).

    Filed Under: holidays
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