Donna Freedman I knew it had been a while since my last post, and was feeling guilty about that. The guilt changed to shock when I realized it’s been two weeks since I wrote a word.
Since I wrote a word here, that is. Recently I took on some contract work that, combined with a happy glut of freelance assignments (and holiday preparations), has left me busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.
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Back in 2015 I received a press release about “fun and affordable” stocking stuffers. Specifically, about stocking stuffers “under $50.”
Wait. What?
I was pretty surprised to see suggestions like $50 iTunes cards and $30 bottles of perfume. So I wound up writing a piece called “12 ways to spend less on stocking stuffers,” which noted a dozen ways to spend little (or nothing) on fun gifts for the holiday sock.
This year I’ve come up with an even easier way to spend less on stocking stuffers: by giving readers a chance to win some.
I’ve come into possession of/already owned a handful of things that would make great stocking stuffers. Since I love doing giveaways – and since readers love getting something for free – I created the “Small Flat-Rate Box of Stocking Stuffers” giveaway.
The giveaway includes a $5 Starbucks gift card, which is enough to get some people to enter even if they don’t care much about the other items in the box. There’s just something universal about Starbucks cards, even if you – like me – don’t even drink coffee.
However, some of these other items in the collection should appeal to relatives, friends, co-workers or even the local family shelter.
(Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Throwback Thursday! In honor of all the food that will be prepared — and perhaps wasted — over the next few days, I’m republishing this piece from May 12, 2012. It’s my hope that a little judicious leftover prep and/or freezing will cut down on waste.)
I didn’t get to the supermarket for a few days after my arrival in Anchorage. Until then, I used the milk and oatmeal my hostess already had. When I mentioned that I’d be replacing what I used, she looked surprised.
“Uh, that’s really old milk. I meant to warn you off it,” she said.
It had tasted fine to me. That is to say, it tasted about as good as nonfat milk ever tastes – like the water they used to wash a cow. All that mattered to me is that it loosened up the oats in the bowl.
I nearly changed my tune when I checked the “sell by” date: April 5. It was then May 6. I was drinking milk a month past its prime.
Tomorrow we’re attending a Thanksgiving celebration hosted by DF’s son and daughter-in-law, and we’re not going empty-handed. He’ll be doing a turkey in the oven plus prime rib on the Weber, and I’m bringing three pies.
Not just any pies, mind you. These are Alaska pies, made with fillings grown less than three miles from where they’ll be consumed.
Specifically, they were grown in our own dirt. The apple pie filling was made mostly by DF over many days in August and September. He sliced the Norland apples and mixed them with sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of ginger and nutmeg, then froze the result in pie-sized portions.
Lots of pie-sized portions: We have enough filling for more than two dozen desserts. Although the trees are less than five years old, the weirdly warm summer had them producing like gangbusters.
The second pie will be raspberry and rhubarb, with a hint of cinnamon. The berries went nuts this year, too, producing nearly three dozen quarts for the freezer, a bunch eaten fresh, and still more picked by family members. (Especially DF’s granddaughters, who love eating a path through the patch.)
And the last pie will be the best pie: pumpkin. It’s one of my favorite flavors anyway, and this one is special because it was the first year we tried to grow pumpkins. Although it was a jack o’ lantern cultivar rather than a pie pumpkin, that didn’t seem to matter much. Frankly, I had my doubts when I made a test pie a couple of weeks ago, since the pulp was a bright yellow. (See the illustration above.) But apparently it’s the cinnamon, ginger and cloves that are mostly responsible for the orange/brown hue of pumpkin pie filling.
Having a gift closet is a great frugal hack, as it saves you money all year long. A stash of “evergreen” presents means you’re ready for any occasion.
(Especially those that sound like this: “Hey, I forgot to tell you, I’m invited to Jack’s birthday party on Saturday.”)
If you pick your spots, the first few shopping days of the holiday season are a great way to put some oomph into your gift closet. They’re also a good chance to hit some specific gift milestones, and maybe even to get something your own household needs (or wants).
Gifts for people who are pregnant, getting married, and or heading off to/graduating from college abound in sales flyers for Black Friday et al. Maybe it’s time to check a few gifts off your own upcoming events?
You’ll see towels, sheets, blankets and the like starting at just a few bucks. Last year, I spent just $5.99 for a luxuriously warm blanket in a rich mulberry color. It’s on our bed, and between it and the comforter we’ve been a little too warm lately.
Then again, poking an arm or leg out of a cozy bed is one of the great joys of a winter night. In “Dandelion Wine,” Ray Bradbury described it thusly:
“…sticking your feet out of the hot covers in wintertime to let the cold wind from the open window blow on them suddenly and you let them stay out a long time until you pull them back in under the covers again to feel them, like packed snow.”
Someone who’s setting up a first apartment might really appreciate something like that, especially if you could afford to pair it with a set of sheets. Maybe a half-dozen bath towels and washcloths would be a big help for that new apartment-dweller.
Small appliances like coffeemakers, electric fry pans and slow cookers are typical loss leaders. The Kohl’s flyer I got in the mail offers these for $2.14 after coupon and rebate.
Why didn’t they save that price for Valentine’s Day, I wonder? Maybe it’s because none of these are romantic enough. But they’d be a big help for someone setting up housekeeping – and that includes getting married.
Sometim
es I go to the movies to be intrigued, uplifted and educated. And sometimes I go just to watch a whole lot of stuff get blowed up real good.
You can guess into which category “Terminator: Dark Fate” falls.
This entry in the “Terminator” franchise picks up right after “Terminator: Judgment Day,” and posits that Sarah Connor (a deliciously well-aged Linda Hamilton) and her son were able to prevent Skynet from taking over the world.
However, things still go very badly indeed for a young Mexican auto factory worker named Dani Ramos (Natalie Reyes), who’s targeted for seemingly no reason by a sinister new brand of Terminator called a Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna).
But there’s always a reason, right? And there’s always a protector. In this film it’s Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a seriously buff and butt-kicking warrior from the future. Eventually Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up again, too, and he’s given a couple of funny bits along with the flash-bang stuff. (His deadpan descriptions of why he’s a perfect mate and the difference that the right blinds can make to décor are extremely amusing.)
“Terminator: Dark Fate” isn’t perfect. In particular, I wish that director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) had trimmed some of the fight scenes. We get it: The Rev-9 can be sliced and diced and shredded but he always comes back for more. Stahp with the CGI, already!
Still, I was absolutely entertained – and it’s nice to have a film in which three of the four badasses are women.
Now let’s talk about money.
Surviving and Thriving has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Surviving and Thriving and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses and recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
(This is the first in an occasional series of articles focusing on saving serious dough. A little background can be read here.)
Black Friday? How about Black November?
Not long ago, Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – was considered the kick-off for the holiday shopping season. The timetable has been moved up, though.
This year, some retailers offered “Black Friday in April” or “Black Friday in July” deals, and recently the National Retail Federation reported a phenomenon called “Black November” – big deals offered on Nov. 1, with more to come before Nov. 29.
Some of the busiest shopping days of the year, however, are the days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. In 2018, an estimated 165 consumers spent an average of just over $313 during that five-day period.
“People plan their attack, and where they’re going to go. It’s a sport,” says shopping expert Trae Bodge, a senior editor at Retail Me Not.
(Note: This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a teeny-tiny finder’s fee for anyone who signs up for the drawings; this revenue helps keep the blog lights on. If that bugs you, feel free to enter the giveaway daily at this non-affiliate link.)
Planning your holiday shopping? Savings.com can help. The coupon/deal site’s “12 days of giveaways” promotion will award one $250 gift card every weekday from now through Friday, Nov. 22.
Which merchants are participating? So glad you asked.
The giveaway started with HP, the company that manufactures laptops, desktops, printers, monitors and accessories to keep us connected. The only printers I’ve ever owned have been from HP, and I’ve had great service from them.
My next printer will also be from HP – but unfortunately I’m not allowed to enter this drawing because I’m a Savings.com DealPro. You, however, can enter – and I hope a member of this community wins.
Here’s the list of future giveaway partners – again, one each weekday until Nov. 22:
During the last recession, people went to surprising lengths to make ends meet. Hypermiling. Navy showers. Dumpster-diving for food (aka “freeganism”).
Some practiced extreme frugality to keep from sinking further into the red; others did it to survive. (Some still do.)
Hailed at the time as examples of savvy consumerism, these sorts of activities don’t get a whole lot of press today. Some would say that’s a good thing, i.e., fewer people are living on the edge.
I’m not so sure.
While I’m glad the recession is technically* over, I remain sad that we seem to have learned nothing from the tough times of previous decades. There’s more things than ever to buy, especially as regards electronics – and quite a few us want these things at all costs.
In fact, a new survey from CreditCards.com suggest that 61 percent of people with credit card balances are willing to add more debt for the holidays.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m really glad I no longer have to wash all my clothes by hand, or live on the most basic of foodstuffs. But I think we could all do with a little bit more strategic frugality.
Some people think “frugal” means “impoverished,” and certainly it’s true that some people live frugally because they have no choice. It’s a way of life that can be terrifying. (Anyone else here ever raided the baby’s piggy bank** for bus fare to get to work on payday?)
In those days, and again during my lengthy divorce and return to college, I was frugal because I had to be. But even when times got better, I was still frugal – because I happen to think it’s a great way to live. To me, it means a life in which every decision is intentional. Every step I take (or don’t take) means something.
Do you know whether or not you’ll be able to retire comfortably, or at all? According to the Federal Reserve Bank, 25 percent of U.S. workers have neither pension nor retirement savings.
Now that’s scary. And just in time for Halloween!
Instead of the defined benefit retirement plans that many of our parents received, most U.S. residents rely on things like 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), which can be fee-heavy and which require you to invest your own money. Some employers offer a match, but mostly it’s on you.
Social Security is available for most of us, but it likely won’t be enough to live on. (And in fact it may not be fully funded by the time you retire; see Liz Weston’s recent article on this topic.)
Oh, and there’s always personal savings. Right? Or wrong. Some people don’t have a dime in liquid savings. Worse, some of them don’t have any kind of retirement plan other than Social Security.
Stacy Johnson, founder of Money Talks News, is concerned about two big issues surrounding retirement in this country: skyrocketing expenses and a shrinking safety net. That’s why he created a “retirement boot camp” for people aged 40 and older: a 14-week video course designed to teach you how to judge what you’ve already got and accomplish what you’ll need to have a secure, comfortable retirement.
Stacy is a certified public accountant and has also earned licenses in mutual funds, life insurance, stocks, commodities, options principal, securities supervisor and real estate. He has generously donated a copy of “The Only Retirement Guide You’ll Ever Need” for me to give away on my site. Who’s in it to win it?