Donna Freedman

Lighting the tree on Alaska time.

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SnowyChristmas_EN-AU2022031457It was zero degrees when I left the house at 4:30 p.m. yesterday, but I was determined to get my nephews to the city tree-lighting ceremony downtown. Make sure they wear snowpants and wool socks and hats and that they have both mittens in their pockets, I pleaded with their mom.

That’s because at a long-ago tree-lighting I neglected to put on a hat or, apparently, to pull my coat hood up far enough. Or maybe it was just so cold that year (below zero, can’t remember how far) and my coat was so insufficient that my body had to make an executive decision: The torso is essential; the ears we can live without.

The burning throb of frostbitten earlobes kept me tossing and turning all night. Since then I’ve been more careful (usually) about dressing when I know I’ll be standing around in the cold. I also bought a better coat, essentially a small building made of goose down, for really cold trips like the Talkeetna Bachelors Auction and Wilderness Woman Competition.

I needn’t have worried about the boys, though. The first thing they did at Town Square Park was head straight for a snow pile.

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A pair of Swag Code Extravaganzas, starting Friday.

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card129The Swagbucks rewards program plans extra earning opportunities, starting at 5 a.m. PST on Black Friday. On that day you’ll see seven codes for a total of 50 Swagbucks.

I’ll be posting any that I can catch on the Surviving and Thriving Facebook page. (Hint: I won’t be up at 4 a.m. Alaska Time.)

Since I can’t promise to get them all, I suggest you also check the Swagbucks Facebook page from time to time during the day.

The second code party takes place on Cyber Monday. The start time hasn’t yet been announced, but the reward has: codes worth 60 SBs.

Note to those using the Shop & Earn portion of the Swagbucks site: Watch for double and even triple SBs for some retailers. Specifically, triple points happen from 5 to 9 a.m. PST on Black Friday and from 6 to 9 a.m. PST on Cyber Monday.

And if you’re not yet a member? Join in the next few weeks and you might win a bonus of 500 SBs. Here’s how:

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The loneliest drugstore in the world.

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thAnother Thanksgiving and I’ve fulfilled my stated intention: to eat until I can’t walk. Four guests for dinner (including my niece and her boys) and I still had all I wanted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, coleslaw, peas, rolls – all of it homemade and all of it irresistible.

Dessert was a tough choice between the pumpkin pie that I made and the pumpkin cheesecake my niece made. Since my doctor told me to reduce stress, I decided to have some of each. After all, they both have beta carotene.

The meal started at 1 p.m. My friend Linda B. left for work at 4:15 p.m., and my niece and the kids were gone an hour later. Now I’m sitting in front of a wonderful fire and unlikely to move far from it, especially since the temperature is dropping: It’s 11 and breezy now, predicted to drop to 2 degrees overnight; tomorrow’s high is predicted to be 8 degrees and the low will be minus 8. At least it isn’t Fairbanks.

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What’s new at MTN, plus a few ways to win.

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thI’ve had three articles appear at Money Talks News since my last roundup, two of them seasonal and one that might as well be seasonal since it involves your pocketbook:

“Tips to score a year’s worth of gifts at rock-bottom prices” suggests that you use loss leaders and doorbusters to build an evergreen gift closet. A little poking around and you’ll have presents for just about every occasion: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, baby showers, Mother’s and Father’s days, weddings, you name it. It’s particularly useful when your kids blindside you on Friday evening: “I’m invited to Tyler’s birthday party tomorrow.”

“Worried about the size of your…discount? Relax: It’s just deal envy” also bounces off Gray Thursday/Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Some people feel depressed when they find out they missed a chance to save money – and I don’t blame them, which is why the article contains ideas on how to keep costs down.

“The 3 golden rules of loaning to friends and family” is just what it sounds like: tips on whether/when to say “yes” and some ideas on how to say “no” if you must.

In other news:

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Good to the last drop: Getting full use of condiments.

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Our fridge door is full of jars and bottles, some of which look odd. For example, the contents of a spicy brown mustard bottle may seem pale and grainy, or there might be a jar of brine without any pickles. A small jar of homemade jam looks all but empty; so does a bottle of ranch dressing.

When these and other condiments run low, we turn them into something else. If a mayonnaise jar has shoulders that keep us from getting all of it – even with a spatula – we take that as a personal challenge. That last little bit of catsup that won’t come out, even if the bottle stands on its head all night? It will be ours.

Sure, it’s just a few cents’ worth of food, if that. But we see no reason to waste it. Besides, it encourages culinary creativity.

If you too are frustrated by the inaccessibility of those last drops, try these tactics.

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Slip-slidin’ away.

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thThe smart money would have been on skipping the movie. Instead, I found myself in the car with DF, creeping toward the Century 16 on roads as glazed as a fresh Krispy Kreme. Freezing rain had been falling for about an hour – maddening, really, since the temperature at our house was 22 degrees. Shouldn’t that have been snow?

Blame the “blast of mid-winter moisture (that) blew north from the tropics,” according to The Anchorage Daily News. My friend Linda B. and I were determined to see “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” on Friday morning and that’s what we did.

It helped that DF is the calmest driver I know, and that Linda B. shrugs off all crappy weather with, “Hey, it’s Alaska.”

He dropped me off on his way to work and she and I enjoyed the film (even though I hadn’t seen the first one I was able to follow along). When we left the theater it was snowing sideways, so we crept carefully over to the Table 6 restaurant and had lunch.

Then came the slippery part.

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Shop for the best ink/toner prices — and enter to win a $25 gift card.

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thTime to brace yourself for the annual holiday letters – those recaps of hot promotions at work, straight-A report cards, paid internships at Fortune 500 companies, swank housing or automobile upgrades, fabulous vacations and general lack of any downturn.

Throw in a photo of a staggeringly photogenic nuclear family posing with the family pooch and the recipients feel like jumping off bridges.

Their own jobs aren’t going nearly so well, their kids are struggling with algebra and their dogs are butt-ugly (though loyal).

The good news: Paper letters are going the way of the dodo.

The bad news: Now that they’re done electronically the sender can attach video of Junior’s trumpet recital.

How’d you like a $25 gift card to take your mind off the issue?

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When is a toy not a toy?

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9 frugal mood enhancers.Last week DF and I had the chance to watch his granddaughter for a couple of hours. The baby, whom I’ll call “Rose,” recently had  her first birthday.

Her dad brought along a couple of stuffed animals but no other playthings. That was fine, since I’d prepared for her visit by pulling together a few things.

Technically, none of them were “toys.” Here’s what awaited her:

  • A clear plastic jug that once held eight pounds of popcorn
  • A small dough scraper
  • Some metal measuring spoons
  • Two canning-jar rings
  • A large kitchen spatula

For the first 15 minutes or so Rose sat on the couch like a very small queen with a very large diaper butt. She stared all around her, checking out the scene and fingering the textures of the afghans beneath and behind her.

When I gave her the plastic jug with the kitchen items, the fun really began.

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The winner weighs in, and other news.

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thToday I got a pleasant e-mail from a reader named Britt, who was chosen to win last month’s Swagbucks-sponsored contest. Here’s her communiqué:

“Hi, I wanted to say that I was the winner of the $50 gift card from this drawing, and I wanted to say, THANK YOU so much. I really enjoy your blog, and your past posts on MSN Money and have learned so much. I’m also really grateful that I learned about Swagbucks through your blog.

“Honestly, winning that $50 gift card came at the perfect time, and you have no idea how much it cheered me up. I am one of those people who NEVER win anything. The day before, I was having such a horrible workday, just one of those nasty days where everything seems to go wrong, and stress was incredibly high. The next morning (which happened to be 11/12/13, a “lucky” day, LOL), Swagbucks contacted me via and told me the good news.

“So again, thank you for your part in spreading some good cheer. It’s very much appreciated!

“Also, just want to say to any other readers out there- if you haven’t yet joined Swagbucks, it is so worth it. Not just for the possibility of winning drawings or prizes, either. There are just SO many ways on Swagbucks to earn points and save money. Have a great day!”

I love it when things happen at just the right time.

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A survival kit for Black Friday 2013.

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thSome people are wondering whether Black Friday is dead. I wouldn’t order funereal flowers just yet.

Sure, some retailers have been testing the waters with early-November sales and are planning to jump the gun with “Gray Thursday” doorbusters. In addition, shoppers are getting savvier; knowing that not every “sale” price is in fact the best price, we’re less likely to blow the entire holiday budget immediately after Thanksgiving.

Yet some of those Gray Thursday/Black Friday/Cyber Monday loss leaders really are pretty splendid. For example, you’re not likely to find decent-quality bath towels for $2 at any other time of the year.

That’s why we have deal-finding apps: They help us sort the wheat from the chaff. This week’s giveaway is sponsored by FatWallet.com, a site that combines online coupons, cash-back shopping, and a community of fierce deal hounds who delight in posting the best possible combinations of low prices, cash-back and rebates.

The FatWallet Black Friday app lets you search by category (towels, Barbies, camouflage) or by retailer. You can filter by price, search all doorbusters, inquire about rebates, collect e-coupons (no clipping), look for free shipping and even purchase the items immediately from your phone.

(Those of us who don’t own smartphones can access the app on our treadle-powered laptops. Woo hoo!)

What’s this got to do with surviving Black Friday? Good question.

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