I realize, though, that many people aren’t out there shopping for fun. They are shopping for some very specific items on their shopping list. For those people, I’ve come up with this list of Black Friday shopping strategies:

Divide and conquer. Black Friday definitely isn’t the day to try to do everything yourself. There’s just no way to be at Target for a 5 AM opening, to be at Wal-mart at the same time, and to be at Kohl’s at 6 AM. Instead, call your friends and family the night before. Figure out who is going to be in each store and trade shopping lists. If nothing else, sharing your shopping chores will give you and excuse to get together to share shopping stories (and divvy up the purchases).

Travel in tandem. If you’ve ever been shopping on Black Friday, you know how quickly the lines can get long. Getting to more than one store in a hurry can be hard, though, if you have to spend an hour in the checkout line at Kohl’s. We get around that inconvenience by shopping in pairs. My husband jumps in the checkout line and hangs out there. I venture out into the store to find things and bring them back to him in line. Then, I take his place and let him go find things.

Make a list and take it with you. Shopping from memory on Black Friday never works. You’ll forget something every time. After all, you start shopping before the sun’s up; are you even awake yet? Having a list can help you stay on track as you work your way through the massive crowds and keep you from picking up a bunch of extras, too.

Shop online. You can purchase some Black Friday items through the internet. Now, you’re not going to find those great doorbuster items online. You can, however, take advantage of great discounts. For instance, last year Kohl’s had some steep discounts on their Fisher Price toys. Unfortunately, our local store didn’t have the specific toy I was looking for. I was able to log onto Kohls.com and order the toy at the same discount I would have enjoyed at the store.

Content provided by Not Made Of Money: Black Friday Shopping Strategies

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Does the fact that we’re going to be feeding a large crowd mean that we are throwing our budget out the window? Of course we’re not. What is does mean is that we’re going to have to plan carefully to get the most bang for our buck this Thanksgiving. Here’s what we plan to do:

Get an accurate headcount of guests. You don’t need to buy an over-sized turkey and then have leftovers for days. Know how many people you are going to feed and buy a turkey that will feed those people. You don’t really want to eat turkey for weeks, anyway, do you?

Serve plenty of inexpensive side dishes. You can stretch your entrée (the turkey) farther by offering plenty of “fixings” to go with it. Stuffing is, of course, one staple. We also serve plenty of vegetables (purchased during sales and saved until we needed them). Instant mashed potatoes are easy to make (and inexpensive) for a crowd, too.

Skip heavy desserts. After everyone has gorged themselves on the traditional turkey dinner, who has room left for dessert? If you feel like you HAVE to have a dessert on hand, I would suggest baking some cookies. Guests can help themselves to one or two when they get the munchies throughout the evening. Gingersnaps or peanut butter cookies are some of my favorites for the fall season.

Ask everyone to bring a beverage. No matter how carefully I shop, drinks can really kill a food budget. Wine, beer, and soft drinks can quickly add up. We try to ease the strain of having the right drinks on hand by asking everyone to bring something with them. Some bring a bottle of wine they want to share; others bring their favorite cocktail. We, in turn, supply soft drinks and one type of beer. This method ensures that everyone has plenty to drink and a wide variety of choices.

Content provided by Not Made Of Money: Celebrating Thanksgiving on a Budget

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If the thought of trying to fit higher utility bills into your monthly budget is causing you to freak out a little, try not to panic. Although nothing will completely insulate you from having higher utility bills in the winter, you can follow these three easy tips to try to minimize your increase.

Check for drafts. The biggest threat to your home’s utility heating efficiency has to be the cold air from outdoors. Thoroughly inspect your home, focusing around windows and doors especially, for any gaps or air leaks. Use caulk to plug gaps and install weather stripping around doors to keep your heated air inside the house and the cold air outside the house.

Set your thermostat and leave it alone. Once you’ve chosen the appropriate temperature for your home (we try to stick to sixty-eight degrees), don’t be tempted to bump the thermostat up a degree or two on chilly days. You should also avoid turning the thermostat up when you’re in a hurry to heat the house. Turning up the thermostat won’t make your house heat any faster. (If you have a programmable thermostat, however, you can program the thermostat to drop the temperature in the house when it’s empty or everyone is in bed.)

Use your home’s window dressings to make the most of Mother Nature’s heating system. Open the curtains on southern-facing windows during daylight hours. As soon as the sun sets, though, close the curtains back up to keep the cold night air from chilling the room.

Content provided by Not Made Of Money: Save on Winter Heating with These Three Tips

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We use a few different tricks to make sure that we use up the leftovers in our house. None of these tricks are fool-proof, but together they seem to keep the mound of leftovers at bay.

Date your leftovers. We always write the day’s date on a piece of tape and stick it to the container holding each night’s leftovers. This information allows us to keep track of each leftover’s age and ensure that we eat the container’s contents before they become inedible.

Transform leftovers into something new. No one can complain about eating last night’s leftovers if they don’t realize that they are. Look for recipes that allow you to utilize your leftovers. Grilled chicken breasts from yesterday’s cookout, for instance, can become tasty ingredients in a dish of enchiladas or a warm topping for a lunch salad.

Pack leftovers in lunches. Chances are that you’re always looking for tasty lunch ideas, anyway. Why not pack small portions of last night’s dinner dishes into your or your spouse’s lunch? A helping of warm meatloaf or tasty pasta is much better than another humdrum sandwich or a drive-thru burger.

Have a “Leftover Night.” When all else fails, an easy way to get rid of a random batch of leftovers is to host a leftover night. Allow each member of the family to fill his plate with his choice of leftovers. One family member might select one dish for his meal. Another might select tiny portions of several dishes to create a buffet-style meal. You can create excitement about “Leftover Night” by hyping it up. Ask the kids throughout the day what dish they are looking forward to having on the big night. Before long your family will love “Leftover Night.”

Content provided by Not Made Of Money: Leftovers Management – Don’t Let That Food Waste in the Fridge

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Okay, I really don’t spend that much time finding inexpensive ways to clothe the kids. I just hate to spend a lot of money on things that the kids will only use for a short time. You may worry that finding affordable kids clothing isn’t easy, but the truth is that it really doesn’t take any more time than shopping in a department store.

Hand-me-downs are a mom’s best friend. Don’t be bashful about accepting hand-me-down clothing from friends who have kids who are slightly older than your kids. After all, their kids probably didn’t wear those clothes out; you can get a lot of mileage out of slightly-used clothing. Just don’t forget to return the favor and pass your kids clothing down to someone else when they outgrow them.
Check out consignment stores. If you can’t find the clothing your children need through hand-me-downs, consignment stores are always a great option. Again, these are gently-used clothes that are ready for a happy new home. Most consignment stores are really picky about what they will accept so you can rest assured that they have inspected the clothes really closely before selling them. Be sure to find out if you can bring your used things in for credit in the store.
Shop carefully for new items. There are some things that I do splurge and buy new. That doesn’t mean that I don’t pay attention to the price, though. For instance, if I am buying a new swimsuit for one of the kids, I wait until they are on sale. If I’m really thinking ahead, I purchase one at the end of the summer for next year and really save.
Buy basics and embellish. Have you seen how expensive those cute baby jeans with embroidery on them are? I can’t stomach paying a ton of money for pants that fit a toddler, so I buy basic ones with almost nothing on them. Then, I can add embroidery, ribbon scraps, or even iron-ons to my heart’s content.

Content provided by Not Made Of Money: Painless Way to Save Money on Children’s Clothing

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