Tag Archives: newyear

Tips

The Holidays. Breaks and Backslides

Posted on by lantan

Well, another year has come full circle and we find ourselves in the midst of the holidays once again. Every year seems to go by faster than the last, at least that’s how it goes for me anyways. Today was my son’s last day of school…he’s officially on break for Christmas and New Year’s. In his mind, it’s time to cut loose and have fun.

While I’m all about having fun over holiday break, I don’t want to see my son have too much fun and forget half of what he has been learning at school either. Please don’t misunderstand me, I think kids should be able to have a break from school and have fun over their Christmas breaks…after all, isn’t that what it’s all about for them? Plus, they have a lot more to deal with at school these days than we did at their age. All I’m suggesting is that we look for fun, creative ways to help reinforce the things they have learned in school while they are on break. Here are a few ideas:

Read Christmas Stories – Reading is one of the most important, if not the most important, skills that our children will learn how to do. And, if they learn how to read well, at a young age, then their schoolwork will be easier for them later on. Therefore, encourage reading over the break by introducing new Christmas books and reading them together before bed. Make sure to get a few easier ones that they can read, but also get some more advanced books for you to read to your kids. Mixing it up will keep reading fun for the kids over break and they won’t feel like they’re working either. Play Board Games – Believe it or not, board games help…
Tips

How to Save on a New Year’s Eve Dress

Posted on by lantan

Although we often focus on Christmas at the holidays, Christmas isn’t the only holiday during this time of year. For most Americans, there are three holidays they celebrate within a 2 month period: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The reason we are so focused on Christmas is because that is the busiest of the three holidays. It’s also the most expensive, which causes many people to look for ways to cut costs at this time of year and I’m one of them!

By the time we reach the day after Christmas, most of us are a bit relieved, but still feeling the financial strain the holiday placed on us. However, we have to press on in order to make it through New Year’s Eve. After all, what is New Year’s Eve without the customary celebration? It’s boring!

Okay, so you can’t cut a lot of costs of New Year’s Eve by eliminating the party, but you can save money when shopping for the New Year’s Eve dress with the tips below.

Wear an “Old” Dress – Gasp! know, I just suggested you reuse one of your holiday dresses for the New Year’s Eve party. Before you freak out about it, think about it rationally. Choosing a dress you already own for the party will save you a ton of money. And, when you accessorize it differently that you have before, most people won’t even realize that you are wearing the same dress! For example, wearing different jewelry, adding a bolero jacket and/or adding an accent belt at the waist are all simple ways to create a new look with an old dress. Swap with a Friend – Another great way to save money on a New Year’s Eve dress is to exchange dresses with a friend who is close to…
Tips

Saving Money in the New Year

Posted on by lantan

I’m not sure about you, but one of my New Year’s resolutions is to get serious about my family’s finances and get the little “piddly” things paid off. In fact, it is my goal to by the end of the year only have my mortgage and vehicle payments left…everything else needs to get paid off. If I can do this, which I know I can, then my family will have a lot of extra money freed up every month.

One of the ways that I am going to accomplish this is by cutting unnecessary costs and applying the money I save to the monthly payments I’m making for those pesky bills. Once I start doing that, things will get paid off rather quickly as money saved adds up quickly. So, what types of cuts can I make to save money this year? Here’s my plan…and maybe you can even benefit from it!

Change my grocery shopping strategy. The first thing I’m going to modify is my grocery shopping strategy. I’ve gotten a little lazy when I buy groceries and have bought more repackaged/frozen foods than what I should be. Prepackaged/frozen foods add a lot of money to the total grocery bill when you take the time to figure out what the ingredients would cost you separately…especially when you consider that a lot of times those same ingredients can be used to create another dish. Therefore, as of right now, I am going to start buying more fresh foods and preparing my own dinners at home. Yes, that means I will spend a little extra time in the kitchen, but the extra money I will save as a result will be worth it. Start hand-making certain products. I used to make my own laundry soap. In fact, I did this just…