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How to Save Money Hosting Thanksgiving

11.17.2019 by admin // Leave a Comment

Hosting Thanksgiving: Table with apple pie, gold pumpkin Thanksgiving decoration and a few other Thanksgiving desserts

The cost of hosting Thanksgiving adds up quickly. According to a survey by Lending Tree it costs on average $334 to host Thanksgiving, or about $31 / person and takes 11 hours of time to prep. If this is your first time hosting Thanksgiving you may also need to buy additional kitchen tools and serving trays. The food, kitchen tools, and decoration costs all add up. Additionally, preparing the menu, shopping and cleaning take up a lot of time. Planning ahead will reduce the cost of hosting Thanksgiving and reduce the planning time. Here are ideas to save money and time hosting Thanksgiving in 2019.

Save Money on Thanksgiving Food

The easiest way to save money on Thanksgiving food is to not prep the entire meal yourself. Create a menu and when people ask what they should bring let them know which dishes are an option. If you already have enough food, ask someone to bring drinks, paper towels or paper plates.

Create a Thanksgiving Menu – And Stick To It

Not sure what to make? Here are ideas for what to make for Thanksgiving dinner. And, if you usually don’t make big meals, don’t forget to check out meal planning tips and tricks.

By creating a menu for Thanksgiving dinner and sticking to it you’re ensuring you won’t buy ingredients you won’t use. Don’t cook too much food either. While food can always be eaten as leftovers, if you don’t eat it in time it’ll go to waste.

Save Money on the Ingredients

The turkey will be the most expensive food item. To save money on the turkey and all other ingredients look for store coupons and manufacturer coupons. Some grocery stores even have turkey points which you can collect throughout the Fall and redeem for a turkey during Thanksgiving. It is cheaper to buy a frozen turkey than a fresh turkey. Don’t forget for every four pounds of turkey it takes a full day to defrost. You’ll need to take the turkey out of the freezer days before Thanksgiving. Plan ahead! And, if you forget here’s a backup plan for how to cook a frozen turkey.

Save Money on Thanksgiving Kitchen Items

You’ve now figured out what to make, but do you have all of the kitchen tools required? Hosting Thanksgiving is a big undertaking and you will need more kitchen items than usual to cook and serve the full dinner. In addition to the usual cookware, there are kitchen tools you rarely use that you’ll need for Thanksgiving. This includes items like a turkey roaster, baster set, cooking thermometer, potato masher, baster set, turkey lifters, chopper, zester, apple peeler, pie tins, drying mat, flavor injector, cooking twine, and gravy strainer.

Wow, that’s a lot! And that doesn’t include the usual items like serving bowls, serving utensils, measuring cups, mixing bowls and a mixer. You can always go to a store and buy these items but it adds up! Don’t worry, there are a few things you can do to save money here.

Borrow Thanksgiving Kitchen Tools from Friends

First, see what kitchen tools you can borrow from friends and family. Is anyone coming over early to help and they can bring a few items with them? Are any friends not hosting Thanksgiving that have some of the items above and will let you borrow them?

Scour Local Estate Sales for Kitchen Tools and Cookware

You can find deals on cookware, serving items and more at estate sales. An estate sale usually happens when there is a death and the family is trying to sell almost everything in the house before putting the house on the market. Estate sales are a great place to find complete sets of holiday table decorations, cookware and high end decorations as the family is trying to sell most of the stuff in the estate all at once.

To find local estate sales, enter the town + estate sale into Google. If you live in a city, you may have more success looking at close suburbs. This is also a great time to buy furniture or other household items you still need for your home.

Look For Kitchen Tools and Cookware on Craigslist and LetGo

Often when people are about to move they will try to get rid of stuff to make their move easier. When it’ll cost more to ship something than buy something new they will want to get rid of it. Looking for kitchen tools, cookware and other kitchen items at moving sales is a great opportunity to spend less acquiring these items. Since fewer people move in the winter the best time to look for moving sales are in the spring and fall. But, you still may find a decent selection in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

Use Coupons When Buying Items for Hosting Thanksgiving

When you must buy an item look for coupons and deals. The deals won’t be as good as after the holidays but you can still find 10% or 20% off the store coupons. Bed, Bath and Beyond always has 20% off coupons. Bed, Bath & Beyond usually accepts coupons that have expired as well. For higher end kitchen items Bloomingdales Home has Friend & Family sales (it’s free to become a loyalist). However, deals on the kitchen items you need may be better on Black Friday or Cyber Monday so it’s worth holding out if you can.

Ask for Thanksgiving Kitchen Tools on your Wedding Registry

Today, 66% of married couples have lived together before they walked down the aisle according to the NCBI. When you’ve already lived together there are less things you need from a traditional wedding registry. If you already have most of the household basics, use this opportunity ask for kitchen tools you need to host holidays. While this may be too late for this year, this will help you host Thanksgiving in the future.

DIY Thanksgiving Decorations To Save Money

Are you crafty? The best way to spend less on Thanksgiving decorations is to do it yourself! You can make DIY Thanksgiving decorations for centerpieces, table decor, outdoor decor and more. DIY Thanksgiving table decorations that are cheap include fruit displays (that you can eat later!), candles, repurposing fake pumpkins from Halloween, pine cone wreaths and pumpkin pie place cards.

Look for additional inspiration for DIY Thanksgiving Decorations on Pinterest.

Budget Your Money and Time Wisely

Spending an average of $334 and 11 hours to prep to host Thanksgiving is a lot of money and time. It’s easy to overspend during the holidays on food, decorations, kitchen items and gifts. Create a budget for how much you want to spend hosting Thanksgiving and stick to it. Don’t be shy to let people know what food or drink they can bring over when they volunteer.

Balancing all of the shopping in addition to work, holiday parties and other events makes time really tight. Be mindful of how much time you spend researching what you want to buy, looking for deals and actually shopping. Consider hiring a cleaning service. Follow this hosting Thanksgiving checklist to minimize planning time and reduce the stress of planning the day. Don’t forget to take time for yourself and enjoy the season. It’d be better to spend a little more money and be happy than save a little more but miss out on all of the fun.

What are ways you’ve saved money on hosting Thanksgiving?

Hosting Thanksgiving Pinterest Pin

Categories // Smart Spending Tags // Holidays, Saving Money Tips

10 Ways To Save Money On Christmas Decorations

11.14.2019 by admin // 4 Comments

How to Save Money on Christmas Decorations, Cheap Christmas decorations, discount Christmas decorations, Christmas Decorations Cheap, Christmas decorations on a budget

This Christmas, make your home look festive for the holidays without spending a ton of money. Whether you want to buy cheap Christmas decorations or high end Christmas decorations for cheap there are ways buy Christmas decorations on a budget. Buying Christmas decorations after Christmas for a discount, scouring local estate sales for high end Christmas decorations or DIY Christmas decor are all ways to save money on Christmas decorations this year. Here are affordable ideas to save money on Christmas decorations.

DIY Outdoor and Indoor Christmas Decorations

Are you crafty? The best way to buy discount Christmas decorations is to DIY Christmas decorations! You can make your own Christmas indoor decorations and Christmas outdoor decorations. There is some decor you can find for free like pinecones and pine branches outside. You can also spend a little money on craft materials from a local craft store. Look out for coupons at local craft stores to buy your supplies and save even more.

Look for inspiration for DIY Christmas Decorations on Pinterest such as this Pinterest board by The Crafty Christmas, and ideas for cheap Christmas decor like 100 Dollar Store Christmas Decorations by the Prudent Penny Pincher.

DIY Outdoor Christmas Decorations

DIY Christmas wreaths are one of the most common examples for DIY outdoor Christmas decorations. Grab a few evergreen branches from the outdoors and look for inspiration on Pinterest. You can also make your own wreath from other materials. DIY outdoor Christmas decorations Pinterest searches yield results for wreaths, repurposed skis / wood and more.

DIY Indoor Christmas Decorations

Pinterest is abundant with DIY Christmas table decor ideas. There are many DIY holiday table decorations that include materials you can buy for cheap at a craft store or materials at home you can repurpose. Cheap Christmas decorations can include finding pinecones and evergreen branches outside to decorate your mantel or use a garland with ornaments. DIY Christmas Decoration Pinterest searches include napkin rings, waterless snow globes, Christmas tree skirts and more.

You can also make holiday gift bags as centerpieces, or repurpose other Christmas decorations you have lying around such as a garland with ornaments down the table. There are plenty of DIY for holiday kitchen decor!

See Also: Simple Ways to Save Money During the Holidays

Christmas Decorations from Family Members or Friends

Understandably not everyone has the option to get Christmas decorations from family. But, over time things tend to accumulate especially if you have family that has lived in the same place for decades. Help them declutter by taking Christmas decorations off of their hands. Perhaps they have held onto items that are sentimental but they don’t use. They’d prefer to keep something in the family instead of donating it. Christmas decorations that tend to accumulate over time include ornaments, coffee mugs, vases, table cloths, festive gift baskets, ribbons and other festive odds and ends.

Are any of your friends moving or moving in with a significant other? If they are, do they have duplicate items they’re looking to get rid of? Any time someone moves there are always items – big or small – that they won’t want in their new place. It works out for both of you if you can take something off your friends hands they don’t want anymore.

Ask for Christmas Decorations on Your Wedding Registry

Today, 66% of married couples have lived together before they walked down the aisle according to the NCBI. When you’ve already lived together there are less things you need from a traditional wedding registry. If you already have most of the household basics, use this opportunity to start collecting stuff you want to decorate your house for the holidays. And, consider what you’ll need if you want to host people for the holidays. This includes Christmas decorations, Christmas table decor and kitchen appliances that are more helpful during the holidays like a Kitchenaid mixer to make Christmas cookies as gifts. Additional hosting items can include extra table settings, serving utensils, serving bowls and more.

Split Buying Christmas Decorations With Friends

Do you live with roommates? Have everyone chip in to buy cheap Christmas decorations together. You can split the cost evenly and agree to a budget. Or, each pick certain pieces to buy (ex one roommate buys ornaments, one roommate buys the Christmas tree skirt) so that it’s easier to split up what you bought when you no longer live together.

Buy Discount Christmas Decorations After Christmas

The best time to buy discount Christmas decorations starts the day after Christmas. Stores want to clear their inventory quickly to make room for New Years Eve and Valentine’s Day and will have sales immediately following Christmas. While the selection may dwindle quickly as the sales get better it’s an excellent way to save money. Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Home Depot are a few stores where you’ll Christmas decorations on clearance after the holiday. I’ve also had success finding Spode at TJ Maxx and Macy’s on sale.

After Christmas sales are also a great time to stock up on Christmas cards, wrapping paper, gift stickers and ribbon for next year.

Scour Local Estate Sales for High End Christmas Decorations

Finding deals on Christmas items at estate sales is one of the best kept secrets. An estate sale usually happens when there is a death and the family is trying to sell almost everything in the house before putting the house on the market. Estate sales are a great place to find complete sets of holiday table decorations, high end Christmas decorations and luxury Christmas tree decorations as the family is trying to sell most of the stuff in the estate all at once. It’s also a great opportunity to find quality Christmas decorations. You’re also more likely to find high end household items like Waterford crystal, Spode and more that can be put out during Christmastime.

To find local estate sales, enter the town + estate sale into Google. If you live in a city, you may have more success looking at close suburbs. This is also a great time to buy furniture or other household items you still need for your home. This includes kitchenware and table settings that you can also use during Christmastime.

Look For Cheap Christmas Decorations on Craigslist and LetGo

Often when people are about to move they will try to get rid of stuff to make their move easier. With Christmas decorations, especially items they purchased for cheap, they may even be willing to part with holiday items for free. When it’ll cost more to ship something than buy something new they will want to get rid of it. Christmas trees, ornaments, outdoor decorations take up space but are cheaper to replace than move.

Since fewer people move in the winter the best time to look for moving sales are in the spring and fall. You may even get a better deal since fewer people are looking to buy Christmas decorations during those months.

Use Coupons When You Buy Christmas Decorations

When you do want to purchase new items prior to Christmas look for coupons and deals. The deals won’t be as good as after the holidays but you can still find 10% or 20% off the store coupons that you can apply to Christmas decorations. Wondering where to buy cheap Christmas decorations? Bed, Bath and Beyond always has 20% off coupons. Bed, Bath & Beyond usually accepts coupons that have expired as well. Everyone makes fun of the long CVS receipts with coupons, but those coupons for $10 off X for example can be applied to the Christmas decorations they sell and Christmas cards and wrapping paper. For higher end Christmas decorations Bloomingdales Home has Friend & Family sales (it’s free to become a loyalist).

Use coupons after Christmas as well! While some stores limit combining sales with coupons you can always try and see if you can get that extra discount.

Rent Christmas Decorations

While this market is still relatively new, you can rent Christmas decorations. You’ll find Christmas decorations rental companies in various cities. Rent-a-Christmas is one example and is based in New York City.

Budget Your Money and Time Wisely

It’s easy to overspend during the holidays whether it be on food, decorations, gifts or all of the above. Create a budget for how much you want to spend and stick to it. This cost can come out of two areas in your budget: either how much you want to spend on the holiday season all together or how much you want to spend on household items throughout the year. Personally, I created a household items and repairs budget and included any holiday decorations and cookware that was required in that part of my budget.

Balancing all of the shopping in addition to work, holiday parties and other events makes time really tight. Be mindful of how much time you spend researching what you want to buy, looking for deals and actually shopping. Don’t forget to take time for yourself and enjoy the season. It’d be better to spend a little more money and be happy than save a little more but miss out on all of the fun.

What are ways you’ve saved money on Christmas decorations?

How to save money on Christmas decorations, Christmas Decorations Cheap, Christmas decorations on a budget, Save Money on Christmas Decorations Pinterest Pin


Categories // Smart Spending Tags // Holidays, Saving Money Tips

10 Financial Tips for Living On Your Own

09.02.2019 by admin // 6 Comments

Living on your own, living on your own tips, financial tips for living on your own.

You’ve decided to live on your own for the first time, congratulations! Maybe you’re moving out of your parents house, or moving out of living with roommates. Now, you get to decorate your new place exactly how you want and have everything match. The room is a bit bright so you’ll get some curtains and… oh wait, curtains are over $1,000 for the room?! Welcome to the joys of furnishing your own place. No matter the situation, living on your own requires getting a lot of stuff. This doesn’t even include the mortgage / down payment / deposit! Here are 10 financial tips for living on your own for the first time.

Don’t Buy Too Much House

Top living on your own tip: don’t buy too much house. Whether you are renting or buying, it’s important not to buy too much house. If you spend too much money on rent or a mortgage you will not be able to cut back on this expense if money gets tight. What does this mean? It means that your housing costs should be no more than 30% of your gross income (pre-tax income). This includes rent, mortgage, taxes, bills like electricity, water and wifi and any repairs you may have to make.

Even though the rule of thumb is no more than 30% of your gross income the lower this percentage is, the more money you’ll be able to spend actually furnishing your place and more money you’ll be able to save.

See Also: How to Save Money in Your 20s

Organize Your Move

Being organized about your move will help save you money. Start by creating a few lists, including a to do list and everything your new place needs. In the “everything you need list” identify what you already have, what is needed, what is needed but can be purchased later and what is nice to have. For example, you’ll need a lot of kitchen items but you’ll absolutely need to have pots and pans to start if you plan to cook. While a good knife set is also needed if you’re not a big cook this is an example of a purchase you can delay.

Also create a list of general household items (paper towels, cleaning supplies, spices) that you often don’t think about because you’ve acquired a collection from living with your parents or living with other roommates over the years. You’ll avoid a lot of repeat trips to the grocery store, Costco or Target by creating a list of what you need here before you go shopping.

Now that you know what you need immediately and what purchases you can delay match this to your budget. Likely, this is more expensive than you anticipated but see how far you can get. There are tricks you can use to lower these costs and make your money stretch further.

Spend As Little As Possible Moving

Moving from one place to the next is always a pain and spending money on the move itself is unavoidable. There are ways to minimize this expense; however, moving expenses and effort tend to be inversely related. The less you spend, the more effort you will have to put into the actual move. The least effort will be to hire movers that pack everything for you and unpack everything for you. On the flip side, the most effort but least expensive option is for you to move yourself in your own car. In the middle, there are options to rent a uHaul, ask for friends help and offer to buy them food, etc.

When you’re moving to your own place for the first time it should be easy to minimize this expense as you have less stuff to begin with. At the same time, you will be spending money on moving after the initial move too as you begin buying more furniture for your place. Some of these purchases may require having to rent a truck or spending money on delivery fees.

Set A Budget For Furnishing Your Own Place

Living on your own can get expensive quickly. It’s important to set a budget. Remember, you don’t need to have everything day one. You need wifi, a place to sleep and a few household items like toilet paper and some food. It’s ok if you don’t have a kitchen table or look settled for a couple of months. You’ve just paid the big expenses of first month, last month and security deposit or perhaps the closing costs and downpayment on your first home / condo. You’ll also have to start paying the monthly bills of living in your own place.

How much should you budget? That varies by person, and is really more about what you can afford and personal preferences. It’s more important avoid going into debt than being settled day 1.

Accept Furniture and Household Item Donations from Family Members

Your first place doesn’t have to look all put together – that can come with time. Forget what you see on Instagram, House Hunters and what your friends that don’t have their own place suggest when they come to visit. Earmuffs and blinders are key here! When you move into your own place for the first time without any roommates it is expensive. Even getting curtains for one room can be hundreds of dollars, if not over $1,000.

Understandably not everyone has the option to get used items from family. But, if your parents or your aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc, have things you need, accept them. Even if they don’t match or will need to be replaced soon it’s better than nothing. You don’t need to have these items forever, but moving into your own place requires a lot of things all at once and the fewer things you have to buy the easier it will be.

Are any of your friends moving? Or, are you living with roommates now and is there anything your roommates are trying to get rid of? Any time someone moves there are always items – big or small – that they won’t want in their new place. It works out for both of you if you can take something off your friends hands they don’t want anymore.

For the items that won’t last long, add them to your list of things to buy in the future. Prioritize this list and throughout the year look for sales. Always set aside some money in your budget to purchase items for your house in future years.

Scour Local Estate Sales For Furniture and Household Item Deals

Finding deals on household items and furniture at estate sales is one of the best kept secrets. An estate sale usually happens when there is a death and the family is trying to sell almost everything in the house before putting the house on the market. You’re able to get multiple things from one place at a steal and if you do need to rent movers or a uHaul, you can do it once. One friend ended up getting a $8,000 large dining room set in excellent condition for under $1,000. When she moved out (it didn’t fit in her next place) she ended up selling it and made a profit!

You may end up spending the same money you would have for something brand new at Ikea but there are two benefits to buying furniture / household items second hand. First, the quality of what you’re buying is much higher and you’ll be able to command a higher value should you ever try to resell the same piece a few years later. Second, you don’t have to self-assemble.

To find local estate sales, enter the town + estate sale into Google. If you live in a city, you may have more success looking at close suburbs.

Buy Second Hand Household Furnishings On Craigslist / LetGo

Craigslist and LetGo are also good to search for specific things you need to furnish your new place. I really wanted a wine rack from Crate and Barrel and didn’t want to spend $400 for it new when I first moved into my own place. After regularly searching for a few weeks I found one nearby on Craigslist for $125. A few years later when I moved I ended up selling it for $150. Both of these website / apps are best when you know exactly what you’re looking for otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time browsing. The strategy of buying second hand can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Use Coupons For Household Staples and Decorations

Normally I don’t talk about coupons often as I don’t think it’s worth going out of your way for 20 minutes to save $0.50. But, moving in on your own requires a lot of stuff so it’s worth it to spend a few hours looking around for the best deals and setting alerts. In this case, you’ll end up saving a lot of money by shopping around. Still, it is important to be smart about your time. If you see a good deal for one thing that will take 2 hours out of your day, is the amount you’ve saved worth those 2 hours?

T.J. Maxx and Homegoods generally has good deals and there are extra sales on holiday items after a holiday has passed. Bed, Bath & Beyond always mails 20% off coupons and you can try to split your transactions (or go with a friend) to use multiple coupons during the same trip. Usually, Bed, Bath & Beyond also accepts coupons that have expired. For higher end, Bloomingdales Home has Friend & Family sales (it’s free to become a loyalist) which you can take advantage of for things like bed sheets and towels. Macy’s also frequently has sales and coupons.

Budget Your Time Wisely

Don’t spend so much time on searching for the best deal that you waste all of your time. Everyone only has 24 hours in a day and each hour you spend looking for deals you could have been using to do something else, including doing something that would make you more money. You have a lot to buy when starting your own household and shopping around can take you to many stores and require a lot of repeated trips if you don’t plan correctly. Plan ahead as best as you can with lists and research ahead of time but never waste a couple hours to save only a couple of dollars.

You’ve Now Living On Your Own, Now What?

You’re now officially moved in and living on your own. Now what? It’ll always take some time to get settled and you’ll realize you’ll need things you completely forgot about. Don’t worry about buying everything at once. Continue to keep your lists of prioritized needs, needs and wants. Chip away at these lists over time and take advantage of yearly sales. Do more research on when the best time to buy certain items are, which you can find here, and here.

Once you’re more settled, look for other opportunities to be smart with your spending so you can get back to saving more money or finding ways to fund more of what you need for your home!

What are other ways you’ve found to save money when moving to your own place for the first time?

tips for living on your own, living on your own tips

Categories // Smart Spending Tags // Housing, Money in Your 20s, Saving Money Tips

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