Bargain Moose

Weddings are expensive, that’s a no-brainer. But if you want to avoid spending your down payment for a house on a one-day event, then you really only have two options: elope, or start cutting things from your wedding wish list. If you are anything like me and have always dreamt of having a rather traditional wedding, then going to the courthouse or jetting off to Las Vegas may not be your cup of tea. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have the wedding you want for the price you want too. It just means you may have to make a few sacrifices here and there to keep your budget in check.

The Designer Gown

If you’ve ever seen the TV show Say Yes to Dress, then you know that if you want a designer gown you’ve got to be prepared to fork over $5,000 and up for some glitz and glam. Listen, I whole-heartedly believe that a wedding dress is one of the most important articles of clothing you’ll ever wear in your life, but let’s be serious, you’re only going to be wearing the darned thing for 12 hours or less. Instead, you can get an equally beautiful dress minus the steep price tag by shopping online or visiting a discount bridal boutique. It may not have Pnina Tornai on the label, but who is going to ask you “Who are you wearing?” on your wedding day anyways?

The Guestlist

Have you ever had that nightmare of walking down the aisle and seeing a bunch of empty pews? That’s not a nightmare, that’s a blessing! More people equals more money you have to spend, so start crossing off names until all you’re left with is a list of people you couldn’t imagine not sharing your special day with. If you’re afraid of offending anyone, invite them to just the ceremony and make the reception for close family and friends only.

The Open Bar

If you can afford it, do it! If not, you can still make sure everyone has enough to drink without having to sell a kidney after your nuptials by going with one of these three options. Firstly, if you really want to save yourself from a hefty bar bill at the end of the night, have a cash bar instead. You may hear a few complaints from your red nosed uncle, but you’ll be all the richer for it. Secondly, you can give out drink tickets to everyone then once those tickets are used up guests need to pay for any additional drinks themselves. Lastly, you can have a subsidized bar in which you give your venue a certain amount of money to put towards liquor, and once that limit has been reached it turns into a cash bar. This gives guests the illusion of an open bar without leaving you broke the next day.

The Formal Rehearsal Dinner

If you’re having your wedding rehearsal on a weeknight or in a part of town that’s far away, it’s a nice gesture to feed all of the people involved afterwards. That being said, instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a formal sit-down dinner, you can save a lot of money by hosting a more casual event instead. The best way to do this is to have it at someone’s house, put out some drinks and appetizers, and if it’s the season for it, turn on that BBQ and start grillin’!

The Wedding Announcement

With free platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there really isn’t a need to shell out a hundred bucks or more for a marriage announcement in your local newspaper. Sure, it’s a nice ideo and your grandparents might like to clip it from their paper and hold onto it as a keepsake, but if you’re looking to stretch your budget, there are more important things you could spend that money on.

Bargainmoosers, what other things should you cut from your wedding to save money?

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Everyone knows that buying lottery tickets can be a big waste of money, but it’s hard not to get caught up in all of the hoopla when the jackpot reaches $55 million! This past weekend the 6/49 lottery reached the largest jackpot in Canadian history, and four lucky winners from B.C. and Alberta will now have a cool $15 million to play around with. Although we all have our own lottery winning fantasies of buying a yacht or moving to the Caribbean, the sad truth is many of the rags to riches tales we hear about later turn into rags to riches then back to rags stories. Hopefully these four newly minted millionaires will be a bit more prudent with their money and won’t repeat the mistakes made by some of these past winners.

Sharon Tirabassi – A resident of Hamilton, Ontario, this lucky lady won $10.5 million in 2004. These days however she’s living paycheque to paycheque (The Star). How could one person squander ten million dollars in less than 10 years you may ask? Well, she gave away $8 million to members of her family, then spent the rest on “fancy cars, designer clothes, lavish parties, [and] exotic trips” she tells The Hamilton Spectator. This all could have been prevented if she found herself a good financial advisor at the start, but I guess some people need to learn about personal finance the hard way.

Michael Carroll – Some people just like to party, and Carroll partied away his entire £9.7 million payout that he won in 2002. He explains to People UK that he used to spend £12,000 a week on drugs, on top of spending loads more cash on booze and prostitutes. In July of 2012 he said he only had 70 pence in his bank account and still plays the lottery hoping to win big for a second time around. Although it should go without saying, drugs, booze, and ladies of the night don’t come cheap (and for the most part are illegal). If you want to have a good time and avoid wasting your millions on a slew of nights you won’t remember, order a Shirley Temple and go to Disneyland instead.

Janite Lee – Lee won a whopping $18 million in 1993 with the Illinois Lottery. Instead of spending all of her winnings on big-ticket items, she chose to go the philanthropic route. Unfortunately for her, no one told her that being too generous could also be a bad thing. Case in point, she donated so much money to the University of Washington and the Democratic Party that she was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2001. The lesson to learn here is that even if you have a big heart, if you give all of your money away the only thing you’ll be left with is a big fat zero in your bank account.

Roger Griffiths – Another British lottery winner who made some regrettable expenditures, Griffiths won £1.8 million and blew his money on an expensive new home, a Porsche, plus wasted £25,000 to get his old university band back together (The Sun). He also made a few bad investments including a salon that started losing money rapidly once the recession hit. In another turn for the worse, his home caught fire and destroyed a number of possessions worth thousands of dollars. The two key things to take note from in this story are that money always has it’s limits and you are never too rich to have an emergency fund. Also, trying to revive your old band from college is never a good idea. If you weren’t any good then, you still won’t be any good now.

Bargainmoosers, what would you do (or not do) if you won the lottery?

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If you want to save money on your wedding, then be prepared for the term DIY to become a very important part of your vocabulary. That being said, once the wedding bells have stopped ringing, if you want to recoup some of your costs then the names eBay, Etsy, and Craigslist will also become very familiar to you. What’s the point of learning how to make boutonnieres out of ribbon and cake stands out of old plates and glasses if you can’t also start selling these unique handicrafts online for some extra cash? I’ve made a number of wedding essentials for my own wedding and you better believe that after I’ve said “I do” I’m gonna turn my skills for making chalkboard paint signs and bedazzled tea lights into a money-making side hustle. Here are a few of the most in demand wedding must-haves that you can make then sell online for a profit.

Cake stand

The wedding cake is a major part of the wedding experience, but most of the time you have to either rent or buy a cake stand and those things don’t come cheap. I’ve been on the look out for a reasonably priced cake stand to buy for weeks and I still haven’t found anything under $50. Instead, I’m going to make my own out of some old dishes, and lucky for me it’ll be the perfect touch of shabby-chic for my special day. Not only that, I’ve seen dozens of these same homemade cake stands on Etsy selling for $70 and up, so it should be a piece of cake to sell it later on. I found a great how-to guide on Pin Cookie’s blog too!

Cake topper

As silly as it may sound, the first thing I bought after getting engaged was my wedding cake topper. I spent $50 on a ceramic bride and groom high-fiving when I could have just made my own for under $5 with materials from the craft store. It may be too late for my wedding, but I bet I know a number of brides who would pay me at least $15 for one of these handmade creations. Thanks to Confetti Daydreams for the inspiration.

Boutonnieres

Flowers are expensive no matter what season you get married in, so making your own boutonnieres using ribbon or other fabric will save you a ton of cash. Moreover, many brides like to be unique when it comes to styling their groom and groomsmen, so it wouldn’t be difficult to sell these thrifty and fashionable accessories after the wedding. Polka Dot Bride and Hip Hostess have some great tutorials on how to make them, so make sure to check them out.

Garter

As cute as all of the different wedding garters are splashed all over Pinterest, the fact remains that you’ll only wear the thing for a day. After that it’s either sell it or keep it in a memory box for decades to come. That being said, spending more than $10 on an item that almost no one will see anyways just seems silly. If you follow A Beautiful Mess’ instructions, you can make your own with ease, and since the blogger had such a hard time finding a garter like this for her wedding, I bet you won’t have any trouble trying to sell these online to other brides too.

(Image credit: rgbstock)

We all made resolutions after New Year’s to be more organized, to be better savers, and to get our taxes done on time, but how many of us have actually put these promises in motion? Luckily with a new season comes a new opportunity to make those resolutions a reality. By abiding by these 4 tips on how to spring clean your finances, you’ll be able to get back on track to having a great financial year, plus feel satisfied in knowing that this year you won’t be included in the percentage of people whose resolutions have once again fallen by the wayside.

1.) Start Saving Automatically

Do you dream of one day owning your own home or traveling around the world after you retire? Well, hiding a bunch of dollar bills under your mattress sure isn’t the way to do it. If you want to save up for a down payment or have ample amounts of money for flights, cruises, and African safaris, you need to set up an automatic savings plan and do it now. It’s how I’ve been able to meet my savings goals for the past several of years, and it’s as easy to set up as clicking a button on your bank’s website. My plan is set up so that every paycheque a sum of money is directly deposited into my RRSP (retirement fund), my TFSA (my down payment fund), and my high-interest savings account (my travel fund). Not only is it one less thing for me to worry about, but it’s also a great way to benefit from dollar-cost averaging.

2.) Get Fit for Your Finances

Implementing a regular workout regime into your daily life is never easy, but would it make a difference if you knew it affected your finances too? For instance, by leading a healthy lifestyle through eating right and exercising routinely, you’ll be able to help prevent yourself from getting sick and thus taking time off work. You’ll also be able to lower your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, which can be quite expensive when you look at all the prescription and medical costs associated with them. Moreover, you’ll also be able to decrease your food bill by eliminating pricey sugary and fatty snacks and fast food from your diet.

3.) Revise Your Bills for the Best Rates

Some bills like electricity or hot water for your home unfortunately have fixed rates, but when it comes to your phone, cable, and Internet bills, spring is the best time to try and get a better deal. It was this time last year that I decided to see if I could get my cable and Internet lowered to a better rate. After negotiating with my provider for a bit, I realized that the best course of action was to eliminate my cable entirely and pocket the extra $70 a month. It’s been over a year since I’ve had TV and I haven’t missed it one bit.

4.) Finish Your Taxes & Have Fun

I may be one of the very few people in the world who actually likes doing my taxes every year. What I do to make it fun is to look at it less as a chore and more like a game to see how much of a refund I can get back. Each year I make a folder for the next tax year and save as many receipts as I can from donations, public transportation passes, investments, and business costs to use for tax deductions.  When it’s time to file my taxes, I’ve got everything already organized in one folder and just need to either hand everything to my accountant or type all the information into an online tax program. It’s always such a thrill to see how much income I made that year and how much I’ll be getting back from the government. If that still doesn’t sound that fun to you, then why not reward yourself with a nice glass of wine and piece of cake once you’re all done?

Bargainmoosers, what do you do to spring clean your finances? 

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Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day have come and gone, and now is the time for all you recently engaged brides to start planning for your big day. Even if your wedding isn’t for another year or two, from one bride to another, the coming months will go by faster than you think, so the sooner you start getting everything together the better. My wedding is only a few short months away and lately my weekends can be summed up with three little letters: D-I-Y. I’m definitely no Martha Stewart, but I am a frugal bride who will do anything to save a buck, and I’ve saved hundreds of dollars so far by making my own decorations with materials from the dollar store. If you don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty, and can stand spending a few nights cutting, gluing, and bedazzling, then you might want to try out some of these cheap and easy-to-make creations for your wedding day too.  

Chalkboard Sign ($10 – $15)

If you’ve ever been on the wedding section of Pinterest, then you know that chalkboard signage is all the rage right now. And it’s a good thing too because it’s both cheap and easy to make at home. All you need is a bottle of chalkboard paint from your local craft store ($8 – $10), and either a metal serving platter or a large picture frame from the dollar store ($2-$5). It’s recommended to coat the surface of the platter or frame at least 3 times before using. The bonus with this type of signage is not only will it give your wedding a hint of trendiness, but you can also easily wipe the board clean and write something new on it to use again and again. Cheap and reusable? Now that’s my kind of craft!

Floating Candle Centerpieces ($20)

Any wedding magazine will tell you to set aside 8% – 10% of your budget for flowers, but the thought of spending $1,000 on flowers for a one day only event just boggles my mind. Instead, you can save your money and make your own floating candle centerpieces instead. To put it together you’ll need 3 vases ($2 each), a bag of small rocks ($1), 3 floating candles ($5 for a 24 pack), and an orchid with multiple blooms ($10). After gathering all of these materials, it literally took me 10 minutes to assemble and the candles lasted about 6 hours before they burnt out.

Paper Banner ($5)

The great thing about the Internet these days is that there are a number of websites that have free printables that you can use. I used the printables from Shanty 2 Chic’s website, and printed the words “JUST MARRIED” using my ink jet printer. You can go fancy and buy some shimmery or textured paper from the craft store, but I just used some regular white printing paper for the letters, then spent $5 on some colored card stock to give it a pop of color around the edges.

Wedding Card Box ($5 – $20)

I’m not doing a gift registry for my wedding, but instead am following the popular trend of only accepting cards or monetary gifts. I may not need to worry about setting up a gift table anymore, but I do need a nice looking box for guests to drop their cards into. So far, my two favorite ideas for this are the vintage suitcase and the mailbox card box. Not only are they both very unique looking, but you can also find either of them for cheap or free on Craigslist or at a garage sale. Another idea that is equally frugal friendly and unique is the faux present card box. It’s great because all you need to do is wrap a few boxes together like a present, cut a slit in the top, then put it in the recycling bin when you’re done!

Bargainmoosers, what other dollar store creations can you suggest to all the future brides out there?

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Do you dream of backpacking through Southeast Asia, but worry that you won’t be able to afford much more than the plane ticket to get there? After spending 3 weeks in Thailand, I can assure you that it is absolutely possible to travel on a shoestring budget as long as you follow some of these tried and true travel tips.

Travel Light and Buy When You Get There

No matter if you are visiting Malaysia for a week or backpacking through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for six months, traveling light is not only good for your back but for your budget too. If you want to be prepared before you take off, make sure to pack the essentials such as a Swiss Army knife, flashlight, quick dry towel, guidebook, and a compass. Otherwise, if you still need some travel clothes, soap, or a paperback book, wait until you’ve reached your travel destination. You’ll be able to find weather appropriate clothing, toiletries, used books, and many other things at a fraction of the cost.

Borrow Instead of Buy

If you really want to save some money, try to avoid buying travel equipment altogether. Spread the word to your friends and family that you are looking to borrow a backpack, some clothing, or anything else you’ll need for your travels. You may be surprised how many people are willing to help you out. Just make sure to bring them back a token of thanks; otherwise they may not be so keen to help you next time.

Eat Like a Local

Although there are a lot of Western restaurants and coffee shops throughout Southeast Asia like McDonalds and Starbucks, if you want to get the most bang for your buck you need to eat like a local. This means foregoing the quarter-pounder with cheese for an order of green curry instead. Local dishes are exponentially cheaper than Western food, not to mention absolutely delicious. That being said, beware that once you develop a taste for authentic Southeast Asian cuisine, you’ll never be able to go back to the Westernized version you get at home.

Adjust Your Standards

When you’re traveling to a foreign country, one of the most important things you can do to ensure you have a great trip is to adjust your standards. Nothing will be quite like it is at home, so get used to it; unless you want to pay a bit extra for everything that is. You can save a substantial amount of money by opting to stay at a hostel or guesthouse instead of a hotel, and choosing a fan-only room with a squat toilet instead of an air-conditioned room with a full bathroom. Yes, not having a toilet and sweating through your sheets may not sound like a bundle of fun, but your bank account will thank you later, plus you’ll have some great “roughing it” stories to tell everyone when you get back home.

Final Tips

If you plan on shopping for some souvenirs at the local markets, learn a few phrases in the national language such as “Hello” and “How much?” to help you score a better deal when bartering. Also, do some research beforehand to see if some parts of the country you are visiting are cheaper than others. For instance, the south part of Thailand is substantially more expensive than the north because it is a more popular tourist destination. Lastly, don’t bring anything with you that you cannot afford to lose. Muggings can be common depending on where you plan to go, so make sure to never carry that much cash on you and avoid bringing any expensive electronics with you as well.

Bargainmoosers, have you been to Southeast Asia before? What did you do to save money while traveling?

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With Christmas and Boxing Day now over, you may feel like the last thing you want to do is spend any more money. Unfortunately, this expensive holiday season isn’t quite over. However, as you scramble to make plans for New Year’s Eve tonight, you may want to consult this list of frugal ways to ring in the New Year. New Year’s Eve may be a special time to celebrate, but no one should start off the New Year with a zero balance in his or her bank account.

Take it easy and stay home

As the end of holiday party season looms near, chances are you are already completely partied out and just want to relax. Or perhaps you just want to avoid spending any more money than you already have this month. If either of these are the cases, it might be a good idea to stay home, grab a few snacks from the grocery store, and watch the ball drop on TV. As much as I love to get dressed up and celebrate in style on New Year’s Eve, some of my most memorable New Year’s Eves have been sitting at home and spending quality time with my family and friends.

Go to a friend’s house or host your own party

The one thing that astounds me every year is how much money some people will pay to spend New Year’s Eve in a noisy, crowded club, in a room full of complete strangers. With some party tickets ranging from $50 – $100, not including cab fair and drinks, going out could cost you a few hundred dollars easily. That’s why going to a house party or hosting your own gathering is always a cheaper alternative. If you’re the host, to keep costs down tell everyone to bring their own drinks and a snack to share, and make sure to do the same if you’re going to a friends shindig too.

Leave the car at home

Forget about spending your precious gas money on New Year’s Eve and choose to leave your car at home instead. The streets can be especially dangerous this time of year, even with heightened police presence and road checks. Moreover, if you are planning on having a glass of champagne or two, it’s best to be safe and take transit or share a cab instead. Many cities even offer free transit services on New Year’s Eve, so take advantage of the free ride and save your money.

Attend a free event

What’s great about New Year’s Eve is there are a number of free family and nighttime eventsthat take place around the city. If you happen to live in Niagara Falls, you can go see a free concert featuring Dragonette and Hedley at Queen Victoria Park. If you’ll be in Calgary for the New Year, a whole family dance party will be taking place at Olympic Plaza. Not matter what city you live in, the best way to find out what events are happening near you for free is to check out the calendar of events section on your municipality’s website.

Do the polar bear swim

Although these polar bear swims technically take place on New Year’s day, they are free events you can do with the whole family. Just make sure to bring lots of blankets and maybe a thermos of hot chocolate with you for later.

Bargainmoosers, how do you plan on saving money this New Year’s Eve?

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As much as everyone loves the tree, the decorations, the gifts, and the food when it comes to Christmas, I think it’s safe to say that it’s the traditions your family and friends share that really make December 25th a special day. And the great thing is, most of the time these traditions that mean so much to you and your loved ones don’t cost a penny! If you are looking to add on a few traditions this Christmas or just want to spice things up a bit, consider adopting one these Christmas traditions this year:

Re-watch a favourite holiday film

Since I can remember, my family and I have watched It’s a Wonderful Life every year on Christmas Eve. It’s to the point where everyone can now recite all of the lines perfectly, and we know at exactly what part my dad will chime in with some behind-the-scenes trivia. For a while I thought my family was the only one to ever do this until I started finding out from others that they do the same thing with other Christmas classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas or A Christmas Carol. This is one tradition I know I’ll be carrying on when I have a family of my own.

Sing Christmas carols

Whenever I think of Christmas, I can’t help but remember that scene in Little Women when the whole family gets together around the piano to sing Christmas carols. You, like me, may not consider yourself much of a performer, but it’s the holidays! Chug a bit of eggnog, put on your dorkiest Christmas sweater, and start singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer to truly get into the Christmas spirit!

Crack open some crackers

One of my favourite things about having dinner on Christmas is cracking open the Christmas crackers. Everyone pulls their cracker with a partner, has to read out their corny joke card inside, and no matter what has to wear their paper crown. Just make sure not to pull a Mr. Bean and make one giant cracker. That is unless you don’t mind spending Christmas in the emergency room.

Open gifts on Christmas Eve

My mom is Quebecois, so when she was little her family used to open up all of their presents on Christmas Eve. When I grew up, we adopted a bit of this tradition and now open one gift on Christmas Eve and save the rest until the morning. If you want to save all the gifts until Christmas day, another tradition is to open up your stocking on Christmas Eve. This might also be a good way to negotiate getting your little one to bed when they are just too excited to go to sleep.

Get creative with Santa’s milk and cookies

I know the tradition is to set out milk and cookies for Santa before Christmas, but in my family we used to set out carrots and celery sticks for his reindeer too. But you can go a step further and be bit more creative by leaving Santa some leftovers from dinner (he’s got to be tired of just cookies by now), and maybe even a thank-you card from you children.

Give back to your community

Personally, I think this is the best tradition you and your family can adopt. There are a lot of people in need during this time of year, so a few hours volunteering at the soup kitchen with your loved ones may not seem like much but it definitely will make a difference in many people’s lives. Another tradition is to have your children choose a few of their used toys to donate to a toy drive. This is a great way to introduce charity to your kids at a young age, and may also help you make room for any new toys they get this Christmas.

Bargainmoosers, what Christmas traditions do you do each year?

(image credit: Jo Naylor)

Are you having a hard time figuring out what to fill your loved ones’ stockings with this Christmas? After spending endless hours shopping for all of those presents under your tree, it’s understandable that stocking stuffers are most likely last on your long list and may feel like just another holiday money suck. The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. If you want to save your hard earned money, but put something better than a pair of socks in your family’s stockings, all you need is a bit of imagination, some time and patience, and possibly a designated craft table.

DIY Coffee Mugs

Mustache mugs are sold at a number of trendy stores these days for upwards of $20, but you can save your cash by making your own mug masterpieces at home. All you need to do is buy a plain mug from the dollar store, draw your preferred mug design using a Sharpie, and put it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F. I think I know what I’m going to be giving everyone this year. This nifty idea was found on The Brandon and Amanda Story.

Homemade Body Scrub

If you walk into The Body Shop or Bath & Body Works, unless there is a massive sale on, all of those fancy little soaps and containers of body scrub can actually be quite expensive. The good news is you can easily make the same thing at home, minus the hefty price tag and mystery chemicals, using one of these amazing recipes found on Elle & Blair’s blog.

Cookie in a Jar

This is the perfect one-size-fits-all gift, because honestly who doesn’t love cookies? Moreover, besides it being cheap and easy to make, it’s also very unique. Anyone can put some chocolates into a stocking, but if you really want your gift to stand out, follow the instructions outlined by iCraft Daily.

Mason Jar Cupcake

Speaking of jars, if you happen to have a few taking up space in your pantry or recycling bin, turn them into one of a kind cupcake jars! You could give them away as is, or fill them with some of your Christmas baking, a nice scented candle, or a handful of candy as seen on Trendy Pics.

Cabinet Knob Bottle Stopper

Don’t you just love those decorative bottle stoppers at Anthropologie and Pier 1? Well, instead of spending $10 for one of these stoppers, you can follow the step-by-step instructions on Condo Blues’ website to make one for a fraction of the cost in under 10 minutes. Now that’s my kind of gift!

Bargainmoosers, what DIY Christmas gifts will you be giving out this year?

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By now, you’ve probably already put up your Christmas tree, hung all of your decorations, and have at least started your holiday shopping. As important as all of those things are, making sure you have ample treats for everyone to enjoy is just as significant. You could go the easy route and buy some cookies and cakes from the grocery store, but you know that if you want to save a few bucks, homemade treats can’t be beat. If you want to avoid serving anything store bought, but are also low on time and funds, I’ve found a few yummy recipes that are all easy to make and won’t break the bank.

Crockpot Candy

I love tossing a bunch of ingredients into my crockpot on a chilly day, only to have a delicious meal ready to serve after just a few hours. But as much as I love my slow cooker, what I didn’t realize is that it could cook more than just pot roasts and stews: it can make melt-in-your-mouth candies too! As found on Fake Ginger’s blog, using only four simple ingredients (white almond bark, German chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, and dry roasted peanuts), in only two hours your slower cooker can make some of the most delicious chocolates you’ve ever tasted!

Nutella Brownies

This is another super easy and cheap to make holiday dessert that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. All you need is 1 cup of Nutella, 2 eggs, and 10 tablespoons of flour. Combine in a bowl, divide into a cupcake tin (and add hazelnuts or sliced almonds on top if you so desire), then bake for 30 minutes at 350F. I found this recipe on Instructables.com, and I can guarantee you I’ll be making this recipe throughout the year.

Chocolate Preztel Treats

Talk about salty and sweet holiday treats, this one is a must try recipe, I’m telling you! It may take you a bit of searching to find these round pretzels, but once you’ve found them, all you need to do is put a Hershey kiss inside, melt the chocolate a teensy bit, put an M&M on top, let cool, and serve! Thanks to House on Hilltop for this great recipe.

Reindeer Cookies and Holly Crackles

If you plan on going across the border before Christmas, make sure to grab a few boxes of Nutter Butters to make these adorably yummy Reindeer Cookies. Not only are they perfectly festive, there is no baking required as mentioned on Frontier Girls’ blog. If a trip to the States isn’t in your near future, grab some butter, marshmallows, cornflakes, and green food colouring, and make these bite-sized wreaths. You can even use this same Mr. Food recipe in the Spring by switching to pastel colours and adding some jelly beans to make some Easter bird nests!

Bargainmoosers, what kind of holiday treats are you planning on making this season?

(Image credit: carl_mueller)

The holidays are a great time of year to reconnect with family and friends, give back to your community, and of course enjoy some incredibly yummy food. Even though it is good for the soul to let yourself indulge in some sweet treats every once and a while, some people choose to go a bit overboard during the holidays, making it no surprise that one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. But getting back into shape shouldn’t be something you do only after you’ve sufficiently stuffed yourself with half a turkey and a dozen sugar cookies. I personally believe that if you can maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise routine during this season, then the rest of the year will be an absolute piece of cake. Moreover, you can avoid paying hundreds of dollars to all those diet programs if you just make sure to stay fit this holiday season the frugal way.

I’ve written about how to eat healthy on a budget before, but I think the key to maintaining this routine during the holidays is to allow yourself some cheat days. If you are having a big family dinner for Christmas or Hanukkah, make that one of your cheat days so you don’t feel guilty about eating some cheesy kugel, or feel the need to skip out on grandma’s famous stuffing. The same goes for any holiday party you’ll be attending, because if there’s one big reason we all go to them, it’s the free food!

Although cheat days may allow you to indulge in some high caloric foods for a bit, the old adage “everything in moderation” shouldn’t be thrown out the window either. Avoid asking for seconds, don’t put more food on your plate than you know you should eat, and listen to your stomach. You may think you are still hungry, but that might just be your taste buds talking.

As for getting some regular exercise this holiday season, there’s nothing like a long run or bike ride to stay frugally fit. If the idea of going for a run outside sounds like a great way to get frostbite, then staying in and doing some work out videos might be a better option for you. You can get plenty of work out videos for free at the library, or you can find a number of them posted on YouTube. If you know of a few friends who are also looking to get fit, see if they want to split the cost of purchasing some work out videos so you can all share.

If you are more of a gym person by nature, try checking out your local community centre. Often their rates are significantly lower than any gym chain, plus they sometimes offer dance or other fitness classes for cheap.

For all you skiing and snowboarding lovers, unfortunately taking up the sport can sometimes lead to some big bills. The gear, the clothing, the lift passes: these ski and snowboard essentials are all relatively expensive to buy. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few ways to cut down on costs to make it more affordable. See if you can borrow some equipment from someone you know. Look into whether it will save you money to buy a pass early. And lastly, if you don’t mind doing a bit of volunteering, many ski mountains offer free lift passes to snow patrol volunteers.

Staying fit throughout the holidays may make you want to shout “Bah Humbug!” but it’s the best way to prevent gaining some unwanted pounds leading up to the new year. That is unless you are planning on dressing up as Santa this year, in which case all bets are off!

Bargainmoosers, do you try to stay fit during the holidays, or do you consider it one big cheat month?

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It’s that time of year again. You may notice that your calendar has become increasingly more cluttered lately, and that’s because holiday party season has officially begun! As much fun as it is to get together with co-workers, friends, and family to celebrate with some eggnog and a secret Santa gift exchange, being a guest or a host at one of these parties can easily become a real budget-buster. As reported by The Globe and Mail, Canadians are expected to spend an average of $1,610 on holiday related purchases and activities this year. If your jaw just dropped after reading that, then you may want to consider a few of these ways to cut back without having to cut into your social life.

Do you love being deemed the host with the most (or hostess with the mostest)? If the answer to that is “Yes!”, then chances are you’re probably going to be hosting a party of your own this season. Hosting a party can be expensive if you get caught up into thinking you need to replace all of your tableware with holiday themed plates and martini glasses. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars at Pier 1 on Christmas tree salad bowls, and a candy cane inspired fondue set, go to the dollar store or supermarket and buy a few holiday themed disposable plates, cups, and napkins. As for saving money on food and drinks, I suggest making your party either a BYOB potluck dinner, or skip dinner entirely and just serve appetizers and snacks for everyone to enjoy. Another fun thing you could do is to hold a cookie exchange. I’ve been doing this for the past couple of years with some co-workers, and it’s a fun and cheap way to get a bunch of different homemade cookies to share with all of your guests.

As for making sure your party is filled with fun activities, a secret Santa gift exchange is always a hit. Just make sure to set a limit on how much everyone can spend to keep costs low, or restrict all gifts to being homemade or previously used. Another fun and cost-efficient activity you could do is to set up a gingerbread house-building race. Divide everyone into teams, purchase a few gingerbread house kits from your local craft store (costing you no more than $15 per kit), and let the games begin!

If you don’t plan on holding a holiday party at your place this year, you’ll still most likely be attending one or more of these events as a guest. If it’s a staff party held by your employer, it can go one of two ways. Either it’s a free event in which all you have to do is show up for a free drink and meal, and dance the night away; or you and your partner have to pay a fee to attend. No matter the case, it’s always important to make an appearance at a work function, as it can show your employer that you are a real team player. However, if you work for a bigger corporation in which you will be hard to find amongst a convention centre full of other employees (as I experienced for the first time last year), you may want to save the admission fee and opt to attend only functions in which your absence won’t go unnoticed.

To save money on attire, if the next party you will be attending will have completely fresh faces from the last one you went to, then don’t bother buying a new dress or suit. If that’s not the case and you don’t want to be caught repeating an outfit, see if you can borrow an outfit from a friend or relative, or check out the Hot Deals section of this site to take advantage off some deep discounts.

Bargainmoosers, how do plan on saving money on holiday parties this year?

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You may think November is too soon to start thinking about decorating your home for the holidays, but in the blink of an eye it will be December 24th and you’ll thank yourself later for getting everything done well in advance. Plus, throwing a craft night might be a fun and frugal activity to do with a group of friends this winter. No matter if you are a mini-Martha Stewart or complete craft novice, these 5 do-it-yourself holiday decorations are easy to make, will look great, and won’t break the bank.

Winter Wonderland Snowglobe

I’ve always had a soft spot for snowglobes, to the point where I even started my very own collection. But now I can just make them myself using the tips and tricks from Honest to Nod’s blog. You may need to go to Michael’s or another craft store to get the miniature trees, and you may need to make some tomato sauce in order to get an empty jar, but after that all you need to do is bleach a mini-tree, glue it to the the lid, sprinkle some glitter or fake snow inside the jar and fill it with water, et voila! Make sure the lid is fastened on securely. No one wants winter wonderland spilt all over the carpet.

Glowing Snowmen

If you’ve got a few empty milk jugs, some construction paper or paint, some extra white Christmas lights or flameless candles, you can easily make yourself some glowing snowmen to put on your doorstep or windowsill as a fun holiday decoration. Ash from Stuff by Ash says you can even recycle these for Halloween and turn them into spooky glowing ghosts too!

Paperclip Angel Ornament

This is by far the easiest way to decorate your Christmas tree when on a tight budget, as found on Crafty Journal’s website. All you need is some ribbon, pearls, and butterfly paperclips, and in eight simple steps you’ve got yourself some angel ornaments. If you want your angels to have a bit more sparkle, paint the paperclips in gold or silver glitter paint so they shimmer against the Christmas tree lights.

Christmas Light Bulb Wreath

Do you have a pile of old Christmas light bulbs that don’t light up anymore? C. Dianne Zweig suggests you turn them into a wreath that guaranteed none of your neighbours will have hanging on their doors. Just get a wire clothes hanger and bend it in the shape of a circle, then hot glue all of the bulbs around it. To give it an extra bit of umpf, glue some tinsel on the inside of the wreath and glue a few old tree ornaments on as well.

Sweater Stockings

Last but not least, the sweater stocking is a great way to turn something old into something new this holiday season. Kelly over at The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make these unique looking stockings, and might I add this is a great way to upcycle any sweaters you’ve been hanging onto from all of those past ugly christmas sweater parties you’ve attended over the years.

Bargainmoosers, what are your favourite crafts to make for the holidays?

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As the temperature steadily drops, the days of going to the beach to throw around a Frisbee or hiking the trails with a group of friends are long gone. So how can you continue to maintain a healthy social life when venturing out into the cold outdoors isn’t really an option anymore?  With a bit of creativity, you might find that there is actually a plethora of fun activities you and your friends can do without ever having to leave the house.

Bring out the board games – Most people have at least one board game hanging around their house, so why not host a games night at your place to bring all of your friends together? Ask each of your friends to bring over their favourite board game and let the fun begin! Just remember that if you want to keep all of your friendships intact by the end of the night, it might be a good idea to avoid playing Risk or Monopoly; otherwise be prepared to pick up the pieces after the board has been flipped over.

Stay in and watch a movie – Although it seems like all of the video rental stores are going bankrupt and closing down, you can still borrow plenty of movies for free at the library or cheap via Netflix. You can also watch movies for free through the National Film Board’s website if you are in a Canadian cinema mood. Sometimes there’s just nothing quite like spending a night cozying up inside for a good ol’ movie marathon with friends.

Have an old-school listening party – Back in the day before CDs, Napster, and iTunes existed, people used to get together, throw a vinyl onto their record player, and sit around with a group of friends to listen to an album from start to finish. Although it may not be as easy anymore to find a record store, or player for that matter, it might be a fun homage to the past to invite your friends over, open up a few bottles of wine, and listen to some classic albums on CD or using your iPod.

Bring the spa to you – If you want to avoid paying hundreds of dollars by going to the spa with friends, bring the spa to your place instead! Tell all of your friends to bring over a different coloured nail polish to share, whip up some facial masks and body scrubs using some of these recipes, then put out some yummy appetizers and sweet treats for everybody to enjoy.

Have a craft night – With the number of different do-it-yourself craft ideas on Pinterest these days, it seems crazy not to have a craft night with friends at least once during these dark and cold months. You can even do double duty by picking a craft in preparation for the holidays, such as these Christmas tree ornaments or these candy cane hearts.

Host a videogame competition – Chances are that at least a few of your friends already own a videogame console, so it might be a good idea to get everyone together for a big videogame competition at your place. To raise the stakes a bit, and to ensure everyone is in a competitive yet playful mindset, ask everyone to contribute a small prize or cash donation to give to the winning team. To make sure there are no hard feelings once the competition has been won, grab a few plastic medals from the dollar store beforehand to give out to everyone who participated.

Bargainmoosers, what kind of indoor group activities do you do during the cold fall and winter months?

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You may think that all of those celebrities, athletes, and jackpot lottery winners making headlines for their multi-million dollar paycheques don’t have to worry about a thing as a member of the one percent club, but in actual fact many of those people have gone from rags to riches, and back to rags again. It may be hard to imagine not being able to afford a mortgage or having to declare bankruptcy when these millionaires are, well…millionaires, but just because these people made it big doesn’t mean they knew anything about maintaining their wealth or living an affordable lifestyle. Although they probably don’t appreciate having their money woes on full display in the media, at least we all can learn from their mistakes.

Nicolas Cage – He may have won an Oscar and appeared in over 60 movies, but Nicolas Cage was once incredibly close to becoming bankrupt. In 2007 the IRS went after him for neglecting to pay approximately $6.6 million in back taxes dating from 2002, as noted by ABC News. On top of this, he had a bad tendency to spend, spend, spend! Most shopaholics are guilty of overspending on shoes, clothing, and eating out, but Cage went several steps further, preferring to buy castles, yachts, and Rolls Royces. Luckily he was able to forego filing for bankruptcy by taking on more blockbuster roles and selling a few of his palatial houses.

Lesson – It’s simple really: live within your means.  If you make $50,000 per year, don’t expect to live the lifestyle of a rich celebrity; and if you’re a rich celebrity, don’t expect to live the lifestyle of a royal king in your soon to be foreclosed castle.

Kim Basinger – Nicolas Cage isn’t the only actor to make a major money mistake. Kim Basinger, best known for her Academy Award winning performance in 1997’s L.A. Confidential, decided to buy the entire town of Braselton, Georgia for $20 million in 1993. What made this an especially bad investment was that at the time she also breached a contract in which she promised to star in a movie she later pulled out of. She was sued for $8 million and since she had just spent most of her millions on a big piece of land, she was forced to file for bankruptcy, as reported by Fox News.

Lesson – Never invest more money than you can afford to lose, and be aware that by breaching any contract there may be major financial consequences. Also, never buy a town. That’s just never a good idea.

Antoine Walker – If you’re a sports fan, then being a professional athlete may look to you like one of the best jobs in the world. Besides getting to play a sport you love, and getting plenty of recognition for your hard work, your salary is almost always seven figures. So how come NFL player Antoine Walker was writing bad cheques in 2009 when he earned almost $100 million during his career? Besides having a taste for Cartier, he loved to gamble and ended up gambling his entire future away in order to live the high life in Vegas for a few years, explains Bleacher Report.

Lesson – Remember that there is always risk involved with any type of gambling. As much as you may want the odds to be in your favor, the chances of you being richer for longer are exponentially higher if you avoid the casino.

Callie Rogers – This rags to riches story is something every lottery ticket buyer dreams of. At just 16, Rogers won £1.9 million in Britain (about $3 million) and unarguably became the richest person in her high school. Unfortunately, instead of putting the money towards post-secondary education or even putting it in the bank for safekeeping, she ended up blowing her entire fortune by the age of 22, says The Daily Mail. Because she won such a large sum of money at such a young age, she ended up spending her fortune on parties and a greedy boyfriend, and lost everything almost as soon as she had won it.

Lesson ­– Saving and investing are key factors in maintaining your wealth. Also, making sure you surround yourself with people you can trust when the amount of money you have is public knowledge is just as important too. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you need to be a human bank machine for everyone to enjoy.

Bargainmoosers, what’s the biggest money mistake you’ve heard of?

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