7 Top Tips to Enjoy a Frugal Halloween Party on a Budget
One of the enjoyable aspects of Halloween are the parties. Throwing a Halloween party can get quite expensive. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. Following are just a few of frugal and budget-friendly Halloween Party tips to help you and your family enjoy a frugal Halloween party on a budget.
1. Buy your candy early and check out the bulk food stores, warehouse clubs and dollar stores. Candy takes stage front and center during Halloween and the weeks preceding it. However, candy can be purchased year around. In fact, if you’re a savvy Halloween shopper and party thrower, you’ll buy next year’s candy right after the Halloween holiday. That’s when it’s cheapest. It’s kind of like buying a turkey the day after Thanksgiving.
2. Invite your guests to bring their favorite Halloween party snacks. This will save you a lot of time and money preparing snacks and you’ll get to enjoy all of the creative snacks people bring. You can then devote your attention to making scary but delicious punch, and decorating.
3. Gift bags – Visit a website like Orientaltrading.com for great goodie bag items. They have all sorts of fantastic Halloween knick-knacks and crafts for an extremely low price. You can also visit your local dollar store for great ideas.
4. Invitations – You can use an online invitation system like evite.com to send email invitations, or if you like old school traditional invitations consider making them yourself. A cut-out black spider from construction paper, glued onto a white note card, is a simple and attractive invitation. You can also make them on your computer if you’re not crafty.
5. Set the mood with music. Fortunately, music is now quite inexpensive. You can download a Halloween album or scary sounds for just a few bucks. Plug in your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and repeat and your music is set. You can also position speakers in the windows on the front of your home to set the mood for partygoers as they approach your house.
6. Carve pumpkins – This makes both a great decoration for the party and a fun yet inexpensive activity for party goers.
7. Speaking of decorations, you can find them quite cheaply right after the holiday for next year. Also check on auction sites for decorations. Another option is to make your decorations yourself. Sheets, black dye, cotton balls pulled out to make spider webs and other items you can find around your home are enough to create a scary scene. And if you don’t want scary (maybe the children are too young) you can create cute Halloween decorations too. Spiders, bats and Jack O’Lanterns – oh, my!
With a little planning and creativity, it’s easy to enjoy a frugal Halloween party on a budget. Be prepared to plan ahead, ask others to contribute, and embrace your crafty side. This holiday only happens once a year so enjoy it and make the most of it.
With the prices of commercial cleaners, having a clean home and car can be costly. Also, many of the ready-made cleaners you buy in the store can damage the environment. Here are some cleaning products you can make yourself at home, which are better for the environment and your budget.
Drain Unclogger and Freshener - The next time your drain is plugged, choose a safer and more cost-effective way to unclog it. Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain. Add 1 cup of hot vinegar. Wait 5 minutes. Flush the drain with 2 quarts of hot water. Repeat if needed.
Homemade Glass Cleaner - To clean glass, combine 2 cups water, ½ cup white vinegar, and ¼ cup rubbing alcohol. Store the mixture in a clean spray bottle. To use, spray the solution on a rag or paper towel then wipe glass.
Homemade Furniture Polish - Make your furniture shine by mixing 1 cup of olive oil with ½ cup of lemon juice in a clean spray bottle. Shake the solution well before each use. To use, apply a small amount to your cleaning cloth or rag. Spread the polish over the furniture evenly. Dry the surface with a clean cloth.
Homemade Multi-Purpose Cleaner - You can easily keep bathroom and kitchen surfaces clean with this solution. Mix 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a clean spray bottle to create your own multi-purpose cleaner.
Homemade Floor Cleaners - Commercial cleaners are handy, but these are very simple to make and much more affordable. To make a cleaner for your wood floor, mix ½ cup of white vinegar with ½ cup of vegetable oil. This will make your floors shine as beautifully as any commercial cleaner. To clean your linoleum or tile floors, mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, ¼ cup of baking soda, 2 gallons of water and ¼ cup white vinegar.
Homemade Car Cleaning Products - You can save money by cleaning your car yourself using these environmentally friendly recipes. To wash the exterior of the car, all you need is a bucket of water and some liquid castile soap. Add a few drops of soap to the water and wash.
For an environmentally safe chrome cleaner, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water. Spray the solution on your wheels and rub with a sponge or cleaning rag. You can make a carpet and upholstery stain remover with white vinegar and baking soda. Make a paste with the vinegar and soda. Work the paste into any stains with a small scrub brush. Let the paste dry then vacuum. Any stains should be gone.
Now you can keep the environment clean while cleaning your home and car. Using the above recipes will also keep your cleaning costs down.
Easy Strategies to Practice Self-Discipline and Frugality – Frugal Tips
Deciding to practice self-discipline and be frugal in your spending is one thing. Actually doing so is often quite another. Our old habits are hard to break. However, if you apply frugal strategies to your spending, you will find it easier to practice self-discipline and frugality.
Here are some easy frugal tips and frugal strategies to get you started:
1. Change your attitude about money. How you think about money determines the role it plays in your life. Stop thinking that you have to have the same things as everyone else. Instead, focus on what you really need instead of what you just want.
2. Recognize and be grateful for all the positives in your life. Changing your perspective can help you see the abundance you already enjoy, regardless of how much money you have to spend.
3. Take positive action. It can be tempting to make excuses about why you can never save any money, or why you can’t spend less than you already do. Instead of wasting energy complaining about it, focus on positive steps you can take. Can you do something to bring in some extra income? Do you have any unneeded items you can sell on eBay or Craigslist? This can give you a sense of control over your finances and a more positive outlook.
4. Learn to make and fix things yourself. Packaged foods and restaurant meals are convenient. However, they are an unnecessary expense and can quickly ruin your budget. You can learn how to make them yourself. You can also save money by making your own home-made cleaning supplies, specialty coffees, and many other things you buy. As well, learn to fix things around the house instead of replacing them when they break.
5. Comparison shop. If you’ve always shopped at one particular store for your favorite products, it may be time to do a little comparison shopping. Shop around for better deals. You may even want to check online and see if you can order your items for a better price. It might be time to try a less expensive brand as well.
6. Track your spending. Knowing exactly where your money is going will help you keep on top of your spending. Even small expenditures can add up over time. Track every purchase you make, no matter how small. You might be surprised to find how much money is really slipping through your fingers. Having to record each purchase will also help you maintain self-discipline in your spending.
7. Explore other options. Just because you’ve always done something one way, it doesn’t mean you can’t change your patterns. Do you need to drive to work, or could you save money by carpooling instead? Do you need the full cable package for your TV, or is this a good time to turn off the television and get the family outdoors? Looking at all your options will help you decide which are the best for you and will help you save money.
If you’ve decided to practice self-discipline and frugality in your spending, you will have many challenges to overcome. However, by applying some of the above strategies to your spending habits, you will find it much easier to follow through.
It’s that time of year again, and the age-old question of what to feed your children for lunch while they at school is upon you once again. With all of the talk about the poor quality of school lunches, you may decide to start sending a lunch with your children. But if they are like most kids, their first choices may not be the healthiest or the least expensive.
To recharge them after a long morning and get them through the day, avoid sugary foods and provide at least one source of protein. Remember to pack a dairy product, use whole grains, and give them at least two veggie or fruit items.
Here are some simple ideas for keeping them healthy and strong while keeping your budget under control:
1. Sandwiches – Peanut butter, deli slices, cheese, or even leftover meat loaf or roast beef all make great sandwich fixings. Pair them with whole grain bread, pitas or tortillas. Add the complimentary condiments in separate containers to keep the bread from getting soggy, and include a plastic knife for preparation.
2. Jello – Most children adore a Jello snack in their lunch box, but purchasing these pre-made can get pricey. Instead, buy boxes of Jello powder and mix it up over the weekend to dole out each day. Use fruit juice in place of water or add canned fruit to the mix to take care of one of your daily servings of fruit. Invest in some small plastic containers that are about the size of the pre-made Jello cups to make it easier.
3. Fresh fruit – Toss an apple, orange or banana into the lunch box each day. If it isn’t eaten at lunch, chances are it will get eaten after school. Fresh fruit is better than canned fruit and if sent whole it doesn’t require a special container of its own.
4. Fresh vegetables – Baby carrots, celery slices, broccoli pieces, cherry tomatoes and even salad are easy to carry in a lunch box and can stand alone or go well paired with dip or dressing in a separate container.
5. Soup – Mix up a batch of home-made soup or stew over the weekend or open a can of soup and heat it up to boiling before school. Pour it into a thermos and it should still be safely hot by lunchtime. Pair it with items that do not need to be cold to ensure everything in the lunch box remains at a safe temperature.
6. Chips – You can avoid regular potato chips and still have a cheap, healthy addition to your child’s meal. While pricier, whole grain and baked chips will provide a nutritional advantage over the white flour and fried varieties. Purchase large bags of chips and dole them out in baggies or washable plastic containers each day to keep costs down.
7. Milk or yogurt – Many schools will allow your child to purchase a container of milk, or you can send along a thermos of ice-cold milk. Send a container of yogurt; if frozen overnight it should be nicely thawed by lunch time and will help keep other items cold during the morning.
With many of these options, refrigeration or heating is required but probably not allowed. Investing in a good quality thermal lunch box, a freezer pack and a thermos to keep items hot or cold is well worth it. Use washable containers for each item instead of disposable baggies to keep your long-term expense down.
Making wise choices for your children’s lunches this school year will keep both them and your bank account healthy and strong.
For many families, owning a car is not a luxury but an important necessity. However, there are a lot of costs associated with owning a car. There is the cost of gas and regular maintenance. There is also the cost of car repairs. No matter how well you care for your car, there will be times when it needs to be repaired.
If you don’t know a lot about cars, you may feel that you’re at the mercy of the repair shop and have to spend whatever they tell you it will cost. However, there are steps you can take to make sure you’re saving as much money as possible on your next car repair.
* Call independent repair shops instead of dealerships – Dealerships often recommend you call them first about your car repair, since they are most familiar with your vehicle and have the same brand of parts in stock. However, this is often the most expensive route to go. Instead of calling dealerships, call independent repair shops and see if they can give you a better deal.
* Buy your own replacement parts – There is always a cost for labor and parts. When the car repair shop shops for replacement parts for your vehicle, they are not looking for the best deal for you. They are probably thinking more about their convenience. You can save money by shopping around for your own replacement parts. Then your only other cost will be the labor.
* Try to repair it yourself – Some car repairs are minor and can easily be accomplished on your own. Research online to find out what the problem with your car is. You can also get a repair manual for your car. Use what you learn to find the correct parts to repair it and fix it yourself. Not only will you save money, you will gain new knowledge and confidence about repairing your car.
* Perform regular maintenance – Sometimes, major repair jobs can be avoided all together simply by following the recommended maintenance routine for your vehicle. For example, the cost of having your engine cooling system repaired on time will be much less than the possible repair bill for an overheated engine if you don’t.
* Get a second opinion – Some repair shops will recommend that you make other repairs that aren’t really necessary at that time, and that you can’t afford. To make sure you’re getting the real story on what’s wrong with your car, take it to another repair shop and see what they say. If the two opinions are vastly different, you know you have some more research to do and that one of them may be trying to take advantage of you.
Car repairs are an unavoidable expense of owning a car. However, with the proper maintenance, some research and creativity, you can keep this expense under control.
When you’re planning your wedding, one of the things you’ll want to remember to budget for are the wedding favors. These are the souvenirs that your guests will take home from your wedding as a thank you for participating in your special day. So, this is not an area where you want to scrimp. You hope that your guests will enjoy your gift to them, and see it as a token of your appreciation. However, you don’t want to blow your budget on buying wedding favors either. Here are some ideas for great wedding favors on a budget.
Bulk gifts. Items like candy and potpourri can make lovely wedding favors. You can buy them pre-packaged from bridal shops, but it is smarter to buy them in bulk and package them yourself. Instead of shopping at an expensive wedding store, visit a grocery or hobby shop for discount pricing. To create your own gift wrapped packages, wrap bundles of the bulk item in tulle and tie with a ribbon.
Make homemade treats. For a personal touch, make homemade treats to give to your guests. Special cookies are always welcome. If you make homemade candy, that can also be a nice gift. When you wrap them up, add a handwritten note thanking your guests for sharing your day with you. It will be an extra special touch that will make your favour all the more meaningful.
Candles and votives. Candles and votives can be beautiful reminders of your wedding day. Look for candles in the same colors as your wedding decorations. Almost everyone enjoys candles so it is a practical gift as well. These are also very affordable when purchased at discount or bulk stores.
Bubbles. For a fun twist and lots of laughs, give each guest a small bottle of bubbles as a thank you. Tie a note with the date of your wedding around the neck of the bottle. These will provide entertainment during the reception too, as most guests won’t wait until they get home to blow their bubbles.
Make Music. Another idea is to burn a CD of music to commemorate your special day and give a copy to each guest. Be sure to follow copyright laws. Whenever they play your CD, your guests will think of you.
Flowers and Plants. If you’re having a spring or summer wedding, consider giving out packets of seeds as a wedding favor. These will be a long-lasting fragrant reminder of your nuptials. Alternatively, you can give out tiny potted plants for a spring garden. These are very inexpensive, and if you buy in bulk, you may be able to get further discounts.
Scented soaps. These are another item you might want to consider giving out as a favor. They have an attractive scent, and often come in pretty shapes and wrappings. They are another practical gift that is pretty to look at as well.
There are many options for buying great wedding favors on a budget. When you use your creativity for buying thoughtful gifts for your guests, they will be appreciated all the more.
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