A day trip that is! As some of you may know, I live relatively close to the Canada/US border (I am on the Canadian side, less than thirty minutes from the border), which has some advantages when it comes to wanting to do some shopping in the US. There are some nice American clothing brands that we don’t get up here, so it’s nice to head down to Bellis Fair in Washington State every once in awhile and treat myself. Never have I done any Christmas shopping in the US though, but I am considering making a day trip in order to take advantage of the strong Canadian dollar and all of the big Christmas sales that will soon be going on.
Now, I have seen the madness of Black Friday sales on television, and am a bit nervous about the mayhem, however a large part of me really wants to snag some deals! So, what do you guys think, am I crazy or are the potential savings really worth navigating through the huge crowds?
It is downright cold outside, and in fact we are in the middle of a massive rainstorm, so I am hiding inside with the family and preparing to bake some goodies. I love to bake my own cookies, treats and snacks for my family so that we will have delicious home made goods for whenever the urge for a treat strikes. Some we will eat fresh and some will be put into the freezer for quick, ready-made treats months down the road.
It’s much, much more frugal to bake goods from scratch than it is to purchase baked goods from a supermarket or bakery, and they are often healthier as you can control the amount of sugar and fat that goes into them. Also, kids tend to love to help out with baking so it makes for a great frugal activity for the whole family. And even if your little ones don’t love the baking they may enjoy decorating cookies or cupcakes, and of course eating the final product!
The thought of home made Christmas gifts has come up a lot lately in my circle of friends. The truth of the matter is while we all love the holiday season and enjoy exchanging presents with friends and family, many of us are finding ourselves a little short on cash this year. I’m sure many of you can relate, as layoffs and economic uncertainly has been a worldwide problem this year, leaving quite a few folks with drained bank accounts and a lack of money for Christmas gifts.
I guess some people feel a little silly giving home made gifts, but my opinion is that they really shouldn’t. I and many of the people I know just love to receive home made gifts (especially yummy ones like home baked fudge or chocolates!) and feel they are appropriate no matter what the giver’s economic circumstance happens to be. Home made gifts take longer to prepare and are considered something truly special by many, so whether you’re strapped for cash or simply want to give more wholesome gifts this year, why not consider making your gifts yourself?
Save to Browser Favorites
Ask
backflip
blinklist
BlogBookmark
Bloglines
BlogMarks
Blogsvine
BUMPzee!
CiteULike
co.mments
Connotea
del.icio.us
DotNetKicks
Digg
diigo
dropjack.com
dzone
Facebook
Fark
Faves
Feed Me Links
Friendsite
folkd.com
Furl
Google
Hugg
Jeqq
Kaboodle
kirtsy
linkaGoGo
LinksMarker
Ma.gnolia
Mister Wong
Mixx
MySpace
MyWeb
Netvouz
Newsvine
PlugIM
popcurrent
Propeller
Reddit
Rojo
Segnalo
Shoutwire
Simpy
Slashdot
Sphere
Sphinn
Spurl.net
Squidoo
StumbleUpon
Technorati
ThisNext
Webride
Windows Live
Yahoo!
Email This to a Friend
If you like this then please subscribe to the 
