Black Friday and local Lawrence holiday sales

My conclusion is that a lot of "deals" on Black Friday are really not good deals, and I prefer to avoid the whole mess. That said, if you really want to do Black Friday, at least read this article from Lifehacker first.
How to Quickly Tell if a Deal is Really a Deal on Black Friday.

If you want to do some fun holiday shopping, I would recommend trying these local Lawrence holiday sales: 


Fair Trade Holiday Market is 11/25 – 11/27 from 8am – 7pm, 11/28 – 12/1 from 11am – 6pm, 12/2 from 11 am-7pm, 12/3 from 8am – 7pm at Ecumenical Christian Ministries. 
The market will feature the same great selection of handcrafted art, crafts, home décor, jewelry, clothing, personal accessories, toys and games that has made it so popular in years past, but this year Lawrence Fair Trade is hosting several fun events and educational activities in conjunction with the market.


Wonder Fair Holiday Market is Fri. Nov. 25 from 6p to 10p at Wonder Fair. 
Beginning Final Friday, November 25th, Wonder Fair transforms into a magical marketplace for your holiday gift-buying needs. All year we specialize in cleverly-designed functional art and original prints, and carry a carefully curated selection of affordable handmade goods. This special month, however, the Wonder Fair will host an expanded group of artists, and a greater variety of their thoughtfully handmade prints, jewelry, home goods, stationery, and unique art objects.


Adornment is Sat Nov. 26 from 7p to 10p at Van Go, Inc.
Let’s set the scene: wildly decorated warehouse and gallery….tons of unique art pieces made by JAMS artists…..200(at least) guests……food and drink…….what is it? Adornment! Van Go’s ‘Adornment’ art show has become their biggest sale all year. With the ever rotating inventory, every year is a must see! Always held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, ‘Adornment’ celebrates Van Go’s young artists and invites the community to join! Free event, open to the public! Prices start at $3.

Bizarre Bazaar is on Sat. Nov. 26 from 9 to 5 at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Bizarre Bazaar is held annually on Thanksgiving weekend. It is located at the Lawrence Art Center at 940 New Hampshire. Come and enjoy all the Bizarre artwork!


Lawrence Art Guild's Holiday Art Fair is on Sat. Dec. 3 at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Join the Lawrence Art Guild  for the 17th annual Holiday Art Fair on December 3, 2011.  This annual art fair is held at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire and features over 50 artists.  Held on the same day as the downtown holiday parade this is a wonderful opportunity to purchase your Holiday gifts!


Lola Giant is Fri/Sat Dec. 10/11 10 to 4 and 12 to 4 at Van Go, Inc. 
Ladies of Lawrence Artwork (LOLA) hosts shows, featuring the handiwork of Lawrence, Kansas women. The participants provide an intimate boutique style shopping experience for the community to browse & interact with the creators themselves. 


Photo from http://www.sxc.hu/

Frugal Thanksgiving table- DIY placemats.

It just occurred to me that besides getting the food together for my Thanksgiving meal, I'm going to want my table to look nice. I am fortunate to have nice dishes from wedding gifts, but beyond that my table is looking a little sparse.  To start, what will cover my table?

Tablecloth v. Placemats
For my Thanksgiving, I'm going to go with placemats, for a few reasons. 1. I do not have a tablecloth that is big enough for my table when it is extended. 2. I might have to use more than one table, and I certainly do not have 2 tablecloths. 3. My meal is going to be pretty casual and I think cute placemats will work better for my style.

That said, I only have 4 placemats, and I'm expecting 10-12 guests. I've always meant to get more placemats... it just somehow always fell to the bottom of my list. :)  So, with a few days left, what to do for more placemats? I could buy some, but that wouldn't be very frugal.  I could probably buy some super cheap ones for the same cost as I can make them, but I'd rather have placemats that are exactly what I want and can use for many years to come. After trolling the internet for an embarrassingly long time, here are the best (easiest & cheapest but still cute) placemats to make.

1. Double-sided fabric placemats. by Centsational Girl

2. Easy no-sew paper placemats. (I would highly recommend laminating them, and you could also use pieces of fabric instead of paper, which could also be laminated.), by Thoughtfully Simple






I think I'm going to opt for the double-sided fabric ones. I won't have to buy much fabric because I've got a lot of it already, and I like the idea of getting two different placemats in one. I think I'm going to do one side a solid neutral color- ivory or taupe perhaps, and the other side printed fabric. I'll post pictures and final costs once I make some!

What are you putting on your table? Anything DIY?

My frugal Thanksgiving shopping list

Here is a shopping list for Thanksgiving (plus a few staples). I've researched the lowest prices in town (most good until 11/24).

• sweet potatoes, per lb   Hyvee $0.59, Walmart $0.28, Checkers $0.44
• white potatoes               Dillons 10lbs/ $1.88, Aldi 10lbs/$1.79
• frozen vegetables          Dillons Kroger brand $1.00
• green beans (canned)   HyVee brand green beans $0.39, Aldi $0.59
• stuffing                           Target Kraft Stove Top Stuffing $0.89
• rolls                                Checkers $0.99/dozen, Aldi $0.99/dozen
• cranberry jelly/sauce     Hyvee $0.95, Aldi $0.89
• butter                             Checkers 1lb $1.98, Aldi 1lb/$1.99
• sugar (granulated)         Dillons 4lb/$1.99, Checkers 4lb/$1.99
• sugar (powdered)    Checkers 2lb/$1.25
• flour                               Dillons 5lb/ $2.49 (but I suspect Aldi or Checkers will be cheaper)
• cream soup                   HyVee $0.67, Checkers $0.60
• french fried onions        Walgreens $1.50
• pie crust                        Aldi $1.89
• cream cheese              Aldi $0.89
• snack crackers    Checkers 2/$3.00
• egg nog    Checkers 1qt/$1.88
• pineapple, whole    Aldi $0.99
• Don't forget the turkey! My turkey entry.

To get my prices, I look at couponmom.com (you do have to create a free account), which is great except it does not include Checkers or ALDI. So I look at those weekly fliers separately: Checkers and ALDI. I also look at the price book I keep for non-advertised regular prices. (When the price book is a bit more complete you can bet I'll post it!)


My Totals:
I'm not buying everything on this list, because I already have some of it, and guests are bringing some things ( green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls, mac’n’cheese, a dessert, wine) but here are my totals:

Dinner for 10: Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, cheesy corn, cranberry jelly, plus guest contributions.

Appetizers/snacks: egg nog, crackers/cheese ball, pineapple.

My total cost = $27.53 (or $2.75 per person!)

Photo courtesy http://www.stockfreeimages.com/

Turkey deals round-up for Lawrence, KS

Readers, I confess that I bought a turkey yesterday without doing my research, but I was so convinced it was a great deal I just went for it. Now I'll do my due diligence and do the research, for you all! (I wonder if I can return the turkey I bought if I find a better deal... ?)




WalMart:
$0.74/lb for frozen turkey
$0.98/lb for frozen Honeysuckle White turkey

Aldi:
$1.08/lb for frozen Butterball

Dillons: (with card)
$0.79/lb for frozen Jennie-O
$0.99/lb for Jennie-O (fresh not frozen)
$0.99/lb for frozen Private Selection or Honeysuckle White

Hy-Vee:
"Buy a Hormel Cure 81 Whole Boneless Ham at $2.99lb., Get a Honeysuckle or Jennie-O Frozen Turkey 10 to 12 lb. average weight free." See coupon in ad.


Checkers:
$0.68/lb frozen turkey (with $40 purchase, regular price $1.18)
$0.98/lb frozen Honeysuckle White
$1.28/lb frozen Butterball

The final score: 
Well, looks like if you're buying groceries anyway, Checkers has the best deal. I bought the $0.74/lb (12lb turkey) at WalMart, so I could have saved $0.72 total if I'd gotten it at Checkers. I'm not sure I'll try to return the one I got for that savings.... I'm not sure I can dig it back out of the freezer. :)

If only a Butterball turkey will do, looks like Aldi has the best price on that one. The Hy-Vee deal is worth looking into if you also want a ham, but definitely check it out, it may be cheaper to buy them separately.

Did I miss any good deals??

A Frugal Thanksgiving

I think I might be doing that thing where I decide to do a huge thing and then later when I'm actually doing the huge thing, I'm like, why did I decide to do this huge thing?

That being said, I've decided to host a "mini-Thanksgiving" at my house the day after Thanksgiving Day for my close relatives that I won't see on Thanksgiving Day (since I will be seeing other relatives). I would like to publicly thank my husband for agreeing to this most exciting and possibly disastrous undertaking. This will be our first Thanksgiving as married people, and what could be more grand than hosting our own (mini) Thanksgiving meal at our own house?




Here's what I'm thinking for a menu:

-Turkey (something like a 12-pounder?)
-Dressing (hoping someone else can be talked into bringing this)
-Mashed potatoes (I am a master potato masher)
-Turkey gravy
-Green bean casserole (hoping my Mom will make this)
-Cheesy corn (don't actually know what this is called, but Grandma Gish makes it and its delicious. I'll post a recipe later.)
-Rolls
-Sweet potato pie (never made this before but had some recently and it was SO TASTY.)
-Cheesecake (certain I can get my Dad to bring this)
-Wine!

I think I can do this meal really frugally (I'll tally it up and report!), especially since guests will bring things. With one expception- I don't know where to get a good deal on a turkey! This is where I ask for HELP! Am I missing anything really important? And where can I get a good deal on a turkey?

**NOTE: I later did the research on turkey and Thanksgiving foods! Check out this entry: 

Photo courtesy of http://www.everystockphoto.com/

What is worth a higher price tag?

Get Rich Slowly  made a post Spend on the Things You Do Every Day  yesterday on a topic I've been thinking a lot about. The topic being, what should you spend your money on? It is unrealistic (and maybe not even smart) to say that everyone should just spend as little as possible on everything. Some exceptions I make are healthy food, quality shoes, beds/mattresses, and tools of all sorts. Both of these articles did a great job of explaining this principle, and are definitely worth a read.

Lifehacker also recently did a post on this The Comfort Principle: Spend Money Where You Spend Your Time. I was particularly pleased with the mention of the desk chair (I know I spend 8+ hours a day in mine!)

What items do you think are worth spending more money on?

2 Frugal recipes

Tried 2 new frugal recipes this weekend.

Split-pea soup in the crockpot: It was SO GOOD, and really easy. Served with corn muffins.

Photo by Paula G

Purchased ingredients:
16 oz bag of dried split peas - $0.99 (regular price at Hy-Vee)
Smoked ham - $2.00/lb, used 2 lbs. (sale price at Hy-Vee)
The rest of the ingredients (onions, carrots, salt, etc. I already had on hand).

Betty Crocker corn bread mix - $0.33 (on sale 3/$1 at Walgreens)

Recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/slow-cooker-split-pea-soup-83008 (I omitted the celery, because I don't like celery. Ha.)

Easy fudge: also SO GOOD and SO EASY. I'm thinking this might be a good one to make and give to people for the holidays.

Purchased ingredients:
2 lbs powdered sugar (used 1 lb for the recipe)- $1.50 (on sale 2/$3 at Dillons)
The rest of the things I already had (cocoa powder, milk, butter, etc.)

Recipe here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1729,150161-231201,00.html (I used powdered milk, made following the directions on the package. I also did not use nuts.)

Weekend update: great deals!

Had a great weekend hunting down some awesome deals. Went to a rummage sale that was a fundraiser for the LHS marching band, and also to an estate auction. Got a lot of things for Christmas gifts, and a few other fun things too.

Rummage sale:
-Overhead projector - $1.00 - my friend Alena had been looking for one of these for a long time so I picked it up for her.
-Magna-doodle- $1.00 - looks brand new, going to give it to my little cousin.
-White ceramic picture frame - $0.75 - new with tags on it, going to put a wedding picture in it for a grandparent's Christmas gift.

Estate auction-
-Large bulletin board- $2.00 - going to paint & decorate it for a little cousin's Christmas gift.
-Box of 20 or so picture frames - $1.00 - going to use these for more wedding pictures for gifts.
-Old red wagon - $6.00 - thought this was too cute to pass up. Maybe I'll put plants in it.

-Wooden duck- $2.00. I don't know. I just love it.











-A thing that I think is an old-fashioned popcorn popper. $1.00. Can anyone verify this? I plan to give it to my Dad to use in his fireplace.

-Antique wall thermometer. $1.00 Already put it up in my kitchen.

- Two awesome granny-style crocheted blankets- $2.50 To use in my house.
- One other thing that I can't mention because its a gift for someone who reads this!

Did you hit up any garage sales or estate sales this weekend? What did you find?

What is your best ever treasure found at a garage sale or auction?

Save money on Christmas gifts by making your own-

This year I’m making most of the Christmas gifts I’m giving. I’m doing this for two reasons: to spend less money, and because I think homemade gifts can be better than store-bought (if done right).

For example, I think that Ugly Dolls are really cute, and I wanted to get one for my 2 year old cousin. Then I realized that even the “Little” dolls were $10 each. I did some searching and found this pattern for a DIY Monster Doll, and I am happy to report that the materials were less than $1, and I spent less than  4 hours on the project. (I am an abnormally slow sewer.)  For the body material I used part of a neon green sweatshirt from my fabric scrap box (free), and for the features I bought felt pieces at Michael’s for 5/$1, and I used only about ¼ of two of the sheets (about $0.05 worth). I also already had white thread, and the other sewing supplies I needed. For the stuffing I bought a (new with tags on it) ugly throw pillow at a Lawrence thrift store for $0.25 and cut it open and used maybe ¼ of the poly-fill. 

I am really pleased with how it came out, and I think it will be extra-special because I made it just for her (using colors she likes, etc.)

Obviously, a Monster Doll may not be the right gift for everyone on your list. I’m making some other gifts this year as well, but I’m hesitant to write about them here, lest I ruin the surprises! What I can offer is this list of my hand-picked favorite DIY gift ideas. 

A DIY Christmas: 34 Great Homemade Gifts You Can Make - from Get Rich Slowly (I like the Secret Hollow Book, Stationary Sets, and Teacup Candles. Also my family has done the Family Cookbook before and it was a lot of fun! These can all be made from things you already have, or cheap thrift-store treasures.)

16 Cheap Homemade Christmas Gift Giving [To-Make] from Tip Junkie (I like the Make Up Roll Up Bag, Hot/Cold Therapy Sacks, and the various Etched Glass items.)

DIY Christmas Gifts that Don't Suck from yes and yes (I like the Finger Puppets, Cat & Dog Treats, Silhouette Portraits, and Wool Mittens.)

And don't forget there are lots of books with DIY gift ideas at the Lawrence Public Library! For inexpensive materials, check out my list of Lawrence, KS thrift and bargain stores. And don't forget your frugal wrapping- ideas here. 

Driving slower saves $$ - told you so!

Proof that you do save money by driving slower! Finally. Now my husband should stop teasing me and telling me I drive like a grandma. Because, while I do drive like a grandma, its for a good reason.

One of my favorite money blogs, The Simple Dollar, did the math for us. Thanks!

This is why I'm not a fan of the increased speed (75 MPH!) on I-70. I typically go 65 or 70, but feel like people are going to run over me. Anyone else driving under the speed limit on I-70, or elsewhere?

Frugal web tool (and games!)

I have some fantastic websites to tell you about.

The first is Mint.com.      I have been using this (free, of course) tool for a few months now. The purpose of this tool is to track your money- bank accounts, loans, credit cards, etc. What is cool about it is is that it breaks it down into categories (Groceries, Mortgage/Rent, Clothing, Hobbies, Travel, Coffeeshops, Restaurants, etc.) so you can see EXACTLY where your money goes. I really had no idea how much I was spending on clothes! This type of tracking is really key if you are trying to lower your spending. I was really focused on our grocery bill, which is good, but not that helpful if a bunch of money is being spent on clothes & other non-necessities. Mint is also helpful because you can set budgets & goals. I really like this because I like to see the charts and graphs fill up. It makes it more like a game for me (a self-proclaimed videgame nerd.) One note: if you don't feel comfortable using Mint.com, I know that many banks offer a similar tool- I know Meritrust Credit Union (where I bank) has one.

Speaking of games-
The other website is Saveup.com, (also free) which I just found out about today (on Lifehacker.com, a favorite of mine) and I'm already hooked. Saveup makes a game of saving money- literally. Lifehacker explains it better than I can but the general principle is that you get points for making good financial decisions. For each dollar that you put in your savings account, or that you use to pay off a debt, you get a point. (You link your existing bank/credit accounts so they can be tracked, I've checked into it and believe this is completely safe.) Then you use these points to try to win prizes on Saveup!

What is your favorite financial tool site (or software)? I know people use a lot of different things and I'd love to hear reviews.

You don't have to give up coffee, or bring it from home, to save money.

It seems like every financial advisor in the last 10 years has been promoting the idea that if you would just "stop buying expensive lattes" and invest the $50 a month you're spending on them, your financial woes will be over.

I'm here to tell you that no, it's not really a good idea to buy expensive lattes everyday. I can, however, tell you that you don't have to go without your good coffee.  One of my favorite blogs, The Simple Dollar, has finally done the math on just how much you can save by bringing your own GOURMET coffee from home. No Folgers for us, folks! The bottom line is that even with really nice coffee and expensive creamers, a 16 oz. coffee brought from home costs under $0.70.  So, keep that in mind.

But there is another option.

I brought my coffee from home for months. The coffee was delicious, but it created problems for me. Most notably:

• having too many things to carry across campus (not enough hands!)
• in the winter my coffee being cold by the time I got to my office
• and last but not least- spilling the coffee on myself repeatedly during my trek to the office. 

I have found a good compromise- it's still cheaper than the $4 latte, and only $0.27 more than bringing coffee from home. The refill! I am lucky enough to have a snackbar/coffeeshop in my building. I found out a few months ago that they charge only $1.00 plus tax for a coffee "refill", which means that you bring your own cup and get coffee from the pump pot. Then I found out that there is a free Coffee Club Card offered by Pulse (the company that runs the coffeeshops on the KU campus) that gives you a 10% discount on all purchases. So I've got my card, and a cup that I keep at my desk, and I get my coffee every morning for $0.97.  Besides, using a re-usable cup is good for the environment, too. I've had my trusty blue cup for years!

Now while you may not have a Pulse where you work, check out the "refill" prices at your regular stop, you may be surprised how cheap they can be. I know, for example, that Aimee's Coffeehouse has a cheap refill. Any other local Lawrence shops with a good refill price?

I hope you enjoy the cell phone photo of my cubicle with my coffee. :) And no, I did not pay full price for the No Coffee No Workee sticker!