October 7 ~ Give it Up

Give up one purchased soda, coffee, or other beverage today.  Take that 50 cents or dollar and drop it in the next charity container you come across.  Now, allow yourself to feel good about being the sharing and caring person you are!

Light the Way October 6

In colder parts of the country putting up outdoor lighting has to be done very early if you want to save yourself some headaches, and possibly some frostbite.  Yes, I know it's still way too early even in those cold areas but since I'm seeing the Halloween decorations going up in my neighborhood I realized a few Christmas lights on the shrubs and bushes might just set them off very nicely...and give you a big jump on your Christmas decorating.  Here's a great video to help you light the way...

Set Up the Shrub Lighting - Holiday Decorations

October 5 ~ Why Holly?

    Did you ever wonder why holly is so strongly connected to the Christmas Holiday.  No, it's not the name of the plant that makes it special.  Holly was considered a magical plant by the Druids, who believed it symbolized fertility and eternal life.  Hanging holly branches in the home was thought to bring good luck and protection.  As with many other pagan symbols and rituals, the holly was adopted by the Christians and given new Christian symbolism.  

     In any event, the fact that Holly is an everygreen and sports its bright red berries against the white winter background make it a beautiful plant and a great decorating option.

October 4 ~ Fill the candy bowl

While everyone else is buying Halloween candy, pick up a couple bags of Starlight Mints.  They're available year round in both red (peppermint) and green (spearmint).  Fill up a big bowl of them an leave it on your desk to share with co-workers.  This simple little candy can remind you to keep the Christmas spirit in your heart.

A little Comedy Oct 3

Thought I send a smile to everyone today...  Dumb but funny, so let yourself laugh...

The old fashioned Christmas Club October 2

I remember when almost everyone had a "Christmas Club" account at the bank.  You don't hear much about them anymore.  I suppose it might have to do with the economy, or the increase in credit card use.  I've actually begun to contribute to a medical flex spending plan at work.  I save up my medical expense receipts and turn them in when it gets close to the holiday and I want to start my shopping.  It's a good idea, but I admit it doesn't always work because some emergency will come up before that and I need a little extra cash.  But, if you don't spread your Christmas shopping out throughout the year, some kind of a Christmas club is a good idea.  You might also want to encourage your children to become savers, and the idea that they will be saving for an event might make it a little easier to get them started.  Find a fun piggy bank that represents what they are saving for as a reminder to them.

Fall is in the Air ~ October 1

     Well, it's really starting to feel like fall here, and all of the grocery stores are putting up the Halloween decor.  One thing you'll see this time of year are pumpkins...big ones, small ones, ready picked or pick your own.  If you have children of the right age, picking your own can be a real family treat.  Making a full day of pumpkin picking activities.  If you don't have kids of that age you might want to recruit some for a day so you can enjoy this event, maybe Grandkids, or nieces and nephews, or maybe you could just tag along with a some friends and their kids.  
     My point in all of this is a simple (and frugal yet again) suggestion.  If you are so inclined to purchase a pumpkin or two for Halloween decoration, you might want to consider painting on your scary faces rather then carving them.  First of all it's a lot safer for little kids, a lot less messy for mom to clean up, and if your timing is good you can then use the meat of the pumpkin for your holiday baking.

     Yes, that canned stuff you buy to make pumpkin pie really did start out as one of those big orange things, and it really isn't difficult to prepare a fresh pumpkin for yourself.  We did this last year and found the instructions on the Pick Your Own website very helpful.  As a side note, once you have your pumpkin cooked, you can freeze it for later use...like for some homemade pies for Christmas....

     Follow this delicious looking pie (and yes ours looked just as good) for the instructions.

You might also want to go to this sites home page and bookmark it....it's a great source for information about U-Pick farms all over the country.