First thing – an apology. This Festival of Frugality post should have been up yesterday morning, but as always seems to be the way, things went wrong at the worst possible moment. (Although my boychild reminds me, there’s never a good moment for things to break or go wrong.)

My computer decided that Monday evening was a great time to come down with the flu. Or in this case, a nasty virus that had my computer locked up tight for a while. Several hours, and a brand new install of Windows later all seemed to be fine. Back on track I could get the post completed and up by end of day yesterday. Or so I thought. Again, Murphy’s Law laughed at my puny attempts and decided that it was a great time to knock out the cable for nearly 24 hours so that I had no internet. Ok, so I don’t know that it was Murphy – it might have been the construction guys that happen to be replacing the elevators in my building and fixing the roof after the heavy rain this week. And maybe one of those guys is named Murphy. Either way… here we are with a late, but packed-to-the-brim with great stuff, Festival of Frugality #307.

Onward!

Christmas

• Miranda at PTMoney.com has some great finance-oriented gift ideas for kids – 10 Fantastic Financial Christmas Gifts Ideas for Children.
• Marie decks the halls with Five Budget Christmas Decorating Ideas.
• Amanda suggests you Create Memories with 6 Inexpensive Experience Gifts.
• Money is the Root dares you to Challenge Your Holiday Gift Giving Traditions.
• The Holidays don’t have to blow your budget – 9 Ways to Save Money on Christmas Gifts.
• Lisa at Cents to Save updates us on the $500 Holiday Challenge.
• Some great tips from Hank with 7 Ways Not To Go Into Debt This Christmas.
• Miranda has 3 Tips for Giving Cards This Holiday Season.
• Marie has advice on How to Make Money From Unwanted Gift Cards.
• Ever struggle with what to buy for those impossible-to-buy-for people? Shopping Detox has some answers.

Extravagance

• Shawanda discusses justifying extravagances with $36,000 a Year for Private School and Other Reasonable, Ridiculous Ways to Spend over at You Have More Than You Think.
• Corey ponders Does Cheap Perfume Exist? at 20′s Finances.
• Jason suggests we pull the plug - Five Ways to Save Money on Cable.
• Squirrelers has a few ideas on Saving Money on Watching Movies.
• Jon the Saver gives us 11 rules to Save Big with an Entertainment Book.
• Free By 50 suggests you Consider Waiting Until Summer to Buy Entertainment Books.

Travel

• Boomer & Echo discusses Air Mile Travel: Redeeming for Flights.
• Traveling Abroad? John at Wallet Blog explains how using credit cards can actually save you on currency exchange when you travel.
• Pam helps us Plan a Budget Friendly Getaway.

Home Sweet Home

Everything Else

• How to Make Your Own Clothes – a great primer from Prairie EcoThrifter.
• Frugality Gone Bad? Ashley learns that sometimes frugality can go wrong, oops!
• The Frugal Toad defines the CPI – Consumer Price Index as part of a Finance for Dummies series.
• 7 (More) Weird Things in Your Trash Worth Cash ties in nicely with my electronics woes this week.
• Alex suggests some Cheap Activities To Do With Your Kids When It’s Raining.
• Lazy Man and Money breaks down both the good and the bad of Republic Wireless’ $19 a Month Unlimited Android Plan.
• What’s the cost of convenience? Save Money on Food by Buying at a Grocery Store Instead of a Drugstore.
• Control Your Cash answers some financial questions.
• These 23 Powerful Tips and Tools to Eliminate Debt will show you how to get to know your debt and create a debt repayment plan.
• Chris discusses how not all coupon sites are created equal with Deal Websites That Actually Help You Save.
• Jacob suggests you start’m young – Important Money Skills to Teach Your Children.
• Melissa explains The Three Best Financial Moves You Can Make For Your Child.
• Have you started saving for your child’s education? How to Save For A Child’s Education will guide you.
• Roshawn asks What You Would Do Differently?
• Financial Highway gives us 45 Ways to Save Money on the highway to financial freedom.
• Is Income Disparity Good? Darwin explains why it is.
• Matt shows why spending a little time shopping around can save you money.
• Hannah explains how she graduated with a surplus.
• Barbara discusses being frugal and green with cloth napkins.
• Mama Squirrel offers a toast to hard times.
• D.J. has Ten Tips on Saving on Winter Clothing.

It’s available in Yellow, Red, and Blue.

This looks like a perfect Santa gift or stocking stuffer. Not sure how long the price will be so low so don’t wait!

345 Passmore Avenue (W. of Markham Road)
Hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm

Information call: 1 800 418 3325

Sale ends December 23, 2011

While I really don’t need a new jacket this year, I’m tempted. Some great deals here. Prices are more than 50% off on great jacket styles for Men and Women.

Now I need to hide this from my teenage son before he gets any ideas

Fortunately, it’s looking like some Canadian stores are catching on to the idea of Black Friday and I’ve been seeing some Canadian retailers embrace the idea of Black Friday.

Zellers is having a “Moonlight Madness” sale this Friday (Saturday in some areas) with some great deals. Click the flyer image below to go to a complete list of store locations and sale hours.

The Night Before

• Do a quick tidy up.
• Set the table and get out any serving dishes, small appliances and utensils you will need.
• Arrange a fresh bowl of fruit and nuts (don’t forget the nutcracker!) as a centerpiece on the table.
• Gather all non-perishable food items you’ll need tomorrow and place somewhere easy to reach but not in the way.
• Move anything that needs to thaw from the freezer to the fridge.
• Mix 1 can (16 ounces) whole berry cranberry sauce with 1 well drained can (8 ounces) mandarin oranges and 1 well drained can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple. Cover and refrigerate.

One Hour Before Dinner

• Heat oven to 350F
• Into a greased, shallow baking dish empty 2 packages (16 ounces each) of frozen mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, etc.). Top with a package of seasoned bread crumbs combined with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and dot with butter or margarine. Cover and place in oven.
• Drain one large (40 ounce) can of yams or sweet potatoes. In a deep, well greased casserole dish, mash the yams with 1/4 cup each maple syrup and orange juice, 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg and salt. Cover and place in oven.
• Stack turkey slices cut 1/4 to 1/2 thick from the deli in the middle of a large, well buttered, sheet of foil. Rub some dried sage onto each slice. Wrap well in the buttered foil, place in a shallow baking dish and place in oven.
• Prepare 1 package of instant mashed potatoes using package directions either on stove top or in microwave.
• Prepare one package of stove top style stuffing following package directions either on stove or in microwave.
• Mix and heat 2 cans (12 ounces) of turkey or chicken gravy.
• Toss 1 package of packaged mixed greens salad with diced fresh tomato, apple and cucumber.

10 Minutes Before Dinner

• Uncover vegetable dish and return to oven to let brown.
• Stir finely snipped chives into mashed potatoes.
• Serve salad along with 2 or 3 bottled salad dressings and bread or rolls.

To Serve Dinner

• Place cranberry sauce in small dish on table.
• Spoon the mashed potatoes and the yams into serving bowls and bring to table.
• Arrange turkey slices in middle of a large platter, spooning any juices from foil over top. Then spoon some gravy over top of turkey. Put remaining gravy in a gravy boat or other serving dish and bring the gravy to the table.
• Arrange the stuffing on one side of the turkey on the large platter and the vegetables on the other side. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley and bring to table.

Finish off with a pumpkin pie and some iced cream.

There we are, dinner is served!

Happy Thanksgiving!



photo by SanFranAnnie via Flickr

photo by simplyla

With only 5 short weeks left until Christmas we sometimes feels as though we don’t have enough time to think let alone knit up a few great gifts. With Thanksgiving just a few days away for most of the Frugal Family Life readers, the air is crackling with a mixture of excitement, stress, fun and panic is equal portions. Holiday music is playing in the malls. Many folks have their holidays lights up and will begin trimming the Christmas trees over the holiday weekend.

As I looked through my own holiday decorations the other day, I realized that some of our Christmas stockings are getting a bit tattered looking and it might be time to get some new ones. Which led me to dig through my yarn stash and do a search for free Christmas Stocking patterns. I’m going to attempt to get 2 matching stockings knit this year. Below are 8 free Christmas stocking patterns I’ve found online this week but I haven’t settled on a pattern yet. I love the simplicity and old fashioned feeling of the Striped Christmas Stocking. The Fisherman (or Aran) Stocking is so elegant in that creamy wool. Nicky Epstein’s Stocking is so fun and lively. My yarn stash has yield nothing that would be suitable for Christmas Stockings so I have a hunch that I’ll be leaving the final stocking decision until I’m in the yarn shop tomorrow to choose.

In the meantime, here are 8 lovely free Christmas Stocking patterns to knit that range from very basic to intermediate knitting levels.
I’ll share some photos of my stocking progress soon.

Christmas Stockings to Knit

• Personalized Christmas Stocking from 1945
• Fisherman Or Aran Christmas Stocking Knitting Pattern
• Canadian Living’s Knitting Christmas Stockings
• Simple Knit Christmas Stocking Pattern
• Basic Christmas Stocking with Bow – Make a Christmas Stocking in an evening, using large needles and super bulky yarn!
• Striped Christmas Stocking
• Nicky Epstein’s Christmas Stocking Pattern – this stocking looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
• Assorted Christmas Stocking Patterns from Lion Brand Yarns

Knit Christmas Stocking Pattern Books

There are some great knitting books with just Christmas Stocking patterns out there as well!

• Knit Christmas Stockings!: 19 Patterns for Stockings and Ornaments
• Nicky’s Knitted Christmas Stockings (Leisure Arts #3689)
• Christmas Stockings: Holiday Treasures to Knit
• The Stockings Were Knit (Leisure Arts #4962)
• Dale of Norway Christmas Stocking Knitting Kits
• Rustic Christmas Stocking – One Knitting Pattern for One Stocking

If you don’t have an actual Kindle ebook reader you can download a free Kindle application that will work on your PC as well as for most tablets and smartphones.

• Skulduggery Pleasant: Scepter of the Ancients
• THE HALLOWEEN COLLECTION FROM THE INDIE ECLECTIVE
• Here Be Monsters – An Anthology of Monster Tales
• Scream Angel
• Horror at Halloween: Part One
• Jack and Mr. Grin
• The Zombie’s Bride
• Terror by Night
• Melvin the Dry Cleaning Zombie and Vampire Shoe Warehouse
• Ghost Hunting Diary Volume I (Ghost Hunting Diaries)
• Ghost Plane and Other Disturbing Tales
• Zombies Eat Lawyers
• Song of the Vampire
• What the Dead Fear
• Vampires, Thieves, and Griffins (An Orbit Sampler): Orbit October-December 2011
• Delightfully Twisted Tales: Wisps, Spells and Faerie Tales (Volume Four)
• A Reluctant Vampire

Other Free Kindle book posts you might enjoy:

• Free Classic Tales of Horror and Mystery for the Kindle
• 17 Free Cookbooks for Kindle

Featured image “Snow White’s Scary Adventures Spell Book” by funnyboy73 use under Creative Commons license.

Happy reading!

Classics:
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• The Raven
• The Masque of the Red Death
• Household Tales by Brothers Grimm
• The Island of Doctor Moreau
• The Invisible Man
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Phantom of the Opera
• Dracula
• Frankenstein

If you don’t have an actual Kindle ebook reader you can download a free Kindle application that will work on your PC as well as for most tablets and smartphones.

Other Free Kindle book posts you might enjoy:

• 17 Free Cookbooks for Kindle
• Free Books You Can Sink Your Teeth Into: Halloween & Horror Books for Kindle

(Note: To be published October 18th, 2011)

Featured image “Night of the Raven” by AlicePopkorn used under Creative Commons license.

If you don’t have an actual Kindle ebook reader you can download a free Kindle application that will work on your PC as well as for most tablets and smartphones.

• Circle of Friends Cookbook – 25 Burger Recipes
• Sandwiches
• Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes and Sweetmeats, by Miss Leslie
• JeBouffe Home Canning
• Desserts and Salads
• Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six
• Ice Creams, Water Ices, Frozen Puddings Together with Refreshments for all Social Affairs
• A Cookbok By Ted (A Cookbook By Ted)
• Miss Parloa’s New Cook Book
• Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes and Home Made Candy Recipes
• The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents – 10 Summertime Treats
• Made-Over Dishes
• Old Cookery Books and Ancient Cuisine
• Many Ways for Cooking Eggs
• Dinners Made Easy
• Thanksgiving Cookbook (Classic Cookbooklets)
• Dishes & Beverages of the Old South

I’ll do another round up of free Kindle ebooks in a few days. Maybe something spooktacular for Halloween

Featured image “My Favorite Food” by 46137 used under Creative Commons license.






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