Welcome to Festival of Frugality #260! For those of you not familiar with Step Away from the Mall, it’s a site I use to keep me sane and where I go to talk about money when all of my friends and family send me to voicemail. Stick around. Have some fun. And definitely check out these great Holiday-season posts by some of the best bloggers around.
Everyone likes to think they do things a little different than others. That includes me. I’m not different. So in addition to posting three (it’s a lucky number for Greeks like me) editor’s picks, I’m going to organize the rest of the posts as a trip through my Christmas holiday – starting with articles that relate to Christmas Eve in my house and taking you all the way through Christmas night and the inevitable “Holy Cow another year is already gone!” moment. Maybe this will get me banned from Festival of Frugality. I hope not. Anyhow, I am who I am. Enjoy.
Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through the posts so you’re right there with me. Let’s dig in!
Nick’s picks (That has a better ring than editor’s picks, right?) Warning: Nick’s Picks are all about me 
Every year at Christmas I tell myself I’m going to write down how much I gave to everyone so I can make sure to give at least that much next year. And every year I forget. So I end up searching online and asking friends what they give to the folks at work or home. Fortunately Jason came through for me in the clutch, presenting How Much Should You Tip? posted at Live Real, Now. And because I’m tipping a bunch of those folks today (yes, Today). I’m making this post one of Nick’s Picks. Practical stuff that I used. And because I’m Nick. I get to choose
Continuing on my selfish way to put the posts that are most useful or relevant to me as Nick’s Picks, Miranda gets the big shout-out for her Make it Last: Saving Money By Using What You Have Longer posted at Coupon Shoebox Tips, but not for the reasons you may think. Sure, it’s a well-written and well-reasoned post. But I’m using it because every year my wife has something that she wants. It’s always within budget, but somewhat of a luxury. That’s not the problem. We have some luxuries believe it or not. But I’m a prankster. So every time she says “we need” or “she wants” something I always ask “what’s wrong with” the current one (even if it is clearly past its expiration date). So I’m printing out this post and giving it to her in the spirit of “making her suspect she’s not getting anything from me this year.” If you know me and the dedication to which I give my pranks, I’ll make it believable – and she’ll suspect she’s not going to get anything good. But of course she’s going to be happy on Christmas morning. (Just don’t wreck the surprise!)
And finally, because I’m all about the exercise lately (even though the last couple weeks haven’t gone so well…) Miss T gets the last shout out for Exercise and Time- Making Them Both Work | Prairie EcoThrifter.com posted at Prairie Eco-Thrifter. It’s a good reminder that you don’t need a ton of time and money to get, or keep, in shape. And by shape I don’t mean round! Believe it or not, getting and staying round takes quite a bit of effort! I’m talking about in…shape… Here’s to staying in the gym past the second week of February unlike all of the New Years Resolution-ers.
Now onto the rest of the posts. Great submissions this week. Any of them could have been Nick’s Picks if I didn’t decide to be selfish and pick ones that applied best to me. But it’s my blog and I can pick how I want to
Enjoy! And thanks to all the bloggers!
Christmas Eve Posts
In case you have some last-minute shopping or travelling to do and weren’t turned down for a PerkStreet checking account like I was (seriously), don’t forget to check out freefrombroke’s Earn 5% Cash Back In 3 Great Categories for the Holidays With Perkstreet Online Checking in December posted at Free From Broke.
On Christmas Eve my family does a Yankee swap (yes, it’s called that even in Red Sox country…). Every year I get excited to stay within limit but get really cool (or expensive) stuff for a crazy deal. This year one of our amazing deals stayed in budget thanks to Amazon Mom. So check out RC’s post: Free Amazon Prime Trial for Students and Parents posted at Think Your Way to Wealth.
Our other Yankee swap gift is Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover book. I’m curious to see how many times the book gets nabbed (or snubbed). As a special bonus, maybe I’ll print out this post by Paul Williams - The Debt Snowball Method Is Not the Best Way for Everybody to Pay Off Debt posted at Provident Planning. Check it out. And thanks for the perfect-timing submission Paul!
Ooohhh… in the interest of full disclosure, I should probably include debt kid’s Will That Be Cash or Credit posted at Debt Kid with my Ramsey book. I’m getting very excited about this grab gift.
While, to date, I refuse to pay interest (except to Sallie Mae…of course), check out Marjorie’s post – Get your credit card interest rates lowered posted at CardHub.com for some good tips for you heading into 2011. Saving a few percent can go a long way towards paying off your debt. Maybe I should put this post in the book too….
And thanks to Fanny’s post, Cool Gifts for under $20 posted at Living Richly on a Budget I’ll have some good ideas for next year’s grab presents.
I tried a Feel Good Thursday and I’ll update you on how that went next week. Come Christmas Eve I usually wonder what more I could have done – especially simple stuff – to make others’ lives better. Well, thanks to Donna Freedman’s post Practice stealthy acts of kindness. posted at Surviving and Thriving, I should be ready for a 2011 full of very kind “stealthiness.” Thanks Donna!
In case you’re light on cash or light on ideas, check out Money Thinker’s Charitable Giving on a Budget posted at Money Thinking. I’ll definitely add some of these to my repertoire. We’re in the process of cleaning out our closets as we speak. Somebody’s going to get a lot of my-size work shirts!
Right before we go down for the count on Christmas Eve it will be nice to read Barb Friedberg’s reminders and advice in Have the Best Holiday Season Ever-Part 3 posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance. I’ll definitely work one of her low-cost holiday fun suggestions into the schedule on Christmas morning!
Christmas Morning Posts
Good Christmas morning everyone! And thanks to Fern Holm for what surely will come in handy when the family is up bright and early on Christmas morning – a money-saving iced coffee recipe – Save Money with Homemade ICED COFFEE, Thrifty Shopping Tips, and Paper Bags? posted at FREE and AFFORDABLE FRIDAYS with FERN. Mmmmm….
This is it! The big event. This year my wife and I went nuts with deals and coupons to really stttrreeeetch our Christmas dollars. We did a really good job, too, if I do say so myself. So I’ll definitely be thinking about Adam’s post Is Saving Money At Christmas Being Cheap? posted at Magical Penny as our nieces and nephews open their really cool toys for which we paid pennies on the dollars. My guess is they like them just as much as if we spent full price. In other news, what’s “full price”?
In addition to a small gift for each of us my parents and grandmother always put cards on the tree. It’s often the best part of my Christmas morning because I get to hear how much my favorite people love me
Of course, in each of those cards is often the “best gift” according to the post, Why Cash Makes the Best Gift posted at Go Banking Rates. My mom usually buys me a small gift and gives money. This year I convinced her to skip the small gift because she always buys me work pants. And for some reason my mom buys gifts for an NBA player. For those of you who know me I’m more of a running back…I’ll buy my own pants thank you very much.
Christmas Dinner Posts
Because the best meals are made with homemade veggies, I’ll take a read of Tim Rakeman’s How To Be Frugal: Grow a Garden to Save Money posted at All Things Frugal as I’m tucking my napkin in my Hanes collar, waiting for my mom’s fantastic roasted carrots! Saving money at the same time is pretty cool too!
If you can’t grow them at home, check out BWL’s advice on Buying Organic Herbs & Spices In Bulk & Saving 90% posted at Christian Personal Finance.
I suspect my Christmas dinner will make Julie very happy. While my wife, for some reason, is boneless, skinless chicken breast or bust, my mom, who is in charge of Christmas dinner is a whole-bird type of gal! So check out It’s Time to Move Beyond the Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, People posted at The Family CEO and don’t worry Julie, no boneless, skinless in our house this Christmas – saving money (and adding quite a bit of taste in my opinion).
Post Dinner Posts
My post-dinner ritual usually involves thinking about “ways to make more money next year.” Sad? Maybe. But it is, as they say, what it is. So while I’m downing the last piece of pumpkin pie, maybe I’ll take a read of Stephan Marks presenting Opinion Outpost Review posted at Promo Code Center.
Because my wife has been talking about going to Greece to visit the home country, I’ll be sure to check out Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog’s Use a Credit Card for Overseas Spending this Holiday Season posted at Canadian Finance Blog as we chat with our family about “when we’re finally going to Greece with the baby” to visit our relatives.
Although my wife and I just rented an apartment for another year, no post-Christmas dinner family chat would be complete without the obligatory “when are you buying a house” conversation. I’ll definitely have to whip out John’s post Home Ownership – A Peek at Periodic Costs posted at One Family’s Blog for a little added ammo. Fortunately (or not) I do own some rental property, so I can’t say I’ve avoided some of these costs. But it will be nice to be able to hand it over in writing!
Of course, PT’s post Best Jobs for Stay-At-Home Moms (and Dads!) posted at PT Money is going to come in handy in my response to my wife about going to Greece. “Sure we can go, honey, but it’s not really in the budget right now. Perhaps one or both of us can make some extra cash from home.” In other news, Nick’s likely to get in a lot of trouble thanks to these ideas from PT
Thanks to Neal Frankle, we’ll also have a list of business saving steps from his post, “Save My Business” – 5 DIY Business Saving Steps posted at Wealth Pilgrim if we do set up shop from home (or elsewhere). More trouble for Nick
And no Christmas can be complete without some reflection. Thanks to Joe Plemon’s Financial – And Life – Lessons From 40 Years of Marriage posted at Personal Finance By The Book I’ll have a nice list of life lessons to start 2011 on a strong foot. My wife and I married in 2008. I’ll check back in on May 25, 2048 and let you know what I’ve learned too!
Retire?!?! Me?!?! Not for a long time (hopefully not too long). But the retirement conversation comes up every time my family eats together. Usually it’s directed at my parents. But sometimes it gets expanded beyond them. Maybe I’ll suggest some of Matt Mason’s alternatives to Dad like working less than the 70 hours per week he works! Check out What If You Can’t Retire? posted at FYMO Personal Finance Blog.
That’s it for now folks. I hope you enjoyed your little trip with me through my Christmas holiday. I also hope all of you enjoy(ed) a wonderful holiday no matter what you celebrate. I’m proud to be the last host of 2010 and wish you all a healthy, happy and wealthy 2011. I hope to see you all back here. And look forward to the site redesign – coming in early 2011!
Until next time, put your credit card down and slowly step away from the mall!
Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Haha, Nick! I didn't even think about the fact that I was writing about debt snowballs right around the start of winter.
Hey Nick! Thanks for including my post, I really appreciate it. Also, I agree with you – trying your best to make payments in full and not pay interest is definitely the best way to go!Happy holidays!
Thanks for hosting the carnival and including our post. Your theme and presentation are very nice. Best wishes ahead
.Cheers,FIRE Finance
It was kind of you to include me.
Thank you.
Thanks for including my Holiday spending article. I love the name of your blog!
Great job on the carnival and I am honoured to be included in the Nick's picks. Best of luck with your 2011 goals and I hope you have a fantastic new year. PS: I love the name of your blog too.
Thanks everyone! It was my pleasure to host – tons of fun. Thanks for the great submissions. And thanks for the kind words about the post and blog name.
Have a great 2011 everyone!