Posts Tagged ‘Christmas and holiday season’

Budget-Friendly Christmas Decoration Ideas For The Home

Posted: December 20, 2012 in Frugal Living, Interior Design and Decor
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christmas ball on a plate

Christmas ball on a plate

Budget friendly Christmas decorations can easily be accomplished with a little imagination when creating a holiday theme in your living space. One of the best parts of Christmas has to be walking into a festive and warmly decorated home. Along with a little music and the right lighting, the atmosphere is set to make this holiday season a memorable one.

The personalization behind homemade holiday displays provides a nice touch and eliminates the need to buy costly decorations. Be sure to borrow the following budget-friendly Christmas decorating ideas for your home.

Start At The Entrance

Christmas Door Wreath

Christmas Door Wreath

Since Christmas begins at the front door, here is a lovely entrance decoration that is easy to put together for next to nothing.

Collect some fragrant greenery such as holly, spruce, or eucalyptus and bundle it together with floral wire. Then tie a few ornaments onto a wooden floral pick, and push the pick tightly into the greenery boughs. Finish the arrangement with a satin ribbon, and hang it on the front door for a simple and elegant Christmas look.

Wine Bottle Candle Holders

wine bottle candleholders

wine bottle candle holders

Candle holders can be a great way to add a warm handmade glow to any household. Begin by removing all the labels from a few clean, empty wine bottles and then apply a band of silvery wrapping paper around the middle of the bottle. Finish them with a green ribbon tied into a bow and find a thin candle that will easily fit into the bottle’s mouth. It’s guaranteed to look Christmas-chic for the holidays.

Save Your Christmas Cards

Martha Stewart cards on mirror

Martha Stewart cards on mirror

Some Christmas cards are just too pretty to throw away. As you receive some each year, save your favorites and turn them into a homemade display.

Not only will the people who gave you the cards be happy to see you cherishing them, but they will also serve to bring up sweet memories. Christmas cards are one of the best and easy budget-friendly Christmas decoration ideas for any home.

Angels In Your Home

Paper Angels

Paper Angels

These lovely paper plate angels are easy to make using either paper plates or white card stock. Place them on mantles, or set the table with them during holiday dinners. For the later, you can even invite your guests to take them home after the meal.

Light Up The Wall

Christmas Light Wall Tree

Christmas Light Wall Tree

Perhaps you don’t have the extra space (or money) for a Christmas tree. With a strand of lights, you can still create the same effect on a blank wall.

Create the tree’s frame using adhesive hooks – four along the bottom and one at the top. Drape lights around these hooks to form the tree’s shape, and add a few elements like white felt stars to finish off the look. This Christmas decoration idea is especially ideal for a kid’s room as it lights up the place with minimal fuss.

What To Do With Leftover Wrapping Paper

Hanging Christmas Decoration

Hanging Christmas Decoration

It’s always a shame to throw out those little bits of beautiful wrapping paper left over after all the presents have been opened. To salvage the paper (and do the environment good by re-using it!), glue small circles to thicker pieces of card stock, then align and attach these circles onto a long section of string. Hang a few of these Christmas decorations alongside one another in front of a window or mirror for an inspiring look that is sure to grant you a couple of well-deserved compliments.

Presents On The Wall

Wall Present

Wall Present

Lastly, for anything hanging on your walls, such as a framed picture or a mirror, wrapping it like a Christmas present is also a neat way of decorating the house without breaking the bank.

What budget friendly Christmas Decorations have you made for your home?

Voucher Codes Canada

Guest Post By: Erin is a Canadian savvy shopper and blogger at vouchercodes.ca, an on-line savings community. She is always looking for the best deals available in Canada and for the latest tips on how to be more frugal.

It's Not About How Much Money You Make It's How You Spend It

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The Grocery Game Challenge November 12-18,2012 Ho,Ho,Ho,Holiday Treats!

Posted: November 13, 2012 in The Grocery Game
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Christmas Holiday Shortbread Cookies

Did someone say Holiday Treats? Last week in The Grocery Game Challenge we talked about planning to bake for the holidays and what you needed to do. Now that the weather has changed some of our neighbours have flipped the switch on their Christmas lights and put out their holiday decorations. We woke up to see our skylight this morning covered in snow and like kids we both rushed to the front window to see what the night had brought for us. Sadly, it was a small dusting but clearly the snow is on its way. For some it is still very early and for others like us we like to get a jump-start into the festive season so we can be enjoying it with friends and family as the weeks slide on in and party invites start to come in. The festive spirit has already ignited as we spread some holiday cheer.

So we decided to make a few easy Christmas recipes in the upcoming weeks starting in December and I will post them every Sunday as a Holiday Treat Special. Every Sunday I post a recipe from Mr.CBB’s kitchen on the blog. It’ s the only time a week we talk food on the blog so it’s a fun time for us.

What holiday dessert recipes are we making you ask? I know I’ve kept you in suspense. Well, I can promise you it’s super easy, frugal and anyone can make them. The Christmas Balls recipes are easy enough that the kids can help roll the balls for you so they can participate in traditional family Christmas baking.

We also may try our hand at those cute Santa Hat Cupcakes that I posted the last week in the Grocery Game that I found on Pinterest. We are always searching for ideas for Christmas baking but Mrs. CBB has her nanny’s famous Christmas Recipes tucked away that she makes every year. They were so cute! OK,  I admit it I love sweets, in moderation of course. This is the plan below but as Mrs.CBB and I enjoy messing about in the kitchen (get your mind out of the gutter, only those with IKEA kitchens get it on…. (oddly enough we were there yesterday to pick out our kitchen… oh ya!)

Christmas Treats In The CBB Kitchen This Holiday Season……

  • Holiday Snow Balls (these melt in your mouth, hard to eat just one)
  • Spud (potato) Sugar Donuts – One of the best Christmas desserts I’ve had in a long time. Not too sweet, just perfect any time of day sweet or savoury.
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (if you like chocolate, peanut butter, cherries, dates and walnuts… look out for this explosion in your mouth)
  • Coconut Balls- chocolate goodness wrapped in coconut layered with cherries, graham crackers and more.
  • Cherry or Orange Biscotti-  I used to buy these in the tins at Tesco in the UK every year. I just enjoyed dipping these in my tea or coffee and now I make them.
  • Cowboy Quickies- Yup this can be a famous holiday cookie recipe for our   family one day.
  • Maybe… I might make a British Shortbread… not sure yet

The plan is to get all the ingredients as cheap as we can but buying quality products. Right now all we have left to buy is the orange for the biscotti as we have everything else. We tend to pick ingredients up throughout the last few months of the year for this baking fiesta! Cha Cha!

egg nog pie- Nestle Kitchens

OK, and this egg nog pie from Nestle Kitchens which I found on Pinterest is something that made me drool this morning.  This pie would be a perfect end to a Christmas dinner, don’t you think. I dunno about you but I think I might give this one a try! Nestle has some pretty amazing recipes. We love eggnog, spiked with some rum of course!

Photo Credit- Nestle Kitchens

Do you know what you are making for the holidays?

Some Store Acronyms I might  use:
  • No Frills= NF
  • Wal-mart=WM
  • Food Basics= FB
  • Shoppers Drug Mart= SDM

The Grocery Game Challenge Canada MVP

Get to know our Grocery Game players… do you want to join with us!! No problem, post your shop in the comment section of this post and you will see your name on the list next week!

Grocery Game Challenge Results

Total Grocery Budget for the Month for 2 Adults:$190.00 at $63.33 for 3 weeks of shopping with 1 No-Shop Week per month.

Freshco

  • 2 x Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese bricks- Sale $5.99-$0.75 printable coupon
  • 16 cans of Carnation Evaportated Milk Sale $1.25-$1.00 coupons
  • Total Coupons Used: $17.50
  • Total Out of Pocket- $14.48

Weekly Grocery Game Challenge Results for Mr. and Mrs. CBB

  • Total Grocery Budget for the Week: $63.33
  • Total Coupons Used this Week:$17.50
  • Total Scanning Code of Practice: $0
  • Total Spent This Week:$14.48
  • Total Spent So Far for November: $99.21+75.13+$14.48=$188.82
  • Total Over/Under spend this shop: $1.18
  • Total Over/Under spend for the month of November: $1.18
  • Total Left to Spend for the Month: $1.18
  • Total Coupons Used This Month : $45.33 + $10.00 Spending Card+$15.99+$17.50=$88.82

Overall: This month was a close one and there is still one week to go although it should be our no-spend week. I’m sure we can pull it off as we have so much food in this house. Sometimes people forget to try and make what they have work instead of piling more food into the home. We shy away from stockpiling food because it’s hard for us to eat it unless it’s something with a long expiry or no expiry. Oh and Vicky (grocery game player).. that Sriracha is so hot, I can’t begin to tell you how your mouth must be tough as nails to conquer that Asian Ketchup as you put it. Good stuff in little bits for me!

Enter Our Quickie Contest: Mrs. CBB and I cleaned out the coupon binder and found so many coupons we won’t use so we will be giving them away. Today all you have to do is Share this Facebook post that you will find on the Canadian Budget Binder Facebook wall, and comment with which cookie that we are making you think is my all time favourite. You can only chose once. When the contest closes all the fans that chose the correct Christmas Cookie will get entered to WIN this coupon package below. Contest is only open to Canadians. Contest Closes November 14 at noon, winner will be announced the same day on Facebook and in the comment section of this post. You must be a Fan of Canadian Budget Binder Facebook Fan Page to Enter and Win! This contest is sponsored by Canadian Budget Binder only.

Good Luck! -Mr.CBB

Quickie Contest Mr.CBB Canadian Coupons November 13, 2012

Frequently Asked Questions 

  • Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop?

No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have a few posters from around the world.

  • When does the Grocery Game Close each month?

The Grocery Game Challenge Closes at Midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long so if you miss a week you can go back and post so you still get your entry in the monthly contest.

  • Does Your Grocery Budget Include Health and Beauty and Laundry?

Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be effected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money. We are currently well stocked with those products since we used coupons heavily the past couple of years. We haven’t really stocked up on much but we have taken every opportunity to purchase more paper towel, toilet paper, fabric softener and a host of other items that are an excellent price with coupon.

There are many places you can find Canadian Coupons whether it be in store or via the mail. I would suggest following an on-line coupon community or coupon Facebook page in your area.

Canadian Coupon Match-Ups- Match your coupons with flyer sales!

Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups  of the week from around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better. Just one of my favourite Couponing sites for finding the hottest grocery deals in Canada!

Here are a few coupons we picked up while shopping this week.

It's Not About How Much Money You Make It's How You Spend It

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Grocery Game Challenge Rules

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