After-Holiday Clean Up

Don’t throw away used wrapping paper that still has potential! Besides neatly folding it back for next year’s usage, there are plenty of other ways to utilize wrapping paper to reduce waste, save money and add a little more color to your daily life.

- Spice up your office supplies (wrap colorful wrapping paper around tins, pencils, etc)
- Shred it and use it as packaging material
- Make book covers
- Frame the prettiest paper for wall art
- Save the rest in your arts & crafts box to use for future projects

Cool tip I found out today: when wrapping gifts, use a small piece of fishing line underneath the piece of tape, leaving small ends on the outside. This allows a smooth, clean unwrapping so the paper can be reused.

Ribbon and tissue paper can also be saved. Have fun! Save the earth. ;)

2009? Go Out With A Bang!

The exciting New Year is approaching! We have a great feeling that 2010 is going to be an amazing year… why not go out with a bang? Here are some good tips to have an enjoyable night with friends while not having to spend much money, especially after the recent holidays.

Use online invitations, either by regular email or Evite.com (my favorite). This way, you are able track RSVPs and guests’ comments. You also have the ability of sending everyone updates all at once.

Decorations can be inexpensive but also festive and glamorous. You can use balloons and streamers (one never can go wrong there) but also use the help of your holiday decorations. Take down the Christmas tree, menorahs and Santas, but leave up the Christmas lights and red poinsettias. Dim the house lights, take out the candles and turn up the music for a romantic mood.

For beverages, stock up on one to two signature drinks, in addition to non-alcoholic options (announce these signature drinks in your Evite so guests who wish to have something different can bring their own). And FIY: a bottle of wine amounts to 5 servings, bottle of champagne equals 6 servings, and one liter of alcohol makes up to 22 mixed drinks.

With food, keep it as simple as possible. Instead of a 3-course meal that would take you 3,000 hours to prepare (when you should be spending that time relaxing and getting that massage you deserve), serve finger food and appetizers from the frozen food section of the grocery store (they are easier to serve, easier to eat and saves money for you). Create a little more glamour by serving these appetizers on attractive, festive dishes. If you really don’t want to deal with serving all of your guests food, suggest pot luck.

Children: set up a kid-friendly room with games, a DVD player, and/or radio. Inexpensive snacks and drinks can be crackers, cookies, fruit snacks, juice, milk and water. And what New Year’s Eve party is complete without noisemakers? You can find plenty of options at your local $1 store or have everyone make or bring their own.

As for dishware, I stress you to not use paper goods. Reduce waste by not throwing everything out after one use. Concerned for water? Invest in a water bin that will fit in your sink. Washing a few dishes won’t kill you! You had a fabulous night, so what could bring your beautiful, fabulous self down?

Happy New Year from your Frugalistas, and we wish you lots of fun, happiness & love!

Wishing You Peace, Love, & Joy

Season's Greetings, dear Frugalistas! We hope that you have been not been too strained this month! Take some time for yourself, your family and loved ones. Take a bubble bath, have some hot cocoa by the fire place, let your inner child explore by making crafts with your kids. Relax...

Your Frugalistas wanted to apologize for the regrettable absence. As the holidays have been time-consuming, thus not putting up more material as we wished, we will be back full-throttle for the very exciting New Year! We have so many articles to share with you, fabulous events are being planned and our own, exclusive Frugalista Life website is on its way!

Thank you for your patience, and as always we appreciate you all.

Happy Holidays! and Love,

Homemade Gift Ideas

Fa la la la laaaaaa! The holidays are approaching, and the "money-savvy vibe" is everyone’s strongest yet! Frugalista, are you stuck, indecisive or out of ideas on how to show your loved ones you appreciate them without breaking the bank? We’re here to help you.

This article could be endless! I’ll put together my favorite crafts for you, especially the ones I have found most successful in the past years of gift-giving. Of course, homemade gifts require a little more creativity, though they can also be very enjoyable to make (if you have kids, get them involved!) and crafts by hand can be very heart-warming and more filled with love.

Gifts in a jar The contents could be something already made, or you can put together the ingredients for them to make cocoa, cookies, or brownies (yum). If you choose the ingredients option, make sure you include a tag with baking instructions! Wrap the top of the jar in decorate fabric & ribbon.

A side note: If you’re having trouble coming up with gift ideas for the men in your life, you can never go wrong with food! Have his much loved baked-good wrapped or add a variety of his favorites to a basket with a side of his favorite bottled drink.

Christmas Tree Ornaments Gather up arts & crafts supplies, photos, magazine clippings… creativity could be infinite. Make up a decoupage photo frame, or something that simply sparkles!

Tie-Dye/Customized Tees You can buy plain tees in all varieties of colors at your local craft store. Stitch, paint tie-dye… let your creativity soar, keeping in mind the receiver’s personal style (my 17-year-old brother wouldn’t be thrilled with glitter and unicorns, no matter how amused I would be). Add their favorite quotes, drawings or symbols.

Bookmarks This one is really fun for kids. Cut out strips of colored paper, about 6” tall and 2” wide. Decorate with drawings, paint, glitter, stickers, etc. To reinforce strength, cover with lamination paper or plastic sleeves. Add a tossle for embellishment. Add a book to the gift, promote reading!

Personalized Calendar You can print out a blank calendar online for free and then decorate it, either by scrap booking photos or adding the receiver’s favorite artwork!

Coupons These are really fun, whether they are intended for children, friends or significant other. Cut out large rectangles of colorful paper and create your own coupons that can only be redeemed by you! Or, print them out from a huge selection online. Here are some funny examples: http://www.givecoupons.com/

Photo Frames & Photo Albums A well-printed photo in a simple frame could be the perfect gift (you can buy quality frames at your local dollar store), although you can also put a personal touch to it by decorating it with gems, stickers, glitter… anything you want! Scrapbook within a photo album to make it more personal and creative.

Music This is always a favorite gift of mine, whether it’s giving or receiving. Burn a CD of music your friends and family would really like but may not have in their collection already. Do some snooping in their iTunes or simply ask them. Does somebody (or lots of somebodies) you know need to relax? Burn them a meditation soundtrack. I remember Ashley asking me for some booty-shakin’ tracks last year, so I put together two CDs of the most bass-filled, best killer-beat artists I had at that time. We’ve rocked out together several times.

Frugalistas, this is my list of homemade crafts you can make for the people in your life on any occasion, whether it’s a holiday, celebration or a I-just-wanted-to-let-you-know-that-you-rock moment (well, besides the Christmas ornaments). Have fun, and as always, let your creativity explore!

How to Get Sick the Frugalista Way!

After about two weeks of struggling with a runny nose on top of being over worked- it finally happened- I got sick. And not just any sick- the rampant flu that is plaguing everyone and their brother. Usually- this would send someone into financial hell- the doctor visits, the co-pays, the medication, sick days, etc, but not the frugalista lifer! Let’s face it- getting sick is no picnic, but at least maybe we can salvage a few bucks in the process.
We all know, there is a Frugalista way to do everything- even getting sick. Follow my short steps and you will in fact save money (and maybe loose a few pounds) in the process.

ACKNOWLDGE THE SICKNESS EARLY
After a few days of being sick- acknowledge it! Go and see a doctor so you don’t wind up sick as a dog in a cold waiting room somewhere or (even worse!) sitting in the hospital ER already dreading the $100 or more co-pay you’re going to pay. Seeing your doctor early will get you on meds and healing faster resulting in less sick time and less time in pain.

BUY GENERIC
Whether your doctor prescribes you medication or just recommends you take a certain OTC drug- buy generic. If the doctor gives you a name brand pill, ask the pharmacist if there is a generic and if you can substitute that for the name brand. Usually, pharmacies have a $3 or $4 dollar program for generics so take full advantage if you can. Also, if the doctor recommends taking a zinc or other Over-the-Counter drug, there is usually a generic. Let me tell you, IT’S THE SAME THING! It’s usually even made by the same company and usually about half of the price! Same thing goes for tissues and cough drops, OJ, etc.

CUT DOWN ON SICK DAYS
Sometimes, with a little sniffle and some not so subtle begging- your boss may let you work from home in lieu of taking a sick day. If this is the case, seriously work from home. Don’t just sit around and respond/send the occasional email. Start or finish a project and show your superiors that you can juggle the work load. If you have to take a nap in the middle of the day- email your boss and be honest about taking the time off in the middle of the day. Even of you take half of a sick day- it’s better to have that time to fall back on at a later date. If you have a job where you don’t have paid sick days, try to go into work if you can. If you feel well enough and are not contagious, get up and try to work. It’s better to go home after a few hours then giving up a full day of work when you could have worked for a few hours. Be honest and let your boss know that you are not feeling well when you get in a promise to “try and make it through the day”. If you can’t, at least you tried and didn’t give up a whole day’s worth of pay.

So, there is it Frugalistas! Your guide to getting sick- and getting better for less! May you colds be fleeting and your flu’s be few.