5 Ways to Spend Less on Halloween

The cute costumes, the Martha Stewart decorations, the bags and bags of candy…the cost of it adds up. Just like the dark monster in the corner, you are afraid to take a good look at how much your are actually spending. Halloween has certainly become a big holiday. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent more than $8 billion last year celebrating. Eight billion! Seriously. It doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, brandish your own bag of tricks to spend less this Halloween. You’ll be able to make it a magical holiday and leave the bills … Continue reading

Spring is Consignment & Outgrown Sale Season

To save money on children’s clothing, I make sure to shop the large children’s outgrown sales (also known as consignment sales). There I can pick up a fancy Easter dress for $5, boys jeans for $2, and an assortment of other clothing to outfit my three kids. I’ve been shopping at outgrown sales and taking advantage of community swaps for a long time now, ever since my now middle school child was a baby. I have the say that things have certainly changed with outgrown children’s sales since that time. First of all, the prices are much higher. What was … Continue reading

Overcoming Fitness Challenges during the Holidays

Life is busy.  There is a lot to be done to prepare for the holidays.  It might make sense to put exercise on the backburner.  After all, there is always the New Year, right?  Wrong. Let’s face it.  We can always come up with an excuse to not exercise and to indulge ourselves in unhealthy food choices.  The holidays are just a convenient time in which to do this. It can be hard to stay motivated during this time of year.  But there are ways to overcome the challenges. First, you just might have to accept the fact that exercise … Continue reading

It’s Fall – Time to Redesign Your Garden Space

What are you thankful for today? Today, I am thankful for my new garden up the road – a borrowed garden in someone else’s yard that is so much sunnier than my own. I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with mulching techniques and garden design. In my own small garden, I’ve had to be quite creative about space. I live in a townhouse with a tiny yard, and my tiny yard doesn’t really have room for a big garden bed. For a few years, I tried having a garden bed, but it just didn’t make sense. It was … Continue reading

Study Says Flu Shot is Safe for People With Egg Allergies

Flu season is upon us. Are you going to get a flu shot this year? There has been some concern in the past that adults and children who are allergic to eggs will have problems if they get a flu shot because it contains eggs. A Canadian study found that flu shots are safe for people with egg allergies. The flu vaccine is designed to prevent people from catching influenza, (commonly called “the flu”). There have been concerns about giving flu shots to adults or children who have an allergy to eggs because the flu vaccine is grown in chicken … Continue reading

Create a Memory Quilt with Outgrown Kids Clothes

Just now, I was hanging up skirts in my daughter’s closet after ironing them. I looked in, and there it was: the most perfect little turquoise sweater. And it’s getting too small. Maybe it’s more intense when you have one child, but I’m sure that anyone who’s moved on from a child-raising stage gets a little weepy at having to pass on a particular beloved item of children’s clothing. This one child just happens to be my first and last. When she grows out of clothes, we tend to pass them on to the neighbours up the road who have … Continue reading

Hollywood Couples Update – October 10, 2012

Every week, Hollywood couples come and go – here are a few for this week: In what seemed like a surprising move to most, actors Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman split after 42 years together. The couple met when Devito was on Broadway in 1971 and moved in together two weeks later. But, it took Devito and Perlman a while to get married – 10 years to be exact. They have three grown children. During their marriage, the couple starred together several times. So, what could have gone wrong? Some tabloids, such as RadarOnline, are reporting sources saying Perlman was … Continue reading

Halloween Costumes on the Cheap

Ready to have some fun without the frightful prices that Halloween can bring? Believe it or not, it isn’t too early to thinking of ways to save on those Halloween costumes. With holidays seeming to creep up earlier and earlier these days, you might find that last minute waiting means that you just might pay full price to outfit your gang in Halloween costumes. Now that is scary! Here are some ways to save (hint: you don’t have to be a sewing Goddess, either) Use Themed Clothing This time of year, there are plenty of Halloween themed t-shirts and sweat … Continue reading

Fall Disney Cruise Special Offers

The Disney Parks aren’t the only Disney vacation destinations that give discounts from time to time. The Disney Cruise line has its own special offers page, so today we’ll check out the upcoming deals. One special deal was actually just announced on the official Disney Parks blog. Want to have a unique Halloween that you’ve never experienced before? Take a Disney cruise over the holiday. Cruise ships transform for Halloween (and, presumably, allow all of their passengers to wear costumes). If you travel aboard a Disney ship over Halloween, expect to find: Disney characters dressed up in special seasonal duds, … Continue reading

Cheap Ways to Liven Up a Locker

School lockers can be downright dreadful. Not only are they typically painted in a revolting shade of puke green, institutional gray or dingy yellow, but you also have to deal with exterior and interior cracks, dents and marks. To help cure the ugly locker blues while operating on a tight student budget, consider crafting the following affordable items: Decorative Magnets: Nothing helps liven up the interior of a locker easier and faster than a bunch of bedazzled magnets. The simple embellishments can help keep things in place, such as notes, photos, and homework assignments. What’s more, you can make almost … Continue reading