Triple Clicks

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Thanksgiving

I realized this morning that I completely forgot to post last week from my shopping trip. I'm sorry. It's been a crazy week.  We took a road trip and the kids and I got sick.. So we are finally back here.  I hope you were able to find some awesome deals on Thanksgiving food last week.  


So I figured I'd give you my meal plan for Thanksgiving. It's no big spread as I'm hearing many of my friends are doing, but it's something.  

Bone in Ham 
Rolls 
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Pumpkin Pie
Banana Cream Pie


A lot of our favorites have been eliminated thanks to the food allergies. I have a really hard time eating foods in front of my kids that they can't have.. So I just eliminated the sweet potatoes.  

The rolls will be if I remember them... I never do, so we'll see. The ham gets thrown in the crock pot with brown sugar in the morning and by the time the Macy's parade is over, lunch is done. :)   Mashed potatoes and corn are pretty simple. 

I'm making the pies today. My husband really wants pumpkin with whipped topping of course (which was on sale for .67 a container). I've never made banana cream pie before.. but I needed something for Eva since she can't have the pumpkin and there's a can of that in the cupboard and I plan on eating it with Eva so she's not the only one eating something different.  

Also today I'm making cinnamon rolls for breakfast/brunch. We usually eat lunch pretty early... but we get up really early too..so it throws everything else out of whack.  So I'm hoping the cinnamon rolls will keep the kids happy until lunch is done.  

How I plan on my morning going, is getting all the prep work done by the time the parade starts-including washing and chopping the potatoes.  That way all I have to do is turn on burners and throw the rolls in the oven and things will be done when the parade is done.   We are still working on what traditions we want on Holidays for our family, but I think cinnamon rolls during the parades is a great start.  

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. I'm putting a reminder on my phone to do a post every week...so barring sickness, I'll be better about doing posts. :D 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Frugal Holidays

Everybody looks to save money around the holidays.  Probably more so around this time of year than others.  So here are some tips we try to use. 

Save up for gifts throughout the year
     You could really do this tip a few different ways. Some people buy gifts throughout the year, then stash them around the house until Christmas. Which works great unless you have curious children (who doesn't?).  Some people save up money throughout the year, then buy closer to the holidays when there's more of a selection for toys, less time to hide the stash this way.  There are also some banks and credit unions that have a 'Christmas Savings Account' to help you save the money.  We've done both here and there, labeling boxes or toys as they come in as to WHO is getting it (that way we don't forget...it's been known to happen).  Either way you do it, shop the sales. You still get the same toys you want, but for cheaper. Amazon has daily deals, Shopko has quarterly deals. Ebay has great resources, too. You never know what you can find on Ebay for a good deal. 
     If you do stocking stuffers, raid the Dollar Tree or other dollar aisle in your favorite store.  They have some great things there for cheap.  

Save on food by shopping the sales
      Shop the sales. Shop close to the holiday and shop the sales. I really can't say this enough. I use holiday sales to stock up on spices, because they are usually really cheap this time of year. If you like canned pumpkin, many stores have it for REALLY cheap this time of year.  Same with turkey, ham, potatoes, yams-all the holiday staples.  Keep a closer eye on the ads and get what you need and like for cheap as they go on sale.  Whipped Cream freezes, buy a lot, stick it in the freezer, then thaw as you want it. 

Use discount stores for holiday decor and party supplies (warning, I plug our ebay store in this one.. I want the stuff out of my house and I know my mother in law feels the same)
      This isn't one we use to buy as I'm not really the decorating  type, but we do put product online with our ebay store as per the holiday (check us out).  Dollar Stores have quality decorations and they are budget friendly.  Paper plates (decorative or not), napkins, cups, centerpieces, place cards. You name it, you can more than likely find it.  It certainly can't hurt to look, right? 


That's really all the tips I can think of right now.  Don't throw your budget out the window just because it's the holiday season.