1.  Hanukkah is early on the calendar this year, so it comes first on this list.  One of the traditional parts of the holiday is to eat foods cooked in oil, and luckily, one of the most popular dishes is also very cheap to make.  You don’t have to be Jewish to love latkes.  They are freshly made, delicious potato pancakes.  If you have the money, buy some applesauce to serve as the traditional accompaniment.  Here’s a great recipe.
Latke Recipe
 
2. Whatever holiday you celebrate, you need not blow big bucks on food.  If you’re broke, forget about the big dinner where the entire family eats on your dime.  Do dinner for the immediate household and invite everyone else over for cookies.  Or arrange a potluck.

3. Beautiful, lacy paper snowflakes are fun to make, and will decorate your home for nearly no cost (just pennies for some sheets of paper).  Hang them on your tree, on your windows, or string them together for garlands.  Here are a couple of sites to find printable snowflake patterns:
DavesSnowflakes.com
KindArt.com
 
4.  You can print a nativity scene too.  Use this printable nativity to make one.

5.  Add a touch of fresh greenery from your yard – if you have evergreens or pine cones, bring some into your house to decorate with.  If in a warmer climate, other foliage is fine.

6.  No money for cards?  Use email, naturally.  I create my own e-cards with clip art or a favorite photo – but you could also try a company like Hallmark, where some cards are free and others are 99 cents.
Hallmark.com

7.  If your gift budget is zero, there are a couple things to try.  Arrange a swap meet, where you and your friends or relatives swap stuff you aren’t using.  Or comb your kitchen and see if you have ingredients to make cookies, fudge or homemade bread as gifts.  Another idea: use your computer’s built-in microphone and record yourself singing or reading stories – this is a nice choice for grandparents/grandkids especially.

8.  Of course, there’s always the dollar store.  It’s chock full of good and cheap gift items for everyone, and they have inexpensive cards and wrapping paper too.  I’ve even seen DVD’s at the dollar store!

9.  Kids love coloring books – you can find lots of really nice printable coloring books.  These are not just generic coloring books – you have your choice of popular characters such as Barbie and Harry Potter.  Print the pages on heavy paper, punch or cut holes and bind them together with ribbon or string.
Coloring-Book.info

10.  Here’s a thrifty gift idea for adults: magazine subscriptions.  You can find some amazing bargains on Amazon.  For example, you can buy a year’s subscription to Cosmopolitan or Smart Money magazine for only five dollars, and there are many other choices.
Cosmopolitan Subscription
Smart Money Subscription

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

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A Mr. Cheap Stuff Christmas: How To Celebrate For Little Or Nothing

So if you’d rather skip the crowds, just wait till it’s closer to Christmas and you could see more doorbuster sales.  You could even wait just a few days for "Cyber Monday" (Nov. 30 this year), when many retailers offer sweet online deals for all the office jockeys who shop from their desks. 

In fact, 51 percent of Americans say they plan to hit the mall or the keyboard sometime between the Friday and Monday after Thanksgiving. But if you love the idea of getting your shopping done and out of the way Friday, you’ll need to do some planning to maximize your success.  Here are top shopping tips for Black Friday 2009, including some new social networking strategies.

1.  Do your research.  Try this great site, which has handily listed all the top Black Friday offers in one neat chart, complete with links to the actual sale ads:  Shopper Shop
 
Or check out this Black Friday Excel spreadsheet of the deals, downloadable via Media Fire
 
If you’re looking for something specific, you can search Black Friday sale ads on Bfads.net

2.  Facebook for fabulous savings.  Here are a couple of great sites that will alert you to the best deals:

Facebook Black Friday

3.  Twitter your way to Black Friday.  Here are a couple of sites to follow on Twitter.  Plus, if you get Twitter on your phone, you’ll be alerted to the deals no matter where you are.

Twitter Black Friday
 
4.  Got an iPhone and want to use it to find Black Friday specials?  Yes, there’s an app for that:

iTunes Apps

5.  You could just do your research the old fashioned way and buy a newspaper on Thanksgiving.  It will be packed with ads and circulars promoting Black Friday deals.   It might come in handy to have a hard copy of an ad to bring with you while shopping, to help you locate the deal or to show the store employees if needed.

6.  Be wary of the "limited quantities" problem.  This seems to happen especially with electronics and appliances; a store may have only three to five of the items on hand, and they may not offer a raincheck.  Read the fine print in the Black Friday ads carefully.  If you want one of the limited quantity deals, be prepared to stand in line early in the morning, and even then you may come home empty-handed.

7.  For limited-time offers online, be ready to log onto your chosen shopping site the minute the deal is available.  Set an alarm if you need to – and make sure your computer’s time is set correctly.  Visit Time.gov for the U.S. Government official clock.

8.  No matter how you shop, set a budget and stick to it.  Don’t start the New Year in debt from your holiday shopping.

9.  Black Friday store visits are not for amateurs.  Some do’s and don’ts – DO: set your alarm to get there at the beginning of the sale; dress comfortably in light layers; check your destinations with your GPS or Google maps; bring a tote bag or backpack to stash a water bottle, snacks and your smaller purchases.  DON’T: bring kids or any other unwilling participants who will get tired, bored or cranky.

10.  Create a backup plan.  Your world won’t crumble if you miss out on a deal.  Do your research to know where else you can get it and what you will pay.  Or forego the malls altogether and spend Black Friday baking, crafting, building or sewing home-made gifts.

Photo credit via Flickr

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2009 Black Friday Survival Guide: How to Score the Best Deals the Easy Way

1. Make It Yourself: A time-honored tradition for thrifty gifting.  If you sew or do woodworking, this is a natural, but think outside the box.  You have a computer – so use it.  Create calendars, photos, slide shows or scrapbooks using your own pictures or publicly available ones, such as those from Public Domain Photos or Flickr.com.  Make mix CD’s with custom-made labels; iTunes makes it really easy and it’s free at: iTunes.  For other craft ideas, try Family Fun or Strecher.com.

2. Use Your Rewards: Spend the miles and points you’ve been collecting all year on cool gifts such as restaurant gift certificates, electronics and magazine subscriptions.  This is a really nice option if you have some points sitting around but not enough to use for reward flights.  You can even cash in your points easily on Points.com

3. Subscribe to your local mall or outlet store’s e-mail newsletter. You’ll be alerted to upcoming sales and may receive e-mail coupons you can use.

4. Get even better deals at outlet stores: Go to their website to print out coupons or sign up for their customer club to receive email discounts.  

5. Drugstore deals: CVS Extra Bucks and Rite Aid Single Check Rebates are just a couple of examples.  Walgreens has some outstanding deals too.   If you plan carefully, you can get items for free or nearly free.   Go to CVS.com, riteaid.com and Walgreens.com to see their specials.  For more advice on how to work the CVS deals, I recommend www.iheartcvs.com.  Also see our Drugstore.com coupons when you buy online.

6. Ask for a refund if prices fall after you’ve made a purchase. Many stores will provide one if the cost of an item you bought there drops within a specific time period.

7.  Company Perks: Many retailers offer special savings to employees of certain companies and government agencies.  Be sure to ask.  For example, Apple products are discounted for government employees and teachers.

8.  E-Cards: Maybe not as satisfying as one you can put on your mantel, but still, better than nothing.  I send e-greeting cards to business acquaintances and get positive responses.  Find some nice ones at Hallmark.com.

9.  Family strategies: With your own family, be hone st.  Tell them in advance that you are on a tight budget this year.  Then they won’t be surprised to see that their gift is from the dollar store.  Possibly your family members are also feeling the pinch and they might be willing to agree that everyone sticks to a small budget.  Another strategy is to buy a gift for a whole family unit instead of for every member.  For example, a married couple could receive a bottle of wine to share.

10. Friends and co-workers: A clear solution is the classic Polyanna or Secret Santa.  Put everyone’s names in a hat and you each draw a name.  That way, you only buy that one person a gift instead of having to shop for everyone in the group.

11.  Hit the thrift shops:  You’ll be amazed at the cool and unique stuff you can pick up cheap – vintage clothes, collectibles, jewelry and more.

12.  Give services:  A busy mom will love to get some babysitting or house cleaning.  A stressed-out, disorganized professional might like their office straightened up.  Then there’s pet sitting, plant car e, picking up dry cleaning, etc.   Just be sure you really will commit to doing these things.  Set up a service date right away so the recipient doesn’t think you’re just trying to get out of giving anything.

13.  The Not-So-Dreaded Regifting:  Yes, regifting can be horribly tacky.  I don’t recommend trying to foist a hideous unwanted piece of dreck on someone you like.  That’s not right.  But – if you’ve received an actual nice gift that you just can’t use, and it’s in new condition, then go ahead and wrap it up for someone who might really appreciate it.  Just make sure to remove the card with your name on it!

14.  Team Up: Instead of shouldering the gift budget all by yourself, find some friends or family members and give gifts from ‘us’.  This is obvious if you’re married or living with someone, but who’s to say you can’t do it with your siblings, parents or best buddies?

15.  Send Long-Distance Love: If you have family or friends far away, the one thing they want most is YOU.  Use your webcam if you have one, or find someone with a video camera, and video yourself.  If you have any musical or dancing talents, go fo r it.  If not, you can just talk and tell stories, and maybe have some props at the ready, like the award you got at work, or your new pet.

Photo Credit

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15 Ways to Spend Less On Holiday Shopping