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Works for Me Wednesday: Making Your List & Checking It Twice

November 26, 2008 6 Comments

Christmas can very stressful to a lot of people, especially the Christmas shopping part. One thing you can do to alleviate the stress and save time is to make yourself a detailed list for your shopping, budgeting, and planning purposes. Here are some suggestions & tips that work for me.

Making a List – Before begining your Christmas shopping, make a list of all your gift recipients. I like to organize them in to groups: Parents, nieces/nephews, brothers/sisters, coworkers, gift exchange, etc. This will ensure that you don’t leave anyone out and it can save you from going out at the last second to buy another gift. (The strategy is also helpful when making Christmas card lists.)

Beside each name, I write in a dollar amount that I plan to spend on each person. This helps me to maintain a budget and make sure that I don’t spend significantly more on one parent/sibling/kid than I do the others. (If I didn’t do this I’d be forced to either leave one person shortchanged, or else go out and buy another gift for someone, both of which I’d rather not do.) Also, beside each name, I write down gift ideas for that person, so that when I go out shopping I’ll know right where to go, which saves a lot of time. Once I’ve purchased a gift for someone, I mark them off the list.

Saving Your List – If you worry about accidentally giving the same gift year after year to the same person or if you like to base your Christmas budget on the one from the year before, you may want to save your list for next year. File it away or enter it on the computer.

I recommend putting your list on a spreadsheet. And after you’ve bought your gifts, you can easily enter in everything that you bought. Perhaps you bought Sue a pair of earrings rather than the sweater you had planned on. You can save this information on the sheet. Then next year at this time, all you have to do is pull up the spreadsheet. You’ll already have all your names and dollar amounts listed, which can easily be altered without making an entire new list and you’ll have a list of everything you bought the year before, which will keep you from duplicating gifts. This is a great time saver too!


-Jerri

Filed Under: Christmas, organizing, shopping, Simple Solutions

Planning & Organizing for Black Friday and other Shopping Trips

November 25, 2008 1 Comment

For the first of week of our little festival, I’ll be focused on planning & preparation. We begin with Christmas shopping. As you all know, Black Friday is this week. There’s a big debate over the merits of Black Friday. It is really worth the trip? Can you really save that much? I’d say the answer is yes and no.

I think there was definitely a time when Black Friday was a little more worth your while. Somehow I think the further commercialization of Christmas, the availability of more & more items to choose from, and the fact that the Christmas shopping season has been expanding to where it no longer starts on Black Friday, but instead starts in October, has deminished the appeal and the excitement of Black Friday.

But you can find good deals on Black Friday. If you do your research, get there early, and are willing to stand in line for that door buster deal, you can definitely save money. Unfortunately some of the great deals you see in the paper are for items of which they only have a limited quantity. Other items you find in the sales aren’t actually on sale at all; someone just paid to have that item advertised. And some items that are “on sale” you will find, aren’t really much cheaper than they would be on any given day.

However, you can find deals. People find them every year. For example, we picked up a vacuum last year, and few years ago I got a great deal on a printer. There are definitely some great deals to be had, you just have to know where to look, and you have to have a plan.

I wrote an article last year on making the most of your Black Friday trip. I published this article on Helium, and it has been ranked number one in the category for the past year. It was even featured on the front page of their website a year ago. The article focuses on strategies that you can use to plan and organize your shopping trip. It lays out a step-by-step process and explains how to look at and sort through the mountain of Black Friday advertisements, how to organize your shopping list and trip, and it also gives you some tips on prioritizing your trip and maneuvering through the chaos at your local stores.

And even if you don’t plan on going shopping for Black Friday, the article is worth checking out because the process and strategies can be applied for any shopping day. And since they’ll be having Christmas sales throughout the month of December, it should come in handy. Here’s the link to the article:

Next up, I’ll have an article on tips to avoid overspending this holiday season, tips for making your shopping list, and other ideas for Christmas planning.

-Jerri


Filed Under: Christmas, organizing, saving money, shopping

The Simply Sweet Home Christmas Festival

November 23, 2008 4 Comments

Hello everyone! As mentioned in a previous post, this week I’m launching the Simply Sweet Home Christmas Festival. For the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring nothing but Christmas posts (with the exception of MPM). I’ve got plans to feature crafts, decor, gift ideas, recipes, and more! And I also have a few ideas floating around in my head that will make the Christmas Festival more interactive. This has always been my favorite time of year, but sometimes with all the hustle and bustle, we barely get a chance to enjoy it, so that’s why I’m doing this. So sit back, relax, and get ready for some interesting, fun-filled content that will get you in the spirit of the season.

To kick the festival off, I’ve created a collection of buttons here. Keep in mind, I’m not a graphic designer! (as if I had to tell you that!) However, these aren’t too shabby! I’ve placed the codes here for you, if you’d like to put them on your site for a little Christmas decoration, and of course, they link back to my site, so that all your friends can come and join in on all the fun as well. (Note: This is my first time to try putting text boxes on the blog. All the codes should be correct, but just in case something is wrong, please leave me a comment on the post or send an email to jhrivers@hotmail.com. Thanks.)

Also, here’s a year-round button that I made.


-Jerri


Filed Under: Christmas, Design/Buttons

Works for Me Wednesday: Ultimate Fudge Truffles, An Easy Treat for The Holidays

November 12, 2008 14 Comments

The Thanksgiving/Christmas season will soon be upon us, which means millions of people will be flocking to the massive store displays of baking ingredients and returning home to their kitchens to create an array of cakes, cookies, and confections. Yum!

I love this time of year, and I love baking. But I sometimes dread making Christmas candy. I, of course, love the end result and enjoy eating the fruits of my labor. But I think my candy making process sometimes looks a lot like Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory.

That’s why I love recipes like the one I posted last week for my recipe of the week. The unbaked caramel cookies were quick and easy to make, and the process didn’t totally destroy my clean kitchen. Here’s another easy treat that you can make for for this holiday season:

Betty Crocker’s Ultimate Fudge Truffles are a great treat that you can make in minutes. These are perfect to carry to a Thanksgiving or Christmas party or to stuff in your Christmas candy gift baskets. You only need a couple of ingredients to go along with the kit, and the process is simple.

Simply mix the ingredients, heat in the microwave, spread out the batter, and let it set for a few minutes. Then cut the batter and form into balls. You can then roll them in the topping of choice. The kit comes with cocoa to roll the truffles in, but I chose, instead, to leave some plain while dipping others in powdered sugar or sprinkles. You could also use chopped nuts or give them a drizzle of caramel or fudge. The kit even comes with little wrapper/cups to put the truffles in.

This and other dessert kits are great if you don’t have time to look up a bunch of recipes and shop for a bunch of ingredients, or if you’re just not a skilled baker. It can also save you a lot of money because you’re not having to puchase an entire cart full of ingredients.


I totally recommend this kit to all you chocolate lovers out there and to anyone who, like me, loves to eat candy and treats and is looking for something easy & quick to make.

Post Update: I should mention that these truffles remind me more of fudge brownies than of the little truffles you get in the store with the chocolate shell. If you want a chocolate shell on them, I guess it would be easy enough to melt a couple of squares of bakers chocolate and dip them. But again, I love them as is, and my husband liked them too. (And he’s not even a choc-o-holic!)

For other great ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

-Jerri



Filed Under: Christmas, cookies and candy, fall, product review, Simple Solutions, Thanksgiving

Recipe of the Week: Rudolph Cupcakes

December 22, 2007 8 Comments

Here’s another favorite from Taste of Home. These cupcakes will be loved by kids of all ages, and they are very easy to make and decorate! In fact, this would be a great last minute dessert item for you to prepare, and it’s something fun that your kids could help with.

Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) cake mix of your choice
1 can (16 ounces) chocolate frosting
48 animal crackers
24 miniature marshmallows, halved
48 miniature chocolate chips or raisins
24 red jelly beans

Directions: Prepare and bake cake according to package directions for cupcakes, using foil or paper-lined muffin cups. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cupcake tops. Insert two animal crackers into each cupcake for antlers. For the eyes, place two marshmallow halves, cut side up, with a chocolate chip in the center of each. Add a jelly bean for nose. Yield: 2 dozen.

My Suggestions – If you’re a fan of the Rudolph movie, you could make cupcakes of Rudolph’s girlfriend Clairice by use white frosting, and add a piece of red twizzlers to make a bow.

Pretzels could also be used for ears, and you could use a number of candies for the nose including M&Ms, Skittles, and Red Hots.

Filed Under: Christmas, cupcakes, desserts, Recipe of the Week

Christmas Savings

December 19, 2007 Leave a Comment

Between now and New Year’s is a great time to get good deals on Christmas decorations and other items. A lot of holiday items will not go on sale until the day after Christmas, but some stores are starting to discount items now. If you look in the right place, you can get a bunch of great items for 25, 50, and even 75% off the retail price. Here are a few examples:

Ornaments – I collect ornaments. I use some ornaments for my tree, and I display others in a cabinet throughout the year. If you collect ornaments or are planning to get new ornaments for your tree next year, now is the perfect time to do it. Every year I see new ornaments that I like, but it can get expensive after a while. Waiting till after Christmas to buy the ornaments I want has saved me a lot. Ornaments also make great gifts. My mom collects Hallmark ornaments, and her birthday is in January, so I usually try to pick up a couple of ornaments for her.

Cards – There’s a huge markup on Christmas cards. The day after Christmas, stores will have an entire bin full of discounted Christmas cards. It’s the perfect opportunity to buy ahead for next year.

Wrapping paper, gift bags, and supplies – Why not go ahead and buy extra gift wrapping supplies for next year?

Calendars – I love picking out my new calendar for the year. Usually I buy from the calendar stand that is set up in the middle of the mall. Several years ago I bought my calendars early. I’d see the one I wanted and I’d want to get it before they sold out. But a few years ago, I saw that had a 75% off sale after New Year’s, so I decided I would wait till then from now until. But then last year I was walking through the mall a couple of days after Christmas, and I found that they had already put the calendars on sale. Anyway, if you haven’t bought your calendar for the New Year, wait till after Christmas and check the stand at your local mall for a good deal. If they’re not on sale yet, then check back after New Years’s. Stores like Wal-mart and Target will discount their calendars as well, but they usually wait a little longer.

Christmas decor, trees, clothes, ect. – You can find great deals on all other decor and clothing for yourself or for next year’s Christmas presents. I bought my new Christmas tree the day after Christmas last year. It’s a lovely 6.5 foot tree, and I got it for about $10, and I absolutely love it! As long as you have a place to store it, stock up! (especially if it is something that you’d like to have regardless of the price and if it is something that you would have to buy in the future anyway!)

Filed Under: Christmas, saving money, shopping

Holiday Poke Cupcakes

December 17, 2007 2 Comments

Here’s a cute and simple, easy to decorate, cupcake recipe from kraft.com. I make a similar recipe to this in a sheetcake, and now that I’ve seen this recipe, I’m ready to make the cupcakes. The recipe calls for red jello, but I think green would be good as well. This would also be a good recipe for Valentine’s Day, or any holiday really….just change up the colors.

This is also a great recipe because you can do anything you want with it, making it as simple or as elaborate as you like. Personally I’m thinking of leaving the marshmallows off, but I think I will try the sprinkles. But either way, I’m sure you’ll like it!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any red flavor
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
Red or green food coloring
suggested decorations: colored sugar, colored sprinkles, crushed candy canes and/or JET-PUFFED HOLIDAY MALLOWS Marshmallows

PREPARE batter and bake as directed for cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 min. Pierce tops with fork.
STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix until dissolved; spoon over cupcakes. Refrigerate 30 min. Remove from pans.
TINT whipped topping with food coloring; spread over cupcakes. Decorate as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Filed Under: Christmas, cupcakes, desserts, recipes

Christmas Cupcake Designs

December 12, 2007 3 Comments
I’m new at cupcake decorating myself, and I am absolutely amazed at some of the cupcake designs that I find on the internet. Here are a few Christmas cupcakes for you. Even if you’re no cupcake artist, you may be able to make something similar to these, or at least ge an idea, and if nothing else, they’re very pretty to look at.

Flickr member – kagekonen

Flickr member – bakerella

Flickr member – paulahennig

Flickr member – momskitchen

Flickr member – who ate all the cupcakes

Flickr member – NZ Cupcake Queen

Flickr member – ambjer

Filed Under: Christmas, cupcakes, desserts

Peppermint Brittle

December 12, 2007 Leave a Comment
peppermint brittle
Here’s a recipe that’s sure to please this holiday season: Peppermint Brittle!  And did I mention it is super easy and quick to make?
Recipe for Peppermint Brittle 
Ingredients:
2 pounds white chocolate
30 small peppermint candy canes

Directions:
Line a large jellyroll pan with heavy-duty foil.

Place white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on medium setting for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Place candy canes in a plastic bag, or between two pieces of waxed paper. Using a mallet or rolling pin, break the candy canes into chunks. Stir peppermint into melted white chocolate. Spread evenly in pan, and chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into pieces by slamming pan on counter.

Filed Under: Christmas, cookies and candy, desserts, recipes

Tips to Avoid Spending Too Much This Holiday Season

December 6, 2007 Leave a Comment

The holiday season is upon us. Christmas is just three weeks away, and Hanukkah has already begun. Millions of shoppers will rush out to the local mall over the next few weeks and spend hundreds of dollars on presents for friends and loved ones. Unfortunately most everyone will spend more money than they orginally intended.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the holiday season, and I love to watch family members open the gifts that I carefully selected for them. After all this is a season for giving. I also cannot ignore the fact that our crazy spending sprees are great for the economy.

However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to spend beyond your means, even if it is Christmas. A little splurging is okay, but we should all be careful. Unless you have an organized shopping plan and a little time to think things out ahead of time, it is very easy to get carried away, and before you know it, you are either out of cash or you’ve racked up a huge credit card bill. For this reason, I chose to write the following article. It features some tips on how you can save money and lists some inexpensive gift selections. This is a must read for anyone who hasn’t done all their holiday shopping yet:

Tips to Avoid Spending Too Much This Holiday Season

Filed Under: Christmas, saving money, shopping
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