Super Savings Saturday: I took the week off from shopping (almost!)

Aside from buying ingredients for the various items I cooked for our three Thanksgiving dinners and purchasing a few other staples, I took the week off from my usual shopping. In fact, I didn't even plan a menu--something that is incredibly uncharacteristic of me.

I'm not even exactly sure what I was thinking. Well, come to think of it, I don't know that I was thinking at all! Let me tell you, I learned very quickly that skipping menu planning is not a good idea. We ended up going out to eat more than I care to admit and spending some money unnecessarily because of my lack of organization and preparation ahead of time.

We did have some extra money in out "Dates and Eating Out" envelope and we did have some extra money leftover from some other categories that we used to fund these "splurges" this week, but still, I know that even just a little bit of time spent to prepare at the beginning of the week would have saved us a nice chunk of change.

I learned my lesson and I'm hopeful I will remember this week if I'm ever tempted to "play hooky" from menu-planning again. Maybe it can be a lesson to the rest of you all, too. Learn from my mistakes: don't skip the menu planning--it's a very important part of keeping the food budget low!

How'd you do this week? Post about the deals and bargains you were able to snag this week or other ways you saved money on your blog (with pictures, if possible!) and then come back here and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.**

Bob Evans: Free slice of pie (Good through November 30, 2008)

Bob Evans is offering a free slice of pie this Thanksgiving weekend (through November 30, 2008). Go here to print your coupon. The coupon states that you can only use one coupon per party.

I'll be taking a short break from blogging to enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends. Today we're having a baking day to prepare for Thanksgiving and then we're attending three different Thanksgiving gatherings over the next few days. I'm looking forward to lots of delicious food (did I mention how hungry I've been in my second trimester?!), good conversations, and family fun!

For those who snagged some great deals or plan to snag some on Black Friday, I'll be back with our usual Mr. Linky round-up on Saturday morning so you can shared what you scored. And blogging will resume as usual on Saturday.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Guest Post: Frugal Fall Family Fun

photo by Brian Hathcock

Guest Post by Kate from Cincinnati Cents

Fall is such a magical time of year for children. Trees seem to change right before their eyes, bursting into brilliant hues of red, yellow, and orange. The warm air of summer has subtly been replaced with cooler, crisper mornings. Children are amazed by their power to create a frosty cloud when breathing into the cool fall air. It is a season of change, and with that change, comes a limitless supply of family fun that will last until the first snows of winter.

Pumpkins are wonderfully symbolic of harvest time, and most children have an amazing fascination with them. For young children who are not quite ready for the carving experience, paint is a creative option.  Don an old t-shirt, lay out newspapers on the table (I’m sure we all have plenty lying around), and pour paint into old yogurt cups. Voila! You have the perfect recipe for creativity. Cheerful faces can be painted on to adorn your child’s pumpkin, and their creations will last right through the Thanksgiving season.

For older children, carving a pumpkin is always a memorable experience. From the first cut into a pumpkin, the kitchen is filled with the fresh smell of autumn. The seeds that are scooped out can be washed and set aside for later roasting. They make a yummy treat after the hard work of creating a perfect pumpkin.

The designs for pumpkin carvings are limitless. There are several online sites that offer free downloadable templates, with everything from very traditional pumpkin faces, to popular characters, and intricate scenes. Once the pumpkin is carved to satisfaction, a candle can be placed inside, and you have a one-of-a-kind autumn decoration.

Autumn leaves offer a great potential for creativity as well. Placed under paper, children can create rubbings of the leaves they find. Unpeel the paper from your child’s crayon, and rub the side of the crayon against the paper. Children are often amazed that the texture and shape of the leaf magically appears on their paper. As an added learning experience, older children can then identify their leaves, and label them accordingly.

Colorful leaves can also be torn and arranged on a sheet of waxed paper in the shape of animals or other objects of your child’s liking. Once your child is satisfied with his or her creation, place another sheet of waxed paper on top of the leaf design. Carefully iron the creation on low heat. The leaf project will need to cool for a few minutes; afterwards, punch a hole in the top of the waxed paper, slip a string through, and your child will have a unique fall creation to hang up.

Fall projects can also be created through the use of “puffy paint”. Mix equal parts of white shaving cream and white school glue. Add in various colors to create a multitude of options for projects. I often use Kool Aid to color our puffy paint, as it is inexpensive, and forms bright hues. Children can then use this “paint” to make puffy pumpkins or fall leaves (be sure to use heavy paper, as this paint is very thick).  When finished, glitter can be sprinkled on top to give the project a shimmery effect. These should be laid flat to dry for 24-48 hours, depending on how thick the paint is applied.

Of course, if you do not feel creative this Fall, that’s perfectly alright, too. Grab a rake, pile up a mound of leaves, and turn the clock back a few years. Jump with your children and let the leaves fly. It’s amazing how much fun it is to be a child again!  Enjoy your Fall!

Katie is a homeschooling mother of four. She blogs at Cincinnati Cents, where she shares money-saving ideas, deals, and frugal activities to enjoy as a family.

Blog Poll: Will you be hitting the sales on Black Friday?

Just for fun, I created a poll to see how many readers here are shopping on Black Friday and how many were planning to stay home. I hit Black Friday sales last year for the first time and was pretty unimpressed, though the whole experience was rather enlightening (you can read more about it here).

This year, I'm strongly considering staying home but I haven't made up my mind completely since there are a few things we've been needing to buy and if I'm in the mood for an adventure, I might just go for it. We'll see!

What about you? I'd love to hear whether or not you are planning to go out and your thoughts on whether shopping on Black Friday is a worth it. Take the poll below and then have fun discussing your opinions in the comments section!

CVS: Screaming Black Friday deals (November 27-29, 2008)

Alrighty, folks, I promised you I'd give you the run-down on the CVS Black Friday deals and are you ever in for some good deals! I haven't much lamented the fact that we said goodbye to CVS when we moved a few months ago, but I have to admit I'm definitely wishing I could run out and snag these deals at CVS. However, since I can't, I'm hoping plenty of you can.

The great news is that these deals start on Thanksgiving day, not the day after Thanksgiving, so make sure and carve out a little time before you actually carve that turkey, to make a quick run to CVS:

Here's a run-down of the sweet deals, with thanks to The Thrifty Mama for her help in compiling these. These deals are all good Thursday through Saturday (November 27-29, 2008). My guess is that many stores will sell out fast so I'd advise shopping early on Thursday:

Buy 1 Colgate Total Toothpaste at $2.99, Get $2.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $1.50/1 printable here or $1/1 from the 11/02 SmartSource insert
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Aussie Hair Care at $2.99, Get $2.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $1/1 from the 10/12 P&G insert
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 CoverGirl Smoothers pressed powder at $5.99, Get $5.99 ECBs (Limit 1) FREE after ECBs! Limit 1
Use $1/1 from the 10/12 or the 11/2 P&G inserts
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 CoverGirl Smoothers liquid makeup at $7.99, Get $7.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 from the 10/12 or the 11/2 P&G inserts
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 L’Oreal Colour Juice sheer lipgloss at $6.99, Get $6.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $1/1 printable here (You'll have to register and go through a survey to get the coupon.)
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Sally Hansen maximum growth plus nourishing nail color at $3.79, Get $3.79 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 from the CVS Beauty Book
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Johnson's Soft Lotion at $5.69, Get $5.96 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 printable here or $1/1 from the 11/2 RedPlum insert
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Bic Soleil Single Razor with 2 Cartridges at $5.99, Get $5.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $3/1 from the 11/2 SmartSource insert
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Garnier Nutrisse Cleansing Towelettes (25 ct.) at $5.99, Get $5.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 from the 11/9 RedPlum
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Maybelline Mineral Power Liquid Foundation at $8.99, Get $8.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $3/1 from the 10/26 RedPlum insert or $2/1 from the 09/21 RedPlum insert
Free plus overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Magnavox Universal Remote or Philips Headphones at $6.99, Get $6.99 ECBs (Limit 2) Free after ECBs

Buy 1 Gatorade (20 oz.) at $1.49, Get $1.49 ECBs (Limit 3)
Free after ECBs

Buy 1 Hershey's King Size Milk Chocolate Bar at $1, Get $1 ECBs (Limit 1)
Free after ECBs

Buy 1 5-Hour Energy at $3.99, Get $3.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Free after ECBs

Buy 1 Schick Quattro Razor or Trimmer at $7.99, Get $6 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $2/1 printable here or $4/1 in the December All You magazine
Free after coupon and ECBs (and free plus overage, if you have the $4/1 coupon!)

Buy 1 Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons at $3.99, Get $3 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $1/1 from the 10/5 SmartSource insert
Free after coupon and ECBs

See all Black Friday deals at CVS along with the ad scans here.

********************************
Since the deals are so spectacular, I'm posting a Mr. Linky below for you to share your deal scenarios or pictures of what you purchased. Remember that links not going directly to your blog post on Black Friday CVS deals will be deleted in order to keep things efficient and easy to navigate.

Rite Aid: Black Friday deals

Check out the Black Friday deals at Rite Aid here and here. There are five freebies!

Walgreens: Back Friday Deals (November 27-29, 2008)

Thanks to Mercedes for her help in compiling these. These prices are good November 27-29, 2008.

Schick Quattro Midnight--on sale $3.99
Use $2/1 manufacturer coupon from 10/5 inserts
Stack with $3/1 Walgreens coupon on December Easysaver
Free plus $1.01 in overage after coupons

Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpaste--$3.99
Get $3.99 in Register Rewards back when you buy one
Free after Register Rewards

Gillette Shave Gel--$0.99 after in-ad coupon
Use $0.55/1 from 11/2 inserts
$0.44 after coupons

See all the Black Friday deals at Walgreens here.

DaveRamsey.com: Everything for $10 each!

DaveRamsey.com is offering all of Dave's books, audios, and DVD's for the low price of $10 each right now! There are very few financial books and resources that I can whole-heartedly endorse, but these I would highly recommend. They may very likely change your life!

If you are struggling financially and feeling no way out, I would strongly encourage you to invest the money to purchase some of these materials. If you are doing pretty well financially but feel like you are not making the traction you'd like to be, you will really find these materials beneficial. We have personally saved a few thousand dollars extra each year, thanks to Dave Ramsey--and we were already frugal zealots before we'd even heard of him!

If you're new to Dave, I'd encourage you to start with The Total Money Makeover. If you're more of a visual learner like me, be sure to check out Dumping Debt, Cash-Flow Planning, and The Great Misunderstanding (this is hands-down, our very favorite DVD from Dave!). My husband also has found the Personal Finance Software to be very helpful.

For those who might be interested in giving out these books and materials as Christmas gifts, not only are all the books, CDs, and DVDs on sale for $10, but if you buy 10, you will get 2 free. Plus, if you spend more than $65, you'll get free shipping!

Thanks, Lissa!

Target: Broccoli and cauliflower for $0.33

Target has 1 lb. heads of broccoli and cauliflower on sale for $1.33 this week. Use this $1/1 coupon here to get them for $0.33 each!

You can print and use this coupon as many times as you'd like so if you use a lot of broccoli and cauliflower, you might want to stock up and then cook and freeze what you can't use right away. (Thanks, Abby!)

See more deals at Target this week here.

photo by ramtops

Giveaways Galore

I have a huge giveaway extravaganza planned for next week! You won't want to miss all the great swag you can win so be sure to check back here bright and early next week--as soon as you've recovered from all the Thanksgiving baking and eating!

In the mean time, are you giving something away on your blog this week or found a great giveaway elsewhere on the web? If so, post your link below and let all the readers here know so they can get in on the action!

Your giveaway must be family-friendly and no-strings-attached. In addition, to make it easy to navigate, your link must go directly to your giveaway post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your giveaway post will be deleted.

Guest Post: The Freedom of Limitations

Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room
And hermits are contented with their cells;
And students with their pensive citadels;
Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom,
Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom,
High as the highest Peak of Furness-fells,
Will murmur by the hour in foxglove bells:
In truth the prison, into which we doom
Ourselves, no prison is: and hence for me,
In sundry moods, ’twas pastime to be bound
Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground;
Pleased if some Souls (for such there needs must be)
Who have felt the weight of too much liberty,
Should find brief solace there, as I have found.

- from Nuns Fret Not at their Convent’s Narrow Room, Wordsworth

Guest Post by Jennifer from Life From The Roof

In our neck of the woods, there are lots of bars over the windows and doors. Despite how elaborate the design, the overall effect is still a bit disheartening, as it is aesthetically a distraction, and psychologically it’s a reminder that there are reasons roaming the streets at night that require those bars to be there in the first place.

We live on the third floor, however, and for awhile we were able to enjoy the prettier views and bar-free existence that this height enables. That is, until our little guy Eli became a bigger guy who was capable of climbing out of those windows. 

We racked our brains for solutions. Our windows are fairly large, and are only 18 inches off the ground (the building we live in is around 100 years old), and as I researched options, I was discouraged to find that if I wanted something really secure, it would cost upwards of $200 a window, and we had two windows to secure.

Safety of course, matters, and no matter how frugal you are, it’s not something you want to compromise when your child’s well-being is at stake. So I braced myself to somehow find a way to scrape the money together on our limited budget.

Then one day, as I was taking out the trash, I took another look at an old abandoned black metal headboard and footboard that had been sitting there for at least a couple of months. They were about 3 feet tall, and just wide enough that they looked like they might fit our windows. I went upstairs and after my husband measured them, lo and behold, they would fit! They even had holes drilled in them for the bed rails that would make securing them to our windows easy.

Only, they were still black and ugly. I thought about it for a minute, and then remembered an extra set of sheer white curtains I had purchased awhile back but had never got around to using. An hour or two later, I had come up with sheer white sleeves to ruffle over the bars, and voila, window gates that not only kept our little critter in, but also allowed light to pour in and shield our view of the next door building’s roof.

“They say that God is in the details, but maybe He’s in the dumpsters, too,” my husband commented wryly as we finished up our project.

It’s easy at times to feel like we’re limited or lacking in our ability to “live” because we have less money, but I’ve observed over time, in my own life as well as in the lives of others, that often we are at our most creative when we are provided with limitations and boundaries.  As T.S. Eliot once wrote:

“When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl.”

Sprawl...yes, that is what I feel like at times when I’m faced with too many choices. My mind becomes cluttered with options instead of solutions, because I have to waste so much time considering the many choices.

When I was working in Uzbekistan, an Uzbek friend of mine had the opportunity to visit the US for six months. When she returned, I asked her what she thought of America.

“America...they have too many cheeses,” she replied.

“Too many cheeses?” I asked, not quite clear on what she meant.

“Yes...so many choices, and why do you need so many cheeses in the first place?” she asked.

I understood later when I returned for the first time to the US after my initial 2 years in Uzbekistan. I went into Wal-Mart to buy shampoo, and ended up just standing there for a few minutes staring at an entire aisle of shampoo.

I was so overwhelmed, I ended up just turning around and walking out without buying anything. While it was hard at times to be deprived of access to certain products in Uzbekistan, I now understood what Wordsworth commented on in his poem Nuns Fret Not at their Convent’s Narrow Room. Instead of being limited by what we cannot buy, perhaps sometimes we should look at having too many liberties as a weight, and at our limitations as true freedom.

Jennifer Duenes is a homemaker, wife to Michael, and proud mother to one-year old Elijah. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and despite living on one income with the high costs of living associated with that area, she enjoys finding creative ways to save money and thrive. She attributes part of her ability to save and appreciate the important things in life to her experiences as a teacher in a poor region of Uzbekistan for five years before getting married. For more on her insights from life in Uzbekistan and tips on making the most of your resources in high-cost urban areas, check out her blog at www.lifefromtheroof.wordpress.com.

Best Buy: Trade in older electronics for gift cards

It seems that many stores are coming out with these types of trade-in programs and now Best Buy has followed suit. Go here to read how you can earn Best Buy gift cards for trading in your older electronics.

Thanks, Renee!

Shopper's Food Warehouse: Double and triple coupons

Through November 27, 2008, Shopper's Food Warehouse is offering triple coupons up to $0.50 off and double coupons up to $1 off.

Thanks, Julie!

Review books and earn free Starbucks gift cards

The Reader Spoils Review Team is offering to give away free digital books and Starbucks gift cards in exchange for reviews of recently-released books. For more details, go here.

Free Dr. Pepper through 6 p.m. EST today only (Monday, November 24, 2008)

If you haven't already requested your coupon for a free 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, you can do so here through 6 p.m. EST time today (Monday, November 24, 2008). You can request up to one coupon per person in your household.

If you have trouble getting the site to load, you can call 1-800-696-5891 and request your coupon(s) by phone.

Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom!

Walgreens: Deals for the week of November 23-29, 2008

Here are the best deals at Walgreens this week with thanks to Mercedes for her help in compiling them. Don't miss the post over on her blog this week on making homemade laundry detergent.

WEEKLY DEALS

Sure Deodorant--on sale $1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 10/19 inserts
Stack with $1.50/1 Walgreens coupon in December Easysaver catalog
Free plus $0.51 in overage after coupons

 

Excedrin--on sale B1G1 (2 for $4.49)

Use 2 $2/1 internet printable here

$0.24 each after coupons

 

Bounty Basic Paper Towel--$0.89 per roll after in ad coupon

Buy 2 and use $1/2 from 11/2 inserts

$0.39 per roll after coupon

 

Kashi Cereal--on sale 2/$5

Use $2/1 internet printable here

Pay $0.50 a box after coupon

 

Russel Stover Boxed Chocolates--$3.99
Use $2/1 from 5/4 inserts
Pay $1.99 per box after coupon

 

REGISTER REWARD DEALS

 

Buy 1 Venus Embrace Razor at $9.49, Get $6 Register Rewards back

Use $4/1 manufacturer coupons from Vocalpoint (these were sent in the mail)

Free plus $0.51 in overage after coupon and Register Rewards

============================
Share Your Deals and Scenarios!
Have your shopping trip planned or did you come up with a great deal scenario/idea? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Walgreens deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Walgreens deals post will be deleted.**

 

CVS: Deals for the week of November 23-29, 2008

Here are the best deals I see at CVS this week. Please note that there are some exceptionally sweet Black Friday deals (loads of free-after-ECBs deals!) which begin on Thursday (yes, on Thanksgiving!). I'll post more details on these in a few days.

******ECB DEALS******

Buy 1 Maybelline Mineral Power Liquid Foundation at $8.99, Get $8.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $3/1 coupon from 10/26 RedPlum insert or $2/1 coupon from 9/21 RedPlum insert
Free plus $2-3 overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Complete Multi-Purpose Solution (12 oz.) at $8.99, Get $8.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Free after ECBs

Buy 1 Right Guard Professional Strength Deodorant (solid 1.8 oz. or aerosol 6 oz.) at $7.99, Get $7 ECBs (Limit 5)
$0.99 after ECBs
There are reportedly tear pads out in some places with $1/1 coupons, so if you can find those, these would be free after the coupon and ECBs.

******NON-ECB DEALS******

Duracell Batteries--on sale for $2.99 each--If you were able to locate the $5/2 CVS coupon tearpads, and still have some of the $0.75/1 or $1.50/1 coupons from the 11/16 or 10/26 RedPlum inserts, you can get these very inexpensively or free! 

All Revlon Make Up is on sale B1G1--Prices start at $3.49 so if you buy two items for $4 or less and use 2 $2/1 coupons from the 08/24 or 09/14 SmartSource inserts, you can get both for free!

******NOVEMBER ECB DEALS******

Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste (4.2 oz.) at $3.49, Get $3.49 ECBs (Limit 2)
Use $1/1 coupon from 11/2 P&G insert
Free plus $1 overage after coupon and ECBs

See all deals with coupon match-ups for the month of November here.

New to CVS-ing? Don't try to make heads or tails of this post because it probably won't make a lot of sense to you. Instead, go here where I explain the CVS program in full detail. Want to join in the fun and incredible savings? Then go here where I share more about how to make it work for you.

******Share Your Deals and Scenarios!********

Have your shopping trip planned or did you come up with a great deal scenario/idea? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your CVS deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your CVS deals post will be deleted.**

Super Savings Saturday: Kroger and Aldi

Here's a picture of this week's shopping trip:

You can read more about what bargains we snagged, how much we spent, and how much we saved here.

How'd you do this week? Post about the deals and bargains you were able to snag this week or other ways you saved money on your blog (with pictures, if possible!) and then come back here and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.**

Thanksgiving on a Budget: Share your ideas!

Erin, Monica, and I hope you've enjoyed the ideas we've shared this week for the "Thanksgiving on a Budget" series. Our main goal was to show you how you could create a simple from-scratch Thanksgiving meal for your family without spending a fortune to do so.

To recap, here's the menu we shared:

--Turkey, gravy, and stuffing/dressing (I got a kick out of how many of thought dropping the dressing from your menu was ludicrous! Wouldn't it be a boring world if we all thought the same way about everything?!)
--Sweet potato casserole and make-ahead mashed potatoes
--Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
--Green Vegetables
--Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
--Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie

While I'm sure not all of the recipes or decorations would be something you might use for your Thanksgiving celebration, we hope that our ideas will inspire you as you seek to have a memorable Thanksgiving celebration for your family this year.

I'm positive we've only barely scratched the surface when it comes to Thanksgiving ideas, though, and that's why today is the day for all of you--my wonderfully creative readers--to chime in with your own ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving on a Budget.

The floor is yours! Share your favorite recipes, helpful tips, ideas for simplifying the Thanksgiving menu, decorating how-to's, or special traditions your family has. If you have a blog, post about it on your blog and leave the direct link to your blog post below. If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section.

Thanksgiving on a Budget: Decorations from Paper

Guest Post by Monica from The Homespun Heart

Paper is one of my favorite crafting supplies because it is inexpensive and the variety available creates endless possibilities! Here are some ideas to jump start your Thanksgiving table decorating this year:

::Turkey coloring books::
Details on how to make these are here. All you do is print the template, cut it out, and glue together! Bring this idea to the grown-up table by placing one at each plate. Provide pens or pencils to jot notes of thankfulness to each other!

Image from Martha Stewart Living

::Silhouette Table cloth::
Instructions for making this are here. I haven't made mine yet as I'm not sure how to store it until Thanksgiving--but I will have my silhouettes all cut out and ready to go for my littles table!

Bring the silhouette idea to the grown-up table by creating napkin rings, decorations and place cards (take it a step further by creating silhouettes of your guests!):

::Silhouette Napkin Rings::
Use the templates provided in the silhouette tablecloth link above to make these. Glue to a piece of cardstock and staple at the back. Slide over your napkin!

::Silhouette Place cards/table decor::
Hot glue a length of ribbon around a canning jar and glue silhouette onto ribbon.

Or, glue silhouette to a stick (from your yard!) and insert into a small jar or votive holder filled with unpopped popcorn.

Create varying heights with jars, upside down sundae dishes, juice glasses, or anything that is clear or coordinates with what you want to use! You could also opt to put one of these at each place for name cards!

You could also have a little stack of these silhouettes cut out with holes punched in the top and string tied on. Provide chalk for guests to write things they are thankful for and hang on a branch from your yard to create a Thankful Tree!

::Turkey Trivia Place Cards::
Details on how to make these fun little turkey quiz decorations are here. Find some interesting turkey facts here and here.



::Napkin Rings (inspired by Country Living November 2006)::
To make these, cut a small piece of cardstock and decorate with rubber stamps, stickers, or just write a short message. Punch a small hole in each end of the cardstock. Pull a ribbon through one end, and then through the other. Tip: if you cut the ends of the ribbon in a diagonal, they will be much easier to get through the small holes.

::Favor Tags::
Make up little bags of some kind of treat and add a festive nametag and bow. I used these for place cards one year and then let them become the favor for guests to take home as well. By the way, this would be a great opportunity to use some of those sugared pumpkin seeds!

::"Thankful For You" breakfast::
A few years ago I started a new Thanksgiving tradition. It is intended to be a practical way of showing thanks to someone who has been a blessing to our family over the past year. I prepare an extra batch of our Thanksgiving breakfast and pack it up festively to deliver to the recipient. I like the expression of doing something visible to say "thank you" to one of the many people who encourage us throughout the year.

I make little tags for each item naming what it is and if there are any specific heating instructions. Then you can package pancakes and sausage wrapped in waxed paper and tied with twine. Canning jars make great containers for syrup and nuts. Put them all in a pretty gift bag and deliver!

Our traditional Thanksgiving breakfast is:

Pumpkin Pancakes (cooked in a maple leaf shaped pancake mold)
Brown & Serve Sausage
Homemade Maple Syrup & Chopped nuts to top pancakes

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe from Martha Stewart Living

Whisk:
1 1/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves (I use pumpkin pie spice)

Mix:
1 egg
6 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 c. milk

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.Heat a buttered skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 c. batter for each pancake. Cook about three minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes about 10 leaf shaped pancakes.

Maple Syrup:

Combine in saucepan:
1 3/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. water

Bring to a boil, cover, and cook one minute. Cool slightly.

Add:
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring

Cover saucepan for a few minutes as syrup cooks to melt down crystals; helps prevent syrup from crystallizing later in storage. From the More With Less Cookbook.

::ABC's of Thanks::
My Mom started this tradition when we were growing up and I have continued it in our home. Print this

template, cut the columns apart, and tape together in one continuous line. Mount on your wall and enjoy giving thanks for God's many blessings!

And here are a couple of other ideas I haven't made before, but think are full of possibility:
Paper Turkeys
Mayflower Centerpiece

Have you made any Thanksgiving decorations with paper? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Monica enjoys blogging about the simple pleasures of faith, family and home over at The Homespun Heart.

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Note from Money Saving Mom: If you happened to miss Monica's previous guest post with lots of fun ideas to do with pumpkins, you'll want to check it out here. There's likely something there you could also incorporate into your Thanksgiving menu or decor ideas. Also, don't forget to check out Monica's brand-new online boutique, The Rusty Robin.

Thanksgiving on a Budget: Homemade Pumpkin Pie and Money Saving Mom's Favorite Apple Pie

Homemade Pumpkin Pie
by Erin at $5 Dinners

Crust Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening or butter
2-4 Tablespoons COLD water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place flour in mixing bowl; add butter and cut in with pastry blender.

Add salt and then add COLD water 1 Tablespoon at a time. Mix/toss with fork until dough ball forms.

Place in plastic wrap or Ziploc baggie and put into the refrigerator while you make the filling. Make filling (see directions below) while dough is in the fridge.Take dough ball from fridge and place on lightly floured surface. Roll out into a circle at least 12 inches in diameter and gently fold pie crust into quarters.

Move pie crust from counter to pie plate.  Unfold. Flute edges in your favorite design. Pour filling into pie shell. Place pie crust shield over the top or use foil to make a shield to keep the crust edges from burning or turning dark brown while baking. Bake pie at 425 for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 40-50 minutes, until center of pie is done. If you want a darker crust, remove the foil or pie crust shield 10 minutes before pie is finished.

Filling Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon (You can substitute 2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for above 3 spices)
2 large eggs
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

 
Place all ingredients in baking bowl. Blend with mixer or stand mixer on low for 2-3 minutes. Set aside until pie crust is prepared and pour into the pie crust. Cost: approximately $2.50 to $3 per pie

Money Saving Mom's Favorite Apple Pie

This is one of our family's very favorite pies. If I'm able to snag a good deal on apples, this is one of the first things I think of making. It takes a little bit of work, but once you've made it, it's so worth it! And Thanksgiving wouldn't quite be the same without this pie--though it's great year-round, too!

(Confession Time: I had every intention of making up a fresh pie and taking pictures of it for you, but time slipped away from me this week. So I'll just let you imagine how beautiful this pie turns out! Think something like this.)

Pie crust (uncooked, see recipe above or use your favorite recipe)
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (about 2 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter

Prepare and roll out pie crust. Line pie pan with it and flute edges. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add in apples and gently toss until coated. Transfer apple mixture to the pie crust. Dot apples with butter. Set aside.

Prepare crumb topping ingredients by stirring together 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in 3 Tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over apples in pie pan. Cover edges of pie with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. This is especially delicious served with freshly-whipped cream or Breyer's vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

Walgreens: Double-dipping for Friday and Saturday only (November 21-22, 2008)

It's the end of the November EasySaver rebate booklet period and the beginning of the December rebate period so that means there are some overlapping deals (i.e. deals where you can use both the November EasySaver and the December EasySaver catalog because the dates overlap).

Here are the deals which can be done November 21 and 22 only (thanks to Mercedes and The Thrifty Mama for putting these together!):

Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses--on sale 2/$5
Buy 4 for $10 and use 4 $1/1 Dark Chocolate Kisses Variety from the 11/9 SmartSource insert
Stack with $1/2 November EasySaver coupon (should take off $2)
Submit for $5 December Rebate
Free plus $1 overage after coupons and rebate

Crest Spinbrush--on sale $4.99
Use $2/1 manufacturer coupon here
Stack with $3/1 Walgreens coupon in December Easysaver catalog
Free after coupons

bioInfusion Shampoo or Conditioner, Conditioning Balm or serum--on sale 2/$20
Use $2/1 coupon in December Easy Saver catalog (should take off $4 total)
Submit for November Easysaver Rebate--$10 back when you buy two
$3 each after coupon and rebate

See all deals at Walgreens this week here.

Wal-Mart: A few great deals

I've been negligent in getting Wal-Mart deals up the past two weeks because I've had so many other posts to share. I hope to remedy this and get back on track with sharing Wal-Mart deals here as soon as Thanksgiving is over.

However, in the mean time, I wanted to alert you to the fact that I've heard Wal-Mart has some great Thanksgiving sales going on including sweet potatoes on sale for $0.25/lb! Also, Land O' Lakes butter is reported to be on sale for $2 for a pound. Use this $0.55/1 coupon here and you have 4 sticks of butter for $1.45!

Thanks, Michelle and Sarah!

See more deals at Wal-Mart right now here.

Thanksgiving on a Budget: Money Saving Mom's Favorite Roll Recipe

If you don't normally make homemade rolls for Thanksgiving, you might just want to consider taking a little extra effort to make these rolls this year. They are just that good. In fact, I've tried literally hundreds of roll recipes over the years and this recipe is hands-down the best one I've ever made.

These are best served within an hour or two of making, though, so if you're planning to serve them on Thanksgiving, you'll want to make sure and allow extra time to whip up the dough. While it's rising, you can do your last minute Thanksgiving meal preparations and then stick these in the oven to bake an hour or so before you're planning to eat.

Yes, it's a little bit of extra work but I think you and your guests will agree it was worth it!

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

(Recipe modified slightly from the original recipe found at Tammy's Recipes--a cooking blog you ought to be reading, if you're not already!)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 cup warm milk
¼ cup butter, softened or melted
2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin (I usually use one can of pumpkin.)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup wheat germ (can omit and use flour instead)
10-12 cup all-purpose flour (I usually use a mixture of whole-wheat and white flours. I'd recommend going about 1/3 whole-wheat to 2/3 white flour.)
7 teaspoons dry yeast

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, milk, butter, pumpkin, and salt. Mix well. Add wheat germ, 7-8 cups of the flour, and yeast. Mix, and then continue adding flour and kneading until dough is elastic and not sticky.

Place dough in greased bowl; grease top of dough, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down and divide into thirds. Divide each third into 16 pieces and shape into balls.

Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. (Note: These rolls usually look somewhat dry when first coming out of the oven. Wait about 15 minutes and they will look and taste beautifully. Don't ask me why, but that's how it always works for me!)

Yield: 4 dozen rolls (If you're not expecting a large crowd for Thanksgiving, I'd recommend halfing the recipe. I often do this for smaller groups and it works great!)

Up Next: $5 Dinner Mom's Pumpkin Pie recipe and Money Saving Mom's Favorite French Apple Pie recipe