The holidays are just around the corner so make the most of your shopping experience and start now. Shopping for the holidays can be extremely overwhelming, very tiring and it can be quite costly if you do not know where to look and how to get those great deals.
1. Only spend what you have. If you are shopping at stores then pay cash and if you are shopping online set a credit limit and pay it off in full when you get your bill.
2. Price check. The internet makes it so easy to compare sites and stores out there before you buy what you are looking for.
3. Start now and put things away. I always start at the end of summer and put things away. This way you do not feel it so hard financially.
4. Make a list of who you are getting gifts for and what you plan to get them. Do not just go out to a store or go on a site and get items randomly. Talk to your relatives about gift giving for the holiday season. For example, my family has all agreed that it will all be about the kids this year. No adults will be getting each other gifts – it is about the grandkids, nieces and nephews. Of course my husband and I will exchange gifts but extended family will be all about the kids.
5. Why not be creative and make your own gifts. I made beautiful Swarovski crystal jewelry last year for my relatives and they loved it. If I would have bought the jewelry I made in the specialty stores I would have spent $100’s of dollars on them. If you have special talents then when not use it!
6. Know where to shop online – if you are looking for that trendy Elmo doll or those adorable Playmobil Toys then go to toy sites that are going to cater to kids. Do not just go to that generic website that sells everything from food to clothing to toys. And always find those discounts and coupon codes…they are out there but you have to search for them. If you are shopping online there are also ways to make money as well with cash back rewards using certain credit cards. Always check for shipping charges and be sure to look at the return policies.
7. Think about next year….create a fund or a special savings account. Or even put all your daily spare change in a jar. That really does add up quite a bit.
Author Kimberly Green can always find something kids love from Playmobil Toys
When you are invited to that baby shower you probably are thinking about what to get as a gift. Before you go into that store think about all the options out there first!
1. You want to make sure that you check to see if they are registered. If this is their first child they will most likely be registered somewhere. However, if this is not their first pregnancy then there may not be that registry to fall back on.
2. If you do not have a lot of extra money to spend on a gift then you may want to get together with others to get a group gift. Instead of everyone getting onsies and a burp cloth why not pool your money together to get a cradle, high chair or a stroller.
3. If you found that cute little outfit that you would like to get but it just doesn’t seem like enough then get a nice basket to put it in and garnish the basket with baby lotion, diaper ointment and a travel pack of baby wipes…things that will be used on a daily basis.
4. If the mom to be already seems to have everything then you may want to get something for her. Pamper her a little with nice lotions and bath supplies. You may want to get her a gift certificate to get that pedicure, manicure or that pregnancy massage.
5. Check to see if there is a theme to the shower or to the baby’s nursery and get things that will coordinate with the theme.
6. A personalized gift always goes a long way. And there are many unique things out there like puzzle stools with the baby’s names on them and personalized shelves to store other little trinkets on.
7. Make your own gifts. You could knit a blanket or sew a very unique outfit. Or if you are crafty then you may want to make a diaper cake and decorate it according to the theme of the shower.
8. Make a baby coupon book. Put together a coupon book for the parents for services you will give them. For example, coupons for a babysitter for a date night or a Saturday cleaning service coupon…you can be really creative with this one.
9. Plant a tree or donate to a charity in the baby’s name. Or better yet…buy a nice tree for the parents to plant in their yard when the baby is born.
10. A nice camera or video camera makes for a great gift along with scrapbooks and keepsake boxes.
11. You can never go wrong with diapers – 2 packs of diapers cost around $50 – so this is a great gift to give!
Author Kimberly green recently gave puzzle stools as a gift and it was a hit!
Halloween is not just for kids. It’s time of year when even the most mature professionals can let their hair down, be creative and have some fun donning disguises and attending costume parties. Along with witches and pirates, nurses’ uniform and doctors’ lab coat costumes prove to be among the time-tested favorites for both kids and adults.
Now, we’re not talking about the saucy variety of nurse’s costumes here. For the truly macabre (and mature) audience, however, a convincing costume must live up to certain standards of expectation. For instance, the reality is that doctors and nurses deal with blood on a daily basis. What could be more gruesome? To achieve realism, using ketchup as blood just will not suffice. Some will go as far as to buy fake blood used on movie sets that, while it can certainly be more difficult to clean, gives a uniquely authentic appearance.
For additional authenticity, accessorizing with the right equipment – stethoscope, otoscope – can further enhance a genuine appearance. But don’t go out of your way to get the genuine articles as these are expensive, highly specialized tools. The caveat is if you can get someone to give you broken or outdated equipment. There are plenty of costume accessory kits available at a fraction of the cost. There are also some great recipes online for making fake body parts and guts using gelatin and old pantyhose.
If you’re opting to turn a pair of old scrubs or an old lab coat into a Halloween costume with requisite stains, be sure that the garment you’re using is not a modern lab coat or scrubs. The nicer medical apparel you can get these days tends to be very effective at repelling stains, so instead, you’ll want to use a pair of cheap scrubs or lab coat that will absorb stains very easily (ask anyone you know in the medical field and they’d be happy to lend you an old set that already has stains).
Following these few simple ideas will ensure that your Halloween costume turns out exactly as you had envisioned, whether you want to go dressed as Dr. Jekyll or Dr. McDreamy.
Author Kimberly Green loves dressing up her old lab coats for Halloween!
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