Poor Santa » frugal holidays

After Halloween Christmas Bargain Shopping

PoorSanta — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:09 +0000

There can be considerable benefits to starting your holiday planning now. Start thinking Frugal Christmas, now… and you won’t miss some great opportunities to save.

After Halloween Deals

$ Grab up remaining halloween candy. You can get a great deal on chocolates, and no one will be the wiser when they are chopped up in holiday desserts & cookies.

$ Many halloween candies are not individually marked as such. Pop them in the back of the freezer and they will make stocking stuffer fillers.

$ If you are a fan of “The Nightmare before Christmas”, start planning a themed Christmas party now. Gummie worms & those foil covered chocolates, that look like eyeballs ,will never be cheaper. Some halloween props, like cauldrons and mummy wraps, will actually work for the theme.

$ Angel and Elf costumes might be found in the clearance racks now.

Right now stores are trying to moved this stuff out as quickly as possible and cutting prices drastically.

Yankee Candle Buy 2 Get 2 Free

PoorSanta — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:20:39 +0000

YankeeCandle.com is running a great deal on their jar candles online. They are currently giving customers 2 free candles of the same size for each 2 they buy. While, you can order as many as you like, all the candles in an order need to be the same size, since the coupon code differs by size. There are no scent exclusions. This deal is scheduled to run through 11/29.

Here are the codes:

Large = CRM911L
Medium = CRM911M
Small = CRM911S

These would make nice gifts, and half price isn’t bad at all. Flat rate shipping for orders under $100 is only $5. Some shoppers are reporting, that although this says it can’t be combined with other deals , if you add the Collector’s edition candle in your cart, before anything else, it will show up at the discounted price of $5 with $30+ purchase.

Hot Deals on Step 2 Toys (with free shipping to boot)

PoorSanta — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:51:38 +0000

I have found some good deals on Step2 toys, which include free shipping (essential since Step2 toys are often heavy).

The first two bargains I found are directly from the Step2 website. They currently have the “Fairy Wonderland” wooden playset marked down from $49.99 to $19.99. The Step2 site also has a Pirate Ship Playset discounted $52.99 to $26.49.

The rest of the deals are from Meijer.com. They have several Step2 items on sale or clearance, are currently offering a $10 off coupon code and free shipping on orders over $75. The discount code is : UPICK09

Two of the play kitchens here are particularly good bargains right now:

The 50’s Diner play kitchen $149.99 is priced $125 – $10 (coupon code) = $115 .

The Lifestyle Party Time Kitchen $159.99 is currently marked $131 – $10 (coupon code) = $121

Considerably less than these play kitchens are priced at most online retailers, most of which are not including free shipping.

If you live in an area where your kids can still play outside regularly in the winter months. You might want to grab the deal on the Naturally Playful Lookout Treehouse $149.99 now at $99 – $10 (coupon code) = $89

Meijer also has a good price on the Step2 Action Train Table reg. $79.99 now $49.00. You will need to add more to your order to utilize the free shipping discount, but there are many other toys on sale and clearance, as well. I doubt it will be a problem to find a nice filler item or two.

$15 Credit at Kodak Gallery (just for signing up) : Use for Free Christmas Gift or Holiday Cards

PoorSanta — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:16:29 +0000

I just came across a great offer from Kodak Gallery. When you sign-up on their site, the company emails you a code worth $15 toward anything in their product catalogue. This code could cover the cost of Christmas cards, or a specialized gift for a loved one. Postcard style cards from Kodak are generally 10 for $4.99-$6.99 and folded ones start at $1.49 each. Under $15 choices for gifts include: select photo mugs, ornaments, T-shirts, photobook or mousepad. The discount would also provide a nice deal on more substantial gifts, such as, keepsake boxes, photo pillows or calendars. The offer is being done in 3 waves starting Oct 20th, 29th and Nov 6th (100,00 codes in each wave). Although this sounds like a lot, I am sure this offer will become popular very quickly. Once the $15 codes in each wave are exhausted, sign-ups will be given 40% off codes.

Once you get code in email, you will have til end of the month to validate it. The validated code, will add the credit on your account and will then have no expiration date.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/kodak-free-photo-gift.jsp

Chocolate Covered Butter Cookies Recipe

PoorSanta — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:03:35 +0000

Here the basic butter cookie is elevated to a luxurious treat, by sathering it with chocolate.

Chocolate Covered Butter Cookies Recipe

Basic Butter Cookies (Double Dough Batch):

2 cups softened butter (I use salted, if you use unsalted add a 1/2 tsp of salt to recipe)

1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar

3 lg. egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 3/4 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cream butter & sugar (and salt if needed) at high speed. (Use a large bowl this is a double batch of dough)

3. Add vanilla and yolks. Beat til smooth.

4. Turn mixer down to slow speed and slowly add flour, just til mixed in.

5. Separate dough into 2 or 3 manageable sized balls, for rolling out.

6. Lightly flour your counter and roll out dough to about 1/4″ and cut your shapes.

7. Place on Parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for approximately 12-13 minutes. (if you don’t use parchment cookies will cook a minute or 2 faster).

8. Let cookies rest a couple minutes, before removing from baking sheet, to avoid breakage.

Chocolate Coating:

The chocolate used on these cookies is basically just a thick ganache.

8 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate squares

2 1/2 tbs of milk

1. Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces to speed melting.

2. Combine milk and chocolate in microwavesafe dish.

3. Heat chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds, then stir with fork. Repeat, until the chocolate mixes smoothly (it will still be a little thick). Add a little milk if you need, but do so sparingly.

4. Let Chocolate sit for a couple minutes, just til not steaming hot.

5. Place cookie flat down on chocolate. With smaller cookies, twisting while lifting may give you a nice swirled effect. Larger cookies will probably require the chocolate be spread out with icing spatula or the back of a spoon. (You can sprinkle nuts or crushed candy cane on at this point if you like).

6. The cookies will need several hours to “set-up”. I usually leave them overnight.

The chocolate will not be enough to cover all the cookies, as it is a single batch recipe and the dough is a double recipe. I usually serve the plain butter cookies along side the chocolate covered ones as shown here, or use half the dough for another cookie style.

Today’s Inexpensive Stocking Stuffers

PoorSanta — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:58:49 +0000

I have come across a few neat items for stocking stuffers this morning.

The Flip Flap Solar Powered Monkey is too cute. This one would be great for kids, or as an office gag gift. It is only $2.99, with free shipping. http://bit.ly/2YT6AH

Avon has some Light-up Christmas Keychains right now at $1.99 (free shipping with code : SPECIAL ) http://bit.ly/2J70fz

Grab a magazine subscription. Amazon has some nice choices for under $12, use code OCTMAG50 to get an additional 50% off many titles. (ie. Country Living ..sale priced $10 – 50% = $5 for 1 year subscription) http://bit.ly/2M7R0U

Also at Amazon and eligible for free shipping (no I’m not an Amazon affiliate …lol) :

Shrek Practical Joke Kit http://bit.ly/1bomsK $2.48

Pirateology Guidebook and Model Set http://bit.ly/4ecsKD $7.20

Hannah Montana House Song Writin’ Swing Set with Hannah Doll http://bit.ly/3yJvPo $6.51

Fur Berries Pink with Bonus DVD http://bit.ly/4odjq9 $5.14

All items were in stock at posting time, but may not be in stock for long. Follow @PoorSanta for more holiday bargain updates.

Thomas the Train Toys $1.99 w/ Free Shipping : Great Stocking Stuffers

PoorSanta — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:34:21 +0000

Learning Curve currently has a Thomas the Tank Engine , as well as Toby the Tram Engine at discount. These are “Getting Started” editions, and are $1.99 each, with free shipping through 10/16/09 or while supplies last (sale started this morning). The trains will be sent wrapped in tissue in a padded envelope. These little trains would make great stocking stuffers, grab a couple, before they sell out.

Link to Thomas: http://shop.learningcurve.com/product/detail/LC09770?locale=en_US

Link to Toby: http://shop.learningcurve.com/product/detail/LC09768?locale=en_US

Win a Skitter Ride-On Toy: 1 in 100 Entries Wins (many entry opportunites)

PoorSanta — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:46:58 +0000

There is a great giveaway going on at Blogger Mommies. Skitters just offered to upgrade the giveaway they have been doing there, to 1 winner out of every 100 entries. Your chances could actually be far better than 1/100, with 10 different ways to enter, including up to 3 Twitter entries per day,and bonus entries for spreading the word in a blog post, like this one.

The Skitter is a self propelled Ride-On toy. It is suggested for ages 18 months to adult, and can support up to 150 lbs (up to 220 with upgraded wheels). The rider propels themselves by turning the wheel back and forth, there are video examples of the toy in use on both Blogger Mommies and the Skitter website.

This would be a great toy to find under the tree, for kids of all ages. Enter at Blogger Mommies through October 14th.

Puff Pizzettes : Inexpensive Holiday Appetizers

PoorSanta — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:52:54 +0000

Puff pastry and fresh ingredients, make these bite-size pizzas a step above the common fare.

Puff Pizzettes Recipe:

Frozen Puff Pastry

Grape Tomatoes (sliced thinly)

Fresh basil leaves(sliced into 1/4″ ribbons)

Shaved Parmesan Cheese

2 tbs olive oil

1 clove of garlic (crushed & minced)

salt

Thaw the puff pastry dough thoroughly.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Sweat the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat with a pinch of salt
Smooth out the dough and cut into 1” by 3″ strips. (A shortbread cookie cutter this size will produce the slightly ruffled edges seen in the pic. above)
Baste the top of the strips with the garlic oil.
Pick each strip 3-4 times with a fork.
Top with 3 slices of grape tomato.
Sprinkle on shaved Parmesan .
Top with a couple pieces of basil.
Place the strips on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 12 minutes, on middle rack.

Earn Amazon Gift Cards in Time for Christmas

PoorSanta — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:16:26 +0000

Building up a nice Amazon gift card balance now, can take off some of the holiday pressure, for those on tight budgets. There are several legitimate sites, that will pay you for you time & effort with Amazon gift codes. These codes are then redeemed at Amazon, where they go on your balance. There is no limit to how many of these codes you can redeem. You just have to get them.

SwagBucks

Perhaps the easiest, and most well known of these sites is SwagBucks. By simply utilizing SwagBucks for some of their regular online searches, members randomly win “bucks”. Generally, members earn from 1-3 “bucks” per day, which can be cashed in for various prizes. The best prize deal on SwagBucks is the $5 Amazon gift card (costs 45 “bucks”). Where “bucks” can start to build up more quickly is through friend referral. SwagBucks matches the earnings of your friends 1 to 1. With just a few referrals, you will find yourself cashing in pretty regularly. One of the big pluses of SwagBucks is, that it really doesn’t take up much time .

Oodles

Another lesser known way to earn gift cards including Amazon, is by answering Oodles Trivia and playing games, on GSN.com (Game Show Network). The site can be a little hard to navigate at first, but just keep your eyes out for anything that says Oodles, and you will find your way around. Members who earn the maximum points each day, will have enough to redeem for a $50 gift card in just over a month. Cards are usually sent within a few weeks of redemption. Hint: Trivia is not timed, you can look up answers if you want to.

Gather

Gather is a social and writing network, where members earn points for their activity on the site. Points are given for both viewing content, and the views your content receives. Gather is very laid back. Submit pretty much whatever you like. Active and well networked members can earn $50 and up, per month, casual use can still net at least a $10 gift card in a month. $25 is the lowest payout value for Amazon and Paypal. If you enjoy social networking online, Gather.com is a painless way to generate some spare funds.

MTurk

MTurk is actually a part of Amazon. It is an online database of paid tasks called “hits”. Workers claim “hits” and have a preset length of time to complete the task. Once completed and approved, the worker is paid right in the Mturk system. There is a $1 minimum to cashout into your Amazon gift balance, and a $10 minimum for automatic deposit into your bank account.

Although none of these sites will generate a lot of income for you. If you need funds for Christmas, and have some time on your hands, they can at least help you buy a few gifts this holiday.

While you are here be sure to check my other post about Ways to Make some Christmas Money