Happy holidays everyone! Melissa Chapman-Mushnick wrote an article on a few money saving tips for moms, so please check out
www.SheKnows.comYou’ve got just a few days left to pull together stocking stuffers for the family, decorate your lackluster home with some festive trimmings and cook up some sanat-licious dishes. Instead you’re hyperventilating because frankly you’ve been too busy with your day-to-day mommy obligations to tackle your holiday ones! That being said we’re intent on helping you cut through the circulars and have put together a list of some last-minute budget friendly stocking stuffers, toys, food dishes and decorating tips so you can focus on keeping the holiday spirit alive and well!
COST-CUTTING FOOD PREP
Splenda (www.splenda.com) offers these tips for stress-free, easy on your budget holiday cooking and baking:
Be organized and plan ahead. Sit down for 30 minutes and think through all the aspects of your party. Make shopping lists and create to-do lists. By creating a successful routine and sticking to it you will avoid impulse purchases
Accept help from family and friends. Organize your tasks and when a friend or family member asks what they can do to help in preparation of a party or meal – let them be responsible for a project or dish.
Prepare foods ahead of time that can be warmed. Many appetizers, entrees and desserts can be pre-made, which will save you time and stress.
Simplify holiday beverage offerings to include coffee and apple cider as after-dinner drinks. Add a tray with creamer, SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener and cinnamon to allow guests to customize.
Use those holiday leftovers. Make a great appetizer spread – little tea sandwiches with turkey or ham are always a hit.
BUDGET FRIENDLY DECORATIONS
NYC-based event planner Cathy Riva (www.rivaevents.com) offers these tips for stress-free holiday entertaining:
Use materials you have around the house. There is no need to run out and purchase decorations. Get creative and use what you’ve got. This year’s trends include neutral and wood tones with items such as pine cones and pine needles. Consider incorporating these into the centerpiece you create.
Instead of involving kids with polishing the silver or something mundane, offer them a chance to own a project, such as setting the table or making homemade centerpieces. When guests arrive, highlight your children’s work so they feel appreciated.
Now is the time to recycle. Get rid of old holiday cards you have been saving for years, but use them in a special way. Cut place cards out of them so you will have one white side and one side with your card décor. You can also use scraps of gift-wrap to make place cards too.
Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s Mom Saver-in-Chief, recommends borrowing from friends. Instead of buying enough place settings for your party, borrow extra plates from parents or a friend. In need of a specialty serving dish? Ask if anyone you know has one.
Create a pleasing aroma without the expensive potpourri. Put a pot of water on the stove and add cinnamon, lemon, orange rinds or ginger. Simmer on low heat throughout the day, suggests Reynolds.
Wedding and event consultant Cheryl Jablow of Social Frog Designs suggests using candles of all sizes or colors to add elegance and a festive look and feel to a home. For safety, place candles in glass containers such as drinking glasses, flower vases, or even glass jars and keep them out of reach from children. Fill larger containers with holiday ornaments, balls, or pinecones.
Add a bit of texture and additional color by gathering small branches and twigs that have fallen to the ground or ask your local Christmas tree selling stand if you can have, free or at a small price, loose evergreen branches and scatter them around the base of your glass containers, suggests Jablow.
If you are like me and try to squeeze every last drop of time out of the day then let me give you one more thing to make life easier in this new year. When I entertain I pre-batch my cocktails. I try to make them earlier in the day or the evening before my parties, but that's not my secret. My secret is Stirrings Simple Syrup. I discovered it at Fairway this holiday season, and WOW, is it awesome. Sure, simple syrup is just sugar and water, but the time it takes for me to make it on the stove adds up. I also squeeze my limes with a citrus press. My fresh pomegranate Margarita's are now even better, because they take less time to make.
