Affordable Hostess Gift Ideas

If you believe showing up to a friend or family member’s house empty-handed is impolite, you likely understand how difficult it can be to continue buying hostess gifts throughout the season. These gifts, though, don’t have to be elaborate. Use these affordable hostess gift ideas to give your hostess something special that doesn't blow your holiday budget.

Related post: Budgeting for the Holiday Season 

Candles 

Many people enjoy candles, and they’re a surprisingly inexpensive gift option. Choose a candle that’s within your budget and wrap it up nicely before giving it to your hostess. Some premium candle stores offer huge sales throughout the year on their candles, and these are prime opportunities to stock up at great prices. When you do so, you’ll always have something to give to your hostess, even if it’s a last-minute invite.

Gift Baskets

While you might not think you can afford a premade gift basket because they’re...

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How to Host Thanksgiving on a Budget

While many people consider the priciest holiday of the season to be Christmas, Thanksgiving can get really expensive, as well. Even though turkey and pumpkin pies can run up your holiday spending bills, there are a few things you can do to host Thanksgiving on a budget.

Related post: Budgeting for the Holiday Season

9 Tips to Host Thanksgiving on a Budget

Make It a Potluck 

Having a potluck to keep your Thanksgiving on a budget is a win-win. Your critical cousins won’t have a chance to compare their sweet potato recipe to yours if they bring their own, and you’ll save some money by not needing to provide everyone’s Thanksgiving favorites. A great way to arrange a Thanksgiving potluck is to simply by assigning each person something to bring. 

For example, you could mention to grandma that the whole family adores her deviled eggs and ask her to bring them. If your brother-in-law can’t live without that green bean casserole, then he’ll be...

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10 Festive Gift Baskets to Give Your Favorite Families

When you’re trying to save money for the holidays, having to purchase a gift for every person in a family can be expensive. If you want to save money without looking cheap, consider one of these fun and festive gift baskets for your friends and extended family! Keep in mind that you don't have to use a basket for the container, either. Get creative and see what you have stored away that could be a great gift holder. It’s also great to keep a couple of these around for the unexpected visitors who pop in and parties you have to attend. 

Related post: Budgeting for the Holiday Season

Movie Night 

Most families love getting together one or two nights of the week to have a movie night. Make that easier for them by giving them a basket filled with the movie night essentials. Include things like popcorn, candy, and other movie snacks. You can also find affordable popcorn containers made from plastic or cardboard to include in this fun basket! 

 

 

We’ve asked several people to share their financial horror stories with us with the idea that we can learn from their mistakes. Today we have the opportunity to get to know Sarah, owner of Lemon Blessings and practical family finance blogger. 

What’s the biggest money mistake you’ve ever made, and how did it impact your life? 

One of the biggest mistakes I made was applying for and accepting store credit cards early into my college years to have the clothes and decor I thought I needed. Halfway through my second year of college, I had cards for Macy's, Maurices, JCPenney, and more. To top it off, I often forgot to make the payments, which resulted in me defaulting on all of them. 

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

I'd like to say that I wouldn't take out those credit cards to start with, but I honestly didn't know any different. I spent years watching the adults in my life charge everything on credit, even if...

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Financial Horror Stories: Excessive Debt

We’ve asked several people to share their financial horror stories with us with the idea that we can learn from their mistakes. Today we have the opportunity to get to know Victoria, busy mom, wife, and full-time blogger from the UK. She started blogging in April 2013 and now writes four blogs. Her favorite topics include making and saving money, self-employment, healthy living, travel, and home and garden.

What’s the biggest money mistake you’ve ever made, and how did it impact your life?

The biggest mistake I ever made was getting into £17500 worth of personal and irresponsible debt aged 18-19 years old. As soon as I could get store cards and credit cards, I did, without thinking of the consequences.

Not that it's an excuse, but I had low self-confidence, low self-esteem, and was suffering from depression. I tried to fill a void in my self by going shopping and buying new things, thinking it would make me happy.

I had no money management skills and lived a...

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Financial Horror Stories: Reckless Spending

We’ve asked several people to share their financial horror stories with us with the idea that we can learn from their mistakes. Today we have the opportunity to get to know Dailson, the person behind the inspirational Instagram feed, Living on Savings.

What’s the biggest money mistake you’ve ever made and how did it impact your life?

The biggest money mistake I have made was spending 7,000 dollars carelessly. After spending I had no funds saved for a rainy day. Instead, I lived paycheck to paycheck, constantly seeking help from others, and started to live below my ego for the very first time.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

I think about this question every day. If I could go back, I would invest my money in the stock market, start a small home business and put my funds in a high yield savings account.

Did anything good come out of the mistake?

Yes, I was able to gain wisdom from my mistakes. If this mistake hadn’t occurred, I...

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