So here are my financial New Year resolutions for the year 2012:

1. Getting out of debt. I am lucky that I do not have a lot of debt but I want to clear what debt I have and be very careful about the bills that I run up. What I plan to do is give up all except one credit card. This way there are fewer bills to keep track of and simpler and easier to make payments. There is less chance of an oversight that increases the debt.
2. I am going to pay more attention to savings and am going to try and diversify my savings portfolio in a way that offers better returns. I am thinking in terms of buying gold (can’t go wrong with this; global gold prices are going through the roof) which is something that I have learnt from certain traditional societies who invest all their wealth in jewelry. I am also thinking in terms of getting some mutual funds.
3. I am also considering taking some courses to learn some new skills to add to my skill set. This will help me have better and more marketable qualifications, which in the end should translate into a better income. This is a long term plan however which I still need to give a lot of thought to.
4. I resolve to eat out less. This is good for me in so many different ways. Not only do I save a packet by not eating out and cooking at home, I am less likely to overeat at home which is good for my health. When I cook at home I know exactly what goes into the meal so I know not to put too much sugar, salt and fat into what I eat.
5. I resolve to be a savvy shopper. You may well say that I am already a savvy shopper, which I am, but I shall be more circumspect in the amount that I buy and shall be more vigilant about trawling the net to find the best deals for all of that which I plan to buy.

Hopefully my financial new year resolutions may inspire some more out there: any more ideas?

Here are some unusual gifting ideas for the quirky or the difficult to please individuals in your life:

1. A Piggy Bank that doubles as a décor piece. This can actually be a practical gift for a kid to teach them the rudiments of savings and can also be something that they will happily display on their desk.
2. The adult version of this gift above would be a savings account that you open for someone near and dear to you. You can make the initial deposit into that account and help your friend or relative develop a habit that is pocket friendly. Makes a lot of sense in these lean times. 
3. For those of us who are musically inclined (particularly if a major Beatles fan such as myself), this limited edition print featuring Sir Paul McCartney is a great idea. It is an image made up of 90 of the best songs by the Fab Four.
4. The complete BBC series of Planet Earth is a fascinating collection that anyone would enjoy receiving. This is a classic that is narrated by David Attenborough, a 5 DVD collection that has a running time of 440 minutes.
5. GPS or the Global Positioning System is the ideal gift for someone who likes gadgets. This pin points your position in real time and the maps that are fed into the system tell you the shortest route to get from point A to B.
6. I have probably spoken of this item before, but I think it bears repeating: a flexible, folding illuminated keyboard that connects to the USB port of your laptop or computer. This virtually indestructible item not only rolls up for easy portability, its sealed design also makes sure that it is easy to clean and keeps off the germs.
7. For the germophobe in your life, here is a gift that will really be appreciated: a toothbrush sanitizer.  It may seem a pointless gift to many, but it will be uniquely appreciated by the right person.

This inflatable Halloween tombstone (with a purple bat, no less) tickled my fancy; it’s just such a fun and silly thing to have lying around. And I’m thinking that festooning this with some strategically placed blood stains would just about enhance the effect! The fact that it’s on a 75% discount down to ten dollars from forty of course has nothing to do with it! And when I’m done playing with it on Halloween, this can be a rather unusual pool float to have around!

I don’t know whether I like the bacon and eggs outfit combo more or whether I like the plug and socket outfit combo more. Bacon and eggs may be my absolute fave breakfast in the world, but there is something hugely funny (even if a little suggestive and lewd) about the plug and socket. I think I’ll leave the decision of whether the rashers and sunny side up is a better idea than the other, to my significant other… And just by the way they have more of the combo variety of outfit: there is the fork and spoon costume set, and a lot of other popular costume choices (you know Julius Caesar and so on?)

One of the Halloween features that I find so enjoyable is the fact that you can be as over the top as you want and this over-the-topness is easily achieved with some exaggerated facial hair of which I found a huge range here. For instance your basic Charlie Chaplain moustache and eyebrows or a similar combo harking back to Groucho Marx is just 6 dollars. For the same amount of money you can get come bushy beards and other stuff.

Buy costumes is a site that I found had much to offer.  They have costumes for teens, kids and adults, they have hats, wigs and masks, and they have party supplies, decorations and props, makeup and other accessories. And they have pet costumes as well, in case you were wondering! And you can shop as per your budget (under $10, under $20 and so on)

So Happy Halloween in advance all!

So the idea is that if people will send their ‘better halves’ all manner of mawkish gifts, then there is no reason why single people shouldn’t send themselves a gift of two as well! Getting together for a singles party, getting some pampering from a spa or similar, going for a holiday, doing something meaningful like volunteering to help with or donate to a charity can all be terrific ideas for Singles Awareness Day and equally, one can treat oneself to the following gifts –

Send yourself flowers! There is no reason why you have to wait and long for someone else to send you flowers, just go ahead and send yourself a heady bouquet of the flowers that you love best (no putting up with the smell of flowers you don’t like just because someone else thought they were romantic!)

Get yourself this cute little Happy SAD Tee; which you can get for $22 to help you proudly proclaim your singlehood. Alternatively you can proclaim your intention to live it up with this Tee which Says V is for Vodka – Valentine’s Day but with the ‘Valentine’s day’ crossed out and replaced with ‘Vodka’.

If the plethora of cute teddy bears and red hearts on Valentine Day make you gag in disgust, then this one is for you – it says Happy Singles Awareness day and features a little while teddy with a knife driven through its heart and its little red innards spilling out. A bit gory, but it really gets across the point for $25!

And just in case you are inclined to get with something naughty or have hopes of meeting someone really interesting this Valentine Single Awareness Day then this could be just the thing for you – it’s a classic thong featuring a heart with holes in it and the legend “Happy Singles Awareness day”.

Happy SAD gifting all!

• Organic anything – fruit, chocolates and even wine can be organic, if the raw materials are grown responsibly using no chemical fertilizer, pesticide and so on. Organic is healthier to consume and minimizes environmental impact; if it costs more, it may well be worth it!
• Recycled products – The Valentine day card you buy could be printed on recycled paper or you may want not to use any paper at all- use your creativity to fashion something unusual from waste material at home! Or you can send an e card; zero environmental impact!
• Ditch the perfume bottles this year, which are loaded with any number of chemicals and artificial additives. Opt for essential oils instead – healthier for the skin and environment and smelling as wonderful, if not more wonderful!
• Cook a lovely spread and plan a romantic dinner at home using locally grown organic produce. You end up saving money and food miles to say nothing of the added benefit of privacy, which no restaurant can provide. Don’t forget to add some earth friendly candles as well!
• Take a green vacation – take a ramble or trek into a wildlife reserve, or simply picnic out in the local wooded area. Going camping, for a canoe ride, or something else that will create meaningful memories rather than hit the trash pile in a few days.
• Solar powered gadgets – this is a gift that not only pleases the geek inside the man, the novelty of some of these solar powered gadgets also delights that little boy inside the man. The fact that you never need to buy any kind of batteries is a plus not only financially but for the environment as well!
• Swap is a great resource; an excellent way stop buying unnecessary stuff and also to make sure that what you have is optimally utilized (if you don’t want it, someone else does). Video games, books, CDs anything can be swapped; anything that is, except the husband, your mother-in-law, the cat, anything in the box buried underneath your bed, and the 1970s green-and-orange fabric chair in your basement.

Happy Valentine’s Day all!

Now one idea that I had was these Flying lanterns which I can launch for Valentines day. These symbolize knowledge and wisdom and are traditionally used by the Chinese to celebrate their new year; but who’s to say I cannot use them for Valentines Day! They fly up into the air and last about 20 minutes traveling several miles and then the flame blows out and they descend to the ground; quite safe. So perhaps I could write something meaningful on each of them and l could launch several! They cost less than five dollars each.

Also I am thinking really practical and non romantic gifts: slippers and a hot water bottle (if you set your mind to it, you can find a lot of interesting things to do with those as well). Now my significant other hates to wear his cold slippers early in the morning so I thought to myself how about some microwaveable slippers to warm his toes! (this one’s for me too; I hate to feel those icy toes). I found these microwave foot warmers on Amazon for as little as $8.99!

I know this hot water bottle is supposed to be for kids, but this is just the sort of thing he will find hilarious, so I thought to myself why not, at $10.95; I probably will go for it!

And my last thought was I will take him book shopping; an actual excursion into a bricks and mortar store where we can browse properly in an attempt to increase the sum of our wisdom! So here’s wishing all of you a Happy Valentines Day with all of your loved ones; have a great one!

These fridge magnets are excellent for all the Domestic Goddesses we know out there; the ones with a sense of humor:  I thought they were all hilarious: “Every day I give my family two choices for dinner…take it or leave it”, “Housework is evil. It must be stopped.” “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life” “It’s not nagging if you wave a butcher knife, dear.” For under $20 for a set of four, you can give these to four different individuals! Alternatively these fridge magnets would do great for your girlfriends in office; again those with a sense of humor!

Now either because you love the president or because you simply don’t, this Obama Wacky Wobbler is a good buy, particularly since is it down from $11.99 to $4.99.

Here I found a bunch of great stocking stuffers, all under $5, ranging from this really cute package of gingerbread cookies, for just $3.19 to different kinds of chocolate, pens, NFL curiosities, novelty pens etc.

Now picture frames make great little gifts for all sorts of people. For close friends and family you could put in a picture of dear child or a favorite friend or relative, and perhaps for a coworker you could leave it blank or put in something funny that will be appreciated. So here I found a whole range of picture frames , all costing less than 5 bucks. This cute little first step photo frame for instance is just $3.50. Also check the hot cocoa gift items here, again for under $5!

I know we were talking about gifts below $5, but this Santa mug for $ 8.99 and all the many other Christmas themed items there were just too adorable not to include here.

So go ahead and have a blast getting goodies for loved (and not so loved) ones. I think I gave you some good ideas here? I hope so!

But then there are so many reasons that you should celebrate Valentine’s Day: for one it is a good idea to make the extra effort to make a special someone feel special, and any excuse for a celebration is a good excuse, and so what if you don’t have that one special someone in your life, family, friends, any and all dear ones count. Show them that they count, that they mean something to you; be it by deed, word or indeed gift. This post of mine is about all the things that you can give that won’t cost you a thing; just the thing for the recession:

Write: Remember my idea about a gifting a blog? About how I would start a blog, and write down my thoughts and then give it as a gift? Well that idea is a great one for a Valentine’s Day gift as well. Or if you have good handwriting, write a letter or a poem the old fashioned way, using pen and paper, using some beautiful stationery perhaps.

Cook: Cook a meal. If you decide to pull out all the stops and go with smoked salmon or prime rib, this won’t exactly be free, but it will certainly cost you a whole lot less than a fancy restaurant. And the effort will certainly fetch you a lot of brownie points! And don’t think that food is the way only to the guy’s heart; it is as much the way to the girl’s heart! So go ahead and cook up a storm. If you’re wondering what to cook, look up my post about free recipe sites.

Sing: What kind of music does he or she like? You could arrange for a friend with a guitar to accompany your voice or you could go karaoke. Just a thought here: be honest, can you sing? At least hold a tune in a bucket? Because if you can’t this may well back fire!

Make something: Put together a photo album, paint something, make a card, or if it’s not too old fashioned for you, knit or embroider something and if nothing occurs to you, wait for my next post, it will be about actual gifts. At a discount….

]]> http://www.greatpriceshere.com/2009/02/11/valentine%e2%80%99s-day-ideas/feed/ 1 http://www.greatpriceshere.com/2008/12/25/merry-christmas/ http://www.greatpriceshere.com/2008/12/25/merry-christmas/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:16:22 +0000 Nicole Price http://www.greatpriceshere.com/?p=245 Here’s wishing all my readers a very

Merry Christmas!

There were some great ideas contributed by the readers of the site themselves. One suggestion was to exchange gifts in January instead of at the actual holiday so that one can take advantage of post holiday sales and also you are not so stressed getting gifts just ahead of Christmas. Another reader suggested giving the New Year party a miss in favor or calling some friends over for a contributory meal where everyone listens to music, plays games and has a better time than if they had gone on to a big public place and spent a bunch of money. And if someone is on a really tight budget, you can get books for $1 or $2 at local friends-of-the-library book sales to give as gifts.

Then here I found some rather drastic tips, including don’t send any Christmas cards or cut your list in half. Holiday cards are a lovely tradition and it would be a shame to simply email greetings, a physical card is a joy to get no matter what I have said earlier. After all greetings are part of the decorations. However you can design and print your own cards at home, which is a cheaper option. Also use the funnies section of the newspaper to wrap gifts. A gift and a laugh rolled into one; neat idea. The writer also suggests that you should not decorate or at least decorate inexpensively. Now that I agree with: using pine cones, acorns, and other natural green stuff looks good too!

There were some useful tips here as well, such as making or personalizing your own gifts. And if fact it is lovely to receive a handmade gift that the person has taken the time and the trouble to make themselves.

So here’s wishing you call a, merry, frugal, and altogether wonderful Christmas! Happy Holidays all!