My Special Christmas Special

If there's one thing I love at Christmas, it's A Garfield's Christmas. Nothing brings the holiday season in like my favorite lazy cat! And you're favorite Christmas special is....?

10 Ways to Save Money at Christmas

If there's one thing I need help with this time of year it's keeping to my budget! Tad & I keep an envelope that we slip money into throughout the year whenever we have a spare $20 and use that for birthdays and holidays. It works well for most holidays, but at Christmas it's so easy to go overboard. I found this article on The Adventerous Writer by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. It's full of great tips!

These ways to save money at Christmas will reduce holiday stress. Use these holiday gift shopping tips to make your loved ones happy without spending a lot of money. Don’t let expensive Christmas presents set you back thousands of dollars – that’s bad for your budget goals and your health.

Before the money saving tips, a quip:

“Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort,” said Helen Gurley Brown.

These ways to save money at Christmas will help you be comfortable all year round. One of these holiday shopping tips involves making holiday gifts for your loved ones (instead of buying expensive presents). For more info, check out the Holiday Gift Workshop Kit.

And, here are ten ways to save money at Christmas….

10 Ways to Save Money at Christmas – Holiday Gift Shopping Tips

1. Visualize your perfect Christmas holiday. For some people, Christmas isn’t Christmas without piles of gifts. But for most people, the holidays really are about family, friends, fun and peace. Vistualize how you can bring those values into your holiday celebrations. Then, stand by your goals. Inform “gift-grubbing” friends or family that you want to make the holidays more meaningful this year, and explain you’re finding ways to share experiences, rather than giving expensive gifts. Limit gifts to one per person. By setting expectations early, you can avoid holiday disappointment.

2. Plan and budget for Christmas spending first. Much holiday stress is caused by finances and lack of planning. Before the mall’s holiday tunes jingle your willpower away, think practically about holiday spending. And to save money at Christmas, plan for holiday season spending early. Remember to include:

• Everyone you’ll give a gift to and how much you plan to spend.
• Cards and postage.
• Decorations.
• Entertaining, including food, drink, special garments, child care, etc.
• Year-end tips for newspaper carriers, babysitters, housecleaners, doormen, hairdressers and other service providers.
• Gifts for coworkers, teachers, doctors, neighbors or others close to your family.
• Travel costs.

To save money, just buy what you need. Don’t go Christmas shopping until you look at your bills, your checkbook, and your savings balance — and, if you have a spouse, until you talk about money as a couple. How to Spend Less at Christmas – Money Tips for Couples will help with those discussions!

2. Take inventory before holiday gift shopping. A painless tip is to scour your closets, under your bed or anywhere you might have stashed your clever, early purchases. Think back: Did you stock up on Grandpa’s argyle socks at last year’s post-holiday sales? Check before buying more pairs.

3. Start Christmas shopping online — early. Avoid the stress of malls altogether, skip the temptation of store displays, and steer clear of the hassle of fighting over holiday gifts. Research the best Christmas gifts early (read Romantic Holiday Gift Ideas), and look for free shipping deals.

4. Time your holiday gift shopping right. If you really need to go to a mall, avoid the busiest times to avoid stress. If possible, go early in the day when stores open or late on a weeknight. Take advantage of many stores’ extended hours during the holiday season. Monday night at 9 p.m. can be very quiet, even in mid-December.

5. Delegate the holiday gift shopping tasks. An effective way to save money at Christmas is to decide who in your family or group of friends will shop for each recipient. This can help ensure you get to priority sales and stores, and that nobody doubles up.

6. Build a snowman instead of spending money on holiday activities. Have a kids’ afternoon that will wear little bodies out (a gift to parents, too!) and provide fun memories. A Christmas money saving tip is to make a snowman, a snow fort, have a snowball fight or go sledding (instead of spending money). Live in a warm-weather climate? Try a trip to the beach or a nearby hike. If your child gets overexcited over the holiday season, read How to Reduce Stress at Christmas for Kids.

7. Have a Christmas card signing party. In lieu of gifts to friends, an easy way to save money at Christmas is to prepare holiday cards together. Ask each attendee to bring cookies or an appetizer. You provide drinks, tables to write on, and plenty of pens. The fun will provide more memories than a gift and incur no stress, and is good way to brainstorm gift ideas!

8. Give the Christmas gifts you can afford. Don’t give what your mother believes she deserves, a gift equal to what your sister-in-law gave you last year, or whatever unrealistic measure might be luring you toward overspending. Consider making a homemade gift — such as a Christmas Tree stocking.

9. Give the gift of time. Think of activities you can do all through the holiday season, rather than just purchasing a gift. The gift of time and caring can mean much more than a present – for both giver and recipient. Shovel snow for an elderly neighbor, or get a group together to surprise neighbors with an old-fashioned caroling party.

10. Get creative with homemade holiday gift coupons. Another Christmas money saving tip is to get into the at-home “gift card” tradition with homemade coupons. Kids can give parents coupons for prized commodities like “No whining” or “No begging.” Parents can offer up unexpected treats kids love, like “Make cookies together,” “Get out of one punishment free” or “Choose candy for movie night.” Or, buy an Amazon.com Gift Card – it’s one of my favorite Christmas gift ideas!

So remember that a Merry Christmas doesn't have to equal an empty wallet!

Shows I Love: Revenge

Another show that goes on the top of my new favorites list is ABC's Revenge! It's incredibly intriguing. It's got a Count of Monte Crisco feel to it (PS. if you've never seen that movie SHAME ON YOU cause it's awesome. Go watch it. Now.) Here's the basic overview:

"Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), whose real name is Amanda Clarke, moves back to the Hamptons to take revenge on the people who caused the death of her father David (James Tupper) and destroyed her family. When she was a little girl, Amanda's father was arrested on trumped-up terrorism charges, and was tried and convicted for treason. He died in prison.
Amanda Clark
Amanda feels her life was destroyed; she ended up in juvenile detention and on her 18th birthday inherited the wealth of the company in which her father invested.
Emily Thorne
(Everwood)
She changed her name to Emily Thorne and decided to take revenge on the people responsible for her father's downfall."


Victoria Grayson
(Last of the Mohicans)
At the top of her list is Queen Victoria, the ruler of the Hamptons. She's less well known for having an affair with Amanda/Emily's father and then betraying him, but Amanda/Emily seems to remember. She's not exactly friendly, especially when she feels her family or social kingdom threatened. And ever since 'Emily Thorne' showed up her whole world seems to be collapsing around her.


Daniel Grayson
(Make It Or Break It)
Now in order to get to Victoria, Amanda/Emily has tangled her fingers in Daniel's hair. He's a former bad boy who was forced to learn his lesson the hard way. Now he's rapidly falling in love with the new girl in the Hamptons, naively unaware of her ulterior motives.


Tyler Barrol
(Nikita)
Tyler is Daniel's wing man, and a GREAT suck up to Daniel's parents'. He's managed to cosy up to the Grayson's, but he is far from being on Amanda/Emily's BFF list. In fact he's doing everything he can to break them up.


Ashley Davenport
Ashley is a triple threat. She's Victoria's go-to assistant, Amanda/Emily's best friend (as far as she knows), and Tyler's new girlfriend (again as far as she knows).


Lydia Davis
(Hitch)
Lydia is the first name crossed off of Amanda/Emily's hit list. I mainly have her pictured cause I love the movie Hitch and she is, of course, Allegra Cole.


Nolan Ross
(The Bourne Identity)
Nolan's fortune was made, in large part, because of Amanda/Emily's father's belief and support. Now he seems determined to help Amanda/Emily in her quest for vengeance.


Jack Porter
(Roswell)
And then there's Jack. Jack Porter is the only person Amanda/Emily seems to care about. She gave him her dog Sammie before she left on her journey towards juvenile detention. As hard as she tries to ignore her feelings, they seem to rear up and bite her whenever she turns her back.

So I know that I have now got you hooked. The awesome thing is this is season 1 of Revenge and if you go on HuluPlus you can watch it from the first episode!!!! So Go! And you can thank me later ;)

Sour Cream Chicken, Seriously Good!

I'm always on the hunt for a great new, easy, and most importantly yummy dinner recipe. And this one is great! I found it on Making Life Delicious and her posts on it was so great I decided to share it with all of you! Here's what she said:

Oma’s Sour Cream Chicken

Print-Friendly Recipe

• 2 pounds chicken breasts or tenders (Oma prefers breasts)
• 1 1/2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing, the crumbles not the cubes (Oma accepts no substitutes)
• 1 cup (approximately) of full fat sour cream
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• garlic powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. This is classic Oma in that it is less about the recipe and more about the process. Lay the chicken close together on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Coat with a thick layer of sour cream.

Top that with the seasoned Pepperidge Farm breadcrumbs and then dot with the butter.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 35 minutes for chicken tenders or up to an hour for chicken breasts.

Its ready when the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.

In fact, the best part may be the breadcrumbs, even the crusty parts that kind of fall around the edges of the pan. The chicken is moist with lovely crunchy buttery bits on top.

Enjoy!

We had this for dinner tonight and it was really good! And it was so easy to make! So if you haven't planned dinner for tomorrow you don't have to look any farther. :)