Wordless - A snowman grows in Brooklyn! :)

I hope you're Christmas and holidays have been wonderful!! The past few days I've been lucky in that I've been able to have a long holiday weekend! but slightly unlucky in that we've been snowed in! We came back early on Sunday morning and stayed in for the night as the snow poured down around us, and I've been snowed in since! Well until today. The plows finally came and plowed our street yesterday and my father in law was awesome enough to drive me to the a train that I don't normally take because thats the only one running by me! So I finally made my way into work. We'll see how it is to get home though!
I had lots of fun at home in the snow. I even made a snowman! I haven't done that since I was a kid. Here are some pictures!

snow starting outside at the window!

lealu cuddling on the couch while it snows

snow falling outside

the avalanche on our terrace the next morning!

lealu peeking over the mountain of snow in her new jacket!

my snowman!

lealu keeping tabs on all the squirrels and birds coming into the yard!

kinda blurry but she looks so cute!

to keep myself from cabin fever I put a pan on the radiator with some pine leaf oil and water! smelled so nice!

me and martin all snuggled for the snow:)

Are you doing anything fun for the New Year? I don't know yet, M might have to work and so will get home late, maybe I'll set up a pub like area for when he gets home!

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas at Columbus Circle

Every year at Christmastime Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Center at 59th & Broadway do a big set up of lights along with their annual Christmas Market.  It is so beautiful to see that yesterday I took a walk down there after work and snapped some photos for you to see too! The colors of the snowflakes change every few minutes! Enjoy!! & Merry Christmas!!

There was a great sculpture there that I had to share. Have you seen the melting clocks in a popular painting by Salvador Dali? They had a huge display of it at the Center!

PS Yesterday the Polar Express was on TV. I stayed up and watched it! I love that movie. I got to thinking during the part when the little boy says "I Believe" to the big Santa Claus. What does "believe" mean? What does it mean to me? Does believe mean that you believe in a man who's going to give you presents and whatever else you want at Christmas? I thought about this for awhile and I don't think thats what believe means to me. To "Believe" as I see it means to believe in lots of things associated with this special holiday time full of hope, like love, the beauty in a child's innocence, peace, being able to change the world with one smile, God's presence in everything and everywhere, prayer, health, laughter, miracles and even magic. During the darkest last days of the year, I'm so grateful for this reminder!

How to Save on Christmas Dinner- Frugal Tip Friday with guest blogger!

Happy Frugal Tip Friday! Today we have guest blogger Cynthia stopping by to give us a few tips on how to spend less on our Christmas dinner! I'm so thankful she's here because these tips are truly wonderful. I'm usually bouncing around at Christmastime and reading this reminds me to bring a dish to the places I'm going! Cynthia is a frugal living stay-at-home mom of two.  Cynthia enjoys writing about personal finances and helping people save money with coupons, sales, deals, and giveaways! Enjoy!
With Love and Merryness, Nikki

Each year there comes a time when we all sit around at the dinner table with various dishes and bowls, full of delicious food. Christmas is always a time meant to be spent with family, but it's always a very stressful part of the holiday season. If you're the lucky family member who gets to prepare Christmas dinner each year for the family, you're well aware of just how expensive it can be. From the turkey to stuffing, dessert and everything in between, the price adds up, quick.

However, there are plenty of ways for you to save when making Christmas dinner including using coupons, using generic brand foods, and sharing the responsibilities. Remember, Christmas dinner doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. Spending more money doesn’t make the food taste any better or the season’s joy any higher, so save money whenever you can. Use these tips to help decrease your holiday food spending.

Coupons – Cut and embrace them!

Using Coupons is truly one of the best ways to save money on any meal you cook, especially Christmas dinner. You can find coupons in magazines, store hand-outs, and even online. Look for coupons that you can use towards foods you will be making for the holiday. Most grocery stores nowadays double coupons, which mean even more savings for you. Often during the holidays stores will have commonly bought foods on sale. Pair a coupon with an in-store deal and you’re well on your way to saving money.

Stay away from name brands

Just because you’re having Christmas dinner doesn’t mean that you have to buy every type of name brand food you can find. We’re all so used to thinking that name brand is best simply because the brand is well known or a family tradition. Let’s face it; generic and store brands are much cheaper than top of the line name brands. Save some money on your turkey and purchase the store brand or another generic brand. Name brands are nice but in the end the flavoring of the food comes from your kitchen. Why spend more when the taste of the food is oftentimes the exact same? Generic is good during the holiday season.

Ask for help – It is the sharing season, right?

It’s never a bad thing to spread around the responsibilities of Christmas dinner. To make things a bit easier on your budget, have others who are coming to dinner to bring a dish along with them. While you can still make the main portion of the dinner, such as the turkey and other meats, ask others to make some of the side dishes. This will allow you to cut down on the amount of money you spend as you won’t be purchasing so much. Have family members bring a dish that they’re good at making!

Another way to get help from your relatives and/or friends is to ask for a small donation to put towards Christmas dinner. Most people are well aware of the price-tag that comes along with cooking such a vast meal. Asking for something small can really go a long way for you.

Christmas dinner is definitely an important part of the holidays. Many people look forward to it as it’s a great time to catch up with old friends as well as to spend time with family members that you may not see to often. Of course, the perk of a home-cooked meal is great as well! Cooking Christmas dinner should be exciting but most importantly affordable for you. Make use of coupons and other discounts and don’t be afraid to ask for a little assistance with the meal.

Happy Holidays and Happy Frugal tip Friday!

If you would like to guest post at Frugal Tip Friday or if you would like to submit a short tip, please send an email to simplelivinginabigcity@yahoo.com.

Frugal Tip Friday - to display Christmas cards!

In celebration of everything Christmas and Holiday this year, Frugal Tip Fridays will have everything to do with Christmas and/or Holiday celebrations until the Winter Solstice happens on December 22nd (I'd say until Christmas on December 25th but I'll be eating and drinking and celebrating with family hopefully that weekend!) 

Our first Frugal Tip Friday for Christmas is a frugal way to decorate with Christmas cards!  I love love love getting Christmas or Holiday cards in the mail. Its really fun to open a card and either see pictures of the family sending in the card or a nice note wishing a Merry Christmas. But every year when Christmas time comes I never know where to put them. One year I put them all on the tree, but that looked kind of messy and they would fall off alot. One year I placed them around on the coffee table, but we didn't have room for anything else besides cards then! So this year I'm trying something new!

You will need:

2 tacks - about 20 cents

1 roll of ribbon (I got mine from Michaels, the scrunchy kind works best, you'll see why!) - 2$

scissors
Christmas and/or Holiday cards!

First measure your ribbon to a desired length against your wall. You can do this over a doorway or just against a flat wall, whereever you'd like your cards to be hung. Once you have your length, cut your ribbon with scissors. Next place a tack in the ribbon into the wall or doorway on both sides. Take the excess ribbon on both sides and scrunch up into a little ball like flower on both ends. You can make your ribbon as long as you'd like (if you have lots of cards, you can make it go across your whole living room wall!)

And you've created yourself a card holder! Next, lay cards over top of the ribbon. If you have cards that are 1 picture, or one page, you can use tape on the back of the picture to stick it to the ribbon.

Congrats you've created your very own card holder!

Here is how ours turned out:

We already have one card! :)

We have a new mom stopping by to give us her Holiday Tip! Habibah Love (yes thats actually her last name!) has a three month old beautiful baby girl! Habibah says "After eating all the sweets and treats and you feel a sudden ache in your tooth, try using clove essential oil instead of orajel. Make sure that the oil is kept in a dark bottle to maintain its potentcy. Clove oil is an antiseptic as well as a analgesic! Happy Holidays!"

Thanks for stopping by Habibah! If you would like to guest post at Frugal Tip Friday or if you would like to submit a short tip, please send an email to simplelivinginabigcity@yahoo.com.

Happy Holidays and Frugal Tip Friday!

Wordless at the Union Square Christmas Market!

Its almost Christmas!!! Its almost Christmas!!  This weekend we're going Christmas shopping, and wrapping presents with spiced eggnog and putting up the tree! I can't wait!!

Guest Blogger with some Frugal Fun Holiday Talk!

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Today we have a wonderful guest blogger stopping by to get us in the frugal holiday spirit! Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online schools. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.  I'm so thrilled she has stopped by to give us these frugal tips before the holiday shopping starts! Maria can be found at http://www.onlinedegrees.org/about/.  Thanks Maria for stopping by!



Holiday Shopping: Frugal Fun for Christmas


It’s easy to get apprehensive about spending too much this Christmas, but don’t let your practical side take all the fun out of holiday shopping. You can be savvy and enjoy the holiday season at the same time by getting a little creative with your resources. There are plenty of ways to stay on-target with your spending, from making gifts to shopping with friends. For some helpful tips that will appeal to your fun-loving side, check out the following list.

Thrifty Transportation

Instead of taking your car out on multiple trips, try using local public transportation if it’s available. You can also carpool with a friend and pay for only half of the gas cost. You’ll have more fun shopping with someone else and save money at the same time. Another frugal practice is planning your shopping around the number of trips you need to take – see if you can get everything done in one or two trips. It’s possible with careful planning, and you’ll save on transportation costs as a result.

Group Gifts

When giving to your siblings’ families, couples, or any other people who share a home, don’t get one gift for each person. Instead, see if you can find one gift or a combination of small gifts that will make everyone happy. For example, you could put together a “movie night” basket with a bag of gourmet popcorn, a new DVD, and some boxes of candy. It’s inexpensive and easy, but it’s also a great gift to receive. Other ideas include bath or spa baskets, dry pre-mixed baked goods in pretty jars, and coffee or tea baskets that include mugs, gourmet coffee beans or tea bags, and fancy stir-ins or chocolate-covered spoons.

Creative Contributions

If you have a creative hobby, you’re in luck when it comes to the holiday season. If you knit, try making scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, sweaters, or any other winter-worthy clothing that could keep your friends and family members toasty. Hand-made jewelry is a frugal and unique gift for the ladies on your list, and you can even make hand-made beads to reduce the costs of your materials. Just make miniature origami ornaments like the teardrop, spray with a clear acrylic coating, and string like regular beads. You can also give photos as gifts in creative frames, record and make CDs if you play an instrument or sing, and use software to make personalized calendars for the upcoming new year. If all else fails, make some delicious baked goods and your gift will be greatly appreciated.

Other Options

The mall and other retail stores in general can be tempting and expensive places to do your Christmas shopping. If you’d like to try going somewhere else for more frugal and unique options, try antique stores, craft shows and fairs, thrift stores, and second-hand bookstores. You’ll find reasonably priced items with personality, and you might even be able to track down that perfect gift.



Wise Wrapping

Don’t go out and buy wrapping paper – it’s tough to resist because it’s so shiny, but you can do it. Instead, use the inner (unprinted) sides of paper bags. This is brown and boring, so you can make your own holiday stamps using potato halves and use colorful holiday paint to liven things up. For example, you can cut a star shape into your potato half, either inverted (for a colored circle with star cut-out when stamped) or with the star sticking out (for a colored star). Simply dip your potato into some festive gold paint, stamp your fancy new wrapping paper a bunch of times, and wait for it to dry. Now, to finish it off, place a small sprig from your Christmas tree on top of your gift and tie it up with raffia. You can make personalized tags in a similar way – just cut out small rectangles from your wrapping paper, fold them in half, and write inside them.