Trading Up Downtown

Have you ever heard of an oil mister? Is a great little kitchen tool that you fill with olive oil and use to “mist” your food or a cooking dish– sort of like nonstick cooking spray, but a lot more nutritious for you and, of course, less chemically. It’s also a great way to save calories and fat (if you’re watching your weight) as well as your hard-earned money!

I recently received a fancy bottle of expensive truffle oil for Christmas, so I put it in my oil mister to help me use less of it so it lasts longer. Instead of pouring the truffle oil, I light spritz it on my meals/food.

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered this week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 20!

Congrats, Lindsay! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

Gah! Christmas is just a day away! Have you finished your holiday shopping or did you leave it until the last-minute? As you probably know, if you started your shopping weeks ago, you’d be able to shop around and find the best deals. However, if you waited until now to do it, you don’t have that luxury. You still need to buy presents for your loved ones, so what’s the best way to do it without spending an arm and leg?

Here are three tips for saving money on your last-minute holiday shopping!

1. Shop at a mall or plaza. There isn’t much time to shop for everyone on your list, so instead of driving all over town, head to your local mall or a shopping plaza with tons of stores. This way, you can buy lots of gifts in a short amount of time, and if you want to do some price comparisons, you don’t have far to go if you find a similar item at a cheaper price.
2. Pay cash. One of the best ways to avoid overspending is to leave your credit cards at home. You can’t spend what you don’t have! Once you withdraw cash at the start of your gift-shopping trip, you’ll need to stick to your budget to make sure you buy presents for everyone on your list. If you feel uneasy about carrying a lot of cash, try using a prepaid debit card, which are available from most banks.
3. Purchase gift cards. When all else fails, gift cards are the way to go. The person who you are buying for can pick out whatever they want and you get to determine how much you want to spend, so you won’t go over-budget.

What’s are your tips for saving money on last-minute gifts?

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Congrats! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

Christmas is just around the corner, so I hope you’re holiday decorations are already displayed around your house. My husband and I absolutely love Christmastime, so we decorated weeks ago. In fact, we decorated the entire house (Christmas tree included) the day after Thanksgiving. Bring on the holidays!

While decorating this year, we realized that it doesn’t need to cost a lot of money to beautify your house with the sights and sounds of the season, which doesn’t include pine cones that $0.69!

Instead of spending money on decorations, my husband and I (and our dog) went out in the woods and gathered a variety of greens and pine cones of different sizes to decorate our fireplace mantel as well as other parts of our house.

Our nature-made decorations cost us nothing and made our home look beautiful and ready for the holiday season!

What’s your favorite way to save money on holiday decorations?

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 36!

Congrats, Athena! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize!