I’ve noticed that lots of bloggers are putting together their own holiday gift guides, which I’m really psyched about. You can never peruse too many ideas when it comes to shopping for the perfect presents! Here are some great ones to check out:

Green & Clean Mom: Her guide includes gifts that are eco-friendly, non-toxic, organic and stylish!

Musings of a Housewife: She has tons of categories, from Stocking Stuffers to Gifts that Give Back—and, if you follow a few steps listed on her site, you’ll be eligible for giveaways!

Shake The Salt: I’m a huge fan of the categorized guide at this blog. There are some great, clever gift ideas for men, women and kids.

Northwest Mom Blog: Two moms from the Pacific Northwest detail their picks for cool holiday gifts.

SEE ALSO:
Save on (and reuse) these gifts
Deals on pet gifts
Make your own holiday cards
Be holiday-party ready (for less than $20)

Posted by Melissa Fiorenza, Associate Editor

ShareThis

I love decorating, but it can be tough to come up with ideas to update your home on a budget. So lately I’ve turned to the Internet in search of inspiration. I’ve discovered some great blogs that focus on decorating frugally, as well as crafts (Hello Christmas!), household tips and DIY projects. Spend a little time exploring them, and I’m sure you’ll find something that will motivate a new project.

Makeandtakes.com
If crafts are your thing, check out Marie LeBaron’s blog, which is my go-to place for craft inspiration. I’m definitely going to make the acorn magnets to put on my fridge—who knew acorns could be so cute?

Thriftydecorating.com
Want to find a neat little product that can brighten your décor on a dime? Then this site is a must! Thriftydecorating.com has great instant updates for the home. Be sure to check out the candle covers—I want them in every pattern.

Junk Camp
If you love garage sales, flea markets and thrift stores, check out this site. Blogger Ki Nassauer shows how she turns her junk finds into true treasures (check out her bookend project). Now all the stuff you find can have a purpose, instead of gathering dust in the garage.

Tipnut.com
Do you find that household tips, DIY projects and cleaning hints get lost over the years? Enter tipnut.com, a comprehensive site of all different types of household tips and ideas. Got an ink stain on your sofa? Tipnut’s got a solution.

BlissfullyDomestic.com
Wouldn’t it be great if you could pull together all your friends and family members and get their ideas and suggestions on how to make life a little easier? Well, that’s what blissfullydomestic.com offers, with more than 300 real life women who write for the site. The holiday sanity secrets in the Home section will certainly help keep my head from spinning this season.

SEE ALSO:
Get organized now!
Get your family organized
Build your holiday budget
Fun fabrics for less than $20

Posted by Dwyer Paulsen, Associate Style Editor

ShareThis

When I decided to make a photo Christmas card this year, I turned to Snapfish.com, the photo-sharing Web site I use. I started designing my card (it’s so easy to do—just drag and drop your photos into the card template you choose), but hadn’t ordered it yet until I got an e-mail from Snapfish advertising 20 percent off of all photo gifts in their holiday catalog (including photo cards, books, T-shirts and mugs). I saved almost $9 when I placed my order! Here’s the coupon code: WINTER08 (offer expires 12/31/2008).

SEE ALSO:
Treat your pet (and score a deal)
Deals on pet gifts
Make your own holiday cards
Snag more than $30 worth of coupons

Posted by Emily Hendricks, Relationships Editor

ShareThis

I find that dresses are the easiest thing to throw on for work and look polished. Most importantly, with a dress I don’t have to figure out what matches when I’m in my early morning fog. The best frocks are comfortable and easily transition from day to night if necessary. I love this dress from Chadwick’s ($24.99) —it fits the bill to a T.

Add on these accessories and you’re ready for anything:

Black Patent Pumps (19.99)
Medium Hoop Earrings ($5.99)

SEE ALSO:
Get a slimmer tummy today!
How to camouflage a round belly
Get a deal on holiday clothes
Be holiday party-ready (for less)

Posted by Althea Guss, Fashion Editor

ShareThis

Too busy to bake this holiday season? Mrs. Beasley’s is offering 50 percent off a gift box of goodies. Once the goodies are gone, use the box to store up to 14 DVDs. First it’s sweet, then it’s recyclable! For $20, your lucky recipient gets 25 lemon mini-cookies, four chocolate truffle cookies and six assorted brownies. Quantities are limited, so hurry up and get a sweet jump on your holiday shopping.

SEE ALSO:
Deals on pet gifts
Get organized now!
Make your own holiday cards
Be holiday-party ready (for less than $20)

Posted by Beth Lipton, Food Editor

ShareThis

Eating out is always a luxury—but with the economy turning somersaults lately, it’s become a special treat. Enjoy it guilt free with a special offer from TGI Fridays! Print out this coupon and when you order one entrée, you’ll get a second one (of equal or lesser value) for free. It’s dine-in only, and it’s good until Nov. 30.

SEE ALSO:
Make brown rice in 60 seconds
Coupons galore in December’s ALL YOU
Del Monte coupons and freebies

Posted by Beth Lipton, Food Editor

ShareThis

Cheengoo.com, an online pet boutique, is offering you an exclusive coupon code (enter allyou at checkout) for 15 percent off your entire order! Here are my fave items:

- The colorful cat collars
- The adorable Bloom beds
- The rope dog toys: Jerry the Giraffe and Mojo the Monkey

SEE ALSO:
Deals on pet gifts
Cute animals on video
Get the scoop on pet toys
Protect your pets with vaccines

Posted by Emily Hendricks, Relationships Editor

ShareThis

Brrr…it’s getting cold out! Kiss dry, chapped lips goodbye with my top 5 picks for lip balms:

Best medicated: Carmex Cold Sore Reliever ($2, drugstore.com)
The soothing menthol and lip-nourishing beeswax provide immediate relief to extremely chapped lips.

Best multi-purpose: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick ($2, phillypharmacy.com)
I like to use it to soften my cuticles and other rough, dry patches, too.

Best anti-aging: Blistex Deep Renewal SPF 15 ($3; walgreens.com)
Yup, you can anti-age your lips too! This creamy formula has coenzyme Q-10 to reduce your mouth’s deep wrinkles and fine lines.

Best finish: Kiss My Face Organic Lip Balm in ginger mango ($2, discountbeautycenter.com)
The subtle scent (think: tropical paradise) comes second to its velvety finish.

Best SPF: Nivea Lip Care A Kiss of Protection SPF 30 ($3; americanrx.com)
This one nourishes and protects without that weird taste commonly found in other SPF-fortified balms.

SEE ALSO:
Get a slimmer tummy today!
Five best shampoos for $5 or less
Quick tricks for flat hair
Snag high-end style on a budget

Posted by Tomoko Takeda, Senior Beauty Editor

ShareThis

Posted by Julie Parrish, a Shopping Strategist and co-owner of Hotcouponworld.com

While they are at seasonal low prices, make sure these five must-stock grocery items are in your shopping cart.

Flour: If you bake or cook, there’s no getting around keeping flour in your cupboard. World wheat shortages we experienced this year are not going to let up in 2009.  In a sealed bag, flour can last upward of 18 months.  Now is a good time to buy what you need for the year, provided you can store it.  Also, watch out for additional deals like Safeway’s baking promotion where you can get a “money off on your next order” coupon for spending $30.

Sugar: Another commodity that’s increasing in price.  White, brown and powered sugars are currently at the lowest annual retail prices, so stock up on sugar for the same seasonal reasons as flour.

Beef, pork and poultry: The USDA is still predicting that there will be a huge increase in the price of livestock due to the swelling cost of grain feed.  Thus, ‘tis the season to stock up on meat for next year. With the holidays approaching, deals on turkey and beef, in particular, will be decent. Have the butcher slice your choice cut of beef into steak-size portions and you will save over half the price when you buy whole versus pre-cut.  The same is true of whole pork loin roasts, which we’ll see sporadically for $1.99 per pound.  Buy the whole thing and save, because prices will shift high next year.

Paper products: Paper products are a fact of life.  True, paper itself isn’t a grocery item, but many of us do use it to print coupons!  A little tip-off from a friend of mine who is a buyer for one of the national retail chains many of us love: Next year the price of paper will double. So if you see deals on paper products, grab them while you can! I don’t have a “why” behind the price increase, but I trust my buyer-friend’s judgment on this one.

Pastas/grain sides: It’s my prediction that in order to hold current prices on pastas and grain-based side dishes (think Rice-A-Roni and Hamburger Helper) manufacturers will make package size cuts, particularly in the pasta aisle.  Packages that are currently 16 ounces will likely be 12 ounces by the end of 2009.  The cause? The rising price of wheat.  Pasta has a wonderfully long shelf life of two to three years if stored properly.  And toward Christmas, we’ll see some good sales for pasta.  So keep your eyes open and be ready to stock up when the sales hit.

SEE ALSO:
ALL YOU Sweepstakes
Coupons galore in December’s ALL YOU
Del Monte coupons and freebies
Make brown rice in 60 seconds

ShareThis

Thirsty? Head over to http://www.drpepper.com/freeDrPepper/. Register and type in your address, and they’ll send you a coupon for a free Dr. Pepper. Hurry–the offer ends at 6 p.m. EST today!

SEE ALSO:
Make brown rice in 60 seconds
Coupons galore in December’s ALL YOU
The Crock-Pot, kids and dinner
Guide to a stress-free holiday

Posted by Emily Hendricks, Relationships Editor

ShareThis