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Tips for a Special Valentine’s Day on a Budget

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Many Americans are living on such a tight budget that spending $100-$300 or more on Valentine’s Day is just not feasible.

My spouse and I were affected, like many Americans by the economic downfall. So for the past 6 years my love and I have agreed that Valentine’s Day is not a day to spend our hard earned money on an expensive dinner, flowers, chocolates and gifts. We instead came up with an alternative method to spend quality time together and not break the bank. Here are three tips for a special Valentine’s Day on a budget.

Free Events

One thing that we do for a special Valentine’s Day on a budget is to separately research online any free events held in our local area that are happening before, on or after Valentines Day. For instance, last year my love (knowing that I enjoy wine) found a free wine tasting venue in our area.

Picnic in the Park

With just a little creativity you can have a memorable Valentine’s Day outdoors. For example, you can plan and have a picnic in the park on a nice sunny day. Bring hot chocolate in a thermos, homemade brownies and finger foods. You can then give your mate a heartfelt card, that is handwritten telling how much you love, adore and treasure their companionship.

In-Home Spa

Another idea for a special Valentine’s Day on a budget is to prepare a room in your house for a spa-like adventure complete with candles, massaging oils and relaxing music. Invest in a portable foot spa and a back massager for a real spa-like experience–a total of about $75.

In my opinion, spending a lot of money on Valentine’s Day does not show your spouse that you love them. Yet, when you carefully prepare, plan and execute a romantic gesture, shows your spouse that they are worth the time and energy it took to devise a plan.

Posted by Lorraine

Tips for Turkey, Chicken or Ham Leftovers After the Holidays

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My family always has an abundance of leftovers after the holidays — especially leftover meat, like chicken, turkey and ham. I do not like to have uneaten food spoil, so I re-purpose the meats to make more meals for my family.

Chicken or Turkey Leftovers

If you have leftover chicken or turkey, strip the remaining meat and chop it into cubes. Put cubes into a large bowl. Add mayo, finely chopped celery, diced onion, salt and pepper to make a classic chicken or turkey salad. It’s so refreshing and delicious to eat at lunch while at work. You can enjoy the mixture on bread, crackers or in a salad.

The next tip is to turn the chicken or turkey bones into homemade soups — it requires very little effort. Just place the entire bone, dripping included, into a large pot and fill the pot half way with water. Now add the following items to the pot:

  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • chopped onion
  • chopped carrots
  • potato chunks
  • chopped celery
  • cooked egg noodles

Season the pot with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked. Remove the bone from the soup before serving. It tastes so good on a cold day!

Leftover Ham

My final tip is for leftover ham. I really enjoy ham that has the bone in. What you can do is remove the remaining ham from the bone and cut it into cubes. Use the cubes for salads, as a flavor enhancer for rice or beans, or as an addition to my morning omelet.

You can also use the bone of the ham to flavor a large pot of greens or strings beans. Just add some salt, pepper and your usual seasonings.

Enjoy these tips for turkey, chicken or ham leftovers after the holidays!!!

Posted by Eve

Tips for Mingling at a Holiday Party

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We all find it easy to talk to people we already know, but what about the ones you don’t. Here are a few tips for mingling at a holiday party that will help you have a pleasant conversation with a stranger.

First, enter the home with a smile, wipe your feet (shows courtesy) and openly state season greetings to all that can hear you. You should graciously bring the host a gift, showing appreciation for the invitation. When you are introduced, by the host, let’s say to the person’s brother, for the first time, say his name in every other sentence said. This helps you to remember his name.

When mingling at your holiday party, stick to light topics of discussion such as sports, kids, weather and such. Keep it simple. Leading in with a simple “it was a surprisingly a warm winter’s day wasn’t it?” gets the other person to respond and maybe inspire him to tell you a story related to the weather. Compliments are always good — you might also say ” your sister has a beautiful spirit.” That should get the conversation off to a good start.

Remember to not just talk about yourself. People can’t stand that and will quickly try to get away if you take it too far. Always avoid politics and religion at a holiday party with people you don’t know that well because you can easily insult or offend others when speaking of these topics.

Lastly, always remember to be polite and excuse yourself from another person’s presence. Don’t just walk away to refill your glass. When you excuse yourself you’ll feel more comfortable inviting yourself back into the conversation later.

If you follow these tips for mingling at a holiday party, you should have a pleasant conversation with a stranger who just might possibly become a friend.

Posted by Eve

Who Not to Invite to Your Holiday Party

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Most everyone’s heart is filled with joy during the holiday season. You may even be tempted to invite a family member, co-worker or friend who you don’t particularly get along with during the year to your home for a holiday party.

That’s all well and good, but there are certain people who you probably shouldn’t invite to your joyous occasion if you want it to be filled with joy. I have learned vital lessons about inviting certain people to holiday parties. Here are a few tips, on who I believe should never be invited to your holiday party.

Let’s begin with co-workers. We all have our workplace persona and our party persona. The two shouldn’t always mix! Co-workers are just that–people you work with. Always remember that they could take your personal life into work with gossip. Ask yourself if you would truly remain friends with them if you did not work with them anymore. If the answer is no, then don’t invite them to your party.

Secondly, I have learned never to invite the friends who turn into “angry” drunks after partaking in a few cocktails. These are the people who will eventually argue and fight with some of your other guests, which could require the police to be called to your residence and end the party.

Another person you should avoid inviting to your holiday party is the thief. If you know someone who has ever stolen from you or someone you know, now is not the time to reconnect with them. A holiday party is a perfect place for someone with sticky fingers to run wild, since people tend to pile their coats and purses in one place. You don’t want unnecessary drama to result from your gathering.

Here’s a simple rule of thumb: you should only invite those who care for you and love you throughout the year — not just during the holidays.

Happy New Year!!!

Posted by Eve

Tips for How to Throw a Gift Wrapping Party

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If you are looking to start a fun and yearly tradition with your friends, a gift wrapping party is a great idea. Here are some tips to get you started.

Call, email or e-vite a group of friends and invite them to your house for a gift wrapping party. Have each person bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer. More importantly, they should bring the gifts that they want to be wrapped.

Each person should also bring 2-3 rolls of gift paper, ribbons, tape, gift boxes and scissors.

Have everyone put the rolls of paper in an umbrella holder. You may want to have a gift amount cut off. For example, no more than 5 large and 5 small gifts to be wrapped.

Now make space on the living room floor, if you don’t have a large enough dining room table.

Begin wrapping, while laughing and having grown up conversations. Make sure to play awesome holiday music, keep the wine glasses filled and the food flowing. Best of all is that you, the host, will be be spending quality time drinking with your friends and accomplishing the tedious chore of wrapping gifts for the holidays.

Posted by Eve

How to Host An Awesome New Year’s Eve Party

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People all around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve by either attending or hosting a party. Some that I have been to in the past were boring, while others were totally awesome. So, last year I decided to put my energy and efforts into entertaining my family and friends by throwing a New Year’s Eve party. I first, realized that I had to organize my party planning into phases.

Phase 1 was to send out E-vites to all perspective guests, early enough, requesting that they respond within a couple of days and to include the number of people they planned to bring with them. Doing this allowed me to figure out how many guests to expect so that I could shop for plenty of food, drinks and party favors. After receiving the RSVP’s from those I had invited, I soon began phase 2.

Phase 2 consisted of planning what I was going to feed my guests. I had to decide, whether to have it catered or do the cooking myself. I will say that if it is within in your budget to cater, by all means do so. It saves you time and energy.

I decided to prepare the food myself. I decided that my food menu would consist of a vast array of ready-made finger foods, that I could heat and serve quickly. Click here for some recipe ideas. I chose finger foods so that utensils and chairs were not needed. It also, made for a quicker cleanup!! All that I needed was napkins and small paper plates.

Phase 3 consisted of preparing my home for New Years Eve guests. I started by rearranging my furniture and removing my area rugs, so that the inadvertent drink or food spill would not ruin them. I wanted to create a big open space for my guests to dance, stand and carry on conversations. The only furniture that I left was a large sofa that I placed against the wall and the serving table.

My most important phase was phase 4. I made a huge playlist that consisted of music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and lively dance music from different genres of those same eras. After all, a real great party has never ending music to sing and dance to. You save money compared to hiring a DJ.

Phase 5 was to make sure that I purchased enough drinks for the party, including alcoholic beverages for age-appropriate guests as well as soda and bottled water. Of course I asked my closest friends to bring a bottle of something to the party, as this could turn into being the most expensive part of hosting a party. In being a gracious host, I also prepared my guest bedroom for those close friends who became inebriated and needed to lie down.

I was so happy that my party lasted way after midnight and it cost me under $200. It was awesome! I am thinking about having another New Year’s Eve party this year!!

Happy Holidays & Have A Great New Year!

Posted by Eve