Fabulous and Frugal

Let’s face it, most of us have cut back on buying outrageously over priced merchandise at the drop of a hat in recent years. Then again, some of us never went that route to begin with but even still, we did like to shop. So what is a girl to do in the midst of a recession? Why we get creative by getting frugal!

I was introduced to the Fabulous & Frugal website via Facebook by a mutual friend and let me tell you, these gals have got the right idea -- their tag line reads “A Girl’s Guide to Living Well and Spending Wisely” Nice!

With tips on everything from how to live frugally in some of the most expensive cities across the United States (think San Diego!) to making home made gifts that will not only get use but are sure to impress, the site provides an insane amount of information for how to cut back without anyone ever being the wiser.

One of their recent articles was with regard for giving cost effective gifts to all of those people you really aren’t sure what to do something for like bosses, co workers, hostesses and neighbors. I fell in love with this article and began considering using their ideas immediately.

The holidays are not just limited to Christmas of course, there are always birthdays, Mom & Dad’s Day, Anniversaries, Valentine’s Day and more throughout the year and I am always on the lookout for ways to keep costs low, but personalization high, for gifts on these occasions as well.

So basically I wanted to give a shout to Stephanie Berenbaum and Brandi Savitt over at Fab & Fru because you have saved me very likely hundreds of dollars over the next year and sparked my own creativity where gift giving is concerned, so thanks ladies!

And speaking of gift giving & being Green…stay tuned just after the New Year for your guide to some of the most amazing gifts to give in 2010, as well as a giveaway of a whole slew of those very same items! A giveaway, talk about being frugal -- free and won items are the best yet!

If you are on Facebook you can find the ladies at Fab & Fru over there as well, just click on their logo to go direct and become a fan today!

This Is Exactly What This Time of Year Is All About

Last year for Christmas my Mom started a new tradition within our family of giving gifts of charity to each other in lieu of stuff. It went over so well and everyone got involved. This year we decided our charity of choice was going to be something environmental; Repower America for alternative energy sources. Although a few members of the family did donate to this charity (and we excitedly received the confirmation emails), a couple others did something a little different.

Today we received Christmas cards from family in Arizona and when we opened them we were delighted to discover a cardboard card inside with the words “Give the gift of green” printed on the cover. I opened the card and to my surprise there was an American Express gift card inside, confused I began to read the fine print.

Turns out that the Westcor chain of malls sells these gift cards and they are meant to be used anywhere American Express is accepted. The cool news with this one is that through October 31, 2009 $0.70 of each purchase will be donated to American Forests. Westcor will donate a minimum of $100,000. In addition the card holder is created from 30% recycled paper.

In the spirit of attempting to avoid being caught in nothing more than a consumerist trap of buy, buy, buy just for the sake of spending money, this gift card will be one I will be happy to spend. However, in an effort to maximize the importance of the gift I plan to make it a two-fer by spending it on environmentally responsible versions the every day items we might run out of such as laundry detergent, dish liquid, face wash or shampoo.