Holidays

  • 10 Holiday Shopping Hassles — and How to Avoid Them

    The holiday season brings some good deals but also a slew of frustrations, which only intensify after weeks of trying to find the perfect gift or score the best price. Don’t just sit back and accept these annoyances. There are…

  • 10 Easy Ways to Give to Charity Without Spending an Extra Dime

    The holiday season is upon us, and many are feeling the stress of shopping, cooking, entertaining, and other obligations. Charitable giving can weigh on the minds of people who want to help but are strapped for cash or time and…

  • 50 Ways to Make Most of Holiday Shopping

    Holiday shopping isn’t just the usual mall scene decked with boughs of holly; it’s a whole lot crazier. With many so things to buy and so many people crowding the aisles, skill and patience are mandatory. The following 50 tips…

  • When the Stores Open for Black Friday 2015

    Black Friday sales have kicked off earlier and earlier in recent years. The holiday creep has reached the early-morning hours of Thanksgiving Day, which might rightly be called Gray Thursday (although laws in a few states do not let stores…

  • Hosting This Holiday? 18 Ways to Cut Stress and Spending

    Holiday entertaining can be stressful — and expensive. Instead of slipping down that rabbit hole, try these 18 tips for saving money, time, and sanity without detracting from the event. Here’s to throwing a budget-friendly and stress-free holiday party! PLAN…

  • 10 Easy Halloween Costumes for Couples on a Budget

    We’ve all been there: It’s the night before the big Halloween party and you and your sweetie only have the clothes on your back, a roll of duct tape, and a leftover pizza box. Now what? Rather than raiding the…

  • 11 Cheap and Easy Halloween Costumes to Make at Home

    It’s possible to create pretty much any Halloween costume by thinking outside the box (putting aside the fact that many of the ideas here start with a box). Choosing to…

  • 10 Cheap and Trendy Halloween Costumes for 2015

    Every year Halloween creeps up and scares thousands into last-minute, costly costume choices. But just a little planning can lead to a timely and cheap Halloween costume for 2015. Here’s…

  • 10 Inexpensive Ways to Celebrate Oktoberfest

    Oktoberfest is a celebration of more than just beer drinking — it encompasses rural German culture and harvest traditions, as well. The 16-day festival begins Sept. 19. Can’t afford to…

  • 5 Ways to Celebrate Mexican Independence Day

    Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican independence day — that’s actually coming up on Sept. 16, the date commemorating the 1810 call for Mexican independence. The…

  • 10 Tips for Booking Cheap Hotels Over the Holidays

    Planning to visit family for the holidays, and the guest room is not an option? Now is the time to start looking for cheap holiday accommodations. For those who need…

  • 10 Low-Budget Ways to Celebrate the Jewish High Holidays

    Rosh Hashanah, the two-day Jewish New Year, begins Sept. 13 at sundown, marking a marathon of celebratory meals that ends after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. With synagogue visits…

  • 12 High Holiday Dishes for $4 or Less

    Feasting, symbolically and otherwise, is always an element of Jewish holidays, whether to break the fast after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, or to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the New…

  • 10 Ways to Save on Valentine’s Day

    Valentine’s Day is approaching, which means many Americans will be dropping dollars in the name of love. Among respondents in a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, women plan…

  • 10 Valentine’s Day Dinners to Make at Home

    Cooking dinner with a loved one or new flame on Valentine’s Day is a fun date idea with benefits: It avoids the hassle of reservations and overpriced prix-fixe menus. Even…

  • Holiday Returns: What You Need to Know

    Gift giving and receiving is complicated and emotional. While the rising popularity of store gift cards and prepaid cards has lessened the worry about returns in the post-holiday frenzy, there…

  • New Year’s Tickets Too Pricey? Try These Alternatives

    New Year’s Eve doesn’t have to mean bidding a frantic farewell to your budget. It’s possible to send the year off with a bang and barely spend a buck. According…

  • 5 Free Black Friday Apps

    It’s that time of year when holiday decorations start showing up in shops and homes and wish lists are getting longer. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday rapidly approaching, the…