savings

2020 Christmas Gift Guide

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Disclosure: Affiliate links may be included. The Frugal Grandmom is happy to host the 2020 Gift Guide! Co-Hosts: Live Love Laugh Reviews and Giveaways, Marksville And Me, MsCatsHonestWorld.com, and A Little Bit of Everything from Mike & Alisa This year we’re highlighting some amazing gift ideas that you’re sure to love. Many of the gift ideas will also be more exciting, because there will be Giveaways! I’m happy to share these ideas and giveaways with each of you! 2020 has been filled with stress and craziness, so I would like to focus on having a simple and old-fashioned Christmas in this gift guide. Let’s remember the season and what it stands for: Love! Love came down at Christmas in the form of a baby. Jesus Christ – the Son of God. In His honor we give gifts. Let’s make sure that we give out of love and also try to give to those who are needing help this year. Try to add some charitable giving, even the gift of time and service. Gifts For Children Book: The Elf Who Saved Christmas Wonderbly Books When calamity strikes at the North Pole, it’s down to one plucky Elf to save the day – or Christmas will be canceled. Make a child you know the hero of the hour! The wonderful personalized books from Wonderbly Books will make your child or grandchild so excited, because they will be the star of each book. What a great keepsake for them! Wonderbly Books is a US company and your order can be shipped in 48 hours! You’ll enjoy shopping with Wonderbly during this holiday season and for fun events during the rest of the year. You can get 25% off their best selling books with the code CyberMonday Don’t forget to enter the giveaway, so that you can win a personalized book for your family! a Rafflecopter giveaway For little ones, you can’t go wrong with Paw Patrol toys. The individual sets are big enough to have hours of fun with. I think Rubble’s Bulldozer is adorable! Who do you know that would love to play with this? Rubble’s Bulldozer Paw Patrol Set Other Paw Patrol sets are also available at Walmart.com. Girls will love the Barbie Sweet Orchard Farm Playset. Oh, how most little girls love horses! And, with this Barbie set, her imagination will soar. The playset comes with 11 animals, including a pretty horse and 15 pieces to help Barbie keep the barn organized. Barbie doll is not included, but with all the moveable parts to this playset, your child or grandchild will spend hours creating their own fun. Pillow Pets are some of the cutest, snuggliest gifts for kids! There are so many Pillow Pets to choose from: animals of all kinds, tv and movie characters, and favorites of all types. Here are some of the newest Pillow Pets. They come in different sizes: Regular, Extra Big, and even ones that light the ceiling with stars! Kids are going to go crazy over Pillow Pets this year, so put one on your Christmas list. Loog Guitars are the fun and colorful way to start children on a lifetime of enjoying music. Children can learn a song on the very first day with the Loog app. There are only three strings on the guitar, which is all they need for the chord. The finger placement is the same as a 6-string guitar, so transitioning to a full-size guitar later will be easy. Save up to 35% from November 25 – December 1st by clicking HERE with the Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale. December 1 -2 is Giving Day, where you can save 10% sitewide! Books Books for Adults: Peace Amidst The Mayhem This book is a new release and a very fitting topic for 2020. We are surrounded by Mayhem this year, and many are searching high and low for peace during this time. The book is written by a young mother, Marielle M. Melling. You can find her terrific blog here: lovinlifewithlittles.com. This book has three main sections: Demystifying Inner Peace, Bringing Your Life Into Peaceful Practice, and Making it Last. I love the way that the chapters are written. At the end of each chapter is a Summary section, Questions, and Ideas to work through. There is even a lined page to write notes or your thoughts. Usually, with books designed to help give peace or improve life, I quickly forget what I read and go on without changing anything. This approach makes it easier to remember and put into practice the ways that we can get inner peace. I think you’ll like the book! Marielle is very kind and has offered a Paperback Copy of her new book in a Giveaway! You can enter the giveaway here! Giveaway Rules: Open to Continental US entrants, age 18+. Winner will be notified by email. No social media is in any way responsible for giveaway. Marielle Melling is responsible for prize fulfillment. a Rafflecopter giveaway One Family Christmas is a new book from British author, Bella Osborne. Having a big, family-filled Christmas holiday doesn’t always turn out the way we dreamt it would. But, that doesn’t stop us from trying to have a picture-perfect Christmas. Lottie is the main character in this romantic comedy. She’s been blessed to spend the last months with her Nana before she has passed away. Her dream is to have all the family back there for the big day, just like Nana did. But, the big old house isn’t the same without Nana’s touch. Lottie is thrilled when the family all agree to show up one last time before the home is sold. The cast of characters are all so very different. There’s a ton of laughter ( and not always the right kind) and embarrassment for everyone at some point. With all the craziness, there comes a knock at the door. The real estate person lets them know that the house has a buyer. … Read more

How To Save For An Emergency Fund

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Pennies

There are many different numbers out there, but the consensus is that too many Americans have no emergency fund. With many living paycheck to paycheck, an emergency savings fund is not available to them. This can lead to a real crisis of the budget and future ability to live with financial stability. But, the good news is that there are many ways that most people can actively save enough money to have an emergency fund. Here are some methods to use if you need to have a savings for emergencies. Get out of Debt It’s hard to utilize many savings methods, if you’re carrying credit card debt. Stop spending on the card and work to pay down the debt. Then, you can improve your credit rating and qualify for a cash back rewards card. Credit cards should be paid in full each month. Stop eating out Purchasing lattes or even visiting the vending machine can add up. Save the money from these types of purchases and you’ll be able to save quite a bit of cash for your emergency savings fund. Make your own coffee at home and take it with you. Bring your own lunch from home, so that you don’t take your lunch break to dine out. Cut back on high utilities Can you lower your thermostat or hot water heater temperature? Just a few degrees can help you to save on the utility bills. You can personally negotiate with internet, cell phone, and cable bills. You can also join a company like TRIM, who will negotiate your bills for you. Trim negotiates cable, internet, phone, and medical bills, cancels old subscriptions, and more. It’s free to sign up, and if they save you money you’ll be charged a 25-33% charge of the total they saved you. You’ll still come out ahead. Use an App to round up your spending An app, such as Acorns or Qapital, will help you to save when you make a purchase. If you spend $2.50 on a purchase, the app will round up the amount to $3.00 and put $.50 in savings. This will add up just as you could put your change into a jar at home each evening. Sign up with Swagbucks and your Acorns subscription will get you 1350 SB ($13.50 in gift cards) Sell Things What could you sell? Most of us have unused items that could be sold for cash: old exercise equipment, nice clothing, books, collectables, instruments, and such. Using Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, or Ebay you can sell many possessions for cash. When you’ve made some changes to your spending, then you’ll see the savings grow. Research the best savings account in your area or online and place your savings there. Try to choose an account that offers some interest to help the emergency fund grow faster. Get out of Debt It’s hard to utilize many savings methods, if you’re carrying credit card debt. Stop spending on the card and work to pay down the debt. In addition, find out how using a personal loan to consolidate debt can help you. Then, you can improve your credit rating and qualify for a cash back rewards card. Credit cards should be paid in full each month. I hope this list will inspire you to start or boost your emergency fund. What is your best tip for saving money? @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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