This is the best time to buy holiday wrapping paper. Credit: bonnipink/Flickr

This post is brought to you by Area Vibes which can help you find the cheapest places to live.

Judee shared a quick tip:

FIY the Christmas gift wrap at Target is about .30 cents a roll right now. Great time to stock up for next year :O)

The post-Christmas holiday deals only last so long before they sell out or get cleared out to make room for new merchandise. Get on it if you haven’t already (myself included!)

Got a hot tip? Email us.

I wonder what this person received. jessamyn / flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Okay, so you didn’t get exactly what you wanted for Christmas or Hanukkah. So what’s a cheapskate supposed to do? Below I share five options to deal with unwanted Christmas gifts and gift card.

Re-gifting

I’m not a fan of re-gifting because I’ve received really bad gifts. But, I confess I’ve done it – the right way. The trick is to make sure you pass the gift to the appropriate person that will appreciate it. When done properly, it

shouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Note that not everything can be re-gifted. Don’t pass along one-of-a-kind items or anything that is monogrammed, unless you know someone with your initials. If you’re going to find another home for a gift, make sure to read my five rules for re-gifting.

Returning / Exchanging

Heading to the mall after the holidays can be a hassle, but if you feel up to the challenge make sure to take your gift receipt with you (if you got one). Otherwise, before you head to the mall, go online to familiarize yourself with the store’s return and exchange policy. Some stores are lenient with their return policies after the holidays, but others won’t budge. Doing some research will help you avoid the crowds. Head to the mall pronto! I’ve stood in the checkout line for about 45 minutes to get the right size of a gift I loved, but was too snug. If all that waiting is not worth it for you, how about you make some dough from that gift?

Selling

Try putting the gift up for sale on Craigslist, eBay, or Amazon. There’s someone bound to like it and want it. Don’t expect to make back the full price, but, hey, a few bucks is more than what you had. Someone give you a gift card to a shop you’ll never patronize? You can also sell gift cards online. There are several sites where you can put the cards up for sale, if there’s no one you know who can use them.

Trading / Swaping

Today is gift card exchange day, scheduled for Dec. 26 because “cardholders will receive the best rates from resellers,” according to GiftCardGranny, which arranged the event. Christmas yields one or more gift cards for most Americans, and recipients are eager to part with unwanted cards in exchange for cash. You can also trade your gift cards for ones you’ll actually use online. Sites to try are GiftCardRescue.com and PlasticJungle.com. We’ve mentioned these before as you can buy discounted gift cards from them. If you have clothes or electronics, you can also swap or trade them. Check out Swap.com as you’ll find local swap enthusiasts looking to exchange goods. I’ve also hear that Best Buy has a trade-in center online and in-store where you can get gift cards for your electronics.

Donating

Gag gifts that include cleaning supplies can be donated to local homeless or animal shelters. A good website to check is TheGivingEffect.com, which lists about 1,450 charities that are in need of a wide range of items like blankets, books, and even art. To boot, you may qualify for a tax deduction.

Trashing

Any homemade goodies that look past their prime should be trashed. Don’t even think of donating them! Giving volunteers at soup kitchens or other donation centers more work by going through useless donations is a big no-no.

I’m dying to know… What’s the worst present you received and what do you plan to do with it?

This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.

Happy holidays!!! Credit: cassie_bedfordgolf/Flickr

This weekend I’m looking forward to making gingerbread men, whipping up a batch of my Mother’s chocolate crinkle cookies, and opening presents.

My adorable husband has been asking everyday if he can open his presents and I’m not sure how much longer he can wait!

With warmest holiday wishes,
Julia
Aka Bargain Babe

Are you ready for Christmas? Credit: boneandjay/Flickr

I’ve divided all our Christmas and holiday-related posts into five categories: presents; stocking stuffers + gift tags; things to do; extras; and post-holiday.

If you are still finishing your shopping, good luck! Got a last-minute holiday dilemma? Let the Bargain Babe help!

Presents

Best holiday gifts: gift cards + more

Unique and quirky gifts

Electronics gifts

White elephant gifts under $10

Frugal and homemade gifts and more frugal gift ideas

Value gifts at Sears

Toys for kids

Mens’ shavers

Gifts for teens

Restaurant gift certificates

Men’s and women’s gifts

Stocking stuffers, gift tags, and more

Three creative ways to wrap gift cards (video)

Frugal and festival gift tags

Unique wrapping paper with a twist

Inexpensive DIY stocking stuffers and best stocking stuffers (video)

Things to do

Free and fun holiday crafts

Elf + Diwali Yourself

Easy Christmas dessert recipes

Three interactive family games to play

Crafty Christmas decorations for your home

Extras

Secrets of holiday stain removal

Most shoplifted items of Christmas

Holiday tipping in a weak economy

Layaway plans a hit?

Post-holiday 

How to make the most of year end sales

Five rules to re-gifting

Soda bottle lantern/Things Deb Loves

I LOVE holiday crafts! They are so sparkly and fun to make with kids of all ages.

Here is a list of 8 of my favorite holiday crafts.

1. Soda bottle lanterns. Cut the top off a 2-liter soda bottle. Take off label. Decorate with tissue paper put on with watered down Elmer’s glue. Punch two holes on top and string wire or string for a handle. Put a battery operated tea light or glo-stick inside. This is more beautiful than you can image.
   
   
2. Tongue depressor/Popsicle stick snowflakes. Buy the sticks from a Dollar Store or craft supply store. Paint them white. Let dry. Glue together in a star shape. Decorate. Can be used as a unique party invitation or decoration.
3. Recycled wreaths. You can make a wreath out of just about anything from an old bicycle tire wrapped in garland and lights to red buttons glued onto a round piece of cardboard.
4. Hang tags. Repurpose last year’s holiday cards into this year’s name tags for your presents. Just cut off the side with the message and put a hole into the picture side. Tape to present to use ribbon through a hole to hang.
5. Heart house ornament. Another use for last year’s cards. Make a beautiful house shaped tree ornament. Clever idea.
6. Victorian Christmas crackers.  These aren’t the crackers that you eat. These are the crackers that make a popping noise with a toy inside. Make these delightful small gifts out of toilet paper rolls and tissue paper.
7. Paper bag Santa. This is a super easy and cheap craft that kids love. Just takes a paper bag, crayons, scissors, glue and a cotton ball.
8. Paper chains. Cut some red and green construction paper into strips and start connecting those circles. Kids love making paper chains and it is a cheap project. I found a nice paper cutter at a yard sale several years ago and I love it and use it all the time.

These craft ideas along with my earlier Frugal and homemade holiday gifts should keep you all busy making all sorts of holiday creations. Have I forgotten something that you love to make during the holidays?

This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Any other site posting this content is violating the DMCA.

aaron13251/flickr

The holidays bring so much wonderful food and drink…all of which can be spilled, splatted, dropped and oops-ed. Knowing how to remove stains needs to be part of your Holiday Survival Guide.

The cardinal rule of stain removal is that the sooner that you can get to a stain, the better the chance that you can fully remove it. Therefore, knowing what household items will remove which kind of stain will make you the hero of the day.

I saved the day for a young bride when my daughter noticed a huge red wine stain running down the length of her wedding dress. I quickly took her to the kitchen where some paper towels and carbonated water took the stain right out of her dress. Talk about quick work!

Here are five staining problems (with their solutions) that you might run into over the holidays. As with any stain removal, test in an inconspicuous spot first.

1. Hot chocolate on carpet – Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid hand soap with two cups warm water. Sponge on the stain. Blot with paper towel to remove liquid. Repeat. If still stain, use ammonia and water same portions as above.
2. Candle wax on garment – Freeze the wax by putting the garment in the freezer or putting ice cubes on the spill. Scrape off the frozen wax. Next put a paper bag on the top and bottom of the stain and iron (low heat) the bag. The wax should soak into the paper bag. Move bag and continue til no more wax transfers. Now wash as normal.
3. Fruit stains on fabric – Stretch fabric over a pot in the sink. Pour boiling water onto the stain from a height of 1 to 2 feet.
4. Ketchup stains on shirt – Pour full strength Mr. Clean on the stain. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse. If still there, repeat. Wash as usual.
5. Spinach on fabric (not wool) – First, sponge area with rubbing alcohol. Rinse well. Now rub area with a baking soda and water paste (3 units baking soda to 1 unit water). Wait 5 minutes. Rinse. Repeat if not gone. If still stained, use spot remover laundry stick and wash. Do NOT put in dryer until stain is gone or the stain will set forever.

If you are looking for more information about stains, check out what the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute has to say about stains. I recently compiled a list of secret uses for baking soda, ammonica, salt, and tin foil. Yazmin has a handy list of 31 secret uses for vinegar.

This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.

BaconThenEggs / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Want to save even more money on Christmas? Here are eight homemade stocking stuffer ideas you can make if you are on a tight budget. The best part is that you don’t have to be super crafty to make them.

Monogrammed handkerchief – With the cold and flu going around how about you make and give a gift that is sure to be used. You can buy handkerchiefs and then follow the easy instructions to monogram the person’s name or initials. If you are good with a sewing machine, you can buy the fabric and sew the handkerchiefs yourself.

Crochet hat and scarf – I’m amazed at how expensive crochet hats and scarfs are in stores. If you can crochet, put your skills to work! You can find all sorts of free crochet patterns online. All you have to do is buy the yarn. Make sure to find out what color the person likes before you start.

Candles – I love candles, especially the ones that make the room smell nice or have a beautiful design. I was in elementary school when I made a candle using a small milk carton so it’s not that hard to make. Candle making instructions can easy be found online. All you need is a free weekend and some materials you can find at craft stores. To make the candles pretty try adding a dried leaf or flower. You can also add a couple drops of essential oil.

Soap – Don’t you just love the colorful soap at fancy shops? You can easily make your own by following easy soap making instructions. The process is not that difficult and you can easily find soap making kits at craft stores if it’s you’re first time. You can wrap the soap in wax paper and tie it with a small ribbon.

DIY chocolate truffles – You just can’t go wrong with a chocolate truffle recipe. There are so many possibilities with truffles or any other kind of homemade candy. You can add them to baggies and include the recipe for an extra sweet surprise.

Bath salts – Another inexpensive Christmas gift are homemade scrubs. You’ll most likely have all the ingredients on hand so give it a try. This is a perfect gift for beauty junkies.

T-shirt ring – In the past I shared easy instructions to make a T-shirt necklace and ruffled T-shirt. Now you can add a T-shirt ring to the mix. All of these would make a cute present for a fashionable girlfriend. You can buy T-shirts at the dollar store. All you need is a little bit of time.

Have more ideas? Don’t forget to share them with us!

Send a silly Diwali Gram!

You’ve heard of Elf Yourself, the popular Office Max campaign where you can turn anybody into a silly, dancing elf.

But have you heard of Diwali Gram? It’s even sillier than Elf Yourself because you can turn anybody into a shimmy-ing Bollywood star. You can change the type of dance, the music, which body parts are moving, and the costume. I’m a fan of the belly dancing outfit. It’s a great time waster.

Note, if you are looking at this at work, the Diwali Gram page automatically plays music!

Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights that is sometime between mid-October and mid-December each year. Read more about Diwali on Wikipedia.

Thanks, Katherine!

Free shipping day is Dec. 16!

There is scant time to finish your Christmas shopping online! Most retailers require online purchases to be completed by Dec. 16, 2011 to guarantee Christmas Eve delivery.

If you do not finish your online shopping by tomorrow, you have two options.

1. Pay a ton for expedited shipping.

2. Fight the crowds at the mall, then package your gifts, wait in line at the post office, and pay for Priority or Express shipping.

If you shop tomorrow, thousands of online merchants – 2,339 to be exact – are participating in Free Shipping Day. What that means is that these 2,339 merchants all offer free standard shipping AND guarantee your gifts will arrive by Christmas. Some have minimum spend requirements, others don’t. Most allow dollar off or percentage off coupons on top of free shipping, which is hot.

If you need gift ideas, check out the 10-day Bargain Babe Hot Holiday Gift Guide for unique gifts, electronics, gift card deals, and a lot more.

If you are having a hard time coming up with a gift or finding a good deal, let the Bargain Babe solve your holiday dilemma.

When you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase by shopping through Ebates. Don’t leave money on the table!

Can't wait to make a Buche de Noel! Telephone Melts / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Tis the time to haul out the bakeware! I love baking, especially in the cold weather months, as it warms up our home. It’s been really cold in L.A. lately! Below are a few dessert recipes I’m planing to make for our different Christmas celebrations.

Gingersnap Pear Cheesecake – In my post about non-traditional Thanksgiving desserts, I said how much I love cheesecake because of it’s versatility. For Christmas, try one with pears and a gingersnap crust. The flavors complement each other wonderfully. Best thing is that if you know how to make a basic cheesecake, you can have this done in no time. Another thing I like is that it travels well to parties and it can be made ahead of time.

Chocolate Truffles – This recipe takes about three to four hours to make, but it’s well worth it! You can make the chocolate truffles on the weekend and store them (good luck not eating them!) to share at your company’s Christmas party or potluck. The best thing is that you can make so many combinations. These little treats are also great for homemade gifts.

Bark – There are bark recipes galore, but this one with mint candies seems most appropriate. I’m going to make bark for my sister so she can share with her friends at school before they go on their winter break. I’m making different varieties to suit everyone’s tastes. One of my favorite combinations is white chocolate with pistachios and cranberries. The color is just so festive! Did I mention it’s so easy to make and transport? I’m using baggies with colorful ribbon to hand out.

Buche de Noel – I’m so excited to make one of these logs. It’s like the grown up version of the gingerbread house. When I was in high school my french teacher brought one to share with the class and I fell in love. It was delicious! This year I’m going to try to make one from scratch. It’s so festive and you can decorate it as you please. The traditional yule log recipe calls for sponge cake and takes considerable time to make, but I found a recipe that it’s doable. And it doesn’t call for crazy, fancy ingredients.

What dessert are you making this Christmas?

My eye! Credit: Nieve44/La Luz

Are you having a hard time finding a great deal on a particular present?

Can’t think of what to buy for your _____?

Not sure where is the best place to buy a particular gift?

Struggling with how much to spend on a friend?

Unsure how to cross everyone off your list without going over budget?

Need help setting a Christmas and holiday shopping budget?

Let the Bargain Babe figure it out! Ask your question by leaving a comment and we will respond within 24 hours, if not sooner.

Romantic Crafts/flickr

I love homemade holiday gifts the best. Anyone can go to the store and buy something, but it takes time and thought to give someone a gift that you made.

Here are 7 unusual frugal and homemade holiday gifts. For more gift ideas, check out the Bargain Babe Hot Holiday Gift Guide.

1. Firewood. With all the recent storms, it is possible that you are now in possession of lots more wood than you need. Bundle it up and give it as gifts to those you know with fireplaces. Include a couple of mugs, hot chocolate mix and marshmallows.
2. Truffles. I received a small box of two gold paper-wrapped homemade truffles once. They were given and received like the best gift ever. Delicious. Here is a truffle recipe.
3. Lessons. If you are an expert at something, offer a set of lessons to someone as a gift. Perhaps you are a good cook, photographer, artist, or handy man.
4. Personalized stationary. Create a hand drawn or digital graphic that represents the recipient. Find wonderful paper at a yard sale. Transfer the graphic onto the paper. You can even make handmade envelopes for a real personalized touch.
5. Fabric covered boxes. My sister-in-law gave me one of these the first time I met her and I still have it.
6. Make a secret family recipe book. Get each family member to write up the recipe of the dish they make that is loved the most. It can be as simple as getting recipe cards and taping them into a note book or you can get carried away in photoshop with pictures. Make a copy for each family member. Believe me, years from now this will be a cherished book.
7. Chunky yarn bracelets. This is a super easy craft that can be done with any kind of yarn, but looks best with the new Martha Stewart Mambo Yarn. You can make this craft out of any old cheap bangle covered by any kind of fabric.

Do you have favorite handmade gifts?

Check out these related posts:

How to make homemade gift tags

Homemade gift envelopes

Recipe for homemade sugar scrub gifts

Homemade gift ideas (picture frame earring holder, memory jar, candles)

Gifts that keep on giving

This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.

Gift cards make a great gift!

Phew! Today’s post on the best overall gifts brings the Bargain Babe Hot Holiday Gift Guide to a close. After 10 days, I’m all shopped out! We’ve also suggested electronics gifts, gifts at Sears, toys for kids, mens’ shavers, gifts for teens, unique and quirky gifts, All You mag gifts, restaurant gift certificates, and gifts for men and women.

Gifts cards are a thoughtful gift that is easy for the giver and receiver. No guessing what size or brand; no returns. You can make it a thoughtful gift card by picking a store the recipient loves to shop at, and by wrapping it in a special way. (This video has three great ideas for creative gift card wrapping.)

Kindle Fire is HOT!

The most sought-after gift cards,

according to GiftCardGranny, are Target, Walmart, Amazon, Macy’s, Starbucks and Home Depot. Gas and grocery gift cards are also popular. I recommend gift certificates to Mom and Pop shops if you have absolutely no doubt that the recipient shops there.

A great way to buy a gift card for less than the face value is to go through a reseller, like PlasticJungle.com. The site guarantees the value of the cards and has a good selection of retailers for as much as 40% off. I’ve also used GiftCardGranny.com, which isn’t a reseller but aggregates gift card sales listings. It has a larger selection, but includes sellers on eBay, which can be risky. (Incidentally, I recently bought a Home Depot gift card for 9% off through an eBay seller that had a long and outstanding track record.) GiftCards.com sells pre-paid Visa gift cards and regular retailer gift cards at a discount.

The memory jar I made for my Mom.

The Kindle Fire is high on my list of the best overall gifts. For $200, you get a device about as snazzy and well-equipped as the iPad2, which goes for $500. Unlike the iPad, there is no monthly contract, so you’re not giving a gift that requires more spending. Me thinks the Kindle Fire tablet is going to give the iPad a run for its money.

For sentimental folks, nothing says “I love you” like a memory jar (option No. 4). I gave my Mom one for Mother’s Day more than a year ago and it still sits on top of her dresser. You can customize a memory jar by selecting a special container, ribbon, and making other embellishments. When my Mom opened it, we had a beautiful time reading through the memories.

Electronics gifts – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 1
Value gifts at Sears – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 2
Toys for kids – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 3
Mens’ shavers – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 4
Gifts for teens – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 5
Unique and quirky gifts – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 6
All You mag giveaway – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 7
Restaurant gift certificates – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 8
Men’s and women’s gifts – Hot Holiday Gift Guide Day 9

Clicking on these links supports BargainBabe.com. Thank you for helping make blogging my full time job! This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Any other site posting this content is violating the DMCA.