Relax This Friendsgiving

(Image courtesy of Satya Murthy)

Due to travel issues and time constraints it’s sometimes difficult to make it back home to see our loved ones for the holidays. Though your family is with your in your heart this year doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy friendship and food this Thanksgiving!

Host a Friendsgiving this year with a few of your closest friends, or those that also can’t make it home to be with loved ones, and you’re well on your way to having a great time. Follow just a few of these simple tips from renters.apartments.com and you can skip the stress and just enjoy the evening.

Shop Early

Plan your menu and then hit the grocery store early and get everything you need. The only thing worse than traveling on Thanksgiving is going to the grocery store on Thanksgiving.

Prep Ahead

If you’re getting all fancy and making something like, say, homemade piecrust, be sure to make the dough the day before. Check your recipes and see what can/needs to be prepped in advance.

Don’t Forget to Defrost

Buying a frozen turkey? Don’t forget to take that sucker out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge well in advance of cook time (allow one day for every 5lbs of bird to thaw). And when it comes to cooking? Cook 15 minutes for each pound of fowl.

Embrace the Potluck

Enlist your guests to supply sides and desserts. No need to feel like you have to do absolutely everything all by yourself. You’re all in this together after all.

Have a Buddy

Or just have a friend or two hang with you all day and cook together. Few things bring friends together like trying to dress a turkey over mimosas on Thanksgiving morning.

Keep the Wine Flowing

Obviously. One of the glorious things about Friendsgiving is that you don’t have to be on your best behavior or worry about anyone judging you for how much vino happens to fill your cup.

Don’t Over-Plan

Unless your friends are super into schedules, leave the afternoon/evening open-ended. If it turns into an afternoon of watching football, great! If Cards Against Humanity comes out as whiskey starts being poured, great! This is your holiday, do whatever you want.

Think UnThanksgiving

At the end of the day, nothing says you MUST stick to a traditional Thanksgiving menu. If you decide you’d rather make Thai or Italian, go for it. Why not have a make-your-own sushi Friendsgiving and have everyone bring their fave ingredients?

You can do anything you damn well please on Friendsgiving – be creative and have fun!

Budget Your Gifts

(Image courtesy of m01229)

The holidays are an exciting time of the year! Not only do we get to spend time with loved ones that we may not have seen recently, but we also have the opportunity to share gifts with one another.

Though it can be tempting to lavish expensive gifts on all those you hold dear, it's important to be prudent during this time of year. It's all too easy to fall victim to the holiday spirit and spend much more than you intended.

Don't worry, though. Being careful with your money this holiday season doesn't mean you have to be a Scrooge. Take a quick look at these tips from Apartment Guide and you'll be on your way hiding all your gifts around your apartment.

A Little Preparation Goes A Long Way

By being a smart shopper every day, you will have more to spend when the holidays come around. Here are some easy steps to more savings.

• When it’s time to go grocery shopping, make a list. Get into the habit of only shopping for the items on your list and leave impulse purchases at the door.
• Do your online research in advance of a big shopping trip. When you know where the bargains are, you will save yourself a whole heap of time, effort and frustration.
• Make shopping rewarding. Use store coupons and rewards cards and sign up for email campaigns that will send advance details of sales.
• Pay yourself first! Grant yourself a weekly allowance and shop for necessary items guilt free. By paying yourself a weekly or monthly allowance you will avoid the very real temptation of a retail therapy blowout.

Basic Steps To Big Savings

There are many small measures you can take to reduce your bills and help you save for the holidays. When you leave your apartment for the day, remember to unplug all electrical items making sure that you don’t spend anymore on your electrical bill than you have to. This tiny step goes a long way to reducing your electric bill over the course of a year.

When you go to work, adopt a “cash free” day where you go about your day-to-day business without spending a single penny. This is easier than it sounds with a modicum of forward planning: plan your lunches around what’s already in the pantry or the fridge, and take a (reusable) bottle of water with you. Then make sure to put away the equivalent money you would have spent into a savings account.

Now that you have adopted basic budget saving tips into your day-to-day life, you will have a clearer idea of how much you have to spend on your holiday gift budget.

Holiday Shopping Tips

When it’s time to go shopping for your chosen gifts, take cash only. This important step will prevent you from being tempted to use credit to make your purchases. Adopt a stealth-like approach to your shopping trip, planning in advance the stores you intend to visit. Don’t be distracted from your mission; instead, make the purchases you have decided upon in advance. If necessary, you can always go back later and buy that impulse present if there is enough left over in your budget.

Use the envelope system for shopping trips. Make out a new envelope for each person on your list and place in the exact amount needed for their chosen present. Then if the product is further discounted at the cash register, you can put the extra money into a contingency fund.

If you choose to do your holiday shopping online from the comfort of your own apartment, keep an eye open for useful promotions such as free shipping codes or buy-one-get-one-free offers.

Finally, if you are forced to put your holiday shopping onto a credit card, it’s always a good idea to put it on one that will benefit you and your wallet. Use cards that offer cash back with every purchase.

Get Ready To Party

(Image courtesy of Oakley Originals)

The holidays are the time of year for celebrating. From Thanksgiving to New Years, now is the time to gather your loved ones together and have a good time! With all the joy and the fun to be had this time of year, it's sad to realize that many hosts get bogged down in the intricacies of having guests over to your place. 

The writers over at Apartment Therapy share your pain. That's why they've compiled this list of prep tips to insure you can enjoy your holiday party just as much as your guests! Keep reading to learn more. 

Plan ahead. While some of the best gatherings are spontaneous in nature, it never hurts to plan early, especially at this time of year. From bulk-buying booze to save money to cooking-and-freezing food ahead of time to save time, a day of prep here and there will make the lead-up to your party much more manageable. Consider your playlist, decor, lighting and coat storage ahead of time, in addition to the obvious food-drink-guests triad.

Have a (loose) theme.
Maybe not strictly necessary, but come on— everybody loves a theme! You might decide to play mainly 90s music or serve only Mexican-themed drinks; a theme doesn't have to be prescriptive, and can add to the fun.

Because my party's on a Sunday, I decided to give it a "holiday brunch" vibe; from scones and strata on the menu to an apropos "sweatpants and sequins" suggested dress code, it'll artfully combine (or at least that's the hope) two of my favourite things: lazy Sundays and partying with friends.

Do a signature drink.
People will bring wine to your party, that's a given. Have some beer in the fridge for those who don't like wine. Sparkling water and sodas for kids and those who don't want to drink alcohol, of course. But the real draw to the drink station should be unique to your party: something festive and fun, that you can make in a pitcher or a punch bowl so you don't have to be playing bartender all night.

It's all in the details.
It's the little things that make people smile, and that they'll remember when the hangover wears off. Decorate one wall with a "photo booth" backdrop for festive selfies, hang some mistletoe over the mirror in the bathroom, place strategic bowls of chips or plates of cookies around your home. Lighting is a big one for me: the more candles strewn about, the better.

Remember, it's just a party.
The whole point of a party is to spend time with your guests in the spirit of celebration. If one of the dishes is burnt or if the prosecco runs out early, no one will care. Chances are, no one will notice. Pour yourself a drink, put on your favorite track and go chat up a friend. You deserve it!

Is That Really A Good Deal?

(Image courtesy of Health Gauge)

We all get excited when we see a deal. Any average shopping trip can turn into a thrill seeking experience when you see a 'bargain' that seems to have come straight out of your dreams - but is it really a bargain? There are always those times when a deal can be 'too good to be true,' and it may be better to pass that deal by. These tips, courtesy of Apartment Therapy will help you separate the wheat from the chaff. Keep reading to learn more.

You don't need one of those

Do you really need this thing or are you tempted to buy it because it's cheap? Reality check: a good deal means you're getting the most out of your money; shelling out for something you just don't need is achieving exactly the opposite.

You wouldn't buy this one at full price

Even if you DO need this thing, if this brand or model is not one you'd buy anyway then you won't be happy in the long run. Don't make compromises to save a few bucks.

It doesn't come with all the same components/warranty as the full-priced model

Be wary of too-good-to-be-true prices that seem sketchy or items that don't match up with the specs of other retailers. Did you have some luck or did that thing fall off the back of a truck? You'll never know.

There's a catch

Maybe it's a rebate that makes it such a good deal. Are you really going to mail that thing in and follow up in eight weeks to make sure you've gotten your money back? Maybe you found a cheap price online but shipping will cost you big bucks. Where's good deal in that?

It will cost you something besides money

Black Friday deals, we're looking at you. Sure, you get a good deal but at what price to your sanity? Consider all the costs associated with a purchase. If you're willing to spend the time and energy it'll take to get that item then go for it, but make sure to account for those factors ahead of time.

Tell us! What are your deal-breakers when it comes to getting a good deal?