Last-minute, practical gifts to give to friends

We went over to a friend’s house today to watch the Patriot’s game, and of course, we wanted to bring something. But they said they didn’t need any beer or food. So we hit upon a brilliant idea. We brought them:

A box of gallon-size ziploc bags
A box of trash bags
Tin foil

After all, everyone runs out [...]

In which, in pursuit of a budget-friendly gift, I finally successfully make fudge

We wanted to exchange gifts with a couple close friends this year, even though we generally give gifts only to family. They have been knitting a lot lately, and we had a hunch they were knitting us presents, so we decided to give them something homemade as well: a giant jar of chicken soup, a not-quite-as-giant jar [...]

The gift of no gifts

Jon and I decided yesterday that we wouldn’t give each other gifts this year. Financially, we feel pretty tapped out. Jon recently got a new pair of glasses, which wasn’t covered by insurance. We bought a new computer, and of course there are all the gifts we’ve bought for other people. Generally, I get a [...]

Carnival of personal finance

Thanks to Mighty Bargain Hunter for including my post on “Five Things To Do If You Get Laid Off” in this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance. Here are some other posts I liked.

M is for Money treats savings like any other bill.
Good to Grow suggests that a silicon oven mitt is “the perfect embodiment of the [...]

How much is too much Bar Mitzvah money?

Jon’s cousin is having his Bar Mitzvah in September, and though we can’t attend, Jon wrote him a $100 check. I thought this was too much. We generally give $150 at weddings, and that’s a gift for two people. Why does a 13-year-old need $100 from us? Jon countered that his uncle–the father of the [...]