Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, frugal pals!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and is ready to make 2010 fabulously frugal!

A meeting schedule will be posted very soon- so be sure to save the dates and come join us for frugal tips, bargain sharing, and much more. Also, be sure to email me any ideas you have for frugal meetings and we'll be sure to work them into the calendar. Past successes include clothing and accessory swaps, hobby swaps, cookie exchange, regifting exchange, and magazine sharing!

Here are a few frugal tips to help you get on your way to a wonderfully frugal new year:

1. As you're clearing out and packing up holiday decor, fumbling around the attic or in your storage locker, be sure to set aside things that you aren't so thrilled by any longer and donate them to the local charitable organizations like Goodwill...
2. Did you end up with 12 boxes of stuffing and 9 cans of green beans after the holidays. Don't throw them out! Instead, bag up this bounty and make a trip to your local food bank for a donation... your cabinets will be leaner and your heart happier by the good deed!
3. As you pull out the winter clothes and prepare for the chill in the air, set aside those warm clothing items that no longer fit your fancy. Your charitable donations of items such as winter jackets and sweaters (including that oh-so-sweet Christmas sweater knitted by crazy aunt Tilda that you absolutely NEVER wear) will warm the heart of someone in need... 01/06/2010: THE OCALA STAR BANNER JUST PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE DETAILING THE CURRENT CRITICAL NEED FOR WINTER CLOTHING FOR ALL AGES AND SIZES AND BLANKETS AT LOCAL SHELTERS DUE TO THE EXTREME CENTRAL FLORIDA TEMPERATURES! PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN! http://www.ocala.com/article/20100106/ARTICLES/1061009/1402/NEWS?Title=Homeless-and-cold
4. Did you get duplicates of DVD's, books, or other items as holiday gifts and can't return them? Perhaps another frugal pal in the same predicament has something you'd like in exchange. Mention it at the next meeting and perhaps a deal can be made!
5. Think frugally, act globally and locally: We are all feeling the pinch as consumer costs continue to rise while everything else seems to keep falling, so do your part to help lower everone's bottom line. Make it a resolution to take a resuseable shopping bag with you EVERYTIME you shop. Some merchants, inlcuding Target and Mother Earth offer a small $ incentive for bringing your bags and we all know how just a few pennies can add up! So, save a tree, save a landfill, and save a few cents, by being a sensible shopper!
6. Lastly, as we all begin to manage the plethora of resolutions we've assigned ourselves for 2010, be sure to include keeping yourself, especially your health, a priority! Impulse shopping without lists and coupons, pricey fast food instead of mindful meals at home, and being disorganized are all sure-fire ways to start out the new year with a thud and increase unhealthy stress. So, think frugally and be good to you...get planning, get moving, get saving, and make 2010 your year!