1) Something from home.  Feel free to regift, but do it with class.  Re-pot a holiday plant, print and frame a personal picture, fill a pretty basket with food, trinkets, craft supplies or other themed ideas to appeal to your recipient.  Wrap merrily and be on your way.

2) Something on line.  Print out a gift certificate from anywhere — a local or national chain spa or restaurant, Restaurant.com (code SANTA for 80% off), a gym class or workout, or try Cloud 9 Living for that special something.

3) On the way.  Stop at any open restaurant or store for a gift card.  Make sure it’s something your recipient will enjoy.  Also good is a monthly transit cards in some cities, or for fun, gift cards from movie theaters, and scratch-off lottery tickets.  Print out a greeting card to show that you thought about it before you left the house!

4) From the oven.  Supermarkets are still open.  Pick up some ingredients for home-baked goods, and package prettily.  We have a new favorite here, a low-fat, low-cal fruit trifle.   Bake an fat-free angel food cake, break into pieces and line the bottom of a big glass bowl.  Pour in freshly prepared instant pudding to fill in the spaces.  Follow with a layer of fruit, a layer of sugar free whipped topping, and repeat, using a different fruit.  A guaranteed hit for just a few dollars. And you get to enjoy it too.

5) From the Heart:  Donations to charities, especially those that the recipients care about, are always appreciated and really can make a difference in the world we share.  Live, love and laugh with the people in your life.  Have a wonderful holiday, and may all your gifts be filled with love.

Merry Everything, and Happy Always.

We’ll be taking off for the next 2 weeks or so to revamp our site and clean up our homes.  See you after New Years.  Have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season, and here’s to a FRUGALICIOUS New Year!

1) Heard a rumor that Subway is giving out free cookies with gift cards.

2) FEED IT FORWARD!  FREE FOOD  from Restaurant.com.  Click here to get access to their Feed it Forward page.  If you’re not already a member, you should definitely join.  It’s a  free program which sells very very discounted gift certificates for meals out.  A great way to give gifts and try lots of new spots to dine. Plus, you can print or email your gifts.

3) Magazine subscriptions galore are available at Amazon.   Announce your gift with a FREE e-card from American Greetings or  Blue Mountain.

4) Give the Gift of AudioBooks from Audible.com. Try Audible Now and Get TWO FREE Audiobooks! Also, tons of specials at Borders.com.

5) Make something from stuff around the house.  Frame a photo and giftwrap, or fill a cool mug with coffee or candy.

Tomorrow, we’ll check for last minute printables.  Time to wrap it up!

Meanwhile, check here for more cheap, easy gift ideas. Happy Holidays!

1) Are you Crafty?  Crafts stores are actually doing well this year as more crafters make rather than buy their gifts.  Buying materials will boost that market sector, and your gifts will be one-of-a-kind and special.  Using materials you already own will support recycling and the environment.  Win-Win.  Just make sure you make the gifts with the recipient in mind.  Here are some of the things my friend and I have done this year.

2) If you’re going to regift, be sure to also repackage, again keeping the recipients in mind.  Adding a personal touch makes the old gift new.

3) Treat a friend to a day of health and beauty.  It could be a day at a spa, but more fun and way cheaper is a home spa day.  Collect all those samples of facials and masques, and mix up some homemade beauty concoctions.  Start with an exercise hour, follow with a stretch, make a great salad for lunch, open a bottle of wine, and follow with facials, manicures and pedicures.  Add a girly movie (somehow this is much more a girly thing, but with adjustments, doesn’t have to be).  Take pictures, make memories, help each other with hair color touch ups so you don’t miss the back of the head. And a good time will be had by all.

4) While you have the gang all together, go online and get everyone signed up for Groupon for really great daily offers in your closest city.  If you sign up first you will get credit for your friends too!

5) Gift insurance:  Square Trade offers discount warrantees on all the new electronics people will receive this holiday season.  Give a gift that lasts two or three years!  Believe me, when they drop that iPhone, they’ll be thinking of and thanking you again!

We’ll be back tomorrow with more ideas for instant gifts!  Meanwhile, read more ideas here.

So Gifting this year is different than before.  It’s the year that gifts are not being as frivolous as before.  This is the year where gifts are most valuable when they make a difference, hopefully to you, and the recipient, and beyond.

That said, here are our ideas for the five of the top gifts that make a difference:

1) Make a donation.  Almost every legitimate charity has a  program where they will notify a recipient that donation has been made in their name.  Some also have gifts and trinkets to sell that accomplish the same thing.  This one is easy — go online or on the phone to make a donation without leaving the sofa.  Some of our personal favorites are the Sabrina Cohen Foundation for Stem Cell Research, The Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation, and any organization that brings the Arts to children.

2) Shop at charity sites.  Bidding For Good collects high-end gifts that have been donated to a variety of charities across the country, and offers them for auction to their huge database.  Great place to shop for the person who has everything and wants more, and STILL make a difference.

3) Do you have a friend or family member who has skimped on their healthcare to save money?  This is a serious thing and if it’s affecting someone you know, a picture frame is just not going to do it.  Blue Cross/Blue Shield actually offers a gift card used for premiums.  But if anyone you care about has less than fabulous insurance, you can buy them a check-up, a mammogram or pap smear. There’s just no way to put a value on peace of mind.

4) Take someone shopping.  New clothes and decor are frequently passed over when money is tight, and a day of shopping and friendly advice is worth far more than the cash you spend on a gift card.  And you can be sure your giftee gets something they really want.  Save money on greeting cards by sending an online greeting with your gift message.  Start your free trial at  American Greetings and Blue Mountain to send eCards for every occasion.

5) How about a meal out?  Many of my friends are doing it less, so it could be a gift right on target.  You can buy a gift card with rebate at many restaurants, but even better, Click here for Restaurant.com, buy their $100 gift certificate for $12 (watch for the frequent 80% off promotions; try using shopping code SANTA) and take your friend to lunch or dinner.  If you’re feeling flush and generous, you can also give them a $25 certificate (for another $3) for them to use later on.

Wow, five done and we’ve just begun.  Tune in tomorrow for five more!

Meanwhile, check here for a few more ideas for gifts that give back — to you!

The Aveda Institute is primarily a school for all things spa — haircuts, color, massages, facials and the like — where students perform under the tutelage of experienced professors.  I have always found that I get amazing services in this type of set-up, and this one was even better.  All the students were young, hip, dressed in black and with fabulous hair, so I knew I could count on them for a new and up-to-date look.  Because it’s Aveda, all the products are eco-friendly, and the corporate philosophy is to give back.  So, I got a haircut (regular price only $12!), bought myself a gift box of products ($40, regular price $45) which came in a beautiful, handmade paper box made by a craftsperson in Nepal, AND I scored a $20 gift card with purchase for my next visit, which I scheduled before leaving.  (The Aveda website also offers gifts and samples with purchases; click here.)  So, I suported a student, a Nepalese family,  myself (with a fab new look and products and a new place to go) and my friend, for company and allowing her to contribute to me.   We had a fun girly day and made a difference.

Search the internet for haircare, massage, nail and related schools, and call to see if they have student clinics.  The savings are amazing and make great gifts for yourself and others.

On a related note, if you haven’t already, now is a great time to join Groupon, which offers amazing city-specific savings on all kinds of goods and services.  I just bought the hubby a haircut and MANicure for just $15!  Check them out here.

The thing is, a lot of people have been cutting back (no pun intended) on things this year.  Haircuts and other personal pampering services are often the first things to go.  Find out what your friends are putting off, and you’ve got the perfect gift.

For more ideas on gift-giving that makes a difference, please click here.

So, in honor of the 10 shopping days till Xmas, we offer 10 Great Holiday Gifts that give back for 2009:

1)Get a $5 gift card from Amazon when you purchase a magazine subscription as a gift.

2) L.L.Bean: Spend $25 or more in-store or online and receive a free $10 gift card. Deal ends December 24.

3)Marriott: Receive a 10% bonus with the purchase of any $50 or greater gift card. Plus, Marriott Rewards Members and Marriott Visa card holders can receive 10 points for every dollar spent when you enter your Marriott Rewards number on your gift card purchase or pay for your gift card with your Marriott Visa. Deal ends December 31.

4) Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: Receive a free $20 gift card with the purchase of every $100 gift card. This applies to all OSI Restaurant Partners including Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s, and Roy’s. Deal ends December 31.

5) Morton’s Steakhouse: Receive a free $50 gift card when you purchase a gift card of $300 or more. Or get a free $100 gift card when you purchase a gift card valued at $500 or more. Offer expires December 31.

6) Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse: For every gift card purchase of $250 or more, receive 10% back in bonus cards. Deal ends December 31.

7) Free $5 gift card with $25 gift card purchase at Boston Market.

8 ) CVS Pharmacy will give a $5 rebate for a $25 gift card purchase, with kickbacks up to $30 for larger denominations.

9) Buy a $100 gift card at the Container Store, get a $25 bonus card for yourself, up to five $25 e-cards.

10) Now is the perfect time to join Restaurant.com — and  Take 70% off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. orders! Use code SNOW and Pay $3 thru 12/17/09. Get some for yourself too!

Coming up soon,  some great ways to give a gift that keeps on giving to others.

Meanwhile, for more ideas on discount shopping, click here. Happy Shopping!

Okay, I’m off the soap box.  Today I go back to the re-employment office, where they have an area set up for information on social services available to those in need.  I have avoided asking for additional funds beyond my unemployment checks, but it has been pointed out to me that there may be more available that can help support me as I start and build my business.  Food Stamps?  Me?  Hey, why not?  It would make a difference, especially right now, so I’ll see if I am actually eligible.  And see what else I can apply for.  Will report back as soon as I have some good info.

Last week’s double fisted slam at women’s health may leave a lot of insured women in a lurch about mammograms and other preventative screenings, especially those in the 40-50 year age range.  So suddenly, last week’s suggestion of going to the local Health Department or Planned Parenthood is not as farfetched as I had originally thought.

Of course, affordable health insurance and affordable health care are top topics on many minds right now, both individuals and businesses.  Business Week’s cover story today (11/23/09), for instance, is “Why Wait for Health Reform — 10 Ways to Cut Costs Right Now”.  (Hmm, sounds like a story from I Love a Good Bargain . com!)  Let’s see what they have to say.

1. CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD AND ABUSE

2. DEVELOP A HEALTHY WORKFORCE

3. COORDINATE CARE THROUGH FAMILY DOCTORS

4. MAKE HEALTH A COMMUNITY EFFORT

5. STOP INFECTIONS IN HOSPITALS

6. GET PATIENTS TO TAKE THEIR MEDICINE

7. DISCUSS OPTIONS NEAR THE END OF LIFE

8. USE INSURANCE TO MANAGE CHRONIC DISEASE

9. LET WELL-INFORMED PATIENTS DECIDE

10. APOLOGIZE TO THE PATIENT

You can read the whole story here.  Or read more about how it affects YOU here.

More to come.  Happy Monday!

Affordable Health Care at Ellis Island

I’m not so sure that the word “affordable” applies here to the topic of Health Insurance.  And after yesterday’s news of the new recommendations for mammograms for breast cancer screenings, it’s a point that we all, especially women, need to take seriously, and soon.

The more research I do to find my next health insurance policy options, the more I realize that I don’t know.  There are endless options, and I’ve spoken with close to a dozen agents now, both individuals and those that answer 800 numbers, and overall, I am a) more confused than ever and b)mostly unimpressed by their so called expertise (except for a few.  Read on.) and lack of follow-up skills.

I’ve talked about HSAs, tax-favored savings accounts that are used in conjunction with a health insurance plan to reduce tax burden and help one save for retirement,(not for me), high and low deductibles, co-pays, lifetime caps, and out of pocket maximums.  I’ve almost been turned down, I’m about out of energy, but I have come to some conclusions:

1) The more I shop around, the more confident I am that I have found my best plan.  No surprise there, but it’s not a rule I have followed in the past

2) I’m going to have to pay somewhere in the $200 per month range for the services I need; not bad, as it’s about half of what I am paying now!

At the beginning of this series, I mentioned Cover Florida, the low-cost option for un-, self- or under-employed Florida residents.  It seemed a good option for me right now, lowest cost, guaranteed acceptance (especially important if you have any, and I mean ANY, pre-existing conditions; and who doesn’t?) and even the possibility of national coverage, so I can continue to see some of my long-term doctors in other states. Yet  almost every agent I spoke with brushed it off as something for people who are otherwise uninsurable.  Until Cesar, who I met accidentally at a social event the other night. It was not until we exchanged cards that I learned that he is a health insurance broker.

Cesar was the first and only of all the brokers who, based on my answers to his basic screening questions, offered a few new health care options:

1) Cover Florida, which he thinks might be the perfect option for me at this time (short-term cash-flow crunch).

2) A one-person group option!

3) A group plan though my company, a two-person LLC.

Hail, Cesar!  You may have cut through the nonsense and become my new broker.  Here’s a guy that made me feel that he’s putting me first, not worrying about the meager commission paid on the Cover FL plan, and coming up with an idea that NOT ONE of the others had mentioned.

I’ll let you know the bottom line when he gets back to me with actual numbers.  Also in my next post will be some ideas on how to cope when you have no or not-enough insurance.  Especially when you need to examine your boobies.

Meanwhile, click here to read more about how to take care of yourself at a discount.

Are the savings really so great?  What drives people into the shopping frenzy?

I first pose the question to Therese, a Canadian ex-pat working at Diamonds International (the ubiquitous port of call jewelry retailers) in Costa Maya, Mexico.  “Let’s put it this way,”  she says.  “Would you wake up on a Tuesday morning at home and go shopping for a diamond?  It’s part of the cruise experience, and there is a great selection…but no, the prices are really not the best you can ever find.  But people enjoy it, and it gives them something to show when the trip is over.”

I next approached Phil, our charmingly English cruise shopping guide.  “Oh yes,” he said, “the prices really are so much lower, since everything is duty and tax free.”  He recounts the tale of many couples, newly engaged or honeymooning, who are dismayed to find that the rings they just purchased stateside are far less expensive in the islands.  But, he added, it’s hard to compare when your’e dealing with stones.  The proof, he continued, is in the prices of the branded items.  For example, if someone wanted to buy a Breitling watch, they could instead take a cruise, buy the watch in a port, and essentially get the watch for free, based on the list price compared to the actual island price.  I will, when I return home, do a little research on the validity of that statement, and will report back on my findings.

Diane, a frequent cruiser and former jeweler, loves to buy jewelry when she travels, although she is clear that the savings are not all they’re said to be.  But she buys anyway, citing unique designs and uncommon stones as her reason for purchasing.  Anna, another frequent cruiser, agrees.  But for every Diane, Anna and Therese,  there continue to be dozens, maybe hundreds, of uneducated, free-spending travelers who believe that they could never find such bargains anywhere else.

Besides, they say, it’s fun to tell people, when they admire the new pieces, that they bought them in Mexico, St. Maarten, or the duty-free shop on the cruise ship.

Me, I’ll buy a t-shirt.

Back to civilization this weekend, back to the search for Health Insurance on Monday.  For now, though, the jacuzzi awaits.

Meanwhile, for more on discount cruising, click here.

I am beginning to realize that one of the reasons I can live well on a budget is that I don’t care about shopping, and I have enough stuff.  What is it about shopping that gets people so excited?  And are there really such great bargains to be had by leaving the US?

My plan today is to ask my fellow passengers why they get so excited about shopping on vacation.  For me, it’s the fun of having something that no one else will probably have, and the excitement of saying, when I get a compliment on the piece, that I bought it in Wherever.  Are the prices really so great that they can’t be matched in the states?  Is the stuff so unique?  Is it status?  I’m truly curious.  Why do people spend so much money when they’re away? How many watches does one person need?

I go ashore to see the country, meet the people, and maybe find some cheap, unique Mexican silver or pottery gifty things to bring home to my friends and family, and a little something for myself, as a memory of this lovely trip. Tomorrow, Belize City.  I wonder what’s available there.