(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

You’ve opened the gifts and put on the Yule log on TV.  You’ve probably received a ton of holiday cards by now.  Instead of throwing them out or stuffing them into a box that you’ll never look at again, why not do something interesting with them?

Make an ornament - Cut the back of the card off, punch a hole in the card and put a string in it.  Now you have an instant ornament to add to your tree or anywhere else that needs a little holiday cheer.  I’ve taped some to my door, the kids love it!

Chains of cheer - Cut the front of your cards into strips and make interlocking loop chains to hang on a tree.  Children will enjoy helping you make these as well.  Make a game out of it to see who can make the longest chain.

Interesting Borders - Tape a bunch of cards to a doorway or window border.  You just made your entryway more interesting.

Make Postcards - Cut the backs off and you have a post card!  Just add some words and a stamp and send it off.

Make a wreathe - Cut a large piece of cardboard into a wreathe shape.  Glue the cards or just interesting images from the cards onto the wreathe

Do you have other ideas or uses for old Christmas / Holiday cards?

If you’re in NYC and looking for the Yule Log program, you can find it on WPIX (11) from 4am-6am & 9am-1pm this year.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

If you didn’t get a chance to grab the great deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, there are some other strategies that you can use to save this holiday gift season.  A recent twitter personal finance chat inspired some of the below ideas.  Some ideas are just common sense.

1. Focus on those who matter most in your life and get them great gifts they will like.  You know who they are because you actually know what to get them.
2. Do Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchanges instead of getting everyone a gift.  These events may end up being more fun than the gifts themselves.
3. Use Groupon to find gift ideas and great deals.  Each day, Groupon emails you one exclusive, unbeatable deal on the best things to do, see, eat, and buy in New York.  Some past deals are: $18 for Three Games of Bowling and Shoes at Chelsea Piers & $15 Historic NYC Pizza Walk (Half Off $30 Value).  Check out other past Groupon deals.
4. Don’t buy last minute.  Plan ahead and use sales and discounts to your advantage.  This is one of those common sense things I mentioned.  When you wait till the last minute, you end up with a bad gift or paying too much for a decent gift.  Always plan ahead.  Write your list and check it twice - for sales and deals!
5. Purchase Gift cards at a discount.  This was a suggestion from the #bp twitter chat.  Some sites you can check are Citydeals and Gift Card Rescue.
6. Use coupons or online coupon codes.  There are numerous online coupon codes sites.  Just search google for them and you’ll never pay full price again!  I recently bought an online gift and save $10 on the shipping, which I would have paid if I didn’t do a quick search for a coupon code!

What strategies do you use to save on your holiday shopping?  Please share your ideas and let everyone benefit!

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

You know the drill. Every year when the holidays roll around, in the office you’re bound to have a full on holiday party, a few luncheons and oh yes, the ubiquitous random (not to mention stale) toffee sent in by vendors. Here are a few reasons why you should be oh-so-thankful you don’t have an office to call home during the holiday season:

*No extraneous snacks, no problems! Remember the good ol’ days? You know you do. You’d walk by the printer and oh, what do we have here? A few truffles. On the way to the conference room you’d find a leftover catered breakfast (yeah, as in breakfast burritos, not bagels) and in the late afternoon there would be cookies and cake and otherwise calorie-infested treats. Without the office consider yourself five pounds lighter this holiday season!

*No Secret Santa means you get to spend $20 you would have spent on a random co-worker on yourself instead! And hey, you know you would have just received a gift card to Barnes & Noble anyway. Consider yourself lucky to not have the office grab bag.

*Swine flu? Fughettabout it. Unless you’re on the subway, staying at home means you’re less prone to germs from all of those infested co-workers. Granted, you shouldn’t be home 24/7 anyway but go with us here, ‘k…

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