A few preholiday Pennywise Tips...

Hello out there. I am steadily unearthing myself from under my gargantuan post vacation to-do list. And not a moment too soon, since Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Time to get back to the business of saving money for the holidays. Here's a couple of ideas for this week.

Waste not, want not when your recipe calls for just a little bit of canned pumpkin. (I'm making warm pumpkin pie puddings tonight and the recipe calls for just 1/2 cup.) Put any leftover pumpkin puree in a nice warm pot of chili, up to 1/4 cup per serving. It blends in flawlessly with the flavors of chili powder and tomato.

Old Navy is having an outerwear sale this week. In stores, coats are 50 percent off until Thursday. (The online sale ends today.) I bought new winter coats for both the charges, but I'm still greedy for more. I'm yearning for this orange number. Can you tell I've got pumpkin on the mind?
Butter's going to be on sale over the next two weeks as supermarkets vie for your feasting dollar. Stock up now for all of your Christmas baking. I'm holding out to get some of my favorite brands for $2 a pound. (Same goes for nuts, canned broth, and spices.)
And one more little thing. I love this comfy, quilted, monogrammed tote bag. It would make a perfect, personalized Christmas gift for under $30. ( Embroidered Bags. )They've got adorable diaper bags and travelbags for monogramming, too.

Have a fabulous, frugal day! Be back tomorrow.