SAVE ON THE SEASON
It's the most wonderful time of the year-and the most expensive. But it doesn't have to be!
WONDERING HOW MUCH all this pending holiday cheer will set you back? If you aren't, you probably should be. Last year, retail sales in November and December hit a record $964.4 billion. And more than a third of us went into debt to pay for our celebrations, according to a survey of nearly 2,000 people by LendingTree, an online loan marketplace. After all, there are tables to set, gifts to buy, plane tickets to book, and parties to attend. Those who carried a tab averaged a credit card balance of $1,028, the survey found. Bah humbug! To avoid turning Scroogey, we asked experts for their money-saving tips.
How to Be the Host Who Doesn't Spend the Most
START PLANNING, LIKE, YESTERDAY
We're only slightly exaggerating. "When you're pulling something together last-minute, you can be tempted to throw money at it," says Jenna Helwig, REAL SIMPLE's food director. Store shelves can be picked over during the holidays, and if you rush in like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep this November 27, you may be limited to pricier items-like a spendy bottle of wine rather than the good $12 stuff.
Plus, shopping early lets you spread out your expenses and take advantage of sales, says Andrea Woroch, a budgeting expert based in Bakersfield, California. Plunking down $62 a week is more palatable than $250 in one go, especially if you get more for your money. To find sales, Woroch uses a free app called Flipp. "You just enter your zip code and it aggregates circulars for your area."
DITCH THE STUFF NO ONE EATS
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Real Simple.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Real Simple.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Thanksgiving All-Stars
Behold: Gathered in one place, our most popular, most tried-and-true recipes from 24 years of Turkey Day menus.
Thank You Kindly!
How to show appreciation and change your relationships
how we live
ADVICE, INSPIRATION & A LITTLE PEACE OF MIND
COLD COMFORT
You can loathe winter, or you can embrace it with these cool strategies.
WHAT TO DRINK AFTER DINNER
Don't break up the party! Linger around the table with one of these post-supper sips.
Goodbye to All That - Burdened by the weight of wouldas, shouldas, and couldas, a former compulsive goal setter discovers the freedom of giving up.
Don't know about you, but this time of year, with the back-to-school sales and newpencil smell in the air, always makes me want to reinvent myself. When I was a kid, every fall was another chance to cast aside the embarrassments of the previous grade and turn into the totally cool individual I was born to be. (I'm still waiting.) Now it's another chance to launch my own version of New Year's resolutions. Let's call it my Fall Agenda of Improvements and Laudable Successes (a.k.a. FAILS). I look at running gear and consider signing up for a marathon. I invest in a new skin care regimen. I stock up on accordion files so I can finally get my papers in order.
The Books List Top Picks for Book Club & Beyond - National Book Award finalist Rumaan Alam captivated readers with 2020's startling Leave the World Behind.
The Books List Top Picks for Book Club & Beyond. Thrilling Lit Fiction National Book Award finalist Rumaan Alam captivated readers with 2020's startling Leave the World Behind. In his new novel, Brooke is a young woman living in New York City, working at an aging billionaire's family foundation, yearning to find her purpose.After her employer enlists her help in deciding how to give away his fortune, she becomes entranced by the power of wealth. Suspenseful and deliciously unsettling, Entitlement examines the seductive pull of money and its ability to warp our perspectives.
Go With Your Gut - Each of us has a little voice inside that knows more than the conscious mind. It's called intuition, and it deserves your attention.
Cognitive scientists, who study how human beings think and reason, generally define intuition as knowledge gained without rational thought, and they believe it's a natural part of how our brains work. Humans have two main ways of absorbing information. One is a slow, deliberate process, in which we methodically analyze details for instance, comparing two laptop models before buying. The second happens almost instantly, and the insight feels like it came out of the blue. In fact, though, it's based on data we've gathered subconsciously over time and, in a flash, connected with our past experiences.
buh-bye, beige!
Magnolia Network star and interior designer Natalie Papier colorized a classic 1920s Oak Park, Illinois, home using lots of paint, some wallpaper, and a bunch of brilliant tricks.
What to Wear for the In-Between Weather
Will it be hot outside, or brisk and chilly? Yes! And these on-trend pieces will help you get it just right.
