Most newly weds don’t have a lot of extra spending money around when it comes times for gifts. The good news is that most of the traditional gifts in the first few years are not all that expensive. The bad news is that as time goes by (and children come into the picture) the gifts become more expensive and there seems to be even less money to go around. Here are just a few ideas that are free or nearly free.

1. Massage – invest a few dollars in a massage technique book (or borrow one from the library) and some massage oils. Give your spouse a full massage without setting a timer (or expectation of something in return).

2. Dinner and a movie – surprise your spouse with a tray of treats, a couple of movies and the kids gone for the night. Just time alone is sometimes all the gift you want.

3. A book – get an empty journal (or make one yourself) and write something special – a moment, a memory or something you love about your spouse – on every page. You might want to start this one several weeks before the big day.

Gifts do not have to be expensive to be cherished. It is often those that cost the least (and required the most time and effort) that are treasured the longest.

Those annoying sells calls that seem to come at the most inappropriate times could be the perfect answer to your next vacation. Take a moment to listen to the pitch, accept the free vacation and then leave your checkbook behind.

1. Timeshares – these companies call all the time trying to get new business. All you have to do is just take 45 minutes of your vacation to listen to a sales pitch and then you are free to enjoy your vacation.

2. Credit cards – many companies use a list of credit card holders to determine who is eligible for their free resort getaway or vacation package. Make sure that you let your credit card company know that you don’t mind getting these offers.

3. Giveaways – almost all of the drawings and giveaways have a catch (usually a sales seminar similar to the time share) but the vacation is still free so take advantage of their marketing tools.

A free vacation may not be completely free. It may cost you a few minutes or even a couple of hours of listening to the reasons you should join the company. Do a little research before you accept the vacation but if every thing checks out then you and your family can enjoy a great time on the company dime.

The tough economic times has forced many people to evaluate their finances. The fear of losing a job (or the pain of one already lost) has stopped the spending and forced the savings. Although the changes have made the economic times even tighter it may turn out to be the best thing for everyone.

1. Stop spending money that you do not have. It is one thing to use a credit card for convenience. It is a different story when you are using it because you do not have the money to buy the item out right. If the money is not already set aside for the new couch, new computer or other purchase then put it off until the money can be saved.

2. Skip one evening out or meal out every week. Put these savings into a special account that you will not touch for any reason what so ever.

3. Start an accountability group. Share tips for building savings, cutting spending and even investing. Having people that will call you out when you are going down the wrong path can be the best way to get on the right track for your finances.

Start the New Year with a new attitude about finances no matter how you might end the old one. You can begin saving money right now, start cutting back on spending and find new ways to create a sound financial future.

The holiday season is in full swing and I watched my children eagerly open gifts yesterday. They have already forgotten all about the paper and the ribbons, but they are still talking about the trip to see the Christmas lights and pet the reindeer.

It is easy to get caught up in the commercial part of the holidays. This tight economic time has caused many people to look beyond the commercial and find inexpensive or free ways to enjoy the holidays. Like my own family, most of us are discovering that the best things in life are free.

1. Homemade gifts take thoughtfulness, imagination, creativity and time. It shows the receiver that you spent some time and energy and not just some dollars.

2. Time is a gift that is beyond any measure of money and it spreads out into memories that last a life time.

3. Laughter is good for the heart, soul and mind and it’s free. Playing games with the family, riding bikes or going to the park are all great ways to create holiday memories that will last longer than any batteries.

This holiday season may be winding down, but it is never too early to start thinking about next year. No matter what the future may hold for your finances, commit today to make the holiday season about the memories and not about the bucks!

I’ve saved on dry cleaning bills, bought half-price theater tickets, and received free coffee (that’s a big one for me!) by using The Entertainment Book. But for some reason, forking over $15 for one still seems a little scary. What if I don’t use it? What if there are no good coupons inside this time? Will I really get back what I spent? Well, now I don’t have to worry about that because I got a free entertainment book.

Have you heard of Cashbaq.com? It’s pretty similar to Ebates.com. You get cash back from shopping at popular sites. Typically you earn a percentage of whatever you purchase. When you sign up for a CashBaq.com account you automatically get a $5 sign-on bonus. Right now, if you buy an Entertainment Book through CashBaq.com, you earn another $10 into your account. Plus, Entertainment Books are $10 off right now through CashBaq.com. That $10 coupon made the Entertainment Book for our area $15, the same amount I will be getting back from CashBaq.com, which makes my Entertainment Book free.

Just to recap, here’s the math:

Regular price of entertainment book: $25
Coupon from CashBaq.com: -$10
Additional Cash received for purchasing book: -$10
Sign on bonus from CashBaq.com: -$5
Total cost of Entertainment Book: FREE!!!

CashBaq.com pays through check or via PayPal. You must accrue a minimum of $10 to get paid. If you don’t have enough that money carries over from month to month until you do. But if you buy an Entertainment Book you will have enough to get your money right away. The site sends out payments around the 20th of every month. Now start saving!

Some deals need to be passed on. Like this one from Hertz: enjoy one free weekend day car rental when you include code “PC#127595″ in your reservation. This discount works on economy through full-size cars through March 31, 2009. Here’s the really sweet part of this deal– you can use it once a month until it expires and there is no minimum rental. That means you can use your free day and turn the car back in. So you may even be able to work it out where you rent a car to the destination, and your spouse rents the car on the way home, giving you a free weekend of travel to and from a destination. There are a few rules. Here’s what the website says:

Terms and Conditions: Advance reservations required. Blackouts may apply. Subject to availability, this offer is redeemable at participating Hertz locations in the U.S. (excluding , NY Metro area, Florida and Hawaii). This offer applies to minimum one day weekend rental (weekend defined as pick-up noon Thursday through Noon Sunday), has no cash value, may not be used with Tour Rates or Insurance Replacement Rates and cannot be combined with any other certificate, voucher, offer or promotion. The Free Day value applies to weekend rental time and mileage charges of economy through full-size class vehicles. Hertz age, driver, credit and weekend rate qualifications for the renting location apply and the car must be returned to that location. Taxes, tax reimbursement, age differential charges, upsell charges, fees and optional service charges, such as refueling, are not included. Discounts apply to time and mileage charges only. One redemption per customer per month. Offer valid for vehicle pickup through 3-31-09.

Give it a try and let me know how much money you saved!

Photo courtesy of mrkathika

Those beautiful lyrics from O Holy Night give me chills– especially when I hear them sung by Faith Hill. Now you can listen to her amazing rendition for free thanks to iTunes. Scroll down and click on the Faith Hill graphic for the Holiday Song of the Week. You’ll be able to download the song free onto iTunes and listen to it as many times as you want.

Budgets are forgotten, money is blown and credit cards are busted out. December’s spend-a-thon means starting the new year on a rough note. Make January a happier month by using these twelve ways to save money this holiday season.

Day One: Decorate with what you have. I clipped branches from a holly bush in our front yard to create an arrangement for the dining room table. Use clippings from the Christmas tree to create a fresh mantel decoration. Pin up Christmas cards or festive party invitations.

Day Two: Make homemade gifts. Stop busting your budget just to buy presents for every person you know. Instead come up with an easy and affordable craft project. My husband and I picked up craft paper coffee bags at a local stationary shop for $.50. I printed out the recipe for our favorite muffins and decorated the packaging using office store labels. Inside we put the dry ingredients into ziploc baggies and for less than $2 a pop we had 24 creative, thoughtful gifts ready to go.

Day Three: Forget wrapping paper. Use up what you bought last year. When that’s gone go green. Find a new purpose for paper bags or newspapers. Invest in some festive ribbon to tie it all together.

Day Four: Avoid shipping costs. My husband and I have a lot of family members that live far away. So we plan ahead to avoid shipping costs. For instance, when we saw relatives in November that we knew we wouldn’t see again before Christmas we shopped early, delivered our presents then and avoided shipping costs. We even sent some gifts in a suitcase with other relatives so they could distribute them for us. We also try to choose lightweight gifts when we know we have to mail them. And we certainly don’t wait until the last minute which would require more expensive shipping.

Day Five: Find free events. Christmas is full of activity. There are plenty of free events to attend and enjoy. Check out your community’s website for a full list. Last weekend we attended a festival of trees and a Christmas parade down Main Street all for free!

Day Six: Look for coupon codes. When you buy online search for coupon codes and use a website like Ebates.com that provides cash back for purchases. Doubling up on the deals will mean less money out of your pocket.

Day Seven: Use your connections. We got our Christmas tree for free this year because of a friend’s connection. I also have a friend who works in an embroidery shop and has offered to embroider items for free. This makes a great and affordable gift. What connections do you have?

Day Eight: Instead of buying Christmas cards and stamps to send them, try e-cards. These e-cards from Blue Mountain are free. Just type in a personal message, input the e-mail address and click send. You’ll save a lot of money and time.

Day Nine: Don’t buy Christmas music. Instead download it for free. Here are four Christmas favorites including O Come Emmanuel and What Child is This that are available for a completely free download.

Day Ten: Trade gifts in for donations. Make a deal with your spouse or loved ones. Instead of exchanging gifts donate to a great cause. You’ll feel good and get a tax break.

Day Eleven: Hold a cookie exchange. Invite over friends and tell them to bring enough cookies to share a few with everyone. You’ll end up with a wide variety of goodies to satisfy any company you entertain.

Day Twelve: Wait until after Christmas. If there is something you really want ask yourself, “can it wait?” Chances are prices will be slashed after the holiday. Try holding off and buying it then.

For all the benefits of shopping online, paying for shipping is not one of them. But thankfully there are several ways to avoid that pesky charge. Here are five ways to avoid shipping costs this holiday season:

FreeShippingOn.com

If you refuse to pay for shipping, freeshippingon.com is exactly what you need. You can search Amazon or Ebay for only the items offering free shipping. Plus FreeShippingOn.com lists dozens of stores offering free shipping all in one place.

FreeShipping.org

Quickly find free shipping coupons and codes to over 850 stores at FreeShipping.org. Search for free shipping offers by store or by category (such as electronics or movies.) The site also lists other coupons or deals you can cash in on for certain stores.

FreeShipping.com

FreeShipping.com is a members-only site that offers users exclusive free shipping offers. FreeShipping.com promises that if you ever pay a shipping charge at over a thousand of their approved merchants, you will get cash-back. Try the service out for free for 30 days. After that you must buy a membership.

Ebates.com

Looking for free shipping AND cash back? Try Ebates.com. Use the ‘Free Shipping’ search function and not only will you find dozens of stores offering deals, but you’ll also see how much cash back you’ll get on your purchase. For instance, shop at ShoeMall.com through Ebates and you’ll get free standard shipping plus 13% cash back on all purchases.

PriceGrabber.com

PriceGrabber is a comparison shopping site that helps you choose between hundreds of similar products. Narrow down your choice by shopping on PriceGrabber’s free shipping section. Browse computers, clothing or cameras and find out quickly which retailers are offering free shipping.

Money has gotten tight around our home over the last several months. In the last two months we have tightened up on our spending even more so that we can start saving. The good news is that we are finding fun things that we can do as a family that will not break the bank.

1. Free festivals - the holidays are a great time to visit free festivals and events. We bring along a picnic so that the money we save on the event is not wasted on the over priced food that many vendors sell at these events.

2. Watch for free days -“ many art museums, zoos, and botanical gardens offer a day each month when there is not admission price. Some attractions might be off limits on those days but it can still be lots of fun for the family.

3. Purchase a family membership - for the equivalent of just one or two admission prices your family could get unlimited visits to a local attraction. Many of the zoos, gardens and aquariums also participate in reciprocal programs which translate into discounts for your family at attractions all around the country.

4. Keep it at home - host a Family Fun Day or Game Day in your home. Set up card tables in rooms around the house or plan for group games if the weather is nice. Have everyone bring a drink and a dish and you will be set for the day.

There are so many ways to save a few dollars but still have a good time. Take advantage of the free activities and events offered around your home and create your own events and activities as well.