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Posts Tagged ‘holidays’

  1. 10 Homemade Gift Ideas

    November 22, 2010 by Jill

    If you’re looking to get your family something special this year without spending a huge chunk of money, consider making them delicious food gifts. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

    • Martha Stewart’s website has a ton of great ideas on homemade food gifts. A few of my favorite selections are the caramel-almond popcorn and the brandied pears.
    • Just about everyone loves fudge an a cute tin filled with this great German chocolate fudge recipe will surely bring some smiles.
    • Canning is always a good call. You can make some unique jams your family can’t find in stores, like this guava jam recipe. Pumpkin butter is also a great gift. And so is lemon curd.
    • Pickling is also a good call, particularly if it involves foods directly from your garden. This pickled tomato recipe sounds great and doesn’t require processing in a canner.
    • While most Americans are wary of munching down citrus peels, a bit of these candied citrus peels will quickly change their mind, particularly if it is also filled with these beautiful candied orange slices.
    • For something beautiful and incredibly simple, try combining honey, dried fruit and nuts in a clear jar.
    • Food mixes allow you to give the recipient something they can make themselves without much effort. As a bonus, it’s easy to make these look fun and festive.
    • For those crafty enough, homemade stuffed animals are great gifts for kids and women alike.
    • Homemade perfume is a unique gift that won’t soon be forgotten.
    • A homemade fleece blanket can be customized to match the living room it was made to adorn or the personality of the gift recipient.

    Remember, you can always give a variety of these gifts as well and just put them together in a nice gift basket.

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    Category Saving Money | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

  2. Free Birthday Meals In San Diego

    June 14, 2009 by ruetheday

    2552746558_939642c44fLet’s face it, your family doesn’t want to spend all kinds of money taking you out to dinner on your birthday. They want to go somewhere and eat some good food and they already bought you presents, but why make them pay an additional $10-$20? And after the family and friends dinners, wouldn’t you be happy to have a few free meals to go? Here’s a few places in San Diego that offer free food for birthday diners:

    The day of:

    -Onami: This is a great, all you can eat sushi and Japanese food restaurant, meaning it is a little pricey usually. On the bright side, if you eat there on your actual birthday, you get a coupon to come back again for free.

    -Ihop: While participation varies by location, many Ihop’s will give you a free meal just for coming in on your birthday. Call ahead for details.

    -Disneyland: So it’s not in San Diego and it’s not a restaurant, but you can save yourself a $70 admission fee for visiting on your birthday. It’s a great deal that can leave you with fantastic memories. Also note, the registration is not mandatory, it merely makes admission faster.

    On a set day of the month:

    -The Boathouse: This upscale restaurant selects one day of the month to offer a free prime rib meal with the purchase of another meal for all people born on a particular month.

    Emails for near-birthday coupons:

    -Rubios: When you sign up for their Beach Club, you get a free taco automatically. When your birthday rolls around, they give you a free meal worth up to $7. No other purchase is necessary.

    -Mimi’s Cafe: Sign up for Mimi’s eclub and you’ll receive a coupon for a free breakfast worth up to $10. For your birthday, they’ll send you a coupon for $10 off you next meal over $20.

    -Black Angus: If you want a steak for your birthday, sign up for their Prime Club and receive a buy one get one free meal coupon for your birthday.  Your meal can be worth up to $19.99.

    -Red Robin: Get a free birthday burger when you register at their website…best of all, there’s no other purchase necessary.

    -HomeTown Buffet: When you sign up here, you can get one free buffet dinner when you purchase another buffet dinner. You’ll recieve another coupon like this for your birthday.

    -Coldstone: Get a free like-it size ice cream for your birthday when you register at their site.

    Know any other freebies? Let me know in the comments!

    Photo Via Aloha Orangeneko [Flickr]

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    Category Freebies, Guide To San Diego | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

  3. 15 Cheap Father’s Day Gifts

    June 11, 2008 by Jill

    I love this list from BankRate, it has 15 great ideas for cheap Father’s Day presents. I have done a few of these in the past and it worked great.

    One year, I made my dad a card, wrote & printed a story of his life (check out Rue The Day on Sunday to read it) and made him a memorabilia book with all of my old family photos. He literally cried -which is not something my dad does, ever. It was a very cool and special Father’s Day and it ended up costing me $3 for the photo album.

    A few other successful gifts I gave him were a hand-made ice cream cake, home-made pie and a home cooked meal with my sister.

    What have you done to give your dad a great Father’s Day at little to no cost?

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    Category DIY | Tags: ,,,,,,, | No Comments