2009 Money Saving Alternative Calendar

There is some information about foraging on Downsizer

http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Finding_food/

Somethings I do Jan to Dec:

January - * Buy xmas cards and wrap in sales, also look for little gifts, stocking fillers and other presents that won't date and you can use for next years birthdays & christmas.
* Pack carefully and put xmas decorations and tree in loft for the following year.
*Freeze any left over mince pies, xmas cake, cooked meats for packed lunches.
* Have a start of year financial over haul, check everything you are paying for is the best value, insurance is adequate and cheapest, get rid of Sky movies now Xmas is over, start that new years diet (cheaper to eat well, less junk food & treats)etc.
* Bread crumbs, fat, rind etc out for the birds. I like a garden full of little bods bless them.
* Give house an early spring clean, no clutter helps me feel more energetic and positive.
* Purchase hamper baskets and coloured tissue for next years gift hampers, cheapest at this time.
*Sort through unwanted Xmas gifts and store them away for recycling "cough cough" lol. Have a present store for next Xmas that you add to throughout the year, so the expense of Christmas doesn't hit you all at once.
*Check Freecycle for unwanted presents.
*January is a buyers market on Ebay, as nobody wants much as they have spent too much running up to Christmas. Perfect time to get a low cost bargain.

February - *Bake heart shaped cookies for valentines day and find best offers in supermarkets on Rose wine. Makes a nice Valentines gift.
*Check the Travel Lodge hotel site for bargain rooms. This time of year they find it hard to fill the hotel and can give rooms away from £19.
*Make your fruit cake now for Easter, add some marzipan and a bit of almond essence and you have a bargain price simnel cake.
*If your friends got books/DVDs for Christmas, they should have read or watched them by now. Why not start a swap club?

March - *The clocks go back, time to think about not using the heating any more, bring the odd bunch of wild spring flowers in to your home to brighten it up and take lots of pretty scenic walks to warm up.
*Prepare the garden for planting seedlings.
*The second Wednesday in March is National No Smoking Day, quit smoking with many others and save yourself a fortune.
*Cycle or walk to work now the weather is getting better.
*Spring clean the house, ebay all your clutter and get ready for all that glorious weather spring and summer 2009 will bring us.

April - *Have a virtually free Easter, have a treasure hunt in the garden or house, giving Cadbury's Creme Eggs as the treasure rather than larger eggs or buy your eggs in bulk at the Supermarkets, there are often on offer buy two get one free etc
*Blow eggs for the kids and get them to decorate them, cheaper than going to the cinema and you could give prizes for the best eggs. (Don't forget to be money savvy and use the egg white & yolk too).
*Make tasty hot cross buns from scratch and the same with simnel cake.
*After Easter buy those dirt cheap Easter eggs and melt them down for cooking...or even treat yourself.

May- * Start keeping your eyes peel for free soaps/shampoos/conditoners/perfumes etc from the freebie sites on MSE. ideal to use for impending holidays.
* May sees the start of summer fayres and May Day fates. Go along, have fun and grab some delish home made preserves or coffee cake.
* Celebrate VE day (Victory in Europe Day) on May 8th with a War Time family supper, refuse to have the TV on or any P.C and have a board games night, listen to the radio or play charades. It's more fun that you would imagine...saves money too.

June - * Check your finances, are you on target as planned back in January? If not, look at ways to get it sorted.
*18th May to 18th June is National Smile Month, a lot of Dentists and dental products manufactures will do offers and free samples around this time, so beware and notice any bargains to be had.

July - * Now the weather "should" be getting delightful, start making home made fruit smoothies from over ripe past it fruit and ice cubes.
*Packets of seeds should start to be reduced in price now as people are past their main sowing stages so get buying, ideal for next year.
*Start revamping your wardrobe for summer, cut down long skirts into shorter skirts, cut old jeans into shorts, make a gorgeous patch work sun hat.

August - *Urghhh six weeks of having to find the kids things to do cheaply.
A picnic, a family game of football/rounders/cricket, use Orange wednesday for half price cinema tickets, utilise your local free museums and gallerys, check your local library for information on subsidised kid's clubs, go swimming, go to the park etc
*Don't waste money on the Icecream man, get icecream from your local supermarket in the freezer, buy some cornets or wafers and you will have an on tap treat source for a fraction of the price.
*Buy a lolly making kit and freeze your own lollys. Cheap cola and lemonade ones are particularly tasty and still fizzy on the tongue.
*Renting DVDs from your library are usually cheaper than your local DVD rent store.

September - *When the kids go back to school and the rest of the world starts focusing on Xmas, grab your holiday for next year (avoid booking hols for July or August if you can as prices are always more) or buy your childrens stationary for next year as it starts to appear in the Autumn sales.
*A fabulous time for collecting brambles/blackberries, apples, pears and elderberrys for home cooking and preserves.
*Start preparing for the colder months that lay ahead. Double line curtains, make an insulation snake, ensure letter boxes are secured down firmly and are not blowing open and making a draft etc

October - *Start looking on Ebay for shorts, bikinis, cut off leggings, t-shirts etc Anything you can use for next summer ar super prices.
*Nows a great time to start looking for bargain sun protection lotions and glasses for next year.
*Start removing the leaves and tidy up the garden for a head start into the winter months.
*Get ahead now so you can have a hassle free Xmas. Wrap presents, write cards, make your xmas cards/tags, menu plan etc Xmas will be organised and cost a fraction of the price.
*If your having a pumpkin for Halloween, be sure to use the innards for tasty pies and savoury stews, (it makes lovely, creamy soup).

November - * Buy on sale Halloween goods for next years party/celebration.
*Have a joint Halloween/Bonfire night party. Kill two birds with one stone and halve the cost.
*If you're having a bonfire party, make it a bring-a-box party. So you aren't left stumping the bill for all the expensive fireworks.
*Foil up a few baked tatties and get them in the fire. When they have cooled, remove the foil and freeze them for quick and easy to microwave baked spuds.
*If you're really MSE, take a hot flask and some butties to a local hill/mound/high point and watch all the other peoples money go up in spectacular fashion.

December - *Don't buy big purchases in Nov/Dec, come the Winter sales (from Dec 26th onwards) shops slash the prices. You could make up to a 50% killing, even on costly electronics.
*As you have been soooooo good preparing for Christmas and being the super sorted person that you are, lay back with a huge glass of your favourite tipple and really enjoy a lazy Christmas.
*After Xmas day, save the pretty bags, wrapping paper and ribbons that can be recycled and use for next year.
*Save your Christmas cards to make into tags for next Chrissymas.

I was thinking about going out in the January sales and getting next years Christmas presents/cards sorted and maybe birthday presents/cards/wrapping paper.

This has got me thinking about how much I could plan ahead....menu planning for a year? (ok menus for a month that repeat 12 times)

I was not very organised for my daughter's 1st birthday party, everything was done that day before, so making a plan for her 2nd birthday well in advance would be a good idea too.

As the mum of a toddler, time saving and especially money saving tips are of great interest and I am wondering how much I could plan/do in January that would help me out until 2010!!! Any thoughts? Does anyone do this or is it better to just do things a week at a time?

I always check out the sales of summer clothes for 12 months ahead and get lots of bargains for my grandkids . - You just have to bear in mind how old they're going to be the following year.

Hmm, Not sure I would want to plan for a whole year ahead. When I got my new kitchen last year I tried to keep stocks of food down to give me more storage space, but in reality I would prefer to have larger stocks of some things. I have a cellar where I could keep some more stuff, taking more advantage of special offers, sometimes it seems to be out of sight out of mind down there though.