Money Tight This Christmas? Give the Best Gift Money Can Buy

My heart goes out to parents struggling financially at Christmas. Been there. But when I see people overspending and buying a lot of junk they don't need, my sorrow dims and I get a little annoyed. Call me Scrooge, but it's time we quit confusing debt with poverty. Poverty is no running water, living in open sewers, having no food, no medical care. First world consumerism "poverty" is mostly funds mismanagement. Like people who have iPhones and EBT cards, Medicaid and new cars. Cable, Blu-Ray, satellite TV, games systems and welfare. Gambling, lottery and unemployment. Tattoos, salon nails and food stamps. Drowning in stuff and crying about being poor. Money Tight This Christmas? Give the Best Gift Money Can Buy

Free Printable Hanukkah Crafts

Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is the Jewish Festival of Light. It begins the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, November 27, this year (very early). On the Hebrew lunar calendar it's always the 25th of Kislev. This eight-day feast lands some time late November to early December on the Gregorian calendar.

Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas. The two holidays share nothing except calendar proximity. Hanukkah celebrates the Miracle of the Maccabees, when the temple lights did not burn out for eight days. The festival involves lighting the menorah, feasting, dreidel games and other activities.
Free Printable Hanukkah Crafts, Kids Activities

Free Printable Thanksgiving Activity Book with Gratitude Theme

Here are links for free Thanksgiving activities. You can print games, crafts, gratitude lesson plans, puzzles. Kids can enjoy these activities while waiting for Thanksgiving. You could use as lesson plans, too.Free Printable Thanksgiving Activity Book with Gratitude Theme

How to Recognize Referral, Affiliate Marketing Links on Bubblews

Okay, so this post isn't exactly a free thing I'm sharing. But it's free advice (woo-hoo, like I need more of that you're thinking). But this advice could save you headaches and money if you write or share things online. Here's the tip from an 8-year freelancer: know and avoid referral and affiliate links. Posting referral and affiliate links within articles violates many share site and content site protocols. But there's some confusion about what constitutes such links. Here’s an FAQ to explain.

What’s a referral/affiliate link?

Any link that when clicked, earns money just for clicking. Referral links pay users to direct traffic to a site. Users get paid via affiliate links to advertise a vendor’s specific products, like Amazon Associates. It’s not ad revenue sharing. It’s a direct marketing relationship where user chooses what he wants to sell on his site. Read on How to Recognize Referral, Affiliate Marketing Links on Bubblews

Free Printable Catholic Saints Paper Dolls and Coloring Page Activities

I write a lot about freebies, particularly coloring pages to print. I provide links for cartoon, educational, movie and book based coloring activities. It's been inspiring to see that my most popular coloring page articles are those about Catholic and Bible things. Ash Wednesday, Lent, Catholic faith and free printable homeschooling lesson plans top the charts in most wanted. So for All Saints Day, I'm sharing free printable saints paper dolls for kids to cut and color. These would make great lesson plans for Christian school and home educators.Free Printable Catholic Saints Paper Dolls and Coloring Page Activities 

Advent Math, Writing Project Craft

So many of us have found Christmas to be far more about receiving than giving with our children. It's not that kids are so selfish, it's that marketing campaign target kids and bombard them with images of thousands of 'must-have' toys, gadgets and goodies. Who can blame kids for wanting all that cool stuff. To say, 'you're selfish' to a child is to state an obvious, but not necessarily negative fact of childhood. Telling them not to want things is pointless. But we can give them lots of positive, proactive opportunities to practice giving, sharing and caring.  Advent Math, Writing Project Craft

Convert Summer Toys for Indoor Play

I homeschooled four kids in a single-wide old mobile home. So I know about space-saving as well as money saving. My secret is repurposing. We made outdoor toys do double duty in winter with indoor uses. For example, their Little Tikes Sand Turtle was filled with Lake Michigan beach sand and enjoyed all summer. Then in winter, I cleaned it out, bleach and sanitized and brought it indoors.   Repurpose Summer Toys for Indoor Preschool Play

Cheap (Free!) Family Bonding Activities--After School Kuchen Klatsch

 I'm writing a series on Family glue recipe tips--how we have stayed connected to our family as kids enter adulthood. Being a frugal mama, I look for inexpensive, preferably free ideas. Today's costs only a few cookies and a little milk. It's an after school kuchen klatsch--a catch-up, reconnect time enjoyed with an after school snack.

When the older ones were younger, we homeschooled. After losing our last two babies, then our older kids transitioned to public school, I didn't want to homeschool the youngest alone. So she began school in 2nd grade. We started that after-school tradition that continues in high school After School Kuchen Klatsch with Kids

Free Ad Revenue Sites to Earn Income, Monitize Blogs

Google Adsense, Chitika, Bubblews and Infolinks all earn ad revenue. Here's how I use all four to earn sustainable income--as in enough to pay taxes on and qualify as a home business- writing online and blogging. My best secret to earning money online? NEVER pay to blog, write, or utilize ads. Companies should pay you or allow you to use sites free if you show ads. Read more Best Ad Revenue Sites to Earn Income, Monitize Blogs

Tightwad Mama Saves Money with Common Sense Christmas Shopping

I love buying presents for people, or more specifically, I love gift giving. But I won't overspend to do it. I have a long shopping list of people to buy for at Christmas and birthdays. Four kids and their three significant others, 15 extended family members, husband--and I buy several church giving tree gifts. And there's no need to buy expensive gifts. Here are penny pincher shopping tips to save money, keep costs low and buy meaningful gifts for everyone.  Tightwad Mama's Common Sense Christmas Shopping Tips