As I flip through my favorite magazines and know that we are approaching the season for shopping, gift giving, and parties…I am finding a lot of articles dealing with shopping in a recession….”do’s and don’ts”.  I want to share some tips of my own.

When dining out, don’t order Santa Margharita Pinot Grigio.  I hate to say that because it is my absolute favorite white wine in the world.  The unfortunate truth is that because so many people like it, it is routinely one of the most outrageously priced wines on the list.

Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher at the Wall Street Journal say “If you stay within your comfort zone, ordering only wines you already know, you will be punished for it, price-wise. In addition, no wine is going to seem like a good value to you when you know you could buy it at a local store for half the price or less. That’s why it’s so important to focus on labels or kinds of wines that you wouldn’t otherwise see. … Remember: There is value in tasting something new.”

Sensible advice, although not always easy advice to follow in practice given the high cost of restaurant wine. Everyone wants to find that delightful unexpected bargain, but no one really likes paying the bill for a wine experiment that disappoints. So restaurants and wine consumers alike seem to find themselves drawn to a small set of “usual suspects.”

I recently received an email from IKEA touting the lowest prices of the season. While I appreciate seeing a bookcase I’d love to have in my new living room on sale for $69, I was bothered to see a 7-piece set of cookware for $40. Don’t buy cheap cookware! Notice I did not say inexpensive…no I said CHEAP…as in cheaply made. The savings here can be two-fold. Low quality cookware can completely taint a meal (wasting food) and will most certainly have to be replaced rather immediately. If you replace low quality cookware once a year, at a SALES price of $40, you could have, instead, purchased quality cookware that will last the test of time (KitchenAid, T-Fal, Farberware, etc…)  from a reasonably priced stare such as Target.  The link I have included is SPECIFICALLY for cookware below $150!

Take advantage of shipping from the online site. Many of us live a good distance from our families and our budgets are keeping us from traveling this holiday season…but we still want to send gifts to our loved ones.  In a perfect world we’d go out and have a great time shopping, wrap them with love, and then take them to the local package store to be boxed up SAFELY with foam and peanuts and etc….and then shipped to arrive right in time to go under the tree.

Now lets be real.  That is expensive as hell sometimes!  Not just the postage part of it but the box and stuffing themselves.  And if you go stand in line at the post office…..don’t come to my site anymore because I’m liable to offend you soon.  There are other, more cost efficient, options that you can take advantage of.  Most site offer FREE shipping if you spend a certain amount.  My aunt has a pretty large family…..she and my uncle and their 3 grandkids.  Five gifts typically add up to the right amount for free shipping.  AND GUESS WHAT….gift wrapping is an option.  It’s not the pretty little angel paper you found in the local Hallmark…..but if you are in the position of having to choose between shipping and the light bill….return the damn paper for a refund any way!  I know what I speak of….I have learned from the error of my ways.  Two years ago I lived in Oregon.  EVERY CHILD got an Amazon.com gift….wrapped and shipped for free!

Another option is “site to store”.  I hadn’t thought about it before, but last year my brother in law used the site to store option to buy gifts for the family we have in Texas and their parents picked it up at their local store.  How excellent is that!  And yes…site to store is FREE.

The list is short…..but I hope it’s helpful

BTW…..Original Diva’s birthday is 50 days.  Get ready.