8 The Courier sun • holiday • DECEMBER 17, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com s holiday guide Saving money on your holiday shopping list The holidays can get expensive, especially if you have a large list of family and friends to shop for, or if you are planning to host a party or two. There are some ways, however, that you can save money this year and potentially make your planning for the season a bit easier as well. Be sure to start early so you can take advantage of as many money-saving opportunities as possible. And while you’re at it, try some of these ideas to keep more money in your pocket: • Keep an eye on your email. Click on the promotional emails from your favorite retailers letting you know about special holiday discounts. If you have your shopping list - and gift ideas - already planned out, you can take advantage of these special promotions. • With your list in hand, use your computer to compare prices quickly on those items. You can search several stores in a matter of minutes, and also discover coupon codes or cash-back options through Ebates. com, resulting in additional savings. Plus, you don’t need to drive all over town wasting time and gas money! • Thanks to the Internet and shipping, you can shop at almost any store in the nation. Use Ebates to find specialty stores and boutiques all across the country that may offer an item at a cheaper price than if you were to shop at a retail store with a middleman markup. • Take advantage of holiday free-shipping offers, and have those gifts or decorating supplies for your upcoming parties delivered to your home or office - or the recipient’s house. Some stores also will have gift wrapping available for a minimal cost, helping you to save additional time and money on wrapping supplies. • Get some money back when you’re all finished. Ebates not only provides you with free shipping discounts or coupon codes, but also will give you a check back in the mail for a percentage of your purchases. It’s a nice way to celebrate the holiday season, knowing that you’ve saved money and have some extra funds left when you’re all done with your shopping. With these money-saving tips, you’ll be able to stick to your budget. This holiday season, you’ll be the family member who’s relaxed and enjoying the festivities happening all around you, because you will have accomplished everything on your to-do list and saved some money in the process. Courtesy BPT ORNAMENTAL GIFTS By Tresa Erickson Christmas is just around the corner, and as usual, you are having a difficult time finding a gift for your mother-in-law. She seems to have everything. What can you possibly find that she doesn’t have? How about some homemade ornaments for her Christmas tree? Don’t think you have the skills to make them? Think again. Here are the directions for making some elegant ornaments Supplies: • 12 frosted or clear glass ornaments • Craft paint in two or more colors • Paper cups Directions: 1. Remove the hooks from the ornaments, rinse with water and set aside to dry. 2. Working on one ornament at a time, squirt a few drops of paint around the interior of the ornament, letting them flow down the sides to the bottom. 3. Fill in the spaces between paint trickles with squirts of a second color of paint and perhaps even a third. 4. Roll the ornament around in the palm of your hand until the interior is completely coated with paint and you are satisfied with the swirls of color. 5. Dump the ornament upside down in a paper cup to remove excess paint and allow to dry overnight. 6. Repeat steps 1-5 for each remaining ornament. 7. Replace hooks, add a piece of curled ribbon and voila, your ornaments are complete. Creating handmade ornaments is simple. You can use as many colors of paint as you would like or stick to two or three to create a specific color scheme. If your mother-in-law has a gold and burgundy tree, for example, then you might want to use gold, cream and burgundy paint, whereas if she has a multicolored tree, then you might want to use a variety of colors. The sky’s the limit!
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