Many families and business’s choose to give gifts for the holidays using what is called “Secret Santa”.  Secret Santa is when everyone in a group or family puts their names in a hat and each person draws a name, that name is who you will be buying a gift for.  When you give gifts using the Secret Santa method you buy a gift for only 1 person in a group, instead of buying for several people and everyone gets a gift. This can be a good option during hard economic times as you do not need to buy several gifts, and instead you focus on one person and buy 1 really good gift.

I have been a part of a Secret Santa a few times in the past years with family and it has worked out very nicely.  It was fun to shop for one person and for one person to shop for you.  You get to focus on what that one person likes, wants and maybe even needs.  I would definitely do it again and I would recommend this gift giving method to anyone that likes to try something new and different.

Secret Santa is great for large families, business’s and friends.

I have found some neat websites online that can help you set up a Secret Santa.  These websites are FREE to use and can be a time savor and a great way to buy the best gift.  Many of the websites listed below will let you make a wish list so your Secret Santa can get some ideas of what you like.

For more info about exactly what a Secret Santa is, check out this Wikidepia article.

Draw Names dot com. You can organize a Secret Santa in just minutes.  There are no logins, no passwords, you can make a wish list and its FREE.

Elfster.com. You can plan a Secret Santa gift exchange, Easily build and share wish lists and shop at retailers right online all in one place.

SecretSanata.com. Setup a gift exchange, a yankee swap or a white elephant exchange.  It is FREE and Fun too.

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Halloween comes each year without fail and it is hard to not spend money when Halloween products are being sold at every store.  I make sure to recycle as much as a I can from the previous Halloween each year so I can save some money.  My daughters are 2 years apart and I dress my youngest daughter in a costume that my oldest has worn already, this way I can recycle a costume.  When I am done using a costume I offer it up to another family that would like to save some money.  Because a costume is only worn for a few hours, it can last through several trick or treating nights.  I noticed that the Christmas Tree Shops have kids costumes for as little as $3.00, that is a steal!

Keep an eye out for local Halloween events, this past Friday I brought my two girls to a local pumpkin carving for kids event at the local park.  The event was put together by the Eastham Rec Center and there were s’mores, hot cocoa, hot cider and pumpkins to carve.  All of this for only $2.oo per kid.  It was a fun time, there were lots of families, the weather was nice and well worth the time and money.

Here are some neat frugal Halloween tips:

If you need a favor to take to the whole class at school, here’s a quick, easy idea that won’t hurt your pocketbook too much: Take a round lollipop, such as a Tootsie Roll Pop, and drape a white Kleenex over it. Tie it on with orange or black yarn, ribbon, raffia, or if you like, use a twist tie. Then dot 2 eyes with a black magic marker and you have a ghost!

Make some milk jug ghosts. More info here

Save money and buy your Halloween candy at Bj’s or Kmart.  Sometimes you can also get good candy at the Christmas Tree Shops cheap.

Give out temporary tattoos, pencil erasers in fun shapes or stickers in place of candy.

Face Paint:

Mix cornstarch, water, cold cream and food coloring for a great frugal Halloween alternative to scary masks.

Pour melted colored chocolate over homemade popcorn and place in little bags tied with black or orange ribbon as treats.

Buy your Halloween decorations and costumes after the holiday is over.  Everything will be on sale and you will save bundles of money.

Don’t forget about local happenings this Halloween:

Trick or treating at the Cape Cod Mall from 4pm to 6pm.

Boo at the Zooquarium. Wear your costume to this not so scary event. Arts and crafts, face painting, special ‘Boo-rific’ animal shows. This event is made possible by Dennis Girl Scout Troop 80-679. Rain date, Sunday Nov. 1.

Halloween cookout at Snows Home and Garden in Orleans.  Featuring Cape Cod Firelog Mini-Logs. 508-540-3216. FREE!

Halloween kids fest at the Tony Andrews Farm in Falmouth. Pumpkin picking, tractor rides, kid-friendly Haunted House, face painting and more. Info. for pumpkin picking: 508-548-4717. Info. for tractor rides/Haunted House, 508-527-0189.

Mashpee Commons children’s and doggy Halloween Parade. Costume contest and doggy treats.

Provincetown Pilgrim Monument: tricks and treats from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Those who come in costume will be treated to free admission. There will also be a costume contest with prizes. 508-487-1310.

There are many more events here on the Cape this Halloween Saturday, you can view local events at the Cape Cod Times Online and Cape Events dot com. You can search by date, type and town.

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Although Cape Cod has a great selection of stores for most all of your shopping needs, sometimes it is just more exciting and easier to shop online.  Best of all, you do not even have to leave the house to shop online!  No waiting in lines at the Cape Cod Mall and no sitting in traffic along suicide alley.  All you need is a computer, the Internet, a comfy chair and of course some money to spend!  When I go shopping online I always make sure to look for online coupons so I can get the best deal I can find. One of the web

sites that I like to use is the Coupon Chief.  They have a huge selection of coupon codes for all of the big and small retail shops online and they are updated on a daily basis.  The best part about the Coupon Chief is that it is FREE to use and you do not even have to sign up if you do not want to.

Whenever I shop online and I am at checkout I always look for the box that says “coupon code” or “promo code”. If I see that box I immediately do a Google search for a coupon code.  Most times I find a code that works and I save some bucks!

If you are a Cape Cod business and you have an online store you can submit your website to Coupon Chief and add coupons so your online shoppers can save a few bucks at checkout.  Why not increase your online exposure and market your online store to people from all over the country.  It is FREE and easy to sign up too.

I was browsing the Coupon Chiefs homepage today and I was looking for promo codes for stores we have here on the Cape, I saw codes for Best Buy, Home Depot, Kmart, Ace Hardware, Sears and so many more.  The list goes on and on.  Recently I purchased a laptop on the Best Buy website, used a promo code, and then I picked up the laptop at Best Buy in the Cape Cod Mall. I saved money, did not have to wait in line and I got the product that I wanted when I had time to pick it up.

Shop smart, save money…use coupons!

This is a sponsored post, however I DO use online coupons regularly and I recommend that everyone do the same.

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