Fashion: Reduce, reuse, and recycle! Yes that's the name of the game for your winter fashion. Reduce by cleaning out the closet and drawers (again) to make room for the clothes you may be getting this year. Before you toss them, see if there's someone on your Christmas list who may enjoy that article of clothing. Reuse means get some of those same items and turn them into something new. Craft stores have everything you need to add some pizazz to your shirts, jeans, hats, and purses. Recycle by giving the clothes you won't be giving as gifts or recreating to a needy person this holiday season.

Entertainment: What's free, fun, and gives you the same warm feeling that $4 hot chocolate does? Giving back. Volunteer to pass out food and gifts at a local shelter. Another idea is to adopt a family. This is a great idea for those who have everything they want and need for Christmas. Find shelters in your area that need help with gift distribution or feeding those in need. What's better than entertainment that makes you and others feel good?

Food: Create several meals with the same items. This held very true for Thanksgiving and can do the same for Christmas and throughout the year. When choosing your meals, try to pick something that you can spread out over several days. For example, when we have turkey, we turn it into sandwich meat, turkey soup, and turkey salad. Try it out with chicken breast, where it can be your main course as well as added to a nice salad. Several meals for the price of 1.

Fitness: If you have a pet, a great way to get the bones (yours and theirs) working is to take them for a walk. Don't have a dog? Offer to walk someone else's. Even babies like a nice walk in their stroller. Just be sure to bundle up everyone (dogs included). Quality time and fitness time.

Relaxation: Finals are swiftly approaching and I cannot stress this tip enough: GET SOME SLEEP! Sleep deprivation is high around this time of year. After going 72 hours with only 6 hours of sleep between, your body needs to reboot. Be sure to take some time when you go home for the holidays to get some good rest. If you're an insomniac like myself, great natural remedies to aide your sleeping are melatonin (in pill form, but your body creates it too), Valerian root (it smells, but it works), and sleepy time tea (mix it with your favorite flavor).

Bonus: A bonus Christmas shopping tip. Do it yourself projects will save you a lot of money at the end of your shopping. Create a list of people you'd like to get gifts for and note what types of things they like. A great idea are gift baskets! You can buy things in bulk to add to each basket and add a little something personal and special per person. This is a great idea if you have a lot of people on your list, like a sports team or your coworkers. Another great idea is baked goods. Who doesn't have a sweet tooth this year? Make some cookies using nice cookie cutter shapes geared towards the holidays & pass them around. Everyone appreciates a nice snack.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Good luck on your finals and your holiday shopping. I'll return in the new year with news ways to help you save for 2010!

Briana