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Tiny Holidays: Thanksgiving Wrap Up

Oh, hello. Didn't see you there from the haze of our food comas. We're finally able to waddle over to Tiny Blogging HQ to update you on our Thanksgiving feast, which was quite wonderful from all accounts. We enjoyed an afternoon of food and festivity with Mike's familia, including his absolutely adorable 90 year old Nana who continues to be the life of the party.

Here she is, pulling off leopard print better than anyone I know. And here is Mike, also trying leopard but not so successful.

Great Giveaway: Silhouette Machine @DecorChick.com

Hey Guys-

Just wanted to let you know about an awesome giveaway happening over at Decorchick.com. She's giving away a Silhouette SD machine, which is an absolutely amazing thing to have in your crafting arsenal. Head over to the entry page for your chance to win!!!

Good luck!!

Tiny Holidays: Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls

If you are like us, you become a carb-glutton on Thanksgiving. The more carbs, the better. So in addition to stuffing, potatoes and everything else, I made homemade rosemary rolls at 10pm this evening. Insane? I think so. Delicious? I also think so. Here is the recipe- they are easy enough to whip up tomorrow morning, if you so desire.

Tiny Holidays: The Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes, for me, are the key to Thanksgiving dinner. They facilitate the meal and the eating of the leftovers. Good, creamy, flavorful ones are essential. Warning: our recipe is NOT low-cal, carb-free or any of that nonsense. Didn't you know that calories don't count on Turkey Day? Duh! So eat as many of these potatoes as possible, because they are super good for you! This is how we make them.

Tiny Holidays: Easy Cranberry Sauce

This recipe is super quick and super simple. If you have time, refrigerate overnight. It lets the berries gel a little more and we like to serve it cold at the Thanksgiving meal, anyway. Enjoy!!

Cranberry Sauce

Tiny Holidays: PW's Pecan Pie

This is my first pecan pie, and I must say that it seems...terrifying bad for you. Which obviously means that it tastes fantastic. This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman, who is an evil genius. Evil, evil, evil. But still a genius.  I'm not quite sure this pie is going to make it till the morning. If not, don't tell my family- okay? You can check out PW's recipe here.

Quickie Dinners: The Perfect Fall/Winter Salad

This salad is ridiculous. It's literally the most perfect combination of flavors I could ever think of. Creamy, salty, sweet, crunchy, tangy. It has it all.

Every year, I yearn for some salad on the Thanksgiving table, and this salad will do the trick. I'm sure that it would be great to bring to a potluck (dress at the last minute) and it works as an awesome fall dinner on it's own.

(I think we need a bigger boat...er...pan).

Tiny-Budget Entertaining: Infused Vodka

One of the few things we love more than saving money or hosting some of our friends for a mid-week dinner party is drinking hard liquor!

While that's a joke, we do love a cocktail every now and then, and one of our favorite ways to make a delicious cocktail and save some money, is to use cheap/er Vodka and then infuse it with some fruits or herbs.  You can even filter your own cheap Vodka at home, using a water filter to remove some impurities.

But here's how we roll!

Step One-- Vodka buying time

Tiny Holidays: Turkey Day Decor

We did some last-minute crafting in preparation for our Thanksgiving dinner with Mike's family. I thought since we are not eating at home, we could make a few fall-ish crafts that would inject our personality into the meal. Also- I really wanted to make a banner, so I did! This could be easily adapted to any holiday/occasion with different papers, and it cost just a few cents to make! We bought the scrap booking paper on sale at A.C. Moore, and we had the white card stock, so it was really cheapy cheap.

First up, a Thanksgiving banner reminding us to Give Thanks for our many blessings. I look forward to hanging this up again next fall in our own home.

We started with some cardstock (we used size A2 flat cards from Papersource which measure approximately 4"x5"). I cut down some scrap book paper in a fun, sunny yellow pattern to size with scallop scissors. Note- I didn't measure at all for this project. If your banner is a little lopsided I promise you that the world will not end as a result. Glue to backing card stock- we use a glue stick and it works fine.

Tiny Holidays: What I'm Thankful For

Ally here! I thought it would be nice to offer up a few things that I'm thankful for this holiday season. Since we're a young blog and you all don't know us very well, hopefully you'll be able to get a sense of who we are. Mike will post his thankfulness tomorrow! Also- we would LOVE it if you would comment and share what you're thankful for.

Tiny Re-Do: Operation Awesome

Here is a story of transformation.  It is the story of how our old (ugly) bookshelves and coffee table, became our new TV Bench with storage.

Shall we begin.

It all started with this

Tiny Holidays: Man's Best Friend Edition

You give gifts to your pets to celebrate various holidays and birthday...don't you? No? We're just weird? Well...that's hurtful.

Anyway!

We thought that we would round up a few ideas for gifting the pets in your life. After all, they are snuggly, loyal and never complain that your turkey is too dry.

1) Jazz up a run of the mill collar with these nifty little ID tags. At $10 (cheaper than the personalized ones at our local pet store), BowWowzerz has tons of cute options for your pooch (or cat, for that  matter!).

Tiny Holidays: Get In the Kitchen

Here at TWS Headquarters, the second that the thermometer drops below 60°, the oven goes on and the baking commences. I dream about what I'll bake through the entire summer. But, for me, there is no greater time to bake then for the holidays. It's become a tradition that we will deliver freshly baked treats to friends and neighbors instead of giving gifts. With an adorable box or bow, some homemade treats make a perfect (and cheap) holiday gift! Let's check out what goodies are in the running for Tiny Wallet Christmas Gift Boxes 2010:

Pardon Us...

Good morning, all. Tinywalletstyle.com is undergoing a little maintenance today so bear with us while we tinker under the hood!

(Photo found here)

Tiny-Budget Entertaining: Southern Comfort

Friends and neighbors, it's been a busy few days in the Tiny Wallet headquarters! We have hosted dinner parties both Friday and Monday nights- phew! Hosting a dinner after a full day of work is daunting- especially for those of us who go on a maniacal cleaning spree pre-guests. Luckily, Mike was home to cover the cleaning duties, leaving me to figure out what to make that would be: 1) cheapy cheap, of course 2) deliciously comforting after a rainy day and 3) super quick- our guests were arriving just about an hour after I got home from work.

Tiny Holidays: Art Gifts

Mike and I started a tradition after we got married that we would buy each other art for birthdays, holidays and anniversaries. That way, we will be able to fill our house with unique art and not accumulate lots of stuff that we don't have room for. Most of the time, the art we buy are prints that are super reasonably priced (think under $25)!!!

Some that we love from Etsy:

Tiny Holidays: For the Kids

Shopping for kids can easily become a mad dash into the Mega Toy Emporium to grab whatever plastic gizmo is flashing from the endcap. We believe in giving gifts that are nurturing and creative, not destined for the trash bin a few weeks after Christmas. Here are a few ideas for fun and engaging holiday gifts for the little ones in your life.

1. Art

Tiny Holidays: For The Ladies

Ladies? Hi, hello there. I'd ask you at this time to forward this page to your hubby, boyfriend, dad, uncle or any other gents in your life that need a little help in the holiday gift department. As for you, keep your eyes peeled for Mike's holiday man gift post in the next few days.

Without further ado, gentlemen, our lady gift holiday gift extravaganza!!

1. Here's a sweet gift for the lady that needs a little "me-time":

How-To: Get Out of the House!!

When you're living in Tiny Wallet land, it's easy to focus on the “can't” factor. I can't spend money= I can't do anything. We get around this by using a few thrifty tips to save us from a never-ending cycle of can't.

(The Riverway- Part of Boston's Emerald Necklace)

Tiny Holidays: Gobble Gobble Edition

Exciting news here at Tiny Wallet Style!!! Mike and I are cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for his family this year! This is particularly exciting because we've never cooked a whole Turkey Day meal before- only bits and pieces that we've brought to someone else's feast. Naturally, I've been planning and reading food blogs and trying to figure out what the most epic menu will be.

Quickie Dinner- Easy Bolognese

There is nothing like a dinner that you can literally throw together in less than 10 minutes and eat in less than 20. A quick (not so authentic) spaghetti bolognese is one of our go-to's for a simple yet satisfying weeknight meal.

The best part about this recipe? You can't really screw it up. Don't have red wine? Not a problem. Have ground turkey and not ground beef? It's a great substitute! (We actually used ground turkey when we made this last night, but we usually use 97% lean ground beef).

A Little Autumn Color Inspiration

Quickie Dinner- Romantic and Under $15!!

A big part of how Mike and I save cash is cutting back on meals out. We added up how much we spend on restaurants and the number was not good. Since we put together a budget, we really try to stick to it- dinners out included. So, for our anniversary this year we decided to whip up a fancy dinner right in our own kitchen!

2 years ago today :)

[slideshow]

Merely Lovely: Thanksgiving Edition

We loooooove Thanksgiving. Not just because of the food, either. It's an amazing day filled with people who love each other gathering around a table and celebrating the things that they are thankful for. The chilly fall air, the piles of red and yellow leaves, the noise of happy conversations (and a football game or two!), and the wonderful, soul-satisfying smells of a meal that's been cooking all day.

How-To: Spices, Spices Everywhere

At the grocery store, I bought a new container of cinnamon. I came home, attempted to put the cinnamon into the drawer where we keep our spices and was greeted with...this:

How-to: Cover An Unsightly Something or Another

The apartment that we call home has lots of...quirks. Perhaps the quirkiest of these quirks is our air-conditioner opening built so thoughtfully right into our bedroom wall. Great idea, bad execution. Other than the fact that we don't even use an air conditioner, there are three main problems with this:

Weekend Update: Sicky, Quilty, Tomatoey

Oh hello there! I (Ally) am under the weather with a little cold, so the weekend plans are a day off while I rest up. Just kidding (I am incapable of resting when I'm sick). Instead, I started the makings of a thrifty Christmas gift for Mike's nana- a lap quilt. She's in a wheelchair and, at the age of 90, she gets a little chilly while she's out and about.

Thrifty Tech: Smart-Phones or Smart Savings?

One of the biggest drains on any budget is your cell phone bill and with everyone moving towards smart-phones,  bills are not getting any cheaper. On average, attaching a smart-phone data plan to your monthly service adds anywhere between $15-$30 more per month per line. This cost is in addition to voice, text, and taxes varying between 6.62% to 21.71%. In NY state this can lead to an addition $876 dollars over just 2 years, that is almost the cost of a brand new Macbook Air! 

Here is the breakdown of the cost of service between the big 4 carriers,

The Goods- Feeding a Crowd for Pennies

When you're faced with a big group heading your way for dinner, it's easy to go overboard with your menu- you don't want people to go hungry, after all. If you want to stay on budget, though, you need to reach for a crowd pleasing recipe that is tasty, filling and cheap to make. Veggie chili, lasagna and pot pies are all entertaining staples in our house, but we wanted to mix it up for this autumnal celebratory meal.

The Goods- Festive Fall Decor

So Mike didn't really want his birthday celebration to scream "birthday" and nixed the usual streamers and balloons. Instead, we went with a festive fall upgrade to our dinner table which usually looks like this:



(To be fair- this was  right after we got home from grocery shopping! It doesn't usually look this terrifyingly disorganized.)

With a few cheapy cheapy additions, it ended up looking like this:

Birthday Soiree- On the Cheap!

Pardon the quiet day here at TWS. Mike celebrated his birthday yesterday and we are throwing him a little dinner party tonight! Of course, we'll be documenting what we ate and how we decorated to share with you in the next few days! In the meantime, Happy 28th birthday to the love of my life!!!


-Ally

A Tiny History

A little history lesson about us here at Tiny Wallet Style!

We are renters who are so close to owning their own home (but thanks to the cautionary tale that was the 2008-present economy, we are entering the housing market armed with research and a sound budget). Renting means that we have very little power to change our digs- sticking us with dropped ceilings, lots of linoleum and....sponge painting! (Did I just hear someone faint?)