Festival of Frugality #155: The Chic-Tacky Christmas Edition

There’s the Tacky Lawn Display…pulling out all the stops at Christmas.

Welcome to this week’s Festival of Frugality:  The Chic-Tacky Christmas Edition.  Check out these great frugal blog articles, and take in a few pics of the holiday kings and queens of tacky.  Please feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section.

If you like these posts, you may want to also visit last week’s festival held at Living Almost Large, and next week’s festival at Naturally Frugal.

One Family presents Feature/Price Comparison of the Best Digital Pianos (Yamaha, Casio, Roland, Kawai, Korg) - Review/Rating posted at One Family’s Blog, saying, “A comparison of the best digital pianos on features and price aimed at helping consumers decide which one to purchase and save money.”

Erica Douglas presents Swap Party posted at LittleMummy.Com.

Neko presents Green Tips That Immediately Save You Money | posted at Larry, saying, “This article focuses on being Frugal AND Helping out environment.”

Jimson Lee presents Toll-free, Cheap or Free Conference Calls and Web Presentations posted at CRM Help Desk Software.com, saying, “How to Save Money on International Conference Calls and Web Presentations”

Kate presents A 10-Day Supply of Moisturizer posted at Living the Frugal Life, saying, “Waste not, want not - when it comes to toiletries and cosmetics.”

Carole DeJarnatt presents A List of Hatcheries posted at Fowl Visions.

Wenchypoo presents The Truth About the Economy and Job Creation (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

dawn @ iowahippiechick presents My Dad?s The Anti-Frugal ? I Need Help! posted at iowahippiechicks talking …, saying, “As much as I adore and love my dad - he drives me nuts! (For every penny I pinch … he spends a thousand.) I ask - how do you help a retired guy on a fixed income settle down with his frivolous spending … so he can have a decent life as he ages?”

Ever attend a tacky Christmas sweater party?

MoneyNing presents 32 Sensible Tips for the Holiday Shopping Season posted at Money Ning, saying, “Have a safe, happy and frugal Christmas!”

FMF presents Six Ways to Save on Pet Costs posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Simple tips for saving on pet costs.”

Jim presents Total Cost of Owning A Dog posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Fitz Villafuerte presents 10 Money Smart Tips For Buying Gifts This Christmas posted at Ready To Be Rich, saying, “Doing some Christmas shopping? Here are 10 tips that can help you be money smart during the holidays.”

Penelope Pince presents Beautiful Homemade Christmas Ornaments from Eggshells posted at Pecuniarities, saying, “An inexpensive yet elegant and unique way to decorate your house or tree this Christmas.”

Kelly from Almost Frugal presents Becoming Frugal is Like Quitting Smoking posted at Almost Frugal.

Wenchypoo presents Update With Bonus: The “Con” in Lexicon posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket, saying, “How we can be robbed blind with mere words.”

Jeff Rose presents 10 Ways To Turn Your Office Green posted at Jeff Rose.

Mr. Banker presents Consider Trip Time in Rate Chasing posted at Best Interest Rate Banks.

ChristianPF presents No money for Christmas? posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “If you are running low on cash for Christmas this year these tips will help!”

Andy presents Get Free Business and Finance Magazines. Really posted at Saving to Invest, saying, “See how I (and you can) get free finance and investing magazines”

Lauren Rose presents Credit Card Skimmers - Keep Your Eye on Your ATM card posted at No Debt Anymore .org, saying, “With the holiday season in full swing, Credit card and ATM theft is increasing at an alarming rate. Here are 3 common ways thieves may try to gain access to your personal information using a skimmer device, and 10 tips to protect yourself.”

Bryce presents Save Money by Filtering and Drinking Water posted at Save and Conquer, saying, “Everyone knows that water is the cheapest beverage there is. This is a way to make it better.”

passive family income presents Unexpected Holiday Gift Purchases posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “What should you do when you get an unexpected holiday gift?”

savingadvice presents Frivolous Massages and Contempt for Manicurists posted at SavingAdvice.com Blog, saying, “Massage parlors are busy because with everyone worried about money, we need a good massage to calm our nerves. Imagine that — Because we are worried about money, we need to spend more money on a massage.”

Polly Poorhouse presents Economic Crunch: 10 Grocery Gains posted at Economic Crunch, saying, “Keeping that grocery bill down”

Scott Crawford presents Having a Cheery Christmas in a Gloomy Economy posted at DebtGoal, saying, “How preparation and communication with your family can make this Holiday cheerful even though we’re surrounded by gloomy financial news.”

Dorian Wales presents The Wine Industry: A lesson in marketing posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “An interesting thought experiment: How would you value your wine collection should the labels wash away?”

Livingalmostlarge presents Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas posted at LivingAlmostLarge.

Donald Latumahina presents Diversify Your Income to Prevent Financial Problems posted at Life Optimizer.

Momma presents Make money by searching online - Get free gift cards for searching the internet posted at Engineer a debt free life, saying, “We have participated in this carnival before, and this time wanted to share an easy (and frugal!) way to make some extra cash just by searching the internet! Enjoy!”

And my favorite:  The Christmas Lights-

J. Savings presents Guess What??? We did it! We finally got our wedding pictures! posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, “After 5+ months of battling w/ our wedding photog., all it took was $9.99 and a blog to finally get them!”

Money Smart Life presents Save Money at Restaurants- Tips for Spending Less When Eating Out posted at Money Smart Life.

Cap presents Cap’s Secret Sauce to Foiling Black Friday & Holiday Spending posted at StopBuyingCrap.com, saying, “Running out of dough to get gifts for the holiday? Here’s a secret remedy to avoiding having to buy gifts.”

squawkfox presents Holiday Gifts: 10 Frugal and Homemade Gift Ideas posted at squawkfox, saying, “Thank you for your frugalista consideration and good luck with the festival! :D”

Stephanie presents Chocolate Covered Gifts posted at Make It From Scratch.

Cindy Morus, The Money Mender presents 5 Areas in Your Life to Live Frugally posted at Mend Your Money, saying, “Thanks.”

Destroy Debt presents 3 Basic Principles for Good Personal Finance Habits posted at Destroy Debt.

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents $10 Bonus at Ebates, Plus Increased Rebates posted at Cash Money Life Deals, saying, “Ebates is offering an additional savings - $10 on any purchase over $10 and increased savings at multiple locations.”

marjorie presents Buying In Bulk Pays Off posted at Wealth Junkies, saying, “I’ve shopped at Sam’s Club pretty much all of my life. In mid-October, I started a special Sam’s Club experiment. In one morning, I dropped $400 at the local Sam’s, and another $100 at the Wal-Mart next door. Sounds like a lot, right? But since that trip, my grocery store runs have been limited to milk, eggs and fresh fruit (under $10 a week).”

Ryan Suenaga presents The Seductive Power of Discounts posted at Uncommon Cents.

~Dawn presents Updated: 25 Ways I save Money posted at Frugal For Life, saying, “I am hoping to gather more ways people save money, while giving a few ideas that people may not have thought of.”

PFR presents Schwab Bank Invest First Visa Card Now 2.0% Cashback, Sweet! posted at Personal Finance Reviews.

The Happy Rock presents Free Christian Audio Book Each Month (MP3 Format) posted at The Happy Rock.

Miss M presents The Urban Farmer posted at M is for Money.

mbhunter presents Thirteen frugal tips for movie lovers posted at Mighty Bargain Hunter.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Best Places For Your Money When The Stock Market Tanks posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”

Mr Credit Card presents Why Are Credit Card Companies Lowering Your Credit Limits? posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Miss Thrifty presents Ten of my Favourite Frugal Twitterers posted at Miss Thrifty, saying, “Hi Lisa - thanks for considering my submission! A few lists of PF Twitter users have been compiled; but lists of Frugal Twitterers are hard to find. So I compiled this list of my current favourites, together with descriptions and links to their blogs. I’ve been thrilled by the feedback to date and wondered if with its frugal-centric theme, could it be suitable for this week’s carnival? Thanks and best wishes - Miss Thrifty.”

Randy presents 20 Money Hacks to Save Money on Food and Dining posted at Fiscal Zen.

PT presents Collecting Aluminum Cans for Cash posted at Prime Time Money, saying, “My story about collecting cans for cash as a kid.”

martin d presents The Unofficial Christmas Tip List posted at studenomics.com, saying, “In the spirit of the holidays it has become customary to provide everyone with a gift. I have tried to compile a list of people that deserve a tip this holiday.”

Pamela Grundy presents Silly Senators Want YOU to Buy a New Car NOW! posted at Personal Finance Analyst.

The Smarter Wallet presents 12 Homemade Gift Ideas To Fit A Small Budget posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”

Terry presents Finding a Job in a Bad Economy posted at Main Street Meltdown.

Terry presents Frugal Living: Save more than $1,000 in 2009 posted at Savvy Frugality.

Sun presents Use Amazon Subscribe & Save to Save Money on Items You Buy Regularly posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

Kevin presents Mistake: How I Wasted Money at Firehouse Subs posted at No Debt Plan, saying, “One quick opportunity for frugality lost…”

One Family presents Best Value Notebook/Laptop and Netbook/Mini-Notebook Computers - Comparison/Review (ASUS Eee PC, Acer Aspire One, MSI Wind, HP Mini-Note, Dell Mini 9) posted at One Family’s Blog, saying, “A comparison of the best value laptops and netbooks that should allow frugal shoppers to decide which one to get for general family use.”

HighGrace presents City Mouse, Country Mouse posted at Face to the Sun.

Mark presents Credit card companies are putting the squeeze on loyal customers posted at Smart Money.

Curt presents Recession Will Lead To Stronger Marriages posted at PennyJobs.com.

Bill Spohnholtz presents Stock Day posted at Learn The Stock Market And How to Trade.

Jason Patrick presents How to Survive a Recession - Saving Energy posted at MoneyTheory.

KCLau presents How to manages monthly cash flow posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “This post is contributed by Relax, the blog author of Wise Curve - get smarter every day!

I feel honoured to contribute a post on KC Lau’s blog. He’s one of my multi talented role models so I count myself lucky to be his net friend. Now let’s talk about money and how to manage cash flow.”

DJ presents Frugal Family Christmas Ideas: What Can You Do for Free? posted at The Family Wallet.

Wenchypoo presents Timely Rerun: The Importance of Research and the Art of Negotiation posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Jason presents Have You Ever Been Embarrassed To Be Frugal? posted at The Frugal Dad.

Cooupon Artist presents If You Had A Million Dollars… posted at artofthecoupon.com.

Madison presents Holiday Giveaway posted at My Dollar Plan.

Broke Grad Student presents Share Your Frugal Holiday Ideas, Win an iPod Shuffle posted at Broke Grad Student, saying, “To encourage everyone to share their frugal holiday ideas, the College Money Network is giving away an iPod Shuffle and much more.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of festival of frugality using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: festival of frugality, blog carnival.

Finally, I’ll leave you with the best in “over the top” tacky -