We always have great aspirations of keeping the holidays simple, don’t we? Then when they get here it can be a different story. What is important to remember is that we are in control of our own environment. If those around us choose to make the holidays overly crazy and tiring, you don’t have to choose that. Simplicity is a choice, although not an easy one most of the time.

Here are a few things you can do to make the holiday season a little more stress-free, simple, and budget-friendly.

• Make gift giving simple. There are many ways to do this. Forgo the big extended family gift exchange and donate all the money that would have been used to a shelter or other needy establishment. You can decide to all give homemade gifts from the heart. Have a contest to see who can give the most meaningful gift. Instead of having a minimum for family gift exchanges, have maximums, ie, don’t spend over $10. These are fun and creative, not to mention less stressful approaches to gift-giving.

• More isn’t always better. Spending lots of money on countless toys and gifts that don’t mean anything to the recipient has two problems: wasted money on the giver’s part, and a receiver who doesn’t really want the gift. It is better to give one or two meaningful gifts (even to children) instead of several. I am a firm believer in not giving my children lots of toys at Christmas. Too much causes more chaos, fighting over the gifts, and just more gluttony…they always are looking for more. Teach them to appreciate what they do have, and less can become more.

• Forgo the Christmas cards. Going one year without sending out Christmas cards isn’t the most horrible thing you could do. It will be one less thing to worry about, and it really is no big deal. If sending out cards is important to you, then plan ahead so your holiday season can be less stressful. I keep a list every year and update it as I get new cards. This way I already know who I am sending cards to without hunting for names and addresses.

• Don’t do a lot of baking. I am not boycotting baking here, since I enjoy it at the holidays also. But it is one thing you can cut out to allow more time to spend with your family as well as save you calories on your waistline. If you really want to bake some goodies, try baking after Christmas, around New Year’s. It is still the holiday season but the rush of Christmas is over.

• Save ahead for your gifts. It is obviously too late this year for this tip, but try saving for Christmas all year. That way when it is time to go shopping, you have some money saved up. Much easier on the budget, and it will give you peace of mind as you shop. Always set a limit and don’t go over it.

Hopefully you can sit down and relax during this holiday season with a cup of hot chocolate by the Christmas tree. Take time to soak in the wonders of the holiday season and remember all the other stuff isn’t as important…but the feelings, traditions and memories created stay.

* Check out the PYP Navigating Rite Aid posts to help you along your shopping journey at Rite Aid.

* Read the Rite Aid coupon policy and keep it in your coupon binder.

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By now you’ve probably heard the news about the diminished peanut harvest in the South this year, and how peanut butter prices are expected to rise dramatically for awhile. If you are able to get your hands on raw peanuts for a good deal, here’s an option for making your own peanut butter to cut down on some costs.

Here’s what you’ll need:


15-16oz roasted peanuts, shelled and skinned (about 3 cups)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons honey (depending on your tastes)
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

Put your peanuts, honey and salt into a food processor (in my case I used my BlendTec). Process for 1-2 minutes to chop up all the nuts into small pieces. Scrape the sides of the bowl and get all of the mixture back down to the center bottom. Continue to process and slowly drizzle the peanut oil into the mixture. Let it process until it becomes smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

[For a BlendTec – run the peanuts, honey and salt on one cycle at Speed 1. Scrape down sides, then process for one full cycle on Speed 5. Scrape down again and continue running cycles on Speed 5 until you get the right consistency and the peanut butter starts to move freely with the blades. The first few cycles it will look like nothing is moving or happening, but if you look closely you’ll see peanut butter forming in the lower inch or so near the blades. After each cycle, mix it all up and turn it over so that the creamier stuff gets mixed in and then start another cycle. It took me about 4-5 cycles on Speed 5 to get to where I wanted.]


I used store-bought, already roasted and lightly salted peanuts because I was able to get a bunch for free at Smith’s late last summer and they needed to get used! You can buy organic or non-organic, shell on and roast them yourself, or buy them already roasted in the bulk aisle. Whatever works easiest for you, although I’ve heard that there is no comparison to roasting them yourself as far as great flavor goes!

Also, your peanut butter may be a slightly thinner consistency than you’re used to when it comes out of the food processor (this is especially true if you use a high-power blender) because it will be warm. Let it set up in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or so and it will be much thicker and more like the stuff from the store. (The stuff in the picture above was from a batch I made yesterday and had been in the fridge overnight.)

If you’ve never had “natural” peanut butter before, it is “drier” (for lack of a better term) than your average Skippy or Jif stuff, and it will definitely suck all of the moisture right out of your mouth, so have a glass of milk handy! 😉

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