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My Smart Money Tips would like to wish all readers a wonderful Christmas!

Have an enjoyable Christmas filled with love, joy, money savings and the Christmas spirit!

Here’s to a wonderful year ahead with more saving and money tips!

Merry Christmas!

Love, Ms Money Penny

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Christmas is just two more days away! Your Christmas shopping should be all done and the presents all wrapped ready under the Christmas tree for Santa’s arrival!

This Christmas has been slightly different with the economic gloom and uncertainty enveloping the world. Retailers all over have reported drops in their sales as consumers try to cut back spending in anticipation of an uncertain year ahead. However, cutting back on expenses does not necessarily mean a Scrooge Christmas as you can still have a wonderful budget Christmas this year. Just read below for some great money tips for an inexpensive Christmas without scrimping on the fun!

Have A Potluck Party

Instead of eating out this Christmas in an overpriced restaurant that features pre-cooked set meals, why not organise a pot luck Christmas party with your friends and family? It will help reduce food costs for one family and cleaning up will be easier with many hands to help.

Roast Chicken Not Turkey

Turkey is usually expensive and can come up to over RM100 for a frozen bird. Turkey meat also tends to be rougher due to its size and frozen turkey tends to be lacking in taste even after roasting. In addition,  roast turkey often means lots of leftovers! So, avoid all these turkey headache this Christmas and roast chicken instead for a cheaper and more delicious Christmas dinner.

Read on for more tips below.

Do Not Indulge In Excesses

Festivals are often a time of excesses and it is only too easy to fall into the trap of buying more presents and more food for Christmas dinner. However, when shopping, take a while to stop and think if that additional gift, log cake or cookies are absolutely necessary. Chances are, it wouldn’t be missed amidst all the Christmas festivities!

Bake Your Own

Instead of buying commercially baked Christmas cookies, take some time off to bake your own cookies for a healthier, cheaper and more delicious alternative! You can get your children involved in frosting the cookies too. Plus, they make wonderful and delicious Christmas presents!

Do not let the economic downturn or recession spoil your Christmas fun but learn to work around it. With some planning and creativity, you can look forward to an inexpensive but enjoyable Christmas this year with your loved ones which is ultimately what Christmas is all about!

Have a wonderful Christmas and remember it isn’t about how much you earn but how much you can save!

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Another 13 days to go to Christmas! Have you gotten your pretty Christmas dresses yet? Christmas isn’t just a time for children to dress up but its a time for all you pretty girls to shake out your Christmas frocks and get ready for Santa’s arrival!

Shopping, as a woman, is never easy. We don’t want to pay too much for a pretty dress yet we want something which is unique and comfortable. It’s so not chic to bump into someone wearing the exact same thing as you in a Christmas party…especially if they look better than you in it!

So, if you are looking for a pretty Christmas dress that will not break your bank, do read more below!

Paperdoll Online Boutique is just the place you want to go for your pretty Christmas dresses! Owned by a wonderfully bubbly enterpreneur, Jo, Paperdoll promises trendy, floral but so very affordable dresses (most of which are below RM100)!

How about this gorgeous black number this Christmas?

Your wonderful shopping experience with Paperdoll starts when you sign up for their free membership which entitles you to key in your vital statistics so Jo can correctly assess if the particular dress you have chosen fits you. I absolutely love this personalised service she provides as it takes away so much fear I used to have about online shopping. Once you have chosen the dress and paid for it, do look out for a beautifully wrapped package from Jo. Each dress is pressed before they are sent and tenderly wrapped in tissue paper to complete the whole shopping experience.

A gorgeous red velvet number perfect for Christmas and the coming Chinese New Year!

Even if you are plus sized, do not fret as Paperdoll caters for plus sized women who wish to indulge in floral and flirty numbers and feel great about themselves without having to pay too much.

So, for some savings this Christmas, take a peek at Paperdoll. You might just find the perfect outfit for that Christmas party you have!

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Christmas is a wonderful season and everyone, regardless of religion or beliefs, often enjoy this time of the year. Shopping centres and retailers love this season even more as this is often their busiest time of the year as frenzied shoppers run around spending lots of money looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones.

However, some may feel the pinch a little this coming Christmas in light of the recent financial crisis and some may choose to set aside more cash savings as economists predict a tough year ahead in 2009. Whatever your reasons, here’s a tip for an affordable but wonderfully personalised Christmas gift that will definitely bring a smile to your recipient. Find out more below.

This Christmas, why not get them a photo frame with a nice photo of themselves or their loved ones? It is inexpensive but full of meaning!

For parents, why not take a pretty picture of their child and place it in a festive Christmas photo frame or even a simple Ikea photo frame?

For grandparents, they will definitely smile at a photo of their beloved grandchildren or a candid family shot.

And for your loved one, a spontaneous photo of both of you is sure to bring laughter on Christmas morning and will definitely earn a display place of honour!

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Those with young children can get them involved in the gift. Simply give them their favourite colours or craft tools and let them loose with their creativity in decorating the photo frame!

After all, Christmas isn’t about expensive gifts but the meaning behind them