Today Show – Holiday Savings #7. We were asked to come back to The Today Show again on December 9, 2010. This time we were asked to share how we save money at Christmas time.
How we Save Money on Christmas Gifts and Wrappings
We shared how we use cast off items like plastic grocery bags, old candles, sponges and pine cones. These items can be used to make great holiday decorations and gifts.
We shopped at one of our favorite thrift stores in Phoenix, Family Attic. Here we found some great cast-off candle wax for pine cone fire starters, and some excess holiday ribbon.
Christmas Cast-Offs Go Way Back
Annette presenting Meridith Viera her personalize Christmas Dough Ornament from MoneySmart Family.
Remember that the first family of Christmas took a feeding trough and turned it into a cradle for an infant king. If repurposing a common household item was good enough for them, it’s good enough for us too.
We also made some special dough ornaments for Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al. They show Al’s ornament near the middle of the clip.
A Fire Hazard?
The Today Show producers are very safety minded. And when they heard that we were bringing in Pine Cone “Fire Starters,” well that part was eliminated that from the segment. There was concern that the pinecones could cause a fire hazard with all the studio lights heating up the place. We were able to talk about spray painted pine cones in glass bowls as a holiday decoration. You can see the fire starters and a video here.
If you want to get the recipe for Annette’s Christmas Pumpkin bread or instructions for any of the crafts you see, click here.
Matt Lauer and the Christmas Bread
Near the end of the segment, Matt asks if he can take a taste of Annette’s Christmas Pumpkin Bread. After the segment was over asked for more, and then a little more . . . he really liked it!
