Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well with the Carrie Connection

Do you tend to overspend or overcharge during the holidays? If you answered yes, set a goal to break that habit in 2000.

Here are a few tips that will help you get through the holiday season without depleting your resources.

Create a written spending plan for holiday spending and gift giving a month or two in advance. Establish spending limits for gifts, shop early and look for bargains.

Make a list of the items you want to purchase and watch sale flyers for good prices.

Team up with family members or neighbors and buy items, such as baking supplies, gift wrap, etc., in bulk.

Give New Year's gifts and take advantage of the after Christmas sales.

At office parties or holiday functions where you might be asked to bring a gift, suggest that everyone bring canned goods for the homeless or disadvantaged.

Give gifts of your time. Give a coupon to a young couple entitling them to one free evening of babysitting; write a note to your elderly neighbor promising four hours of yard work.

Pay cash for the gifts you buy. Do leave home without your credit card unless you plan to pay the balance in full when you receive your next statement.

Look for and bake recipes that do not include expensive ingredients such as nuts and candied fruit.

LEFTOVER HINT:

Open faced turkey with gravy

Here is a perfect way to use your leftover turkey this season. Serve this hearty fall sandwich with mashed potatoes  make them creamy with skim milk and fat-free sour cream. And, if you've gone through all your leftover roast turkey, substitute smoked turkey breast.

For a vegetarian version, substitute cooked sliced sweet potatoes for the turkey. The sweetness of the potato pairs perfectly with the tartness of the cranberry sauce.

Here is what you'll need:

One 10=-ounce can fat-free chicken or mushroom gravy;

Four slices whole wheat bread;

=-cup canned whole cranberry sauce;

One cup fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed well and patted dry; and

12 ounces of turkey breast, thinly sliced.

Heat gravy in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until hot, about three minutes. Meanwhile, arrange bread slices on four individual plates. Top each slice with two tablespoons cranberry sauce, baby spinach leaves and turkey. Ladle gravy over sandwiches and serve hot.