Photo by SusanBerkley

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the speedy month of December are right around the corner.

It's true. In less than a week, you're going to be lounging on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner, and some grandma or uncle or cousin is going to say, "Soooo, what's on the kids' wish list this year?"

Ugh, is it really time to think about the holidays, let alone start shopping?

Why, yes, yes it is...

Photo from Crate & Barrel

Need a nice Thanksgiving hostess gift? A pretty tea towel can make a great gift for your turkey day host or hostess.

Photo from A*T Boston

On Apartment Therapy Boston, they're flaunting their inexpensive and versatile WILMA curtains from IKEA (yep, IKEA rules again!).

Thanks to one of my favorite photographers, Jennifer Causey of Simply Photo and Simply Breakfast fame, you can now purchase the beautiful work of a few other great photographers (more of my favorites!) in her new Simply Photo pop up shop.

Ladders can usually be found stuffed in the garage, between the toolbox and the trash cans. But believe it or not, they make for some pretty sweet storage solutions inside the home.

Kitchen (before): Dark cabinets and older appliances

Kitchen (before)

Here's another Before & After kitchen makeover from a CafeMom. Moms are pretty amazing when it comes to home makeovers — almost more so on a budget, it seems.

Above is a "before" shot from the kitchen of CafeMom Devyn. Click through to see her lovely "after" shots.

Photo by Cafe Kim

The last time I went to the vet, I asked him which top-brand, premium food I should be feeding my dog. Money is no object, I told him (although it absolutely IS an object—what was I thinking?).

The vet laughed at me and asked me why in the world I wanted to spend so much on gourmet food—she doesn't need it. A well-known, high quality brand is fine; plus, it's much more cost effective. (Then, he handed me a bill for $150 when all he did was diagnose my pup with "allergies" and prescribed Benadryl.)

Luckily, WomansDay.com has some great money-saving advice for pet owners who, like me, tend to spend too much on their pets.

Photo From Designer Stencils

I was beyond impressed when my friend showed me her bedroom, and I saw that she had painted a pink faux headboard on the wall (similar to the one above). Love it! It's a thrifty alternative to expensive headboards. Plus, it's great for small spaces.

Photo by Shaylas_mama

Times are tough and who doesn't love to save money? Here are some money-saving links I love:

Ensemble by Minka Aire; $650

I never considered a ceiling fan until I saw the real pretty one my neighbor installed. It's not clunky at all -- it's a sleek white contemporary fan that blends into the ceiling.

You barely see it but boy can you feel it -- it cools the entire downstairs in the summer.

She also uses it a lot in the winter. Ceiling fans are a great save energy choice for wintertime. By changing the direction of the blades, you can displace cooler air up toward the ceiling, allowing the warmer air (which normally rises) to settle closer to the ground.

Bottom line is fewer trips to crank the thermostat.