House Calls: The Home and Food Blog at iVillage.com

GardenWeb user whitdobe gave her guest room a quick and easy redo. All it took was paint and a new bedroom set that she found on CraigsList.com for only $300. Check out the before and after pics.

Before:

After:

photos: courtesy of gardenweb user whitdobe

After cooking for 20 people on Thanksgiving, I doubt very much that I'll have the energy to face the crowds at the mall on Black Friday. I think I'll stay home and do some Christmas decorating instead. But I could use some new decorations for my tree and maybe some stocking holders for the mantel and there are sure to be some great sales. Fortunately, there are lots of cute decorations that I can get online. Rather than spend the money on mailing costs though, I've been carefully watching which stores are offering free shipping this week. Here are 7 websites where you can get great decorations without leaving home or paying for shipping.

West Elm. Check out the David Stark Collection. From ornaments to wreaths, it's all on sale and ships for free.

Crate & Barrel. Online purchases of $100 or more ship free through December 22, including these festive cocktail glasses.

Pottery Barn. Stockings, garland, tree skirts, ornaments and more ship free. Check out these adorable reindeer ornaments.

Pottery Barn Kids. All stockings and ornaments, and some decorations, ship free, like these quilted reindeer stockings

Pottery Barn Teens. All holiday decor ships free including these furry string lights.

Target. Free shipping when you spend $50 on trees, tree trimmings and decorations like these stocking holders.

Home Depot. Free shipping on orders over $49, so you can stock up on lights and other outdoor decorations.

photos (top to bottom): courtesy of westelm.com, crateandbarrel.com, potterybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, potterybarnteen.com, target.com and homedepot.com

Instead of braving the mall this Friday, I'll be unpacking my Christmas decorations. If the weather's warm enough I'll put up the lights outside and then tackle the tree. And I bet I'll have lots of company. As beautiful as holiday lights, candles and Christmas trees can be, they can also be a fire hazard. Whether you're planning to pull out your decorations this weekend or wait until December, here are a few simple precautions that you can take to keep your home safe throughout the season from the Home Safety Council.

1. Carefully inspect the needles before buying a live tree. If they're brown or break easily, the greenery isn't fresh and poses a greater fire risk. Bend a few needles in half. If they snap, the tree is dry. Look for a tree with needles that spring back to their original shape.
2. Try to position the tree near an outlet so that cords are not running long distances. Do not place the tree where it may block exits.
3. Never use lighted candles on or near a Christmas tree or other evergreen.
4. Put your tree in a sturdy, non-tip stand filled with water. Dehydrated Christmas trees can catch fire more easily.
5. Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any flame or heat source.
6. Keep candles at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including other decorations and wrapping paper.
7. Always use stable, nonflammable candle holders with a hurricane glass to protect the open flame.
8. Use battery-powered candles whenever possible, especially when you combine candles with greenery or other decorations.
9. Inspect electrical lights and extension cords for wear and tear and replace any cords that are beginning to fray or have broken sockets. Carefully inspect outdoor lights that have been exposed to winter weather conditions.
10. According to Underwriters Laboratories (UL), holiday lights are labeled temporary-use, seasonal decorative-lighting products. Temporary-use is considered to be a period of installation and use that is no longer than 90 days.
11. Avoid cluttering outlets. String no more than three strands of lights together and make sure all lights bear the mark of an independent organization such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
12. When decorating indoors, use only those lights listed for indoor use. Unplug all lights—inside and out—before going to bed or leaving home.

photo: r. mcvay/getty images

I'm almost ready for Thanksgiving. I've done my shopping and cleaned the house. All that's left is to do is to finish cooking and set the table. With about 20 people coming for dinner, I'm tempted to set the table with paper plates just to make clean up easier. Then again, there's something about a beautiful table that makes dinner feel special. Plus I've been inspired by the elegant tablescapes that GardenWeb members are setting. They look like they're set with the best china and silver, but these community members have found surprisingly creative ways to keep the price of their holiday tables down. Check out some of their most recent creations:

GardenWeb User Dreamgoddess's Woodland Table

"[I] bought some new napkins the other week and ... the arrangement ... has dried pods, cattails, dried flowers, pheasant feathers, and curly twigs. For some 'fluff', I sent my husband on a mission in the woods to find leaves and acorns. The white plates have a gold band around the rim and were a birthday present from my aunt. Since I didn't have any brown dishes, I used vintage amber glass salad plates. The name tags are tied on gold-leafed apples with raffia." —dreamgoddess

GardenWeb User cindylouhoo's Turkey Table
"My cute turkey napkin rings I found at Bed Bath & Beyond for $1 each and the napkins are from Old Time Pottery, [also] $1 each. My placemats [are from] the Better Homes & Gardens [Collection at Walmart]" —cindylouhoo

More holiday table inspiration:
22 more holiday tables that look expensive (but cost less than $50)
23 favorite new products for your tabletop

photos: GardenWeb user dreamgoddess (top), GardenWeb user cindylouhoo (bottom)

When I was a child, each year on December 1 my mom would post an advent calendar on the laundry room door. Each day from then until the 24th, my sister and I would pull open a little door on the calendar to see what was behind it. Some days it was a chocolate treat; others it was a little toy or sticker. Each day the anticipation grew as we inched ever so slowly closer to Christmas. I was reminded of that feeling when I was flipping through the Pottery Barn catalog the other day and I saw this gorgeous advent calendar. It's a little on the expensive side at $149, but you can fill it with Christmas treats and reminders year after year. If it's a little out of your price range, here are a few more adorable options in a range of price points.

House Advent Calendar ($129, PotteryBarnKids.com)

Christmas Courier Advent Calendar (on sale for $89.95, Lenox.com)

Gingerbread House Advent Calendar ($24.99, Target.com)

At the North Pole Advent calendar ($13, Galison.com)

photos (top to bottom): courtesy of PotteryBarn.com, PotterybarnKids.com, Lenox.com, Target.com and Galison.com

Choosing where to invest your retirement savings is confusing enough, but when your employer starts throwing out terms like 401(k) and 403(b) it can difficult to know where to put your money. CNBC personal finance expert Carmen Wong Ulrich explains the differences between a 401(K), a 403(b) and a Roth IRA.

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 Find more information on coping with the economy with our Bail Yourself Out resources.

Next Friday kicks of the official start of the holiday shopping season. Ah, Black Friday, the day everyone makes a mad dash for the mall. Ordinarily, I'm content to wait out the rush and do my shopping in the following weeks or, even better, online. This year though I might have to rethink this strategy. I just found a preview of some of IKEA's Black Friday sale items in my email box and, at these prices, they just might be cute enough to get me off my couch on the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Here's a sampling of what will be on sale:

SVALKA red wine glasses ($1.99 for 6, reduced from $4.99)

CHARMIG flatware ($9.99 for 20 pieces, down from the usual $39.99)

99 cents for a 3-roll pack of ONSKA gift wrap or a 4-pack of ONSKA ribbons


See the rest of IKEA's Black Friday specials.

photos: courtesy of IKEA

Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy is just the first step in a long process. Once you've filed you can be rejected or told to reapply under Chapter 13. To find out how long the process will take you, advises CNBC personal finance expert Carmen Wong Ulrich, consult a bankruptcy lawyer who'll look at your personal situation and give you an estimate.

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 Find more information on coping with the economy with our Bail Yourself Out resources.

Every year on the weekend after Thanksgiving, we pull out the Christmas lights and plug them in to see if they still work. Inevitably, there are strands that don't and—my personal favorite—strands where only half the bulbs light up. Then we spend the rest of the afternoon swapping out bulbs and looking for the problem, only to give up in utter frustration after a few hours or days and head to the store to buy yet another string of lights at an exorbitant price.

But this year there's help for these holiday lighting dilemmas. When you discover one of these lighting emergencies, pick up your phone and call the Ulta Lit National Toll-Free Helpline at 1-888-Ulta Lit (888-858-2548). Beginning the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, a lighting expert will answer holiday lighting questions 7-days-a-week from 9 am to 5 pm (Central time). Ask them about your pre-lit trees, light strands for indoors and out, yard ornaments or lighted wreaths and take some of the stress out of decorating your home for the holidays.

photo: r. mcvay/getty images

Do you really need a financial advisor to help you manage your money? That depends on your financial situation, says Carmen Wong Ulrich. Before you pay someone to tell you how to allocate your money, look at where it all goes. Do you have enough in savings to cover all your living expenses for between 6 and 8 months? Are you debt free? If the answer to both of these questions is no, then Carmen recommends that you focus on saving more and paying down your debt. Watch the video to find out more about when you need to find a financial advisor.

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 Find more information on coping with the economy with our Bail Yourself Out resources.