Looking for a little more to add to your holiday plans besides the normal tree trimming, stocking stuffing, and gift giving festivities? With a little planning and a just few dollars, you can experience the holidays in many different ways.

So, put away your wallet, pull out your planner, and gather your friends and family, because with these nine cost-effective holiday plans, you’ll be celebrating the season without breaking the bank.

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Potluck Dinner/Cocktail Party

Nothing says the holidays more than the extra pounds you gain from eating grandma’s favorite Christmas sides. Spare grandma the extra man hours of cooking for the entire family. Gather her and a few friends for a Christmas potluck-style dinner and cocktail party. Not only is a potluck gathering cost-effective for everyone, but it brings a little variety (and maybe even a little competition!) to the dinner table.

Ask guests to cook their best dish (make sure no one doubles up) and have one designated person to serve as bartender. Grandma would be more than happy about saving her time and money this year!

By Makula Dunbar

In the business world, there are countless avenues that inquiring minds can travel down to both create establishments/hustles within and capitalize on. A plethora of industries including: public relations, marketing, advertising, retail and entertainment have proven to boast racial and gender diversity — many featured here on Madame Noire.

However, an industry that is in the least traveled by African-American businesswomen just happens to be one that the black community frequents most; nightlife. Though the owners, party throwers, managers and DJs in the 23 billion dollar industry are scattered, there are a few here and there making headway. Meet three African-American women working to narrow the gap; making it in the nightlife business.

The Life of the Party: Branding, building and overall business

It’s 1:00 p.m. in Los Angeles. DJ Asha is just waking up. On a pleasant Friday afternoon, it’s not easy to gather that she’s an unconventional early bird. Though for anyone whose job keeps them up until 7:00 a.m., it’s difficult to call if even 4:00 p.m. is a decent waking hour.

“I was DJing last night so I got in pretty late,” she said sounding far from drowsy. It’s kind of expected as she’s had her fair share of practice hyping up crowds.

“When you’re DJing you have the music in your headphones and the monitor speakers right next to you. There’s all this loud music in your face, people coming up to you taking pictures, conversations and stuff,” Asha explained. “You get home and your head is still going over the great mix that you played. By 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 in the morning you’re fairly hungry, so I may end up getting some food after the club or watching a movie. My brain is still buzzing so it takes a minute to unwind.”

Three years ago Asha packed up to pursue party-throwing full-time on the West coast leaving two radio gigs in her home country London. What started out as moral support for a nervous roommate learning to DJ evolved into a non-stop party once Asha decided to learn the turntable ropes as well. After graduating with a degree in biotechnology she began playing at clubs in locales like Dubai Bulgaria, Russia, Greece, Lithuania and Italy. It was in Ibiza, Spain that she ran into hip-hop’s self-proclaimed party king P. Diddy. Through party promoters in London, Asha earned an opportunity to play at one of Diddy’s parties. After hearing a set in Spain, he sent out a personal request.

“In Ibiza all they do is party. They go from one big club to the next from 6 p.m. to sometimes lunchtime. It’s pretty expensive and people save up all year; it’s a big deal. If you’re a DJ playing in Ibiza, it’s like playing at the World Cup,” she said.

For the most part, Asha says club owners love international DJs — especially ones from London who have an eclectic knowledge and taste in various music genres.

You and your girls decide to have a night out on the town. You wear your cute little black dress that always warrants compliments. Your hair that usually won’t cooperate is miraculously on-point, and you genuinely feel good about your appearance. Giving yourself a ‘one-over,’ you smile, knowing that you may just attract some good attention tonight from an eligible bachelor or two.

To further enhance your efforts, you and your friends decide to walk to the bar alone sporadically (inside of the establishment of course), so you won’t intimidate men with the ‘girlfriend crowd.’ While walking to the bar, you see plenty of men looking your way out of your peripheral, but you’re making no eye contact with any of them. And while you look all fierce and fabulous in your opinion, still, none of them approach you. Before you assume something negative about yourself or your appearance and what role it could be playing in the men who did and didn’t speak to you, take one second to think about if you even appear approachable or if you’re coming off as intimidating and closed-off.

Looking approachable has very little to do with material things and everything to do with nonverbal communication. Yes, even sometimes saying ‘hello’ but looking as if Jesus himself came down and forced you to do it, won’t make you more approachable. Appearing inviting usually has more to do with what you do and less to do with what you say.

Research suggests that around 90 percent of our communication is nonverbal. So that means that even though you gave a faint hello that you thought served as an invite, your nonverbal expressions may have suggested otherwise. As the old saying goes, “You cannot say nothing.” So even if you’re not verbally talking, through nonverbal communication you’re having a full conversation, whether you know it or not. If you want to be approachable, make sure that you’re conscious of what you’re saying without saying anything at all to rid people of the assumption that you’re cold as ice. Some women think that looks alone can attract guys. But if you look unapproachable, some men won’t bother approaching you out of fear of rejection or of you coming across as just plain rude.

There are three ways to check your approachability. We will call the the three ways your ‘approachability factors.’ First is access your body language. Is it open? Open body language means that you appear inviting. Folded arms suggest that you are stand-offish or don’t feel like being bothered, same with crouching over the bar looking bored. So make sure that your body language isn’t closed.

Another way to access your approachability is to check your facial expressions. Smiling is really important if you want to attract people to you. Not a silly grin that looks permanently plastered on your face but instead a natural, genuine smile every once in a while (you don’t have to hold one all night) that says “I’d like to meet you.”

In addition to smiling and ensuring that your body language is open, eye contact is equally as important. If you’re nervously looking down at your cell phone, pretending you’ve received a flurry of messages and calls, you appear preoccupied or not open to conversation. Make eye contact with people to show you’re interested or even interesting, and even feel free to float around the room so you don’t look stuck in one place.

Your lack of approachability could be a preventing factor in meeting new friends, extending your professional network, or even meeting Mr. Right. So before you assume that something as superficial as you wearing the wrong dress is keeping guys from approaching you, check your approachability factors.

More on Madame Noire!

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• Color on Campus: What It Really Feels Like to Be the Only Black Girl
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• 10 Artists That Blew Up…But Shouldn’t Have
• We Are Family: Shocking Celebrity Relatives!
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After a hard days’ labor, having a potent drink in your hands matters most.  But when it’s time to unwind and relax, a lady should always have  drink that compliments her style and grace.

Here are a list of cute cocktail and alcoholic beverages that are not only Hot when sipped but delicious and delicate…

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