Saving You Time & Money
At first glance our Christmas tree probably looks like the typical kid friendly, low budget tree. And it is. Bought for about $12 after Christmas a few years ago and decorated primarily with ornaments that were gifts or from our childhood trees, it certainly fits the bill for a family striving to pay off their homes as soon as possible. While not a fabulous designer look alike tree, it is perfect for our family at this time in our lives. {Read More}
Is there anyone who really enjoys eating a sliced apple that’s started to brown? I didn’t think so! I always thought I had to deal with browning if I wanted to pre-slice my apples for convenience but didn’t want to use lemon juice as a preserver. Not so! My friend Angela shared her frugal solution with me recently. She uses a slicer/corer, then secures the apple with a rubberband to keep it from browning until her son’s lunch time. {Read More}
Guest post by Reader Danielle. I have always secretly wished to be one of those women who has three plastic bins labeled “plastic,” “paper,” and “glass” in my garage for recycling. But sadly, I am not. In my hometown, there isn’t a place to take your recyclables, and you must pay a fee each month to have a green trash bin for compostable items (I hope this is not the case in every town). Now that I’m taking notice of {Read More}
In the past I’ve bought seed starter kits, only to realize I didn’t plant early enough or take care of the kits well enough to make them a worthwhile purchase. We still enjoy planting from seeds, so I’ve found the best way to plant starter seeds for flowers and veggies on a budget and make it work – egg cartons with a twist! I use styrofoam egg cartons with holes cut in the bottom for the roots to grow and {Read More}
I snagged this set of chairs off craigslist this week for just $5 each! Thankfully these lovely and varied shades of 70’s browns and oranges don’t go in our kitchen, so I’d love some ideas from those of you who are crafty/artsy. I’ve considered that I could: reupholster with a nice fabric instead of vinyl (covering the seat with clear vinyl afterwards of course) add batting and change the shape of the chair backs completely before reupholstering make slip covers {Read More}
Everyone knows I love my Tide laundry detergent. I thought I was doing pretty good to get a 50 oz jug for around $2, but now I’ve come up with a way to make 3x that amount for around $2! I started with this recipe for laundry detergent from Pary Moppins’ friend. I decided to half the recipe because I didn’t want the extra detergent sitting around for years. Here’s what you’ll need: 1/2 bar Fels Naptha or Zote laundry {Read More}
The long plastic twist ties that hold toys to packages are some of the most simple yet versatile tools out there. Best of all – they’re free! I always save the long ones and put them in my craft bin until I need them. Here are some of the things we’ve used them for over the years: baby/toddler proofing cabinets holding pens/pencils together in a drawer emergency cotter pin makeshift bolt or hinge pin makeshift clamp for crafting attaching items {Read More}
If you’re moving into your first apartment, or maybe your first apartment that’s not furnished courtesy of Mom and Dad’s checkbook, this guest post is for you! Furnishing and decorating an apartment on a budget can always be a challenge, especially when you’re making the transition from college student to that first “real” job. With a little ingenuity and some handiwork, you can stretch that shoestring budget to make yourself a comfortable apartment. Check out some ideas below! Budget bookshelves {Read More}
Last month we were swimming at a neighbors pool while visiting my Mother-in-law. I noticed the neighbors had several a flower bed mulched with pine needles and thought it was a great way to make use of something that most people in suburbia would typically throw away. Pine Needle Mulch Because pine needles are acidic, some plants won’t survive with this type of mulch. Be sure to do your research on your plants before using this mulch. Azaleas, Hostas, Hydrangeas {Read More}
A couple of weeks ago I talked about some ways to keep up with your to do lists and other notes. I had promised some tips on making use of those leftover scraps of paper for my Tuesday tip last week, but I forgot. First and foremost if you have recycling available please recycle any and all papers that you can. Paper can be recycled at home by making something new from it or by reusing it. You can {Read More}