I don't have much to talk about today, but I do have a happy report! Bulk Barn does indeed have star anise seed for much cheaper than our local grocer. Locally I managed to find it for $6.50 for 70grams. It only costs $1.47/100grams at Bulk Barn! I was thrilled! I right away got some rice flour (to attempt a few more gluten free recipes) and some dried chick peas (for the same, ha ha).
So buying in bulk, while not always the cheapest, can often be in your favor!
Yes, I said not always cheapest.
The thing I love most about Superstore is that in the bottom corners of each of the price listings on the shelves, they have a price per item (whether $/100g, or $/item, etc). Always double check the 'sale' prices against your usual purchase, and even check the bulk. We buy a large container of mixed nuts vs. the bulk nuts because it is actually much cheaper than the bulk (weird, I know). There have been times we've bought the smaller bags of frozen berries because the sale made them much cheaper than the larger bag. And there are times we will go to a different store for specific items because they are definitely cheaper there, sale or not. It is a good idea to have 'stored' the usual prices for the items you buy on a regular basis, so when you see a sale elsewhere you can figure out if it is worth getting the sale item, or if it is still cheaper to get it where you usually do.
Example: Costco. I like Costco. However, there are a few things I won't buy there because I can get better deals elsewhere. This weekend we did go to Costco and picked up a couple of things because they were definitely cheaper!
Some people just know the prices of the items they buy regularly. Some find it helpful to make a chart and list the prices from different stores, keeping it on them so they can do price comparisons at different stores. How you go about it is up to you.
Happy Shopping!
Showing posts with label money tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money tips. Show all posts
Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Savings Sunday - Parties!
Birthdays are so much fun, and birthday parties are always a great thing to look forward to. I don't know about you, but I've been seeing more and more online where parents are giving their babies and toddlers super duper uber fancy parties... and it's costing them more than graduation! When you have a few kids... that sort of coin does not come easily. However, we still want to give our children memorable birthdays! What to do? Enter... the frugal birthday party!
Growing up, my mom chose only a few years where we would actually get a birthday party with our friends. That was age 5, 10, 13, and 16. I am continuing that with my kids. However, each year I love to invite friends and family over to our house to partake in cake and snacks, and give the birthday girl/boy well wishes. Nothing fancy... although some years I have more fun with the décor and cake than others (depends on my energy level). The birthdays so far have all been memorable for my kids. They love the cakes, and have come to realize that those cakes are very much part of their birthday gift. Mom (aka, me, ha ha) becomes a bit unavailable for a few hours a day, a few days before the celebration, as I get to work on those works of art (that's what I'll call them, haha). And the kids love to watch them transform from a simple cake into a colorful piece of edible fun!
Making your own cake is much cheaper than buying a fancy one from a cake store, but you can get a simpler cake slab with some decorating on it from the grocery store for $30, and young kids will love it either way! Plus, sometimes you just don't have the time to decorate Minnie Mouse in tons of icing stars. Balloons are another cheap decorating option. And streamers. The dollar store is a great place to get some of the themed party decorations/plates/napkins. And if you want, you can go even cheaper. For my son's cars birthday, we had leftover black plates from both his Mickey party the year before, and my daughters Minnie party. Red napkins were perfect as well (Lightening McQueen is red, after all). So, we got a cars tablecloth for $2. You can get a basic tablecloth to use for multiple parties and themed cups, for example. You don't need it all! In fact, I like it better with only one or two themed items (my personal opinion of course). And have fun with the food! Make normal food items fit the theme and use cards to tell guests what they are... printed from your own computer. The options are as limitless as your imagination (and time, of course).
Get the kids involved, too! Ask them what they want in their party. Most of the time with young kids, all they want is cake and ice cream, and to watch a movie. Go with it! Kids really don't need a whole lot of fancy stuff to have a great time! For my son's 3rd birthday I did more with the theme than usual. He wanted Cars. You know... the Disney Cars. So, I used some of his Cars cars (sorry... confusing, I know) and made a giant '3' cake using a square and a round cake tin, cut to shape, and decorated with icing. I made a 'road' with fondant, and put his cars on top. Then I printed signs for the other party foods (stoplight crackers, Flos Fuel, etc) and printed 4 coloring images per paper (to save on paper) for the kids to color, with dollar store stickers nearby to decorate their sheets, and dollar store cars stamps. Really, the Dollar Store is the best place to buy party stuffs for kids. I had an art station, lots of food, and it was perfect for my boy. And it only cost $5 in decorations. You can make a lot of decorations yourself to fit your theme as well... and personalized to your guest of honor.
Oh, and check out Pinterest for lots of ideas. I easily get overwhelmed with Pinterest, but it is so much fun to see all the ideas. I like to pick a few things that I can easily replicate for minimal cost. You can really make an awesome party for little money. I've never spent more than $10 for a birthday party, and the gifts I've gotten for my kids were never pricey either... which brings me to another money saving point ... gifts. Wait for sales and buy items your kids will love on sale. Or, check second hand stores and garage sales! Toys clean up really well for the most part and can be brought to 'like new' condition more often than not!
The most important thing to remember about parties is this... it's not about the decorations, the games, the food, or even the cake and presents. It's about having fun with friends and celebrating together.
I know I didn't have a lot of 'specific' money saving points in this post, but since parties are all about the individual, it's hard for me to do. The best way to save on parties is to have fun with your imagination. That's what I love about parties!
Growing up, my mom chose only a few years where we would actually get a birthday party with our friends. That was age 5, 10, 13, and 16. I am continuing that with my kids. However, each year I love to invite friends and family over to our house to partake in cake and snacks, and give the birthday girl/boy well wishes. Nothing fancy... although some years I have more fun with the décor and cake than others (depends on my energy level). The birthdays so far have all been memorable for my kids. They love the cakes, and have come to realize that those cakes are very much part of their birthday gift. Mom (aka, me, ha ha) becomes a bit unavailable for a few hours a day, a few days before the celebration, as I get to work on those works of art (that's what I'll call them, haha). And the kids love to watch them transform from a simple cake into a colorful piece of edible fun!
Making your own cake is much cheaper than buying a fancy one from a cake store, but you can get a simpler cake slab with some decorating on it from the grocery store for $30, and young kids will love it either way! Plus, sometimes you just don't have the time to decorate Minnie Mouse in tons of icing stars. Balloons are another cheap decorating option. And streamers. The dollar store is a great place to get some of the themed party decorations/plates/napkins. And if you want, you can go even cheaper. For my son's cars birthday, we had leftover black plates from both his Mickey party the year before, and my daughters Minnie party. Red napkins were perfect as well (Lightening McQueen is red, after all). So, we got a cars tablecloth for $2. You can get a basic tablecloth to use for multiple parties and themed cups, for example. You don't need it all! In fact, I like it better with only one or two themed items (my personal opinion of course). And have fun with the food! Make normal food items fit the theme and use cards to tell guests what they are... printed from your own computer. The options are as limitless as your imagination (and time, of course).
Get the kids involved, too! Ask them what they want in their party. Most of the time with young kids, all they want is cake and ice cream, and to watch a movie. Go with it! Kids really don't need a whole lot of fancy stuff to have a great time! For my son's 3rd birthday I did more with the theme than usual. He wanted Cars. You know... the Disney Cars. So, I used some of his Cars cars (sorry... confusing, I know) and made a giant '3' cake using a square and a round cake tin, cut to shape, and decorated with icing. I made a 'road' with fondant, and put his cars on top. Then I printed signs for the other party foods (stoplight crackers, Flos Fuel, etc) and printed 4 coloring images per paper (to save on paper) for the kids to color, with dollar store stickers nearby to decorate their sheets, and dollar store cars stamps. Really, the Dollar Store is the best place to buy party stuffs for kids. I had an art station, lots of food, and it was perfect for my boy. And it only cost $5 in decorations. You can make a lot of decorations yourself to fit your theme as well... and personalized to your guest of honor.
Oh, and check out Pinterest for lots of ideas. I easily get overwhelmed with Pinterest, but it is so much fun to see all the ideas. I like to pick a few things that I can easily replicate for minimal cost. You can really make an awesome party for little money. I've never spent more than $10 for a birthday party, and the gifts I've gotten for my kids were never pricey either... which brings me to another money saving point ... gifts. Wait for sales and buy items your kids will love on sale. Or, check second hand stores and garage sales! Toys clean up really well for the most part and can be brought to 'like new' condition more often than not!
The most important thing to remember about parties is this... it's not about the decorations, the games, the food, or even the cake and presents. It's about having fun with friends and celebrating together.
I know I didn't have a lot of 'specific' money saving points in this post, but since parties are all about the individual, it's hard for me to do. The best way to save on parties is to have fun with your imagination. That's what I love about parties!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Savings Sunday - Baby
Another late Savings Sunday post. Seems I just can't blog on Sunday... but Savings Monday doesn't sound as fun, haha, and I know I won't get on here Saturdays. Ah well. We'll just say I'm always late.
This week I'll be talking about saving money where babies are concerned.
Diapers - You can save a LOT of money per month buying the store brand vs. the name brand (think Huggies or Pampers) alone, but go even further and only get them when they are on sale. For most of our diapering days, we purchased the Superstore brand of diapers at a sale price of $20-22 per box... each box containing about 150-170 diapers (depending on diaper size, of course). Another way to save is to keep your child in the smaller size as long as possible. Don't move up a size because your child can fit into them, you get less diapers per bag/box. Wait until you can really see that the diapers are too small. The weight ranges are a guideline, not a rule (I had to teach my husband that one, haha). Plus, wait until the sales are on and buy as many as you can. Sales cycle every few months as well. Buying in bulk is a good bet as well, but try to take notice of the 'cost per' part of the price tag. I know Superstore has this on their tags so you can easily compare cost per diaper/wipe for bulk vs smaller boxes or brand name vs store brand. You may not always get a better deal with a sale on a smaller quantity, but you might save a few cents per diaper that way as well.
Another way to save big is to go the cloth route. You can make your own cloth diapers, get them second hand, or buy online. I was lucky to find covers for 1/2 price at a baby store moving sale, and I got a bunch free from friends who were no longer diapering. Baby diaper detergent can be pricey as well, but there are plenty of options for making your own for pennies a load. I did my calculations and I figure that, even with going the cheapest route for disposable diapers (as I did for my other two kiddos), I'll easily save $1000-1500 by the time my third baby is two. Oh, I'm using cloth wipes as well... and not only is this a cheap, reusable route, it is more earth friendly. Especially since I make my own laundry soap which doesn't contain any chemicals or harmful ingredients for the environment. Yup... saving money AND going green! It just... takes a lot more of my time.
Baby Food - Make your own! Yup, you pay way less this way! I can get baby food on sale, 3 for $1. but I can make my own with less preservatives, less processing, and less packaging (and freeze it myself for later use) for half the cost (or less). After introducing the baby to food, I will change things up and just use our own food mashed really well, so as to reduce 'baby food making time' from what I used to do. I hated making baby food with my first (I was trying so hard to be 'by the book' and it was far too much work). With my son, we introduced him to more textures earlier on and he had no trouble handling them. I didn't bother with food in the freezer for him, he ate the same things we did. I will be doing that as much as possible with our third baby.
Nursing - This is the cheapest option over formula! Really. If you can, I highly recommend it. Sure, it means you are more tied to your baby, but it really isn't so bad. I also recommend getting a second hand pump for those odd times you'll need one. I bought mine for $10, and I hardly use it because I mostly just nurse. Formula can cost anywhere from $60-$120 per month, depending on what your baby eats and what brand you use. There are always coupons to get, and I would snap those up as much as possible if you are using the formula route.
Big Ticket Items - You can get lucky with a number of these things by waiting for sales, or getting second hand. Since we were planning on having more than one baby (I know, not all plans come to be, but still), we bought our car seat and stroller combo new (but got it at a deal... I love sales). Also, you don't need a change table. We hardly use ours. Ever. The floor is the easiest place to change a baby, and the safest. Or the bed. Or the couch. You could even make a change table on top of a normal dresser. We also bought our crib and mattress used, and managed to get a free toddler bed (meaning we needed to purchase another mattress, which we did on sale). You don't need a high chair... those boosters with multiple settings for placing on regular chairs work great and take up less space. However, it is always possible to get used high chairs, or if you can nab a really great deal, do so. We managed to get a $200 high chair brand new from Toys R Us for $50. Prior to that we were using a really old high chair that didn't fold away very well that I picked up for $10. It was falling apart, and while it served us well for 2 kids, we really didn't want to use it for number three if we could find something better.
As for Moses baskets, bassinets, swings, and pack n plays, they aren't really a necessity and take up a lot of space. If you get these items as gifts, awesome! If you feel that, after having your baby for a while, you can afford and would really love said item, get it then. Babies are born into the world with nothing, and you will find that, for the first few months, all they really need are clothes, diapers, love, and food. A dresser drawer on the floor will work just fine as a bed if needed.
Clothes - You most likely got an entire wardrobe for your baby at your showers, but otherwise, to save on clothes, buy second hand. I like to wait for bag sale day at our local thrift store. Money goes to a good cause, and I can get a bag full of clothes for $7. Garage sales are a good option, but watch out for that because some people like to charge too much for used baby gear. I've been to garage sales with items that I picked up at the local stores on sale for less... brand new!
Any pointers you can give for saving money with babies? Please feel free to tell me in the comments! I'd love to read them!
This week I'll be talking about saving money where babies are concerned.
Diapers - You can save a LOT of money per month buying the store brand vs. the name brand (think Huggies or Pampers) alone, but go even further and only get them when they are on sale. For most of our diapering days, we purchased the Superstore brand of diapers at a sale price of $20-22 per box... each box containing about 150-170 diapers (depending on diaper size, of course). Another way to save is to keep your child in the smaller size as long as possible. Don't move up a size because your child can fit into them, you get less diapers per bag/box. Wait until you can really see that the diapers are too small. The weight ranges are a guideline, not a rule (I had to teach my husband that one, haha). Plus, wait until the sales are on and buy as many as you can. Sales cycle every few months as well. Buying in bulk is a good bet as well, but try to take notice of the 'cost per' part of the price tag. I know Superstore has this on their tags so you can easily compare cost per diaper/wipe for bulk vs smaller boxes or brand name vs store brand. You may not always get a better deal with a sale on a smaller quantity, but you might save a few cents per diaper that way as well.
Another way to save big is to go the cloth route. You can make your own cloth diapers, get them second hand, or buy online. I was lucky to find covers for 1/2 price at a baby store moving sale, and I got a bunch free from friends who were no longer diapering. Baby diaper detergent can be pricey as well, but there are plenty of options for making your own for pennies a load. I did my calculations and I figure that, even with going the cheapest route for disposable diapers (as I did for my other two kiddos), I'll easily save $1000-1500 by the time my third baby is two. Oh, I'm using cloth wipes as well... and not only is this a cheap, reusable route, it is more earth friendly. Especially since I make my own laundry soap which doesn't contain any chemicals or harmful ingredients for the environment. Yup... saving money AND going green! It just... takes a lot more of my time.
Baby Food - Make your own! Yup, you pay way less this way! I can get baby food on sale, 3 for $1. but I can make my own with less preservatives, less processing, and less packaging (and freeze it myself for later use) for half the cost (or less). After introducing the baby to food, I will change things up and just use our own food mashed really well, so as to reduce 'baby food making time' from what I used to do. I hated making baby food with my first (I was trying so hard to be 'by the book' and it was far too much work). With my son, we introduced him to more textures earlier on and he had no trouble handling them. I didn't bother with food in the freezer for him, he ate the same things we did. I will be doing that as much as possible with our third baby.
Nursing - This is the cheapest option over formula! Really. If you can, I highly recommend it. Sure, it means you are more tied to your baby, but it really isn't so bad. I also recommend getting a second hand pump for those odd times you'll need one. I bought mine for $10, and I hardly use it because I mostly just nurse. Formula can cost anywhere from $60-$120 per month, depending on what your baby eats and what brand you use. There are always coupons to get, and I would snap those up as much as possible if you are using the formula route.
Big Ticket Items - You can get lucky with a number of these things by waiting for sales, or getting second hand. Since we were planning on having more than one baby (I know, not all plans come to be, but still), we bought our car seat and stroller combo new (but got it at a deal... I love sales). Also, you don't need a change table. We hardly use ours. Ever. The floor is the easiest place to change a baby, and the safest. Or the bed. Or the couch. You could even make a change table on top of a normal dresser. We also bought our crib and mattress used, and managed to get a free toddler bed (meaning we needed to purchase another mattress, which we did on sale). You don't need a high chair... those boosters with multiple settings for placing on regular chairs work great and take up less space. However, it is always possible to get used high chairs, or if you can nab a really great deal, do so. We managed to get a $200 high chair brand new from Toys R Us for $50. Prior to that we were using a really old high chair that didn't fold away very well that I picked up for $10. It was falling apart, and while it served us well for 2 kids, we really didn't want to use it for number three if we could find something better.
As for Moses baskets, bassinets, swings, and pack n plays, they aren't really a necessity and take up a lot of space. If you get these items as gifts, awesome! If you feel that, after having your baby for a while, you can afford and would really love said item, get it then. Babies are born into the world with nothing, and you will find that, for the first few months, all they really need are clothes, diapers, love, and food. A dresser drawer on the floor will work just fine as a bed if needed.
Clothes - You most likely got an entire wardrobe for your baby at your showers, but otherwise, to save on clothes, buy second hand. I like to wait for bag sale day at our local thrift store. Money goes to a good cause, and I can get a bag full of clothes for $7. Garage sales are a good option, but watch out for that because some people like to charge too much for used baby gear. I've been to garage sales with items that I picked up at the local stores on sale for less... brand new!
Any pointers you can give for saving money with babies? Please feel free to tell me in the comments! I'd love to read them!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Savings Sunday
I really want to start blogging a little more regularly, so I'm going to start a new 'series'... we'll see how long I last, haha.
Anyway, as you can see, I want to start something called 'Savings Sunday'. Basically, I will write about some tips I'm learning and attempting, or follow up on something that I've been trying as something new, that will save us money in the long run. With a family of 5, and our income not going up, along with basic living costs on the rise, I think I'll need to find even more methods to save us money.
Over the last few years I've been attempting a few things to save our family money. First thing I did was stop all the unnecessary spending so we could eliminate our debt. The amount of money you save by eliminating debt can be huge! Just $1000 in credit card debt will run you $240 in interest at 22% in one year. Yes, it is more than the $220 because you pay interest on the interest on a monthly basis. And that is only on $1000. Here are a few other things I've done that have saved us a lot, and I'm hoping these tips could help you as well.
Use your credit card - Yes, you heard right. Credit card companies don't charge monthly fees for using them like the banks do. We've saved over $15-$20 per month just by using our credit card for almost all our purchases. Not only that, but using your credit card will add value to it... by the points system it uses. Using our credit card for most purchases allows us to gain about $200 a year (or more, depending on your spending amounts) in points that can be used for whatever you need it for! (personally, I use it on groceries on months where I would otherwise be over budget). Pretty handy, if I do say so myself. Just make sure to track all your spending and pay it off every month so you don't get charged interest fees. Making a budget and tracking your spending on a weekly basis can really help in that area... just to keep you and your family on track (I notice when I'm lax on keeping track, we spend much more than usual in short order).
Reuse and Recycle - Seriously, you'd be surprised at all the things you can use that would usually head into the trash. For example, I got a bunch of organizing 'shoe boxes' for free by using the containers that package my organic greens instead! At $1.50 a piece, that is pretty nice! Especially since I buy most of my greens at 50% off and sale prices. And who needs to spend good money on toys? Why not make your own out of boxes? My kids love to play pretend store with the old boxes for awhile. Check out pinterest for other awesome ideas that cost nothing. Example, who loves shrinkydink paper? You could buy it a Michaels, or you could use the plastic packaging from food items (look for the recycling symbol 6, apparently this can be used similarly to shrinkydinks and I will be attempting this with the kids sometime soon).
Compost and Garden - something I'm NOT good at. I am attempting some new things this year however to save on groceries. There are pins all over pinterest that talk about using the groceries you buy to make your own garden (instead of paying good money on seeds). I'm trying to grow celery and spegghetti squash this year. Grabbed the seeds from the squash and will be attempting to grow them using tips I found on the web. Used the base of my celery stalk and put them into a cup of water, which I will plant later (pics I've seen show the stub growing a new stalk in the water, and then they say to plant it outside). Since my only attempt at a garden really bit the dust, I'm hoping to try this again, and maybe succeed a little better.
There are many other ways to save money as well! I hope to go into saving money with a baby, things to reduce eating out costs, bringing down your grocery bill, etc. But for now, it's time for me to head to bed.
Have any tips to share? Feel free to comment with them here!
Anyway, as you can see, I want to start something called 'Savings Sunday'. Basically, I will write about some tips I'm learning and attempting, or follow up on something that I've been trying as something new, that will save us money in the long run. With a family of 5, and our income not going up, along with basic living costs on the rise, I think I'll need to find even more methods to save us money.
Over the last few years I've been attempting a few things to save our family money. First thing I did was stop all the unnecessary spending so we could eliminate our debt. The amount of money you save by eliminating debt can be huge! Just $1000 in credit card debt will run you $240 in interest at 22% in one year. Yes, it is more than the $220 because you pay interest on the interest on a monthly basis. And that is only on $1000. Here are a few other things I've done that have saved us a lot, and I'm hoping these tips could help you as well.
Use your credit card - Yes, you heard right. Credit card companies don't charge monthly fees for using them like the banks do. We've saved over $15-$20 per month just by using our credit card for almost all our purchases. Not only that, but using your credit card will add value to it... by the points system it uses. Using our credit card for most purchases allows us to gain about $200 a year (or more, depending on your spending amounts) in points that can be used for whatever you need it for! (personally, I use it on groceries on months where I would otherwise be over budget). Pretty handy, if I do say so myself. Just make sure to track all your spending and pay it off every month so you don't get charged interest fees. Making a budget and tracking your spending on a weekly basis can really help in that area... just to keep you and your family on track (I notice when I'm lax on keeping track, we spend much more than usual in short order).
Reuse and Recycle - Seriously, you'd be surprised at all the things you can use that would usually head into the trash. For example, I got a bunch of organizing 'shoe boxes' for free by using the containers that package my organic greens instead! At $1.50 a piece, that is pretty nice! Especially since I buy most of my greens at 50% off and sale prices. And who needs to spend good money on toys? Why not make your own out of boxes? My kids love to play pretend store with the old boxes for awhile. Check out pinterest for other awesome ideas that cost nothing. Example, who loves shrinkydink paper? You could buy it a Michaels, or you could use the plastic packaging from food items (look for the recycling symbol 6, apparently this can be used similarly to shrinkydinks and I will be attempting this with the kids sometime soon).
Compost and Garden - something I'm NOT good at. I am attempting some new things this year however to save on groceries. There are pins all over pinterest that talk about using the groceries you buy to make your own garden (instead of paying good money on seeds). I'm trying to grow celery and spegghetti squash this year. Grabbed the seeds from the squash and will be attempting to grow them using tips I found on the web. Used the base of my celery stalk and put them into a cup of water, which I will plant later (pics I've seen show the stub growing a new stalk in the water, and then they say to plant it outside). Since my only attempt at a garden really bit the dust, I'm hoping to try this again, and maybe succeed a little better.
There are many other ways to save money as well! I hope to go into saving money with a baby, things to reduce eating out costs, bringing down your grocery bill, etc. But for now, it's time for me to head to bed.
Have any tips to share? Feel free to comment with them here!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Frugal Friday
I was able to FINALLY go garage saling yesturday. Dropped M off at her cousin's house (Thanks, E), and headed off with some friends and Bram (who thankfully slept the whole time). I got a lot more than I have in a long time... and was thrilled with the deals!
So, that's my garage saling trip! Woo! I wanna go again... but not too soon. I think I'd like to spend time scrapbooking, when I get the chance. I have some catching up to do.
Oh, and a garage saling tip... if you don't know what you are going to do with an item, don't bother buying it. It won't serve you well if you do and you will probably want to get rid of it shortly. Plus, you lived this long without it, if you aren't sure, why add to your collection of stuff at home? I've saved myself lots of money garage saling using this tip, and I've never missed the items I never bought.
That said... if something is a steal and you know you'll use it, and if you have the money/space for it... by all means! ;)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Happy Earth Day
I'm gonna keep this post short and sweet, since my hubby is ready for us to start the movie yet again. We're watching Avatar tonight. So far, it's really good!
Happy Earth Day! I normally don't 'celebrate' Earth day. I try to be 'green' year round, and normally I just don't take note of the date on the calendar. However, this year I had a couple of goals (on my 101 list) that were under the 'environment' section that I wanted to try to do ON Earth day. I didn't do them both, but I did do a few things to 'be green'.
How many of you look at the ditch next to your house? I don't usually do so, but a couple of years ago (when I walked along the highway on a regular basis) I noticed the trash that littered the ditch and thought it was disgusting. Now, where I live, either YOU take care of the trash in your ditch, or nobody does. Really. I've never seen anybody pick up trash along the highway next to our mile. There's nothing but fields (and we are the only house on the entire mile stretch on that side of the highway). So, I made it one of my goals to pick up the trash over that whole mile. Well... I didn't do the entire mile. Technically it is only our responsibility next to our property. I DID do the entire half mile west of our driveway... all by myself. Burned myself a bit too (that'll teach me not to put sunscreen on... sigh). Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. And I already put stuff on it. Oh, and I decided after going all the way to the mile road the one way and filling up one bag just picking up garbage on the 'field side' of the water (there was very little water in the ditch, thankfully), that I was going to do the 'road side' using the gator as my ride so I didn't have to haul a half full garbage bag everywhere. Made the job much easier. It still took 2.5 hours, total. And I feel like I should do ditch on the east side of our driveway as well... although since my brother in law shares the driveway and lives on that side, maybe he should do it instead... (ha ha ha).
I have to wonder what people thought seeing a 9 month pregnant woman picking up garbage in the ditch...
Anyway, today I also did a little yard work (ok, mainly watering flowers) and aired out some foam for the baby's cradle, and for an old chair of mine. It's being reused! I used it as a child, and now it's been cleaned, fixed (there was a hole... I mended it today), and set up for my daughter to use! And she loves it!
And the highlight (for my husband at least)... homemade pizza (with whole wheat crust). Mmmmm mmm. (and it only cost us $2 in the end... for the meat! Crust costs pennies, the meat was in the half-off bin, and we got the cheese for free! And mushrooms and peppers need to be used up before they go bad, although I think they cost about $1... so a $3 large pizza! Woo! Money savvy or what?)
I think I deserve a break. :)
Maybe I'll be able to get a clothesline this week to put up next week! I'd like that!
So, how'd you 'celebrate' Earth day? I'd love to know!
Have a great Friday everyone (since Thursday is almost done).
Happy Earth Day! I normally don't 'celebrate' Earth day. I try to be 'green' year round, and normally I just don't take note of the date on the calendar. However, this year I had a couple of goals (on my 101 list) that were under the 'environment' section that I wanted to try to do ON Earth day. I didn't do them both, but I did do a few things to 'be green'.
How many of you look at the ditch next to your house? I don't usually do so, but a couple of years ago (when I walked along the highway on a regular basis) I noticed the trash that littered the ditch and thought it was disgusting. Now, where I live, either YOU take care of the trash in your ditch, or nobody does. Really. I've never seen anybody pick up trash along the highway next to our mile. There's nothing but fields (and we are the only house on the entire mile stretch on that side of the highway). So, I made it one of my goals to pick up the trash over that whole mile. Well... I didn't do the entire mile. Technically it is only our responsibility next to our property. I DID do the entire half mile west of our driveway... all by myself. Burned myself a bit too (that'll teach me not to put sunscreen on... sigh). Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. And I already put stuff on it. Oh, and I decided after going all the way to the mile road the one way and filling up one bag just picking up garbage on the 'field side' of the water (there was very little water in the ditch, thankfully), that I was going to do the 'road side' using the gator as my ride so I didn't have to haul a half full garbage bag everywhere. Made the job much easier. It still took 2.5 hours, total. And I feel like I should do ditch on the east side of our driveway as well... although since my brother in law shares the driveway and lives on that side, maybe he should do it instead... (ha ha ha).
I have to wonder what people thought seeing a 9 month pregnant woman picking up garbage in the ditch...
Anyway, today I also did a little yard work (ok, mainly watering flowers) and aired out some foam for the baby's cradle, and for an old chair of mine. It's being reused! I used it as a child, and now it's been cleaned, fixed (there was a hole... I mended it today), and set up for my daughter to use! And she loves it!
And the highlight (for my husband at least)... homemade pizza (with whole wheat crust). Mmmmm mmm. (and it only cost us $2 in the end... for the meat! Crust costs pennies, the meat was in the half-off bin, and we got the cheese for free! And mushrooms and peppers need to be used up before they go bad, although I think they cost about $1... so a $3 large pizza! Woo! Money savvy or what?)
I think I deserve a break. :)
Maybe I'll be able to get a clothesline this week to put up next week! I'd like that!
So, how'd you 'celebrate' Earth day? I'd love to know!
Have a great Friday everyone (since Thursday is almost done).
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Grape Stains
Have you ever had to deal with a grape juice stain?
I hadn't... until today.
I always understood that they were impossible to get clean... at least that is how it sounded when I was little. I don't think we ever had grape juice while wearing nice clothes. Ever. Or any other red juice for that matter. It was just that 'taboo'.
Well... I got my first taste of grape juice on clothes today.
The Background
We went to Superstore to pick up a few things... and they happened to have some juice tests there. My husband thought it would be a great idea to try some... and to let Baby M have some too. She is one. She doesn't drink from cups... at least not successfully. She wasn't in the best mood. She spilled the entire contents of the 'cup' all over her brand new, hadn't even been washed a second time (because I wash all her clothes before she gets a chance to wear them) pants. Corduroy pants. You know... the ones that are super difficult to scrub?
Yeah. And new. I don't buy new clothes often (usually second hand, and then it wouldn't have been such a big deal).
I was NOT happy. And being the wonderful, caring, wife that I am... I didn't react very nicely... oops. My husband felt terrible... and I really wish I would have reacted a little different. After all, they're just pants, right? And it's just juice, right? Pants can be cleaned... right?
Ugh.
The Work
After we got home (it had been maybe 1-2 hours... tops), I stripped my daughter, put her down for a nap, and proceeded to work on the stain. I got some lye soap from a friend, and attempted to scrub the stain out with it (that stuff can work wonders... on oil stains). Nothing. I scrubbed again. Nope. I researched it online.
Apparently boiling water and pouring it on the stain works really well.
Willing to try anything, I grabbed my kettle, filled it up, and started boiling water. The whistle went, and I set to pouring it over the purple stain. It lightened... considerably!
I was impressed!
I put the rest of the water in a bowl and set the stained portion of pant into it. After maybe 30 seconds, it was hardly there at all!
Excellent!
I remembered reading somewhere that lemon juice can help remove other organic stains, so I grabbed the lemon juice from the fridge next to me and poured a bit over the rest of the stain.
Gone!
Like magic!
No more juice!
The Lesson
I LOVE this tip! I am SO glad I found this out online... which is why I'm sharing it with all of you. Apparently this works wonders with all sorts of red/purple juice stains.
Who'd have thought pouring boiling water or another fruit juice over a current juice stain would remove it? Man... who needs expensive stain removers?
Oh, and another tip, one I've known for years... don't put a stained garment in the dryer. It will set the stain into the fibers. Just so you know (although you probably know anyway).
I hadn't... until today.
I always understood that they were impossible to get clean... at least that is how it sounded when I was little. I don't think we ever had grape juice while wearing nice clothes. Ever. Or any other red juice for that matter. It was just that 'taboo'.
Well... I got my first taste of grape juice on clothes today.
The Background
We went to Superstore to pick up a few things... and they happened to have some juice tests there. My husband thought it would be a great idea to try some... and to let Baby M have some too. She is one. She doesn't drink from cups... at least not successfully. She wasn't in the best mood. She spilled the entire contents of the 'cup' all over her brand new, hadn't even been washed a second time (because I wash all her clothes before she gets a chance to wear them) pants. Corduroy pants. You know... the ones that are super difficult to scrub?
Yeah. And new. I don't buy new clothes often (usually second hand, and then it wouldn't have been such a big deal).
I was NOT happy. And being the wonderful, caring, wife that I am... I didn't react very nicely... oops. My husband felt terrible... and I really wish I would have reacted a little different. After all, they're just pants, right? And it's just juice, right? Pants can be cleaned... right?
Ugh.
The Work
After we got home (it had been maybe 1-2 hours... tops), I stripped my daughter, put her down for a nap, and proceeded to work on the stain. I got some lye soap from a friend, and attempted to scrub the stain out with it (that stuff can work wonders... on oil stains). Nothing. I scrubbed again. Nope. I researched it online.
Apparently boiling water and pouring it on the stain works really well.
Willing to try anything, I grabbed my kettle, filled it up, and started boiling water. The whistle went, and I set to pouring it over the purple stain. It lightened... considerably!
I was impressed!
I put the rest of the water in a bowl and set the stained portion of pant into it. After maybe 30 seconds, it was hardly there at all!
Excellent!
I remembered reading somewhere that lemon juice can help remove other organic stains, so I grabbed the lemon juice from the fridge next to me and poured a bit over the rest of the stain.
Gone!
Like magic!
No more juice!
The Lesson
I LOVE this tip! I am SO glad I found this out online... which is why I'm sharing it with all of you. Apparently this works wonders with all sorts of red/purple juice stains.
Who'd have thought pouring boiling water or another fruit juice over a current juice stain would remove it? Man... who needs expensive stain removers?
Oh, and another tip, one I've known for years... don't put a stained garment in the dryer. It will set the stain into the fibers. Just so you know (although you probably know anyway).
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Time to be Frugal
For Baby M's birthday, I decided that since she really doesn't care about new toys or anything, we'd save ourselves a bit of money and I'd buy her something (if I found it) at a garage sale. Well, I found it! Blocks! Lots and lots of blocks. Mega blocks and some... other ones... they look like giant Lego's. They came in a nice container as well. Total cost for all the blocks in the photo below (and the blue container you can see in the back) was $7. We'll be saving the 'smaller' ones for another time.
Anyway, since I got these from garage sales, I didn't want to just give them to her the way they were. Some looked quite grimy. So... I took to washing them.
I've read where people have put them in a pillowcase in the washer, or dishwasher, or whatever, but I read on the site that this could potentially damage either the blocks or the appliance and was not really recommended. So, I filled one sink with sudsy water, and another with vinegar water (since the vinegar is a natural disinfectant and cleaning agent).
One and a half hours later, the blocks were all scrubbed, soaked in the vinegar for a while, thoroughly rinsed, and placed on towels to dry.
Now for her to enjoy them! :)
Oh, and the vinegar water? I didn't wash it down the sink right away... no... instead I used it to wash the sink first! Made it nice and shiny (made sure to rinse it all off though because it is acidic). Clean blocks and clean sink... what more could a girl ask for (except not having to do it herself, ha ha).
Anyway, since I got these from garage sales, I didn't want to just give them to her the way they were. Some looked quite grimy. So... I took to washing them.
I've read where people have put them in a pillowcase in the washer, or dishwasher, or whatever, but I read on the site that this could potentially damage either the blocks or the appliance and was not really recommended. So, I filled one sink with sudsy water, and another with vinegar water (since the vinegar is a natural disinfectant and cleaning agent).
One and a half hours later, the blocks were all scrubbed, soaked in the vinegar for a while, thoroughly rinsed, and placed on towels to dry.
Now for her to enjoy them! :)Oh, and the vinegar water? I didn't wash it down the sink right away... no... instead I used it to wash the sink first! Made it nice and shiny (made sure to rinse it all off though because it is acidic). Clean blocks and clean sink... what more could a girl ask for (except not having to do it herself, ha ha).
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Potato Wrapping
The other day we were invited to a birthday party. The little guy was turning 1, so I couldn't resist buying him a present... and then later realised that all the wrapping paper and gift bags I had were girly! That wouldn't do! So, I decided to make my own.
Making your own wrapping paper is cheap, easy, and green! Reuse old newspapers (I like using the comic pages... great for teens) and then decorate them with a nice bow... or string works too. Get the kids involved and cut out all sorts of shapes out of construction paper to glue to the package. Use old paper bags and decorate them. Or, do what I did... use some white paper (drop paper? I'm not sure what it is called but you pick it up in a large roll for cheap) and stamp it.
To make potato stamps, take an old potato (mine were no longer fit for eating... oops... so I grabbed one for this project), cut it in half whatever way you like, and then with a knife, cut out whatever shape you want. You can make a template if you wish on paper. Cut out the portions you don't want to stamp, and then grab the paint! You can dip them in the paint or brush it on, whatever works best for you. Kids would love this type of project (just get mommy or daddy to work with the knife, ok?). Who doesn't love stamping? And who doesn't love designing their own stamps?
Enjoy, and have fun saving money!
Edit: I just linked up at Gaerte Gang for Homemade Christmas and also to The Snail's Trail: Handmade Holidays 2009! Be sure to head down there and check it out.
Making your own wrapping paper is cheap, easy, and green! Reuse old newspapers (I like using the comic pages... great for teens) and then decorate them with a nice bow... or string works too. Get the kids involved and cut out all sorts of shapes out of construction paper to glue to the package. Use old paper bags and decorate them. Or, do what I did... use some white paper (drop paper? I'm not sure what it is called but you pick it up in a large roll for cheap) and stamp it.
To make potato stamps, take an old potato (mine were no longer fit for eating... oops... so I grabbed one for this project), cut it in half whatever way you like, and then with a knife, cut out whatever shape you want. You can make a template if you wish on paper. Cut out the portions you don't want to stamp, and then grab the paint! You can dip them in the paint or brush it on, whatever works best for you. Kids would love this type of project (just get mommy or daddy to work with the knife, ok?). Who doesn't love stamping? And who doesn't love designing their own stamps?
Enjoy, and have fun saving money!
Edit: I just linked up at Gaerte Gang for Homemade Christmas and also to The Snail's Trail: Handmade Holidays 2009! Be sure to head down there and check it out.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tips with Vinegar
I've noticed that a lot of cleaning supplies are quite useless. I've also noticed that they are expensive. Did you know the only cleaning supplies I've really bought in the last number of years have been toilet bowl cleaner (mainly because I hate scrubbing with my gloves) and dish/dishwasher soap (oh, and laundry detergent, but that's not really a cleaning supply... is it?). I've found that instead of paying a fortune on things that are designated with one cleaning use only, there is vinegar. There are so many uses for vinegar, it's hard to know where to start. I've done a number of things with mine that I will share here.
I use vinegar to clean rust and hard water deposits from sinks, faucets, and other areas. I soaked some cloths in vinegar (and water mix... 1:1 ratio) and put it on my hot water tank were a lot of limescale had developed, using a plastic bag over top and a rubber band to seal it. Limescale be gone! I also used vinegar to clean out my brita... see photo below.
Without realizing it, in the process, I had made my sink all super shiny! Bonus!
Vinegar can be used for rashes and as an antiseptic. It's non toxic so it's good for babies and young kids who might try to suck on whatever you gave them. Also, I recently read something else I'm planning on doing soon... mixing vinegar (1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water), putting in a spray bottle, and using it to clean the harmful chemicals off your produce. Just spray, then rinse with water! Sounds easier than scrubbing and cheaper than buying that produce specific stuff.
Vinegar is a great deodorizer too. Using it to help clean your fridge is great as it gets rid of bacteria. I also like to store some baking soda in my fridge to eliminate odor.
My mom used to clean windows using vinegar and newspaper. What a way to recycle (and save some cash too).
There are many many other uses for white AND apple cider vinegars out there. Try looking at Vinegar Tips 101 or 62 Little Known Uses for Vinegar! There sure are some interesting things in there.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tips with Food
I don't know about you, but there are various things that I often find we tend to throw out of our kitchens when they aren't necessarily bad and can still be salvaged in some way. So, here I have some tips that will hopefully save our food... and our money! (wink wink)
Homemade Shake n bake
So, I recently found something to do with those crumbs that always appear at the bottom of my cracker bags. I LOVE crackers, so they are a staple in our house. Now, they quite often have lots of crumbs at the bottom... not loving those so much, until now. I recently made some popcorn shrimp and wanted to make my own breading instead of using that shake n bake stuff. So... out come the bottom-of-the-bag crumbs. Just save them all (chips, crackers, you name it)! Put them in a ziplock and use the rolling pin on it. Then add spices as you like for your own homemade shake n bake!
Sour Cream
There are lots of recipes out there that use sour cream, and when you bake it into something it really doesn't matter if it's a bit past the expiry date. So, when getting a bit close to the expiration on the label, try baking it into something... like sour cream coffee cake!
Bananas
I find bananas quickly get overripe for me to eat... so I like to bake them into things. Well, you can freeze them easily for that purpose... I prefer to peel them first and put them into a bag so all I need to do is dump them right into the batter! And to keep the bananas from ripening too quickly, separate them. I don't know why, but it seems that when they aren't in as close contact to each other, they ripen a bit slower.
Bacon
Sometimes we have some bacon that isn't eaten after we've made it... so, turn it into bacon bits! Ready for the next salad... mmmm.
Bread Ends
How many of us really care for those bread crust end pieces (ok, besides me)? Dry them out and use them in recipes that ask for bread crumbs! You can also use them in making shake n bake. I like using them to make meatballs or hamburgers.
Old veggies/fruit
I haven't yet started doing this myself, but it IS in my 101 list. Compost it! Yup, all those veggies and fruits that don't look too edible in your fridge would make some great compost for your garden! Nothing like turning veggies into veggies... or flowers... haha.
Yogurt toppings
I love Shreddies, and they often have crumblies at the bottom that don't go so well with my milk (can you say soggy and gross?). Blech. So, I started saving these and putting them on my yogurt. Great to add a bit of crunch... and fiber.
So, I hope these little tidbits help!
Homemade Shake n bake
So, I recently found something to do with those crumbs that always appear at the bottom of my cracker bags. I LOVE crackers, so they are a staple in our house. Now, they quite often have lots of crumbs at the bottom... not loving those so much, until now. I recently made some popcorn shrimp and wanted to make my own breading instead of using that shake n bake stuff. So... out come the bottom-of-the-bag crumbs. Just save them all (chips, crackers, you name it)! Put them in a ziplock and use the rolling pin on it. Then add spices as you like for your own homemade shake n bake!
Sour Cream
There are lots of recipes out there that use sour cream, and when you bake it into something it really doesn't matter if it's a bit past the expiry date. So, when getting a bit close to the expiration on the label, try baking it into something... like sour cream coffee cake!
Bananas
I find bananas quickly get overripe for me to eat... so I like to bake them into things. Well, you can freeze them easily for that purpose... I prefer to peel them first and put them into a bag so all I need to do is dump them right into the batter! And to keep the bananas from ripening too quickly, separate them. I don't know why, but it seems that when they aren't in as close contact to each other, they ripen a bit slower.
Bacon
Sometimes we have some bacon that isn't eaten after we've made it... so, turn it into bacon bits! Ready for the next salad... mmmm.
Bread Ends
How many of us really care for those bread crust end pieces (ok, besides me)? Dry them out and use them in recipes that ask for bread crumbs! You can also use them in making shake n bake. I like using them to make meatballs or hamburgers.
Old veggies/fruit
I haven't yet started doing this myself, but it IS in my 101 list. Compost it! Yup, all those veggies and fruits that don't look too edible in your fridge would make some great compost for your garden! Nothing like turning veggies into veggies... or flowers... haha.
Yogurt toppings
I love Shreddies, and they often have crumblies at the bottom that don't go so well with my milk (can you say soggy and gross?). Blech. So, I started saving these and putting them on my yogurt. Great to add a bit of crunch... and fiber.
So, I hope these little tidbits help!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tidbits
I've got some tidbits for you that I found today. I get these "green bits" in my email inbox and one thing they mentioned was dryer balls vs. dryer sheets. I have a pair of dryer balls myself, got them from my mom-in-law, and I like them. They don't get rid of all the static cling, but I haven't been using dryer sheets now in awhile, and I refuse to use them in summer. Did you know the chemicals from dryer sheets can cause allergic skin reactions in some people? They also cling to your lint trap, preventing air from moving through it properly, and in some cases can cause fires because of trapped air. Yup. Have you cleaned your lint trap lately?
Note: I recieved this in my email a number of months ago:
"INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box. Well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very longtime (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!"
I actually tested my lint trap and found out that yup... my water wasn't flowing through it like it should, so I cleaned it with a toothbrush and soapy water till the water flowed through. My drying time has decreased significantly since then... I did this last year and since I've only used maybe 10 dryer sheets since then, havent bothered doing it again... although maybe I will when this load is done. Anyway, there was a link to buy wool yarn dryer balls, and another link to make them yourself! I haven't tried it yet, but maybe I will someday. I like the idea of being a little greener and saving money at the same time!
I've also been looking into getting rid of old cell phones. We don't use them, they sit around and collect dust... why not donate them to someone who can use them? I can't seem to find anything online for our area (I'll have to just go to the local charities and ask), but I did find something for computers (and their components) in our area. And they will even give you a tax reciept! Awesome!
Now to go through a few more areas of my house and declutter. I wanna post my pounds on Flylady's site! I also figured I should declutter facebook... so I went through the list of applications I had authorised and got rid of over 50! So, now I only have 20 apps! Whew! I challenge you to declutter something! It feels awesome!
Anyway, off to purge some magazines!
Note: I recieved this in my email a number of months ago:
"INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box. Well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very longtime (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!"
I actually tested my lint trap and found out that yup... my water wasn't flowing through it like it should, so I cleaned it with a toothbrush and soapy water till the water flowed through. My drying time has decreased significantly since then... I did this last year and since I've only used maybe 10 dryer sheets since then, havent bothered doing it again... although maybe I will when this load is done. Anyway, there was a link to buy wool yarn dryer balls, and another link to make them yourself! I haven't tried it yet, but maybe I will someday. I like the idea of being a little greener and saving money at the same time!
I've also been looking into getting rid of old cell phones. We don't use them, they sit around and collect dust... why not donate them to someone who can use them? I can't seem to find anything online for our area (I'll have to just go to the local charities and ask), but I did find something for computers (and their components) in our area. And they will even give you a tax reciept! Awesome!
Now to go through a few more areas of my house and declutter. I wanna post my pounds on Flylady's site! I also figured I should declutter facebook... so I went through the list of applications I had authorised and got rid of over 50! So, now I only have 20 apps! Whew! I challenge you to declutter something! It feels awesome!
Anyway, off to purge some magazines!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Treat your Sweety
Ideas for a Frugal Valentine’s!
I can hardly believe the stuff I see advertised to sell as Valentine’s Day gift ideas. Crazy! Last year it is estimated that people spent an average of $122 per person, and this year they estimate over $100 per person average (click here for more info). That’s a lot of spending!
I figured, hmm, why not post a few frugal ideas for celebrating Valentine’s and treating that special someone without breaking the bank?
Our first Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be neat to go to Hawaii… in our living room. So, for only a few bucks I decorated our living room by purchasing blue and green crepe paper and hung it in strips. Using construction paper I made some fish, etc to put on the ‘crepe water’, and some leaves for on our TV. I grabbed any shells and put them in the room, and put a towel on the floor for us to eat on. And buy a pineapple! That’s the best part! Mmmmm.
On our second Valentine’s day together I decided to go a little crazy… made a “14 days of Valentine’s”. Don’t bother going that crazy! It was insane (although very memorable for Chuck. He still comments on it). Here are some of the things done… all very cheap.
Sweetheart Cookie Messages:
Make some white cookies, cut into heart shapes and decorate with pink icing. Then use white icing in a decorator’s tube (or a small plastic bag with a hole in the corner) to write sweet messages on them. You can have some fun and use a huge heart shape for the messages with some small tiny hearts to ‘add’ on top as decorations too.
Love Dice:
Take two 1inch wooden cubes, paint them red or pink or whatever you like, and turn them into dice. Things like numbers on one and hug, kiss, cuddle, movie, stuff like that could be on the dice. Be creative!
Sweets:
A great way to save is to buy candies when they go on sale. Hershey’s hugs and kisses are great, and they go on sale after Christmas, so it’s great to stock up on those. Use the red and silver ones for Valentine’s. The green ones can be saved for St. Patrick’s Day. You can make rosebuds from kisses. Stick two kisses bottom sides together, wrap some green wire around them for a stem. Wrap red tissue paper around the kisses to make the bud. Green tape can be used around the base by the stem to make the bottom of the bud. Add some silk leaves to the stem with green tape. Voila, chocolate roses (sorry, I don’t have any pics). Also, it is kind of fun to make little ‘containers’ for candies. Melt some chocolate into heart shaped silicon ice cube trays. You can buy them at dollar stores. Have them in the freezer first to make cold and the chocolate will chill down the sides or make a heart shape out of tinfoil for your melted chocolate.
Fortune Cookies:
You can find some recipe’s here.
Allrecipes.com
Chinesefood.about.com
Make your own messages and wrap them in your homemade cookies. Your sweety will love it!
Coupons:
Make love coupons of sorts. “Watch a movie with you of your choice”, or maybe different chores that your significant other (or even parent) does, maybe make them redeemable for “one hug” or “one kiss” or a night out with the girls/boys. Be creative.
Balloon Message:
Write your sweety’s name on balloons, one letter per balloon. Write messages on little pieces of paper and put them in the balloons before you blow them up. For each balloon, put things in there that start with that letter. Assemble them so they spell his/her name. Put a note with a pin next to it telling your sweetheart to pop the balloons and read the messages! If you want, you could make a puzzle out of it with numbers on the back sides of words that have to be assembled in order to read the message. Have fun!
Cookie Bouquet:
Make large heart shaped cookies on sticks and decorate them. Poke them in Styrofoam in a terra cotta pot decorated with heart shaped themed paper. Really cute and fun to eat!
Hidden Messages:
Cut some hearts out of construction paper and write, “I love you” in different languages. Have some fun with them... hide them around the house, decorate them, get creative. You can find different languages of 'love' below.
Columbia.edu
Buzzle.com
Another idea, one I haven’t yet done, is find some heart shaped sticky notes and write all sorts of sweet things on them, placing them in various places in the house, car, or in your sweetheart’s lunch bag or briefcase. My dad was a trucker, and I decided one year to write various Bible verses and things I loved about him on little papers and placed them in various places in his semi and duffel bag. He loved it as he was finding more of them weeks later.
Baked goods:
Besides the fun cookie ideas, make a tic-tac-toe brownie pan. Use white chocolate to make X’s and O’s on the brownies. Or, make a special heart shaped cake.
For Kids:
Kids valentines go on sale after Valentine's Day, so grab a bunch for next year! You can save yourself quite a bit that way (as long as you remember where you put them)! Or, have fun making homemade valentines from construction paper, sparkles, lace, ribbon, stamps, stickers, or whatever else you have in the house. You could even have your child give a sweet message cookie! Have them decorate the cookies for their friends, and wrap them in saran wrap. Tie with a ribbon for fun... even add a tag to them to put their name on it. What is better than a valentine you can eat?
Other ideas:
Make a restaurant out of your dining room. Use candles, make a special dinner and serve your special someone, or your family. If you have kids, you and your spouse could do that for them… kids love that sort of thing. Make one of their favorite meals and serve it to them in special dishes. Dress up if that’s your thing. Make food in heart shapes, or add red food coloring. Make pancakes for breakfast and add strawberries… they’ll turn the batter pink. Cut into heart shapes for fun. Or, just make something homemade for your sweety. It could be anything, as homemade gifts come from the heart! Homemade candles (melt wax from crayons or purchased at a craft store into different containers with a wick in the center... experiment with containers), paper crafts, fancy homemade valentines, bath salts (you can get the ingredients from a craft store) in a home decorated container, the possibilities are endless!
So, anybody have some of their own ideas? Tell me about them by leaving a comment!
I can hardly believe the stuff I see advertised to sell as Valentine’s Day gift ideas. Crazy! Last year it is estimated that people spent an average of $122 per person, and this year they estimate over $100 per person average (click here for more info). That’s a lot of spending!I figured, hmm, why not post a few frugal ideas for celebrating Valentine’s and treating that special someone without breaking the bank?
Our first Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be neat to go to Hawaii… in our living room. So, for only a few bucks I decorated our living room by purchasing blue and green crepe paper and hung it in strips. Using construction paper I made some fish, etc to put on the ‘crepe water’, and some leaves for on our TV. I grabbed any shells and put them in the room, and put a towel on the floor for us to eat on. And buy a pineapple! That’s the best part! Mmmmm.
On our second Valentine’s day together I decided to go a little crazy… made a “14 days of Valentine’s”. Don’t bother going that crazy! It was insane (although very memorable for Chuck. He still comments on it). Here are some of the things done… all very cheap.
Sweetheart Cookie Messages:Make some white cookies, cut into heart shapes and decorate with pink icing. Then use white icing in a decorator’s tube (or a small plastic bag with a hole in the corner) to write sweet messages on them. You can have some fun and use a huge heart shape for the messages with some small tiny hearts to ‘add’ on top as decorations too.
Love Dice:
Take two 1inch wooden cubes, paint them red or pink or whatever you like, and turn them into dice. Things like numbers on one and hug, kiss, cuddle, movie, stuff like that could be on the dice. Be creative!
Sweets:A great way to save is to buy candies when they go on sale. Hershey’s hugs and kisses are great, and they go on sale after Christmas, so it’s great to stock up on those. Use the red and silver ones for Valentine’s. The green ones can be saved for St. Patrick’s Day. You can make rosebuds from kisses. Stick two kisses bottom sides together, wrap some green wire around them for a stem. Wrap red tissue paper around the kisses to make the bud. Green tape can be used around the base by the stem to make the bottom of the bud. Add some silk leaves to the stem with green tape. Voila, chocolate roses (sorry, I don’t have any pics). Also, it is kind of fun to make little ‘containers’ for candies. Melt some chocolate into heart shaped silicon ice cube trays. You can buy them at dollar stores. Have them in the freezer first to make cold and the chocolate will chill down the sides or make a heart shape out of tinfoil for your melted chocolate.
Fortune Cookies:You can find some recipe’s here.
Allrecipes.com
Chinesefood.about.com
Make your own messages and wrap them in your homemade cookies. Your sweety will love it!
Coupons:
Make love coupons of sorts. “Watch a movie with you of your choice”, or maybe different chores that your significant other (or even parent) does, maybe make them redeemable for “one hug” or “one kiss” or a night out with the girls/boys. Be creative.
Balloon Message:
Write your sweety’s name on balloons, one letter per balloon. Write messages on little pieces of paper and put them in the balloons before you blow them up. For each balloon, put things in there that start with that letter. Assemble them so they spell his/her name. Put a note with a pin next to it telling your sweetheart to pop the balloons and read the messages! If you want, you could make a puzzle out of it with numbers on the back sides of words that have to be assembled in order to read the message. Have fun!
Cookie Bouquet:Make large heart shaped cookies on sticks and decorate them. Poke them in Styrofoam in a terra cotta pot decorated with heart shaped themed paper. Really cute and fun to eat!
Hidden Messages:
Cut some hearts out of construction paper and write, “I love you” in different languages. Have some fun with them... hide them around the house, decorate them, get creative. You can find different languages of 'love' below.
Columbia.edu
Buzzle.com
Another idea, one I haven’t yet done, is find some heart shaped sticky notes and write all sorts of sweet things on them, placing them in various places in the house, car, or in your sweetheart’s lunch bag or briefcase. My dad was a trucker, and I decided one year to write various Bible verses and things I loved about him on little papers and placed them in various places in his semi and duffel bag. He loved it as he was finding more of them weeks later.
Baked goods:Besides the fun cookie ideas, make a tic-tac-toe brownie pan. Use white chocolate to make X’s and O’s on the brownies. Or, make a special heart shaped cake.
For Kids:
Kids valentines go on sale after Valentine's Day, so grab a bunch for next year! You can save yourself quite a bit that way (as long as you remember where you put them)! Or, have fun making homemade valentines from construction paper, sparkles, lace, ribbon, stamps, stickers, or whatever else you have in the house. You could even have your child give a sweet message cookie! Have them decorate the cookies for their friends, and wrap them in saran wrap. Tie with a ribbon for fun... even add a tag to them to put their name on it. What is better than a valentine you can eat?
Other ideas:Make a restaurant out of your dining room. Use candles, make a special dinner and serve your special someone, or your family. If you have kids, you and your spouse could do that for them… kids love that sort of thing. Make one of their favorite meals and serve it to them in special dishes. Dress up if that’s your thing. Make food in heart shapes, or add red food coloring. Make pancakes for breakfast and add strawberries… they’ll turn the batter pink. Cut into heart shapes for fun. Or, just make something homemade for your sweety. It could be anything, as homemade gifts come from the heart! Homemade candles (melt wax from crayons or purchased at a craft store into different containers with a wick in the center... experiment with containers), paper crafts, fancy homemade valentines, bath salts (you can get the ingredients from a craft store) in a home decorated container, the possibilities are endless!
So, anybody have some of their own ideas? Tell me about them by leaving a comment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)