Good day to all!
Found money, isn't that what everyone wants?
Now this is not about the loose change on the floorboard of your car or under the couch cushions. This is about a minimum of $10.00 per week. That sounds really great. I know you want to know where this money is located.
It is in your gas tank. Yes, your tank. It hasn't been more than three or four months ago gas was about $1.00 higher per gallon than it is today. So if you buy ten gallons of gas that is $10.00. If you have more than one car well that is even more money.
Here is the thing, we just don't realize we have gained that amount of money. Think about it $10.00 per week and there are four weeks in a month. Wow! That's $40.00 per month. This Thrifty Sissy can do wonders with $40.00.
The gift giving season is upon us. Besides all our family and friends we want to buy for there are so many worthy causes to help. Some areas which could always use help are the Rescue Mission, the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Help Center and of course Big Brothers. While there is no end to areas that need a donation, there is always a shortage of money for them. The savings we are having in the gas department is a wonderful opportunity we have been given to be able to help those in need.
So how about it? What will you do with your found money this week?
Be thrifty!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Sweater Pillow
Thrifty day to all!
With all this cold weather we are bringing out our sweaters. A lot of the department stores are featuring sweater pillows to the tune of $18.00 to $119.00 depending on the size. Good grief! It's a sweater for goodness sake. I really like them but oh, the price.
A couple of months ago while I was visiting different yard sales I found a really nice cable knit sweater for $2.00. With the sweater pillow in mind I made sure it didn't get way. Then at the next yard sale someone had a lot of sewing and craft items. Right in the middle of a box of material there were two brand new pillow forms for $2.50 each (These are $6.00-$10.00 at Joann). I scooped them up and headed back home to see what I could do about making a sweater pillow.
I really wanted to make two pillows but I just couldn't figure out what kind of material to put on the back of them so I just made one and used the entire body of the sweater front and back. After I cut the sweater out to match the pillow size I used my serger to stitch it up so it wouldn't ravel.
Here are some pictures of the process and the finished pillow. Total cost of the pillow was $5.50. You may have some old sweaters you don't want anymore and this would be a good way to use them. If you don't have any Goodwill is always an option. These would make a good Christmas gift.
With all this cold weather we are bringing out our sweaters. A lot of the department stores are featuring sweater pillows to the tune of $18.00 to $119.00 depending on the size. Good grief! It's a sweater for goodness sake. I really like them but oh, the price.
A couple of months ago while I was visiting different yard sales I found a really nice cable knit sweater for $2.00. With the sweater pillow in mind I made sure it didn't get way. Then at the next yard sale someone had a lot of sewing and craft items. Right in the middle of a box of material there were two brand new pillow forms for $2.50 each (These are $6.00-$10.00 at Joann). I scooped them up and headed back home to see what I could do about making a sweater pillow.
I really wanted to make two pillows but I just couldn't figure out what kind of material to put on the back of them so I just made one and used the entire body of the sweater front and back. After I cut the sweater out to match the pillow size I used my serger to stitch it up so it wouldn't ravel.
Here are some pictures of the process and the finished pillow. Total cost of the pillow was $5.50. You may have some old sweaters you don't want anymore and this would be a good way to use them. If you don't have any Goodwill is always an option. These would make a good Christmas gift.
Keep it Thrifty!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Thrifty Lamp and Shade
Good morning to everyone!
What a great thrifty day it is for all of us. No matter whether you are rolling in the dough or have a limited budget we all like to bag a bargain. But buying a new lamp can definitely break the budget and have you seen the prices of lampshades?
Several months ago while I was cleaning behind the couch our cat and my feet both got caught in the lamp cord. Well it was not a pretty sight for either of us and the lamp broke beyond even help from gorilla glue. So I got geared up and chased around town for a new lamp. After several trips, the price tags and the shapes sent me over to every Thrifty Sissies store...Goodwill.
As soon as I got in the door there it was our new lamp. The thrifty price only $4.99 and with my senior discount only $4.49 plus tax. Now I did not have a light bulb to see if it worked so I prayed all the way home. At this point we have a lamp with no shade so I put the one from the broken lamp on it but it was to big. I really wanted one of those burlap shades but the cheapest one I found was $20.00. You know anything burlap even an old feedbag is expensive today.
About two weeks later while I was looking around at a yard sale I found a brand new burlap lampshade, just the right size for $5.00. Wow! I could hardly keep myself together to pay the lady and rush home to check it out. It was just right. So here is a picture of our new lamp. I am still debating as to whether to paint the base lime green or leave it white. Thrifty Honey's eyebrows went up over his head when I said lime green (LOL) so for now we are living very well with the white base.
What a great thrifty day it is for all of us. No matter whether you are rolling in the dough or have a limited budget we all like to bag a bargain. But buying a new lamp can definitely break the budget and have you seen the prices of lampshades?
Several months ago while I was cleaning behind the couch our cat and my feet both got caught in the lamp cord. Well it was not a pretty sight for either of us and the lamp broke beyond even help from gorilla glue. So I got geared up and chased around town for a new lamp. After several trips, the price tags and the shapes sent me over to every Thrifty Sissies store...Goodwill.
As soon as I got in the door there it was our new lamp. The thrifty price only $4.99 and with my senior discount only $4.49 plus tax. Now I did not have a light bulb to see if it worked so I prayed all the way home. At this point we have a lamp with no shade so I put the one from the broken lamp on it but it was to big. I really wanted one of those burlap shades but the cheapest one I found was $20.00. You know anything burlap even an old feedbag is expensive today.
About two weeks later while I was looking around at a yard sale I found a brand new burlap lampshade, just the right size for $5.00. Wow! I could hardly keep myself together to pay the lady and rush home to check it out. It was just right. So here is a picture of our new lamp. I am still debating as to whether to paint the base lime green or leave it white. Thrifty Honey's eyebrows went up over his head when I said lime green (LOL) so for now we are living very well with the white base.
Have a thrifty day today!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Paint Can Solution
Good Morning to All You Thrifty People:
Today's post is about space. How many times do we let paint cans pile up in our valuable garage space? There may be paint from the last house we lived in out there. There may be paint cans in which the paint has totally dried up. Cans can take up a lot of space. Space which you could to use for things which are needed now.
So what is the solution? Enter ziplock containers! Most of the time the paint we are keeping is only going to be used for touch ups not to paint an entire room. If this is the case all you need to keep is a little bit. Now you can take the gallon paint can and pour up enough to fill a ziplock container. Then take your window scraper to remove the color coded label off the top of the can and place it on your new ziplock container. You have kept the most important information so if you do need another gallon you can take the top of the ziplock container with you and have then mix it.
These containers stack so well. Now the space needed for all your paint has been reduced to a small spot instead of half of your garage shelves. Who knows what all you will find as you rumble through those shelves. We found a bunch of stuff which had been lost for, well who knows how long?
Be sure to dispose of the leftover paint properly. The garbage dump usually accumulates it in hazmat containers so as not to pollute anything.
Now that is has turned a little cooler it is a great time to get out in your garage and purge that paint!
Today's post is about space. How many times do we let paint cans pile up in our valuable garage space? There may be paint from the last house we lived in out there. There may be paint cans in which the paint has totally dried up. Cans can take up a lot of space. Space which you could to use for things which are needed now.
So what is the solution? Enter ziplock containers! Most of the time the paint we are keeping is only going to be used for touch ups not to paint an entire room. If this is the case all you need to keep is a little bit. Now you can take the gallon paint can and pour up enough to fill a ziplock container. Then take your window scraper to remove the color coded label off the top of the can and place it on your new ziplock container. You have kept the most important information so if you do need another gallon you can take the top of the ziplock container with you and have then mix it.
These containers stack so well. Now the space needed for all your paint has been reduced to a small spot instead of half of your garage shelves. Who knows what all you will find as you rumble through those shelves. We found a bunch of stuff which had been lost for, well who knows how long?
Be sure to dispose of the leftover paint properly. The garbage dump usually accumulates it in hazmat containers so as not to pollute anything.
Now that is has turned a little cooler it is a great time to get out in your garage and purge that paint!
So long old paint and hello organized garage shelves.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Surprise Yard Sale Curtians
Good Afternoon Thrifty Friends,
Several months ago my oldest granddaughter showed me the opening between her bedroom and walk through closet which goes right into her bathroom. She really wanted to put up some curtains which would block that area off and make a dressing room. Well my thrifty mind began to think of all sorts of options. Maybe we could find some ready made curtains but the opening was 96 inches tall. The chances of finding some cheap 96 inch curtains were slim and none. We took off to several stores just to make sure but couldn't find anything reasonable. My next idea was to get a king size flat sheet and make it into a curtain but guess what? They don't sell individual sheets anymore. So on to the think tank to come up with another solution.
Both of us had been on the lookout for at least two months without finding even a big sheet at a yard sale. But thrifty folks have to be patient. We can not give up. We have to keep looking and thinking. This past weekend while I was visiting a yard sale in a very ritzy area, low and behold there they were a pair of champagne colored 102 inch fully lined drapes. The best thing about them besides being long enough was the fabulous price... only $12.00 a pair.
So Thrifty Sissy swooped down on those puppies and bought them. We worked some magic and got them put up in her apartment. She is one happy girl with her new dressing area. So the moral to this story is don't give up. Be patient and keep your eyes open. There are still thrifty things out there.
Several months ago my oldest granddaughter showed me the opening between her bedroom and walk through closet which goes right into her bathroom. She really wanted to put up some curtains which would block that area off and make a dressing room. Well my thrifty mind began to think of all sorts of options. Maybe we could find some ready made curtains but the opening was 96 inches tall. The chances of finding some cheap 96 inch curtains were slim and none. We took off to several stores just to make sure but couldn't find anything reasonable. My next idea was to get a king size flat sheet and make it into a curtain but guess what? They don't sell individual sheets anymore. So on to the think tank to come up with another solution.
Both of us had been on the lookout for at least two months without finding even a big sheet at a yard sale. But thrifty folks have to be patient. We can not give up. We have to keep looking and thinking. This past weekend while I was visiting a yard sale in a very ritzy area, low and behold there they were a pair of champagne colored 102 inch fully lined drapes. The best thing about them besides being long enough was the fabulous price... only $12.00 a pair.
So Thrifty Sissy swooped down on those puppies and bought them. We worked some magic and got them put up in her apartment. She is one happy girl with her new dressing area. So the moral to this story is don't give up. Be patient and keep your eyes open. There are still thrifty things out there.
Stay thrifty this week!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Repurposed Girl's Dress
Hello Thrifty Folks,
Have you ever had a chair cushion you wanted to recover? Upholstery material can be costly, especially linen. This little girl's dress had a stain on the front of it but the rest of the dress was in really good shape but it was being added to the throwaway pile. It just happened to be white linen and it had a ruffle on the bottom of it. So out comes the thrifty in me and I decided maybe it would work for a chair cushion recover. Well it was enough material and the ruffle was just the right amount to use around the edge of the cushion.The only tools I used were a staple gun, a needle and some white thread to sew the ruffle on the edge of the cushion. Here are the pictures of the cushion before and after the recover.
Have you ever had a chair cushion you wanted to recover? Upholstery material can be costly, especially linen. This little girl's dress had a stain on the front of it but the rest of the dress was in really good shape but it was being added to the throwaway pile. It just happened to be white linen and it had a ruffle on the bottom of it. So out comes the thrifty in me and I decided maybe it would work for a chair cushion recover. Well it was enough material and the ruffle was just the right amount to use around the edge of the cushion.The only tools I used were a staple gun, a needle and some white thread to sew the ruffle on the edge of the cushion. Here are the pictures of the cushion before and after the recover.
It's a lot more girly looking now. This is a true thrifty... cost... zero. So never forget you can repurpose, reuse and redo so many things. While this was a little girl's stained dress originally it has become somewhat of a shabby chic item now. Keep your thrifty eyes open for good material which can be reused for another purpose like a cute cafe valance, a table runner, or one large place mat for center of the your table, maybe even a chair cushion or a new cover for an old toss pillow.
You all be thrifty today!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
More Thrifty Fall Decorations
Happy Fall to All!
Well it is another thrifty day at our house. You simply must get ready for fall in all areas. The patio and our often forgotten front porch are two places where I try to add a little season.
It is amazing how many decorations you can accumulate over the years adding a little here and there, especially when the seasonal stuff goes on sale. These decorations can be used over and over for many years to come. Yard sales are a great place to pick up a few things to add to your stash. By the time things make it to the yard sale they are usually 25 to 50 cents because people are ready for them to move on. You can even take pieces of decorations at that price and make them into something else. So here is the 2014 Fall Porch, Patio and Yard Reveal!
It's time to get your thrifty fall on!!
Well it is another thrifty day at our house. You simply must get ready for fall in all areas. The patio and our often forgotten front porch are two places where I try to add a little season.
It is amazing how many decorations you can accumulate over the years adding a little here and there, especially when the seasonal stuff goes on sale. These decorations can be used over and over for many years to come. Yard sales are a great place to pick up a few things to add to your stash. By the time things make it to the yard sale they are usually 25 to 50 cents because people are ready for them to move on. You can even take pieces of decorations at that price and make them into something else. So here is the 2014 Fall Porch, Patio and Yard Reveal!
It's time to get your thrifty fall on!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Thrifty Pier One "Fall" Dining Room Tablescape
It's a great day in Thriftyland!
Have you ever been in a store and just had a "squealing bug" over something really cute? By the way a "squealing bug" is another word for a come apart.(LOL). I went to Pier One the other day and they had their fall decorations out. There were so many cute things but the peacock design just flew in my face.(LOL) Now I have never been a fan of purple, teal or some green colors but for whatever reason this seemed like a good fit for fall. I know a lot of people use peacocks as part of their Christmas decorations but here they were incorporating some fall stuff in with them and I thought this could be really good.
I stood there so long the sales lady thought I was a mannequin but some ideas along with my current fall inventory were all running around in my mind. At this point it was time to consider my thrifty status, the cost in connection to the jingle in my pocket. After much consideration I bought the peacock paper plates for $5.95 (for 10) instead of the individual ceramic ones for $8.95 each. I also rummaged around in the clearance box and found 4 napkin ring holders for $.98 each.
When I got home I pulled out a brown tablecloth from years ago, some bronzie- gold- brown round place mats, added the green chargers and the peacock plates. Someone had given me a piece of teal sheer material so I laid the napkins I had on top and cut out 4 pieces to make napkins in one of the peacock colors. I wrapped that sheer fabric over the rusty orange napkins added the $.98 gold napkin ring holders. I also set some goblets that have a brownish tint to them beside the peacock plates. Now what to do about the center piece? The beautiful peacock sequined table runner at Pier One was a whopping $50.00 so pretty but way past my thrifty self. So I took the rest of that teal sheer material and placed it in the middle of the table along with a hurricane candle stand, put a few little pumpkins on it as well as an orange candle and called it done. Here are some pictures of the process. Total cost of the new fall table scape...$10.78 pretty thrifty!
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You Thrifty folks be blessed today as you enjoy this fall!
Have you ever been in a store and just had a "squealing bug" over something really cute? By the way a "squealing bug" is another word for a come apart.(LOL). I went to Pier One the other day and they had their fall decorations out. There were so many cute things but the peacock design just flew in my face.(LOL) Now I have never been a fan of purple, teal or some green colors but for whatever reason this seemed like a good fit for fall. I know a lot of people use peacocks as part of their Christmas decorations but here they were incorporating some fall stuff in with them and I thought this could be really good.
I stood there so long the sales lady thought I was a mannequin but some ideas along with my current fall inventory were all running around in my mind. At this point it was time to consider my thrifty status, the cost in connection to the jingle in my pocket. After much consideration I bought the peacock paper plates for $5.95 (for 10) instead of the individual ceramic ones for $8.95 each. I also rummaged around in the clearance box and found 4 napkin ring holders for $.98 each.
When I got home I pulled out a brown tablecloth from years ago, some bronzie- gold- brown round place mats, added the green chargers and the peacock plates. Someone had given me a piece of teal sheer material so I laid the napkins I had on top and cut out 4 pieces to make napkins in one of the peacock colors. I wrapped that sheer fabric over the rusty orange napkins added the $.98 gold napkin ring holders. I also set some goblets that have a brownish tint to them beside the peacock plates. Now what to do about the center piece? The beautiful peacock sequined table runner at Pier One was a whopping $50.00 so pretty but way past my thrifty self. So I took the rest of that teal sheer material and placed it in the middle of the table along with a hurricane candle stand, put a few little pumpkins on it as well as an orange candle and called it done. Here are some pictures of the process. Total cost of the new fall table scape...$10.78 pretty thrifty!
You Thrifty folks be blessed today as you enjoy this fall!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Dollars for Books
Good Morning to Everyone!
Are there any readers out there? If you are one of them you've probably accumulated a lot of books over the years. You may have so many of them there aren't enough shelves to put them on. You may even have them packed away in boxes stored in the attic or basement taking up space you could use for something else.
Well those books are dollars sitting there waiting for you. There is a place in Nashville called McKay which will give you cash for your books or give you a credit to purchase other books in their store. Don't think this is just a little hole in the wall place. This is a warehouse neatly organized by subject and there are a lot of the most recent titles available for a fraction of the original price. So you can turn your old books into new ones with a trip over to McKay. They also have movies, video games and books on tape.
This is a great way to do some decluttering, generate some cash and keep up your reading for just the cost of the trip to McKay.
Happy Thrifty Books to Y'All!
Are there any readers out there? If you are one of them you've probably accumulated a lot of books over the years. You may have so many of them there aren't enough shelves to put them on. You may even have them packed away in boxes stored in the attic or basement taking up space you could use for something else.
Well those books are dollars sitting there waiting for you. There is a place in Nashville called McKay which will give you cash for your books or give you a credit to purchase other books in their store. Don't think this is just a little hole in the wall place. This is a warehouse neatly organized by subject and there are a lot of the most recent titles available for a fraction of the original price. So you can turn your old books into new ones with a trip over to McKay. They also have movies, video games and books on tape.
This is a great way to do some decluttering, generate some cash and keep up your reading for just the cost of the trip to McKay.
Happy Thrifty Books to Y'All!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Thrifty Spa
Thrifty Day to All:
We all long to be pampered. It doesn't matter if that's a bubble bath, a massage or a manicure/pedicure. Except for the bubble bath most of these things can send a Thrifty Sissy to the bank to get a loan.
Everyone likes to get their nails done but $35.00 to $40.00 to get a manicure/pedicure plus the tip is not something we can afford to do as often as we would like. So the Thrifty Sissy in me just decided to do it myself. I know our left handed painting is not very good sometimes.(LOL) But if you will choose a polish in a really light color the mistakes don't show up as bad. Just like anything else the more you practice doing your nails the better you will get. There is another benefit in using a lighter color. If you chip your polish it doesn't look really bad until you get a chance to fix it. Since you did your nails yourself you will always have the color to touch them up.
Even if we are Thrifty folks we can still pamper ourself.
We all long to be pampered. It doesn't matter if that's a bubble bath, a massage or a manicure/pedicure. Except for the bubble bath most of these things can send a Thrifty Sissy to the bank to get a loan.
Everyone likes to get their nails done but $35.00 to $40.00 to get a manicure/pedicure plus the tip is not something we can afford to do as often as we would like. So the Thrifty Sissy in me just decided to do it myself. I know our left handed painting is not very good sometimes.(LOL) But if you will choose a polish in a really light color the mistakes don't show up as bad. Just like anything else the more you practice doing your nails the better you will get. There is another benefit in using a lighter color. If you chip your polish it doesn't look really bad until you get a chance to fix it. Since you did your nails yourself you will always have the color to touch them up.
Even if we are Thrifty folks we can still pamper ourself.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Thrifty Candle Tip
Good Morning Thrifty Folks,
I hope you all are having a great week and getting ready for the fall season fast approaching us. I don't know about you but I really enjoy having a great smelling candle burning while I am at home. One of the things I learned about candles is how to make them burn evenly and for as long as possible. It all has to do with the wick. Before you light your candle always trim the wick. The wick should only be about 1/4 inches. You can see from the picture below what happens when you leave the wick too long. It smokes up the side of the jar. If you trim the burnt part off the candle each time if will burn evenly and cleanly.
We have all bought candles which smelt really good when we stuck our nose in them. Then when we got them home and began to burn them you could hardly get a whiff. That is very disappointing. We want to smell what we paid for. The amount of fragrance a candle puts off is called "throw". So when you are ready to purchase a candle ask about the amount of throw it has or at least buy one that you can really smell while it is burning in the store. Hopefully this thrifty candle tip will help you.
I hope you all are having a great week and getting ready for the fall season fast approaching us. I don't know about you but I really enjoy having a great smelling candle burning while I am at home. One of the things I learned about candles is how to make them burn evenly and for as long as possible. It all has to do with the wick. Before you light your candle always trim the wick. The wick should only be about 1/4 inches. You can see from the picture below what happens when you leave the wick too long. It smokes up the side of the jar. If you trim the burnt part off the candle each time if will burn evenly and cleanly.
We have all bought candles which smelt really good when we stuck our nose in them. Then when we got them home and began to burn them you could hardly get a whiff. That is very disappointing. We want to smell what we paid for. The amount of fragrance a candle puts off is called "throw". So when you are ready to purchase a candle ask about the amount of throw it has or at least buy one that you can really smell while it is burning in the store. Hopefully this thrifty candle tip will help you.
Stay Thrifty!
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Thrifty Exercise
It is a great thrifty day folks!
Over the years how many of us have joined a spa ( that is what they used to call them)( LOL) or gym, went for a month or two and then just made the payments on the membership? What about all those exercise videos we ordered from the television advertisements? We may even have a jump rope, weights or some sort of a machine we bought to work out with (which may now be used as a convenient place to lay clothes)( LOL). Wonder how I know about this stuff? Well I have done it. I am not proud of it but lately I have decided since I only have this one body to last until glory I better start to take care of it.
While those people at the gym were busy trying to get you ready to sign up, one of the things they tell you is the minute you begin to exercise you start to reverse things. Wow! Why didn't I think of that as pure motivation to get up and use some of that equipment lying in the closets, taking up space. Most of us have something we can begin to use to get some exercise. If nothing else you have your two feet and some sort of road in your neighborhood. Walking is the most thrifty thing you can do. It requires no membership plus you can enjoy the beautiful outdoors and get some fresh air.
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So how about it are you ready to move it, move it. move it?
Thrifty Movement to Y'all!
Over the years how many of us have joined a spa ( that is what they used to call them)( LOL) or gym, went for a month or two and then just made the payments on the membership? What about all those exercise videos we ordered from the television advertisements? We may even have a jump rope, weights or some sort of a machine we bought to work out with (which may now be used as a convenient place to lay clothes)( LOL). Wonder how I know about this stuff? Well I have done it. I am not proud of it but lately I have decided since I only have this one body to last until glory I better start to take care of it.
While those people at the gym were busy trying to get you ready to sign up, one of the things they tell you is the minute you begin to exercise you start to reverse things. Wow! Why didn't I think of that as pure motivation to get up and use some of that equipment lying in the closets, taking up space. Most of us have something we can begin to use to get some exercise. If nothing else you have your two feet and some sort of road in your neighborhood. Walking is the most thrifty thing you can do. It requires no membership plus you can enjoy the beautiful outdoors and get some fresh air.
So how about it are you ready to move it, move it. move it?
Thrifty Movement to Y'all!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Best Kitchen Gadets
Hello Everyone!
Do you have some things in your kitchen which you would consider the "best gadgets"? We all have favorite things or things which make cooking so much easier for us. Some of my best stuff came from Pampered Chef. Yes, the price can seem a little much but when you host a party you can get free things depending on the amount of your order. Now don't get the wrong impression. I am not selling anything just writing a blog about kitchen gadgets.
One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the Pampered Chef can opener. It only took 3 years and my husband's aunt coming to visit for me to learn how to use it (LOL). But now that I know how it works, I would not trade it for my electric can opener. That old electric job looked dirty all the time. I felt like I had to take a day off from work in order to get all the build up off the blade.
You all know I really like coffee. Pampered Chef has a great little gadget for the coffee bag. It is like a chip clip but it has two different size measuring spoons, one on each end. You never have to worry about where the spoon is for the coffee plus your coffee stays fresh.
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Do you have some things in your kitchen which you would consider the "best gadgets"? We all have favorite things or things which make cooking so much easier for us. Some of my best stuff came from Pampered Chef. Yes, the price can seem a little much but when you host a party you can get free things depending on the amount of your order. Now don't get the wrong impression. I am not selling anything just writing a blog about kitchen gadgets.
One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the Pampered Chef can opener. It only took 3 years and my husband's aunt coming to visit for me to learn how to use it (LOL). But now that I know how it works, I would not trade it for my electric can opener. That old electric job looked dirty all the time. I felt like I had to take a day off from work in order to get all the build up off the blade.
You all know I really like coffee. Pampered Chef has a great little gadget for the coffee bag. It is like a chip clip but it has two different size measuring spoons, one on each end. You never have to worry about where the spoon is for the coffee plus your coffee stays fresh.
Stay Thrifty!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Paper Monster
Hello Thrifties,
Today we are going to destroy the paper monster who slips into our house very quietly. You know the newspapers and mail. It seems they multiply right before your eyes. Your best defense against the paper monster is the trash can, newspaper recycle box and the shredder.
The very first thing to do in this war against paper is to make up your mind not let it get into your house. When you come in from the mailbox stop at the trash can, shredder or recycle box and put that paper in it's place because all it takes is a few pieces to collect on the counter or on your desk and the monster takes on a life of its own.
Now this is like any new habit you have to make yourself do it. There are so many benefits from this one little habit. How many times have you had to rummage through a ton of papers trying to find the one and only bill you need to pay today. Or how many times have you forgotten about the bill because of all the junk mail that came in the door with it. It's time to get on the defensive. It's time to put that paper monster on the road to the dump or the recycler. One of the benefits of this new paper habit is your desk and counter top will be clear. That will be a thrifty (free) time saver for you. Plus if you are trying to be more green, the newspapers will be reused instead of a tree going down for your morning paper.
Here is a paper testimony: A friend used her dining room table to catch all the papers and mail. No one ate on the dining room table so what difference did it make.. she thought. After several months she invited some folks over for dinner and realized she would have to clean off the table. Much to her surprise she found a couple of refund checks from her insurance company and several past due notices for bills she thought she had paid. She ended up filling four garbage bags to overflowing with the paper monster. For the first time in a long time she saw the top of her table.
Where is the monster in your house? Stay thrifty!
Today we are going to destroy the paper monster who slips into our house very quietly. You know the newspapers and mail. It seems they multiply right before your eyes. Your best defense against the paper monster is the trash can, newspaper recycle box and the shredder.
The very first thing to do in this war against paper is to make up your mind not let it get into your house. When you come in from the mailbox stop at the trash can, shredder or recycle box and put that paper in it's place because all it takes is a few pieces to collect on the counter or on your desk and the monster takes on a life of its own.
Now this is like any new habit you have to make yourself do it. There are so many benefits from this one little habit. How many times have you had to rummage through a ton of papers trying to find the one and only bill you need to pay today. Or how many times have you forgotten about the bill because of all the junk mail that came in the door with it. It's time to get on the defensive. It's time to put that paper monster on the road to the dump or the recycler. One of the benefits of this new paper habit is your desk and counter top will be clear. That will be a thrifty (free) time saver for you. Plus if you are trying to be more green, the newspapers will be reused instead of a tree going down for your morning paper.
Here is a paper testimony: A friend used her dining room table to catch all the papers and mail. No one ate on the dining room table so what difference did it make.. she thought. After several months she invited some folks over for dinner and realized she would have to clean off the table. Much to her surprise she found a couple of refund checks from her insurance company and several past due notices for bills she thought she had paid. She ended up filling four garbage bags to overflowing with the paper monster. For the first time in a long time she saw the top of her table.
Where is the monster in your house? Stay thrifty!
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Kitchen Secret
Good Morning Thrifty Folks,
How many times have we bought new cookwear and sworn to ourself we would take better care of it this time. Our old cookwear just looked dirty even after washing it. Well here one of the best kept kitchen secrets, Bar Keepers Friend. About 16 years ago we bought a set of All Clad cookwear from Williams and Sonoma which was a pricey investment but we knew someone who got a discount for us. They recommended Bar Keepers Friend to keep the cook wear looking new and it really works. Any time we use the cookwear and there is a problem getting it clean, out comes the Bar Keepers Friend. Even after 16 years this cookwear looks new. It is also recommended for stainless steel, porcelain (we use it to clean our sink as well), tile, copper, ceramic cooktops, chrome and fiberglass.You would think this would be expensive stuff. but it's about $1.99- $2.29 for 21 ounces.
This product could give your cookwear a new start.
Be blessed today Thrifty Folks!
How many times have we bought new cookwear and sworn to ourself we would take better care of it this time. Our old cookwear just looked dirty even after washing it. Well here one of the best kept kitchen secrets, Bar Keepers Friend. About 16 years ago we bought a set of All Clad cookwear from Williams and Sonoma which was a pricey investment but we knew someone who got a discount for us. They recommended Bar Keepers Friend to keep the cook wear looking new and it really works. Any time we use the cookwear and there is a problem getting it clean, out comes the Bar Keepers Friend. Even after 16 years this cookwear looks new. It is also recommended for stainless steel, porcelain (we use it to clean our sink as well), tile, copper, ceramic cooktops, chrome and fiberglass.You would think this would be expensive stuff. but it's about $1.99- $2.29 for 21 ounces.
This product could give your cookwear a new start.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Aprons Are Thrifty
We all remember our mother and grandmother wearing aprons. Well, what on earth happened to that idea? Did we get too modern for that? You know how we grew up thinking our folks didn't know diddley. Better yet did we get to busy to put on an apron?
I am here to get a "rave" going for aprons. You might not think this has anything to do with being thrifty but it does. Aprons are a time saver. Aprons can save your clothes from stains. Aprons with pockets are a real time saver as you move through your house cleaning or even just straightening up because as you pick up things that belong in another room you can put them in your apron pocket until you get to that room.Wonder how many steps that would save a tired woman?
You probably have an old apron or two of your mothers or grandmothers stuck way down in the bottom of a drawer or chest. Why not get one out and give it a whirl? After all you can just imagine yourself as June Cleaver as you glide around your house.
I am here to get a "rave" going for aprons. You might not think this has anything to do with being thrifty but it does. Aprons are a time saver. Aprons can save your clothes from stains. Aprons with pockets are a real time saver as you move through your house cleaning or even just straightening up because as you pick up things that belong in another room you can put them in your apron pocket until you get to that room.Wonder how many steps that would save a tired woman?
You probably have an old apron or two of your mothers or grandmothers stuck way down in the bottom of a drawer or chest. Why not get one out and give it a whirl? After all you can just imagine yourself as June Cleaver as you glide around your house.
Looking cute and being "Thrifty" with our steps!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Thrifty "Ebay" Selling
Good Morning to all!
How many of us have things around the house that we either don't use, bought on a whim or someone gave them to us? With Fall fast approaching and Christmas following close on it's heels it might be time to generate some extra cash.
After several years of talking about putting some things on Ebay, last August I finally got up the courage to sit down and get signed up. What I thought was going to be complicated and hard ended up being pretty straight forward. Ebay walks you through the process. You also set up a Paypal account which is where the money goes when someone buys your listing. Again this is a simple process.
I listed about 20 things. These were things lying around the house. A set of place mats I had purchased from Hobby Lobby but never even took the price tag off of them, a couple of stuffed toy Disney characters someone gave me, an old cream pitcher I hadn't used in years, a purse I didn't want any more, a old tie clip with matching cuff links that I found in the bottom of a box and Thrifty Honey even donated some things to get me started. You can take pictures of your items with your phone them upload to your listing. Next you add a description and set your price. You have to choose how you will ship, USPS or UPS. Most of my items are small so I use the Post Office. One of the great things about using them is you can pay for the postage through Paypal, print a label and ship right from your house. Ebay (10%) and Paypal ( 3%) charge a small fee for each item once it sells. Your items can be viewed from all over the world by anyone who searches for something on Ebay.
There is an app you can download to your phone so you can check your listings. The app with notify you of messages from buyers and it will ding when someone bids on one of your listings. How fun is this? You are having lunch with you best friend, your Ebay app goes off and you have a sale. Money in the bank while you go about your normal day.
So selling some things gets your closets and dresser drawers cleaned out and puts dollars in your bank account. Sounds really thrifty to me!!
How many of us have things around the house that we either don't use, bought on a whim or someone gave them to us? With Fall fast approaching and Christmas following close on it's heels it might be time to generate some extra cash.
After several years of talking about putting some things on Ebay, last August I finally got up the courage to sit down and get signed up. What I thought was going to be complicated and hard ended up being pretty straight forward. Ebay walks you through the process. You also set up a Paypal account which is where the money goes when someone buys your listing. Again this is a simple process.
I listed about 20 things. These were things lying around the house. A set of place mats I had purchased from Hobby Lobby but never even took the price tag off of them, a couple of stuffed toy Disney characters someone gave me, an old cream pitcher I hadn't used in years, a purse I didn't want any more, a old tie clip with matching cuff links that I found in the bottom of a box and Thrifty Honey even donated some things to get me started. You can take pictures of your items with your phone them upload to your listing. Next you add a description and set your price. You have to choose how you will ship, USPS or UPS. Most of my items are small so I use the Post Office. One of the great things about using them is you can pay for the postage through Paypal, print a label and ship right from your house. Ebay (10%) and Paypal ( 3%) charge a small fee for each item once it sells. Your items can be viewed from all over the world by anyone who searches for something on Ebay.
There is an app you can download to your phone so you can check your listings. The app with notify you of messages from buyers and it will ding when someone bids on one of your listings. How fun is this? You are having lunch with you best friend, your Ebay app goes off and you have a sale. Money in the bank while you go about your normal day.
So selling some things gets your closets and dresser drawers cleaned out and puts dollars in your bank account. Sounds really thrifty to me!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Coffee Bar
Good Morning:
I hope you have your cup of coffee, fixed just the way you like it and are all set to enjoy your day. A cup of Joe says good morning especially if it is in your special cup. Since I am a morning person, coffee is first on my agenda, then open the window so I can listen to the birds welcome the day and watch the sun rise.
There is a lot of buzz out there about coffee bars. I guess we have Starbucks to thank for that. But I remember there were a lot of coffee houses in the 60's and 70's too. But if you are truly a Thrifty Sissy, spending three to five dollars for a cup of coffee is not necessarily an option. So why not have your own coffee bar at home?
A lot of big kitchens have plenty of extra counter space for setting up a coffee bar, but our kitchen has limited space so I had to "make do". Don't you so appreciate "Make Do"? Making do is one of the many things which made America great.
To set up the coffee bar I took a tray and placed our coffee maker in the middle of it then added our favorite mugs around it. Presto....Coffee Bar. Again our space was limited so I could not put the sugar bowl or creamer on the tray, but it sure does make me smile when I walk into our kitchen and the mugs are ready for some coffee .
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Thrifty idea ready to enjoy!
I hope you have your cup of coffee, fixed just the way you like it and are all set to enjoy your day. A cup of Joe says good morning especially if it is in your special cup. Since I am a morning person, coffee is first on my agenda, then open the window so I can listen to the birds welcome the day and watch the sun rise.
There is a lot of buzz out there about coffee bars. I guess we have Starbucks to thank for that. But I remember there were a lot of coffee houses in the 60's and 70's too. But if you are truly a Thrifty Sissy, spending three to five dollars for a cup of coffee is not necessarily an option. So why not have your own coffee bar at home?
A lot of big kitchens have plenty of extra counter space for setting up a coffee bar, but our kitchen has limited space so I had to "make do". Don't you so appreciate "Make Do"? Making do is one of the many things which made America great.
To set up the coffee bar I took a tray and placed our coffee maker in the middle of it then added our favorite mugs around it. Presto....Coffee Bar. Again our space was limited so I could not put the sugar bowl or creamer on the tray, but it sure does make me smile when I walk into our kitchen and the mugs are ready for some coffee .
Thrifty idea ready to enjoy!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Post It Note Gift Idea
Since my last post was about Christmas gifts, I thought I would share a cute gift idea you can make. Now don't go on about you are not very crafty. All you need to make this is a few minutes, a pair of scissors, a little left over ribbon, stick on letters, a post it note pack, a clear plastic photo frame and a piece of scrapbook paper. The picture frames are $1.00 (Dollar Store) and the scrapbook paper is $.59 or less depending on the size you get. You probably have a pack of post it notes in your desk drawer you could use. The letters were the most expensive thing ($3.00 using a 40% off coupon). There are multiple letters in the pack so you could do more than one of these note holders. There are so many different scrapbook papers so picking you color scheme will not be hard.
The photo frame has a piece of paper in it you can use as your template to cut your scrapbook paper. If you have any of those fancy scrapbook scissors you can trim the edges with those to add some flair. The first thing you do is take your ribbon and slip it under the back of the frame all the way to the top. Be sure the ribbon and string are long enough to tie a bow on top. I used ribbon and some brown jute string to make it fluffy. Next you take your piece of scrapbook paper you have cut to the right size and slip it under the back. All it needs now is the name and the notes. The letters are sticky so just be careful of the placement. There is room for five letters if the name is more than that you could just put their initials on the frame. Add your notes and your are finished. I did not hot glue my notes onto the frame, but you could.
You could put in a photo instead of the scrapbook paper. The ribbon and the name would make it personal.
The photo frame has a piece of paper in it you can use as your template to cut your scrapbook paper. If you have any of those fancy scrapbook scissors you can trim the edges with those to add some flair. The first thing you do is take your ribbon and slip it under the back of the frame all the way to the top. Be sure the ribbon and string are long enough to tie a bow on top. I used ribbon and some brown jute string to make it fluffy. Next you take your piece of scrapbook paper you have cut to the right size and slip it under the back. All it needs now is the name and the notes. The letters are sticky so just be careful of the placement. There is room for five letters if the name is more than that you could just put their initials on the frame. Add your notes and your are finished. I did not hot glue my notes onto the frame, but you could.
You could put in a photo instead of the scrapbook paper. The ribbon and the name would make it personal.
So thrifty folks let's make something cute today!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Christmas in July
Good Morning Thrifty Folks,
I know this post will be about as popular as a snake in a hen house but it is never too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts. Hopefully you have picked up some bargains along the way to help your Christmas budget. If not now is the time to take a few minutes and make a little list. The bargains will be increasing now that the 4th of July has come and gone. Labor day will be right around the corner with even more sales. Here are some places to pick up a thrifty gift or two.
Men are so hard to buy for but Lowes has sale shelves and bargain baskets most of the time. What man alive doesn't like a new flashlight or screwdriver set. They usually have some really small flashlights for $1.50 that are great for kids stocking stuffers. Of course Target has their dollar bins loaded with little things to help fill those stockings. T.J.Maxx and HomeGoods have a clearance section at the very back of the store. Let's not forget JoAnn's reduced price area. You can pick up some crafts for the kids. Probably the best bargains of all are in the 70-80% off aisle in Hobby Lobby. You can snag some pricey items for less than $10.00. What a great gift for those ladies on your list. If you have someone who likes to shop in Goodwill, a gift card goes a long way with all their sales.
I hope this gives you some ideas to think about so you can start gathering your gifts early and thrifty as always.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
July 4thThrifty Wreath
Good Morning July,
Now is the time to get your thrifty 4th on so you can celebrate our blessed independence all month long. Of course the first thing we want to decorate is our front door, so here goes.
Now don't think you don't have anything to work with. If you have an old artificial Christmas wreath you have the start of your creation. Yes, I did say Christmas wreath. Now if you want to go and buy one of those wreath frames with a few fluffy ties on them that is fine but remember we are trying to be Thrifty Sissies! So now that you have your wreath you can use some of your left over deco mesh in red or blue (if you don't have any Hobby Lobby and Trees and Trends have if half price) then add some matching ribbon and some stars on a wire to your wreath. You are adding things to the wreath using the wire branches to twist tie your decorations onto it. It is very easy and you can take it off if you don't like where you have placed things.
You just keep building one decoration on top of the other. You will be adding the big things last ( in this case the America sign and the hat). All of this is left over from years past. I saw the hat on a wreath on Pinterest. How cute and so cheap. I just punched two holes in the back and tied it to the wreath with a bread tie (LOL). That is almost too thrifty for me. All of this holiday stuff will be 80-90% off soon. So if you don't have any 4th decorations you can get them at the end of the season and have them ready for next year. You can use these decorations for Memorial day and Labor day too.
While this wreath may not look like the $69.00 one at the store, it still makes me smile and reminds me to thank God for all the men and women who served to gain our freedom and keep it. So girls, let's get our 4th on and enjoy it!
Now is the time to get your thrifty 4th on so you can celebrate our blessed independence all month long. Of course the first thing we want to decorate is our front door, so here goes.
Now don't think you don't have anything to work with. If you have an old artificial Christmas wreath you have the start of your creation. Yes, I did say Christmas wreath. Now if you want to go and buy one of those wreath frames with a few fluffy ties on them that is fine but remember we are trying to be Thrifty Sissies! So now that you have your wreath you can use some of your left over deco mesh in red or blue (if you don't have any Hobby Lobby and Trees and Trends have if half price) then add some matching ribbon and some stars on a wire to your wreath. You are adding things to the wreath using the wire branches to twist tie your decorations onto it. It is very easy and you can take it off if you don't like where you have placed things.
You just keep building one decoration on top of the other. You will be adding the big things last ( in this case the America sign and the hat). All of this is left over from years past. I saw the hat on a wreath on Pinterest. How cute and so cheap. I just punched two holes in the back and tied it to the wreath with a bread tie (LOL). That is almost too thrifty for me. All of this holiday stuff will be 80-90% off soon. So if you don't have any 4th decorations you can get them at the end of the season and have them ready for next year. You can use these decorations for Memorial day and Labor day too.
While this wreath may not look like the $69.00 one at the store, it still makes me smile and reminds me to thank God for all the men and women who served to gain our freedom and keep it. So girls, let's get our 4th on and enjoy it!
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Thrifty Glass Notes
Hello Thrifty Friends,
So much stuff gets tossed into the trash when it can be reused. A lot of shows on TV are all about repurposing and rethinking the use of old things. This old glass door was being tossed but it became an outdoor note board. Chalk paint pens which are available at Joann for $3.99 ($2.40 with a 40% off coupon) make it easy to draw designs or write something season appropriate. It is fun to think up all sorts of messages to enjoy while resting on your porch. You could put this glass door on top of a desk or chest in your hall to welcome guests or remind you to have a good day as you leave home. There are plenty of old windows which could be used to write on as well.Who knows what artistic gifts are waiting inside you? You might be pleasantly surprised how well your handwriting looks in pink, yellow or red. Our homes should be filled with things that make us smile inside and out.
.
So much stuff gets tossed into the trash when it can be reused. A lot of shows on TV are all about repurposing and rethinking the use of old things. This old glass door was being tossed but it became an outdoor note board. Chalk paint pens which are available at Joann for $3.99 ($2.40 with a 40% off coupon) make it easy to draw designs or write something season appropriate. It is fun to think up all sorts of messages to enjoy while resting on your porch. You could put this glass door on top of a desk or chest in your hall to welcome guests or remind you to have a good day as you leave home. There are plenty of old windows which could be used to write on as well.Who knows what artistic gifts are waiting inside you? You might be pleasantly surprised how well your handwriting looks in pink, yellow or red. Our homes should be filled with things that make us smile inside and out.
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Happy Notes to You!!
Monday, May 26, 2014
Thrifty Yard Sale Deals
This is the time of the year when people begin their spring cleaning. Suddenly they realize how much stuff they have accumlated and how much they need to get rid of. Here come the yard sales, garage sales, community "tag" sales, barn sales A.K.A. thrifty bargains. No matter what name you call them, there are great buys lurking around them. Now there is no need to just to buy a bunch of stuff just to be buying, but if you know what you need and are willing to barter a little you can come home with a great deal and money left in your pocket. Here are a few thrifties from a recent community sale.
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Pink Lilly Pultizer Drivng Shoes Kate Spade Purse |
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