WFMW: Cute Compromise

A chandelier at Lowe's for $99 made my heart sing. Recent car troubles meant I had to dig deep to finish our remodeling on the cheap. Lampshade, $4.99, skirt, $3.99 = $8.98 for a cute, cottage light fixture. I simply put a lacy skirt over the shade, nothing more. When I finally do get around to getting that chandiler, the shade can then grace a lamp (yes, Nester, I'm working on lamping it up.)

For more great ideas, scope out the WFMW tips!

Cheapo Computer Repair

Wouldn't ya know it! Just after my warranty expired on my laptop, the darn thing tears up? I blogged one night, and it worked fine. I woke up the next morning, and all of the keys were confused.

alk;sdjf;alsjfjd;flkm[o3irukmvz,xc ;ioawur[ = Hi! So glad you stopped by to see me!

At first I thought it was a virus, so when I got to work I downloaded the newest version of Avast, and still no dice.

I knew there was only one other option -- the keyboard itself was bad. NOT GOOD. I did not have computer repair in my budget. So, after a little thought, I realized that if it actually was the keyboard, then if I got one and plugged it into the USB port, and it worked then I would have to bite the bullet and get it repaired. Dearest hubby went to Tarjay and picked up a keyboard for about $15, and we plugged it in. It worked -- YAY!

After using it for a couple of days, I realized that if it works, don't fix it. As in, the keyboard on top of the laptop works fine, so don't take it to the shop. It's been over a month, and it still works fine. Another plus: I can leave the laptop on the coffee table and just put the lighter, easier to handle keyboard in my lap and write away to my heart's content.

Computer Solution: $15. This soooooo worked for me!

See what works for other people over at Rocks in My Dryer.

To find other frugal tips, see the gang at Biblical Womanhood.

WFMW: Choosing a Christmas Theme

To my truly frugal friends, changing Christmas themes each year seems a little odd. Many of my friends reuse their decorating items each year, adding a new one every now and then, but keeping things the same for the most part. I do things a little differently.

I generally choose my theme based on the clearance rack paper I find in the weeks after Christmas. This past January I found gorgeous rolls of blue and white paper that inspired this year's theme. I generally spend about $10 to decorate my tree each year. I know I save at least that much by buying the paper on clearance. I tend to use decorating the tree a project each year, with some more involved than others. Although I might start off with a certain idea, I am flexible enough to let it change within the spectrum of the same theme.

This year's tree features white origami flowers that turned out beautifully, but the beginning idea was to have different kinds of origami. As we learned how to make several different pieces, the girls and I loved the way these turned out. We still had a basic version of the original idea.

When you find a good starting point (like paper), then reuse things you already have so that you can get the most for your money. If you can incorporate some neutral items from last year's tree, then go ahead! It doesn't have to be all new to get a fresh look each year.

If you like lots of different papers, try looking around for items you already have. A houseful of boys would be receptive to a tree decorated with Hot Wheels cars. A little girl's room looks adorable with a tree full of pretty hair ribbons tied on the tree. The idea is to get something unique to this year -- not to spend tons of money!

I like to think that each year with my children changes as they age and change themselves. Although it may be traditional to have the same tree every year, our tradition is to find something new. It definitely works for us!

For more WFMW fun, go on over to Rocks in My Dryer to see what the rest of the crew has to say.

Beauty on Budget

Strolling around the dollar tree this weekend, I noticed that they have some beautiful things, if you know where to look!

This garland was made with objects bought exclusively at the Dollar Tree. It contains one garland, two spools of wired ribbon and one strand of lights. Total: $4. I wrapped the ribbon around something round, and then gently pulled it out so it would be in a spiral. I then carefully placed it around the garland, which was bunched carefully with the lights. It may not be as pretty as a gorgeous $100 version in a catalog, but I think it gives them a good run for the money.

What works for you? Share it over at Rocks in My Dryer with others for WFMW fun!

For more gorgeous garlands, see what others have up at Nester's Garland Party.

Oh My Lucky Stars!

Following up with Monday, we went about making our lucky star garland for the tree. I scrounged some scraps from work and cut them in strips at the office on the paper cutter (much easier and straighter than me with a pair of scissors :). Oh? You wanna learn to make the stars?? Check out the video below. I'll wait right here for you to come back.

So then you practice the stars until you get it just right. It takes a little bit, be patient, you will get it, I promise.

So now you can do the lucky stars! To get them on a garland, first you need to get some ribbon. I got this varigated kind (its a pretty blue to white) at Walmart for 47 cents. Measure and mark off your ribbon in 8 inch (or so) increments. Don't worry, I just used the lines on my table as guides. You can do it in shorter lengths if you want more stars or longer if you want fewer.

Since you have got it all wound off the spool, wind it back on there. Now tie knots on top of each mark you made. Tie loops on each end for help with hanging the garland.

Once you are all tied up (sorry for the pun, ok, not so sorry, I gotta get my giggles in somewhere!) Start making the stars over the knots. (For my stars, I used 23 inch long paper, cut into one inch strips.) It takes a long time to make a long garland, so just sit down and watch your favorite Christmas movie and fold away.

Voila! A beautiful project for less than $1.

Run on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more tips and fun!

Wall Washing Wonder

Off the bat I have to admit -- we are still smokers. Try as I may, I cannot give up this habit. I have come to terms with it. The only thing I cannot come to terms with is what it does to my walls (yeah, I know, my lungs probably look worse, but I don't have to wake up to see them every morning.)

I have tried a dozen ways to find the absolute easiest way to wash walls. I have tried the Swiffer (which worked pretty well), the old fashioned rag method, even a sponge mop. The other day, I noticed DH's terry-cloth car washing mitt. (These are easy to find and dirt cheap.)

So, I set off to try it. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The heavens sang, as without soap, only the mitt wet down with water, it wiped every thing off so very easily, and in record time. Yes, my friends, it cleaned cigarette smoke tinged walls beautifully. If it will work on my walls, it will work on any walls.

I was happy to figure out a multi-use for a unitasker. Since it is washable, I have been using it for dusting, washing down any big items, even cabinets and large appliances. It soooooo worked for me.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, scoot on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Pretty, Please???

I have found myself dreaming of "prettier" things lately. I know, I know, I have been all aflutter lately talking about it, but it simply is the truth.

Changing the habit is the simpliest way to make things better. My family generally eats off of cheap plastic plates (found on Walmart clearance, of course) seven days a week. We got into this habit when our children were much younger and accident prone. Now that all but one of our children are teens, and the baby is now way beyond being a baby, it was still just a part of our lives.

Lately, I have realized that we can certainly eat off of the nicer dishes. So what if one breaks? They are doing nothing but taking up room on my shelves. They are no more useful on that shelf than they are broken in the trash. But, as of a week later, the whole set remains in tact.

Simplisticly, changing from a plastic to a glass plate makes meals better. It means that we are actually taking the time to enjoy our meal, not just the food set upon the table. There is something so great about a Sunday meal, why not put that much attention on the table every day? No, the food may not take hours to prepare, it may only take 30 minutes, but the effort for using those same dishes is the same. It all comes down to a frame of mind.

Cheap and Easy vs. Elegant and Easy

It really is a no brainer! And yes, this really is working for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, go on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW: One Pot Wonder

Five ingredients? Seriously??? This is a toughie! Almost all of my meals start by cooking an onion in olive oil, so that is two off the bat. What about salt and pepper??? Ugh! OK, I can do this, I can seriously do this........I think.......

One Pot Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cans chili beans
1 can rotel "chili fixin's" (this variety is the best, nothing else needed)
**Brown the ground beef in a soup pot (I do it in my stock pot). Once it is done, add in the onions -- leave the grease in for the cooking fat, as well as the flavor. Next, add in the beans and rotel, along with one can of water. Let simmer for 20 mins. That's it!

Sure -- it's hot now, but pretty soon it will cool off and you can pull out this recipe. My family thinks I cook it forever, but it's our little secret, K?

For more easy recipes, scoot on over to Rocks In My Dryer to see the rest of the gang at Works For Me Wednesday.

WFMW: Penny in My Pocket

"A penny saved is a penny earned." Benjamin Franklin

Pennies really do add up. About a year ago we decided to start saving up our pennies. We started in a mason jar, then graduated to a butter bowl, then we moved to a sand bucket. It wasn't something that we were doing for a reason, other than my husband hates to have pennies "weighing his pockets down" and the coke machine doesn't take pennies.

So we hid the bucket in the corner and whenever I cleaned his pile of pennies off the bathroom counter I threw them in the bucket. Not a major chore, it became a habit. So after about a year, the bucket was about to overflow.

If you have ever had to roll a bucket of pennies, you would know it is a HUGE chore. My local Kroger has a Coinstar machine, so I figured that 9% was worth my time, especially with pennies.

I toted my sand bucket to Kroger, dumped it all in, and walked out with $36. The little price I had to pay was less than $4, and it would have taken me HOURS to roll all those pennies.

Coinstar soooooo works for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, roll on over to see Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW: Dinner for a Dollar

Every fast food restaurant under the sun seems to have a dollar menu. Those dollars add up though! Burger: $1, Fries: $1, Drink: $1. Now times that by 4. That equals $12 -- plus tax. Oh, and don't forget the apple pie!

How about dinner for 4 for $1. Although every frugal cookbook says not to use box mixes or canned veggies, I disagree. When you can buy a box of Jiffy cornbread mix, a can of white beans and a can of turnip greens for about $1, that is a cheap meal in my book! No meat, no fuss! Everything is premeasured, so all I have to do after a long day is combine the mix and warm the canned foods. I can have the entire thing with about 5 minutes of prep work, and then play with my kiddos for the 25 minutes or so that it takes to cook. Occassionally stirring the pots, and that is about as much effort as it takes. Much less frustration than going through the drive-thru and them getting my order all wrong. It may not be a perfect solution, but it works for me!

For more great ideas, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer to see what the rest of the gang has going on.

WFMW: Curtain Call

Sometimes in life we just need something new. New haircut, new shoes, new dishes. We just feel like a change, and anything different is a good option. It never fails, if I take a trip down the kitchen gadget aisle in Target and find a newfangled something-or-another, it instantly makes me want to go straight home and clean my kitchen top to bottom, including inside the refrigerator.

Luckily, though, today it was not me who was hankering for new-ness.It was my daughter, La-La. In all her 14-year-old glory, she decided she needed "something different". YEAH!

Quickly I threw on my frugal-hat and decided to finally do the project that I had been putting off. About a year ago, I bought a shredded duvet cover. It had beautiful fabric, that reminded me of a sari, but several of the seams were ripped open, and it needed quite a bit of repair. I bought it for $1, lugged it home and washed it, which made the seams shred even more. So, disgusted, I put it in my pile of fabric and left it alone.

Fast forward to today. I get home from work, and she had her urge. I finally decided to drag out that sari-inspired duvet. I cut it in half, along with one of the seams. I (by I, I mean La-La) set up the sewing machine, and then I set to mending the seams. Then, I turned it inside-out, and run a seam to enclose it like you would a pillow case. I left about six inches at the bottom to turn it out, then sewed it shut. After I closed it, I then made tabs at the top with some found-around-the-house ribbon, that matched very well. I put screws in the top of the molding and hung the loops of ribbon around the loops. (We did not have curtain rods, her previous curtains were up with thumb tacks -- bad, bad, bad, I know!)

So, for a measley $1, I got two beautiful curtains. The part that thrilled me the most is that she got a "new" look without leaving the house, spending a penny, and it was all done in less than 30 minutes. Works for me!

Run, don't walk, over to Rocks in My Dryer to see what the rest of the gang has to say on Works for Me Wednesday!

For My Peeps

Hello, my name is Gina. I am a Peepaholic. I have been addicted to their sugary-sweet squishiness for most of my life. This is not an addiction that I plan on quitting anytime soon, but I thought I would admit up to it all the same.

Thankfully, the people at Just Born have realized the plight of Peepaholics everywhere, and have began to treat us year round with some form of them, either stars, hearts, pumpkins, snowmen, and even clovers.

The beauty of this is, that since stores know their customers crave them, they stock their shelves with marshmallow armies. When the holiday has passed, the stores have to move them quickly, so off to clearance land they go -- which means a bargain shopper like me can find a great deal. There is nothing better than feeding an addiction, than to feed it at 90% off!

After buying ten packs of multicolored wonders, I began to think of other things I could do with them. They are, after all, just marshmallows with a little sugar sprinkled on top. So, with my head twirling of all the possibilities, I decided that I can use them just in any place that I would use regular marshmallows -- these just have a little more panache!

Pink bunnies in hot chocolate, green chicks make pretty pastel rice crispy treats, blue peanut butter funge, anyone? Getting a good deal is always on my list -- but finding a new use for something always works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday fun, scoot on over to Rocks In My Dryer to see what the rest of the gang has in store!

WFMW -- Deja Vu

OK -- Goofy me posted this YESTERDAY thinking it was Tuesday night! I stayed up until like 11:30 thinking "Is she ever gonna load it?" Then I realized it was Monday! DUH! Anyways -- here is my fave WFMW post (out of my very limited list). Enjoy!

Sent a letter lately? Nope, most people just send emails. Received a letter lately? If so you know the joy that it brings to someone to get mail that is something other than a catalog or bill (or anyone who just wants your money). Even though we are in the age of free long distance calls on cell phones, there is just something about getting "real" mail that brightens your day like nothing else. (Think back a couple of weeks ago when you were getting Christmas cards.)

Since we are in the day and age of "constant communication" with cell phones and emails (which you can even do from your cell phone, no less), taking the time to actually sit down and write out a few words (by hand) is a very touching way to let someone know you are thinking of them. So.....what does this have to do with being frugal? The most brilliant idea came to me recently. Why not take those boxes that we put into recycle and make them post cards? I used to make post cards with card stock, but you have to admit that a "Cocoa Puffs" card would surely bring an extra layer to the fun experience of getting mail. (I bought them with a coupon, on sale -- I promise.) Just take the box and measure out a retangle that is 6 inches by 4 1/4 inches, and you are good to go. Just write your little message on one half of the card (make a line if you wish). You could do stamps or doodles.

Remember, it is supposed to put the person in a good mood! Oh -- and the other great thing about it: A postcard only costs 26 cents to mail. So you can recycle, create a smile and do it all for about a quarter! Works for me!

For other great ideas, scoot on over to see Rocks In My Dryer and the rest of the gang at Works for Me Wednesday.

WFMW: Funky Junky Fun

Sent a letter lately? Nope, most people just send emails. Received a letter lately? If so you know the joy that it brings to someone to get mail that is something other than a catalog or bill (or anyone who just wants your money). Even though we are in the age of free long distance calls on cell phones, there is just something about getting "real" mail that brightens your day like nothing else. (Think back a couple of weeks ago when you were getting Christmas cards.)
Since we are in the day and age of "constant communication" with cell phones and emails (which you can even do from your cell phone, no less), taking the time to actually sit down and write out a few words (by hand) is a very touching way to let someone know you are thinking of them.

So.....what does this have to do with being frugal? The most brilliant idea came to me recently. Why not take those boxes that we put into recycle and make them post cards? I used to make post cards with card stock, but you have to admit that a "Cocoa Puffs" card would surely bring an extra layer to the fun experience of getting mail. (I bought them with a coupon, on sale -- I promise.) Just take the box and measure out a retangle that is 6 inches by 4 1/4 inches, and you are good to go. Just write your little message on one half of the card (make a line if you wish). You could do stamps or doodles. Remember, it is supposed to put the person in a good mood! Oh -- and the other great thing about it: A postcard only costs 26 cents to mail. So you can recycle, create a smile and do it all for about a quarter! Works for me!

For other great ideas, scoot on over to see Rocks In My Dryer and the rest of the gang at Works for Me Wednesday.

WMFW (Works for Me Wednesday in Reverse)

I think as bloggers, we all hope that we have something to say that others want to hear. Some of us ramble, some of us show beautiful pictures of our precious babies, some of us have a wonderful ministry we try and share, some try to inform and others inspire to entertain.

So, once you have something to say, how do you get your voice out there? With, dare I say, millions of blogs on every topic under the sun, there is strong competition. Although readers of blogs generally read more than a few (ummmm......dozens here), but how do you get your words out there?

How did you bring traffic to your blog? How do you keep it fresh and interesting for your readers? Tell me what works for you, and maybe I can help it work for me.

For other great ideas, scoot on over to Rocks In My Dryer, for Works For Me Wednesday in Reverse.