dimely design

WOW! I'd Love to Win This!!

2010-11-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

we love our iPods. LOVE them. sad thing is, ours just broke. So great that I stumbled upon this giveaway!!

What an awesome thing it would be to win a replacement!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I Haven't Forgotten...

2010-11-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I know it has been some time, but things have gotten a little side tracked. and you know why?Twin toddlers and mom with the stomach flu. YUCK. My boys have never experienced throwing up or the other stomach flu symptom, so this was all new. I called the pediatrician; it lasts 3-5 days. Know how long ours lasted ?? SIX days. i have never gone through Pull Ups SO fast!

So where am I in the living room redo?? Exactly where I was the last post. But I have gottn in the supplies I ordered online in order to finish the mantel. I should be done this week, and I'll post the before and after pics together.

Procrastination Does NOT Equal Patience

2010-10-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

I tried to do an update last week, but Blogger kept giving me errors. I'm not very far along in my progress because I've changed directions...

My husband sent me an article on International Klein Blue (IKB). Below is the powdered pigment:

He was captivated by the color and method used to create it. It's not a simple mix in a can; it's actually pigment suspended in another medium. The brilliance is quite exquisite. The reason I bring it up is because my husband's typical response to suggestions on the house is "whatever you think." So to get an interest in something like color was great! I decided to run with it.

I am still doing vintage modern. The fireplace is still getting a face lift. It will be more like Botox than re-constructive surgery. On the fireplace wall, I will paint an accent color similar to IKB since purchasing it is near impossible and expensive. Then I am painting birch branches over the top in white. Here is photo to illustrate the idea. It won't be as detailed, and I'm not painting birds on the wall either.

So far, I have spent $10 on the make over. I already had the paint for the fireplace, but I bought some peel'n'stick tile for the landing in front of the fireplace. I KNOW. Peel'n'stick??? I'll update you on that later...

The Makeover: Day 1

2010-09-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

And so it begins...

Tonight while my wonderful husband is working with his band mates, I will be working on the transformation of our fireplace! I am covering the aweful faux stone with concrete patch. I am a bit nervous with how it's going to turn out, but it can't be any worse than this:

And if you needed to see a close up of the awesome fleck-stone finish, here it is:

I could do a vlog on my method tonight, but I think this project would be best left as a voila!! kind of moment.

Stay tuned for pictures of my progress...

Inspiration

2010-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a little inspiration for designing their home. Whether it's your favorite color, a place that you love or even a favorite scent. My inspiration for the living room came from a placemat I saw at Target. Yep, a simple, vinyl placemat. I saw it and just simply fell in love with the style, the colors, everything. You'd think it would inspire my kitchen, but if I do THAT room over, I would have several people very upset with me!!

So, back to my inspiration. It is a vintage modern syle. The colors are soothing and very compatible. I am going to try to translate the inspiration piece into my decor as well as I can. Interested in what it looks like?

Not much to it, but there is just something about it that I love. And really, when it comes to your home, it should be about what you love.

I'm Taking Back My Living Room

2010-09-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, kids. It's time you gave me back my living room. Train table in front of the fireplace? No more. Jumping on the sofa, I don't think so. I'm tired of this room looking like a Toys'R'Us satellite store. So what am I going to do about it? Well, here's another list, hopefully in the order of accomplishment!

1. Redo the facade of the fireplace
2. Paint the fireplace
3. Paint the walls
4. Paint the ceiling (high ceilings, so we'll see!)
5. Rearrange the living room
6. Replace the loveseat with an adult sized sofa; I even have one already selected!!

My budget is a whopping $100. So now you see why I call this site Dimely Design. The rules are that I don't have to count expenses of items I already have. For example, I bought new curtains at Lowe's a couple of months ago when they were 75% off. I already have them, so it will not count againt my new budget.

Ready to get started?? I certainly am. I already bought the materials for the fireplace. It cost me a total of $8.17. Keep your fingers crossed it turns out!!

Budget $100
Fireplace redo ($8.17)
Total remaining in budget: $91.83

For those of you that like before and after photographs, stay tuned for before pictures. I'll post afters once each project is completed.

Time to Get Real

2010-09-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I have been away, again. I had another baby, again. But that's good news! I am sitting here doing nothing. Well, almost. And the list begins.

I feel lazy.
My house is not how I want it. I don't know how I want it.
I want to paint the living room.
I want to rearrange the living room.
I need to redo the horrid paint job on our fireplace. Can you say fleck stone?
I need to add more cabinets in the kitchen.
I need to finish painting the trim upstairs.
I need to catch the mouse upstairs (EEEEEEEEK!)
I have piles here and there, and it's not laundry.
I need to lose a little more weight.
I need to exercise.
I need to find some energy...

So, this is it, my accountability list. Although I don't have many followers (thank you to those that do follow!), I am asking you to check in with my progress, and encourage me :)

And what do you get/ hopefully some ideas for your home, some answers and some encouragement, too!

I'm a starving artist. Not for money, but for inspiration. My husband is wonderful at encouraging me. So I need to step up, and get going!

Stay tuned. I'll be keeping it real by photographing my home. That way you can see what I'm up against, how I am going to tackle it, and the outcome. We can do this together!!!!!!!!!

Thank you :)

The Need to Clean

2009-11-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit it, but my house is in no shape to be calling it the home of a designer. It's cluttered and looks like a Toys'R'Us blew up in it! So I am going to start cleaning, organizing and decluttering one room at a time. The room that's up first is the living room. Do I dare take a before picture?? Stay tuned...

General Mills Give Away

2009-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Head on over to The Thrifty Mama to enter an awesome give away! If you like going to the movies as much as I do, then you'll definitely want to participate.

I'm buying a lot of cereal this month because it will be cheaper to buy 2 boxes of cereal and get a free movie ticket than just buying a ticket! Date night with my husband and breakfast is included ;) The participating cereals are pictured below, but be sure to get the specially marked boxes!!

So have a look and check out some of her other great posts. You'll be addicted to the site just like me!

Avoiding the Nursery Nightmare

2009-11-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the details of Zoie's nursery. The inspiration room is almost identical to her room size and layout. The only exception is the over nine foot ceilings we have compared to the 8 foot in the picture.

The total cost of the makeover: $120, the cost of the curtains. My mom gifted the crib and rug; the paint supplies I already had (OOPS paint and Glidden give away); the tall chest, rolling side table and chair were repurposed; and the changing chest was a gift from a friend. Of course I could have made the curtains and saved some money, but I've been there done that! So here's what you've been waiting for- a picture!

Here are the details...

First I had to clear it out and clean it up! I drew the room to scale and did a furniture layout.

Next I painted the room brown, with the exception of the wall with the colored blocks on it but including the ceiling. Don't forget the ceiling, it's the fifth wall in my world.

On the wall with the grid, I measured it and divided it out to get the number of squares I needed. I measured and marked the locations for the vertical and horizontal lines. Then I put 2 coats of white paint only where the grid was going to be. I let it dry for 24 hours. I then took 2" wide painters tape and taped off the grid. I painted white paint over the tape; this will give you that clean sharp edge and no seeping under the paint! While it dried I labeled the blocks with the each designated color. Then I painted the blocks and pulled away the tape. Sounds like a lot of work, but it's not too bad. I would definitely rather do that then make curtains!!

My mom ordered the crib and once it arrived, we put it together. I went to a kid's consignment sale and found the rug and mattress, gifted by my mom! Everything else was either a shower gift or repurposed from another area of the house. I do have a few things left to hang, but I'm waiting until I get a couple of pictures developed- FREE from a photo print club of course!

And that's it! "Instant" nursery!

So, what do you think?? I hope it's a room that will grow with her without being too girly or childish. I hope so, after painting that grid, it would be heart breaking to paint over it!

Do you have a room that you need a little help with?? If so let me know! Send an email to dimelydesign @ gmail . com (just remove the spaces)

Nursery Makeover for NEXT to Nothing!

2009-11-09T07:00:00.001-08:00

So, as I mentioned, I recently had a little girl. We turned my old studio space into her room. I came across an inspiration room and decided to go full steam ahead to create my little girl's room based on this one:

Inspiration rooms are great because if you're not sure where to start, they can give you an idea or two to expand on. And that's just what this did! Now, of course I had to change a few things, mainly the color scheme. This room could be for a little girl, but I used some of the same colors in my boys' room. The best part was I had everything I needed to get started.

Coming up, pictures of my little girl's place she calls home and how I did it all for only the cost of the curtains!

*Picture Source is from www.Parents.com

A Warm Welcome

2009-11-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all my readers who have welcomed me back with open arms and warm wishes! It's nice to know that my little blog does have some viewers :)

And congratulations to those other new moms! A few have blogs as well, hop on over and take a look:

Savvy Saving Mom
Savings Makes Cents

This is a special edition post. I won't usually post anything on Sundays :)

The Line Up

2009-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the daily readings:

Makeover Monday
Mondays are for tackling those hard to design rooms, color corrections or just difficult decisions you need another opinion on! Here's how it works: email me your design delima. If it's a layout, I will need the dimensions of the room, the placement of doors and windows, and the dimensionms of the furniture you want to use; this is like a re-design. If you need a color correction such as selecting paint, upholstery on a piece or accessories email me with your question! If you're starting from scratch, I'll need room dimensions and a list of items you would like in a room; I'll actually be suggesting furniture pieces in this type of solution. The results (or "winner") will be posted on the foloowing Monday. Hey! Rome wasn't built in a day either :)

Tackle It Tuesday
My husband has band practice on Tuesday nights. Rock band, not marching band, lol. Not against marching band, I was in one in high school and college, just making the clarification! Sorry, I digress... so Tuesdays will be a great night to get some things done. That is, if all the children cooperate!

Working Wednesday
I'll be joining the Thrifty Mama on her Cook-It Wednesdays, part of her In The Kitchen series. This will be the day I'll get a few things prepared for dinners to come, but I mostly bake. So lots of cookies, muffins and cookies (oh, I said that already, lol).

Thrifty Thursday
Sales for my grocery stores start on Tuesday, so this will give me a couple of days to get my scenarios in order. I read several blogs, and hidden deals are also usually discovered, so this will keep my shopping trips to a minimum!

Finish It Friday
I know, that was a tough one to come up with! I am home all day with the kids on Friday so who knows what I'll actually get done, but I'll do my best to get us ready for the weekend.

Saturday Savings
This is in conjunction with Money Saving Moms Super Savings Saturdays and The Thrifty Mamas Shopping Superstars.

Sunday
A day of rest...we all need one! Visit another one of the blogs I enjoy reading from my Blog List

A Little More Progress

2009-11-06T07:00:00.001-08:00

I am getting everything prepared for my official kick off on Monday. And to get you prepared for what's to come, let me tell you why I started this blog...

I am a very creative person, I love solving problems and since the birth of my twins almost 2 years ago, I have lost the time and energy to BE creative. I used to paint a great deal, decorate, sew and refinish furniture. So this blog is a way to motivate me to continue to do all the things I used to do. Seems a little ironic that something that will take more of my time will hopefully get me to paint or do some other creative project... something I quit doing because I had "no time." Hmmm????

I attended a local University for design. Once I received my degree, I landed a job at the only contemporary store in my area. I LOVED it! The furniture and design I was most passionette about was all in one place, and it was keeping my creative side alive. Then slowly, I lost my fire and started to get up, go to work, go home, sleep. It's not as exciting as it used to be, and I have fallen dormant to my creative side. I am lost in this retail nightmare- I only sell now, no design work anymore. But it has a positive side, too. I was promoted to manager and now I attend furniture markets. How exciting! But I still long for that need to MAKE something.

With the addition of a family, we needed to tighten our belts. So I have started to frugally decorate our home and provide for our family. Hence the name of this blog: Dimely Design. Good design doesn't have to cost much, you just need a little time, work and inspiration! So this site will focus more on designing and decorating. I will occassionaly post a few deals, but mostly to make your house a home.

Stay tuned for the weekly line up! It's an extensive description of what's to come...

New Layout

2009-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I have a new layout. I love the vintage, retro look, and this seemed to fit in perfectly. When I left you, I talked about decluttering. Well, I did that, and somehow, things have gotten out of hand again! I have a terrible habit of making little piles here and there, with the intention of putting things away, but seem to never get back to it! Well, that is going to end. My husband and I have decided to simplify, and I am going to do just that!

I will be starting a new little mini series to get my life and home into order. I can only do these things in the evening, once I am home from work, and when I have very little energy left. But seeing my home the way it is, just seems to make me tired as well! So join me every Thursdays for "Tackle It Thursday!" I selected Thursdays because I have Fridays off. So things I don't complete on Thursday, I can tie up on Friday.

Stay tuned for my complete list of daily posts!

I'm Back! I Think...

2009-11-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite bloggers told me if blogging feels like work, then to take a break. So I did. Of course I also needed a break to have our little girl! She is 8 weeks old now. It's so hard to believe, but we are starting to get settled into a routine.

I have started baking again, and hope to participate in Cook It Wednesday on The Thrifty Mama's site. I started a little early on Tuesday night because my husband had band practice. I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins I found HERE the same recipe Money Saving Mom uses. She's actually the one that got me interested in them! I also made some lactation cookies for me! Of course, my whole families loves them, so they don't last very long. You can find the recipe HERE. I make them with and without chocolate chips. I also use mini chips so I can use half the amount of chips. The "dosage" is 4 cookies per day, and at the rate I actually eat them, I should be making gallons of milk! Sorry, I hope that wasn't TMI!

I will be posting less often than my fellow bloggers, but working full time outside my home, dealing with twin toddlers and a newborn is keeping me plenty busy!

So stay tuned...I'll be posting about what this site is all about!

Home Depot Card Give Away!

2009-06-10T12:49:00.001-07:00

The Thrifty Mama is giving away a $100 Homw Depot card on her site! This is perfect for Father's Day! Check out her awesome give away HERE.

And while you're there, check out her great posting on organic deals at Kroger. Get Oikos Yogurt for FREE and Santa Cruz Juice for only .50! What GREAT deals on organic products!

Making Room for Sister

2009-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned I was cleaning up and getting rid of clutter... and that I am! Once I finish cleaning out the room that will become the nursery, I'll post before and after pictures. WHAT A DIFFERENCE already!

I sold quite a bit at a yard sale, and I made almost $500. GREAT! Then I have been taking loads at a time to Goodwill. I have made 3 trips so far, and I am embarrased to say, I'm not finished! How did I accumulate so much stuff???

So as I continue to work, I encourage you to as well. Clean the clutter and you will feel lighter!

Who Wants a Clean House?

2009-05-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

I do! If you haven't seen this show, you need to! It has inspired me to rid my home of clutter and items I don't use, will never use and need to pass along! So I started about a month ago going through all my stuff, and picking out things that I want to keep, and tossing things I don't need to keep! The items are in my yard sale piles, and once the yard sale is over, what I don't sell will be donated.

What prompted me to start stream-lining is the future arrival of a new baby! My old studio will be her room (that's right, we found out it's a girl!). So I am getting rid of things I have collected and even projects I swore I would get to, but years later, all they do is collect dust. So how do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of?? Well, in the long run, that is up to you, but these were the decision makers for me:

Do I currently use it? If not, when is the last time I used it?
For clothes: do I wear it? If not, when was the last time it was worn?? If it's been longer than a year, it's time to get rid of it! If you are keeping something in hopes of it fitting again, don't. Get rid of it, and reward yourself with a few new things once you have accomplished your goal. May not seem frugal, but once it fits again, it will probably be out of style. The only thing I *may* keep would be jeans or neutral pants.
Shoes- one of my weaknesses! Pretty much the same rule as clothes.
Trinkets/collections: pick your favorites. Collections can get out of hand REALLY quick, so don't let it take over! When people learn you really like collecting something, they tend to add to it as well. Then it's so much, that you start to loose the "passion" you once had for the item. TRUST me, I know!
Don't be sentimental about EVERYTHING. This will certainly be difficult, but it is key to not hanging onto everything. I knew someone that kept every birthday card she ever received. Nice thought, but it really adds up! My suggestion? Keep the milestone years. For example, 1st birthday, teenager, twenty-one, forty. That is, if you REALLY need to keep some!
Unless you are a gourmet chef, you don't need multiple bakeware pieces, pots, pans, different types of spatulas, etc. Minimize your needs by what you use. This goes for every room in the house!
Craft projects. Oooohhhhh this is a hard one for me! But it's been so long since I refinished a piece of furniture or attempted that beaded necklace, that if I wasn't actively doing something to it, I will pass it along and let someone else try!

Now, I stockpile items. BUT, I have started to only stockpile what we will use, and immediately donate the rest, or not even buy it. Even when it's free, it's not a necessity!

So I hope this helps you reduce your clutter. Does any one have any suggestions for anyone??

*The Clean House logo is a trademark of the Clean House television series.

A Quick Kroger Run

2009-04-07T12:17:00.001-07:00

I made it to Kroger this morning for a few things:

Bag of Disney Apples (smaller, but oh so juicy and crisp!)
2 Blocks of Cheese
8 Pack DanActive

I paid 57 cents for all of that!!! The apples rang up $2.49 instead of 2/$3, so I got those FREE due to the Scan Right Guarantee. The cheese was BOGO and the DanActive was marked to $1.25. I had a $1.25 coupon for the DanActive. THEN at the You Scan register, I noticed several Cats behind the machine... I grabbed them, and guess what?! There were 2 $1.50 OYNO Cats!!

On my way to work, I noticed the new car wash had just opened, and they were giving away FREE car washes! Did I stop? You bet I did! And the vacuums there are free anyway, so now my car is spotless.

It's been a blessed day.

CVS: No Extra Bucks, No Problem!

2009-04-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

When I went to CVS last week, I used all my Extra Bucks. It was by accident, you see. I tried to buy the Paas Easter Egg Kits to roll some Extra Bucks, but the deal ended on Monday. I THOUGHT it was Monday, but in actuality, it was Tuesday! So the kind lady did a return for me and put the money on a gift card...it's all the same to me!

I made a return trip to CVS yesterday to do the great Diaper Deal! But me, not feeling well and tired from pregnancy #2, made some simple mistakes. My OOP could and SHOULD have been much lower, but I did things a little backwards. I did get 1 ECB from my quarterly spending, so I did have that to start with. Here are my 3 transactions:

#1
Easter Baskets 2 x $1.99
Easter Grass 2 x .79
-1 EB
TOTAL $4.88 on GC, nothing OOP
Earned 3.98 & 1.58 EB

#2
Huggies Gentle Wipes 3 x $5
Huggies Gentle Diapers $10
-$5/$25 from email
-$15 Gentle Care PRODUCT printable (no longer available)
-$5 Gentle Care DIAPER product printable (no longer available)
TOTAL (tax only ) $1.40 on GC, nothing OOP
Earned 10 EB

#3
Coke 3/$11
Mentos 3 x $1.69
-$2 Coke coupon from Kroger mailer
-$3 Mentos Coupons
-10 EB
TOTAL $1.49 on GC, nothing OOP
Earned 3 & 1 EB

SO, I have quite a few Extra Bucks left. Now I know it looks like some great transactions, but my OOP could have been lower. How?? Well, let me show you! The order you do transactions COULD save you some money!

#1
Huggies Gentle Wipes 3 x $5
Huggies Gentle Diapers $10
-$5/$25 from email
-$15 Gentle Care PRODUCT printable (no longer available)
-$5 Gentle Care DIAPER product printable (no longer available)
TOTAL (tax only ) $1.40 on GC, nothing OOP
Earned 10 EB

#2
Coke 3/$11
Mentos 3 x $1.69
-$2 Coke coupon from Kroger mailer
-$3 Mentos Coupons
-10 EB (from Trans #1), 1 EB from quarterly
TOTAL .42 on GC, nothing OOP
Earned 3 & 1 EB

#3
Easter Baskets 2 x $1.99
Easter Grass 2 x .79
- 4 EB (from previous trans)
TOTAL $1.67 on GC, nothing OOP
Earned 3.98 & 1.58 EB

My total OOP for my actual transactions was $7.77, and I have 9.56 EBs. If I did my order differently, my OOP would have been $3.49, and I would have $5.56 EBs. So I would have saved $4.28 , but I would have less EBs for next time*. I guess it all comes out in the wash, but none of it was "my money," so I'll just let it go and do better next time!!

*If you noticed, my difference in EBs is $4. Add 7% tax to that and it is $4.28!! There you go!

Now, if you need a little help learning the ropes of CVS, The Thrifty Mama has a great series going on right now. She taught me what I know, and has saved me LOTS of money. So go visit her series on From The Ground Up, and you'll learn all you need to know!

Money Maker at Kroger!

2009-02-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned I *heart* Kroger?? I stopped by to get some milk for my boys, but I always do a quick run through for bargain's sake. As a quickly walked up and down the aisles, I came across one of my "favorite" deals. Pillsbury 5 count Cinnamon Rolls, Crescent Rolls and Grands are on sale for $1.00. I never get the cinnamon rolls because they can be pricey, but check out my deal:

Buy 5 Cinnamon Rolls at $1.00 = $5.00

Use 5 .30/1 coupons, doubled - $3.00

Total OOP $2.00

BUT WAIT! I got a $3.00 OYNO Cat!! I made $1.00!

The Crescents are a pretty good deal too:

5 Crescents at $1 = $5.00

5 .25/1 doubled = $2.50

Total OOP $2.50

Get a $3.00 OYNO Cat!

The only Grands coupon I have is .40/3, so not AS good, but still pretty good!

If I did my math right, it's .40 for 6 AFTER the OYNO Cat. You have to buy 6 to use 2 coupons.

The sale on the Pillsbury items is through March 3rd, so if they are sold out be sure to get a raincheck because the Catalina special runs through March 22nd. New coupons may be out before then! The catalina special is buy ANY 3 Pillsbury products, get $1.50, buy 4 get $2 or buy 5 and get $3.00 (refrigerated products).

Have fun getting paid to shop!!!

Kroger Loves Me

2009-02-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

I went to Kroger yesterday with the intention of being lucky enough to find some marked down meat. The meat is fine, just close to it's sell by date. I found a few things, but it was the other markdowns that really got me!! Now, I spent a little more than usual, but I got so much that will last a long time! Here's the run down from 2 transactions:

4 Community Coffee $4.99 ea

8 Fruit Rollups $1.69 ea (I could eat the whole box in a day, okay, an hour- SERIOUSLY)

2 Grands Biscuits $1.27 ea

1 Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls $1.79 (not on sale, but I'm pregnant!)

1 Kroger Tortillas $1.29

14 Tropicana Pure Orange Juice .99 ea (Manager's Special- AWESOME!)

6 Whole Milk, half gallons .99 ea (Manager's Special!)

4 2% Milk, half gallons .99 ea (Manager's Special!)

1 Eggland Eggs $2.52

1 Danactive Yogurt, 14 pack $1.99 (Another Manager's Special)

1 Kroger Sour Cream .99

1 Lettuce $1.29

3 Sanderson 100% Natural Chicken, $3.61 ea

2 Whole Chickens $2.75 ea

1 Oscar Meyer Lunch Meat $6.29 (Free after Kroger Loyalty Coupon)

1 Carrots $1.99

6 Loaves of Lewis Whole Wheat Bread $1.79 ea

4 Tunas .72 ea

Bananas $1.16

Kroger Diapers $3.99 (After Kroger printable)

I froze the excess O.J. and milk. And what about my coupons? I am not going to list all the coupons, but here are the best from what I used:

$1.00/2 Tropicana Pure Juices (That means I got them BOGO!)

.50 Fruit Rollups (Doubled to $1) This was actually a Money Maker because if you buy 5, then you get a $3.50 Cat OYNO.

.50 off Lewis Bread (doubled to $1)

$2 Community Coffee (coffee for only $2.99!!)

.40 off 2 Grands Biscuits

$3 off for getting 10 of select items- included was the Fruit Rollups and Grands. So that's .30 off each item, the Grands were .57 after discount and coupons, the Rollups were .39 per box!! THEN I got the $3.50 cat. I spent $3.12 on the rollups, so I made .38! Almost a free box! YAY!

$3.50 cat from Rollups deal

TOTAL after coupons: $44.10!!!!!!!!! My total was $85.55, but I had a gift card, so I didn't count that as part of my total. One of my coffee coupons didn't scan, and the cashier huffed when I said something. SHE noticed a rollup coupon didn't scan. She tried again, but it still didn't. What did she do? Nothing! So I went back to Kroger that night (2nd transaction), went up to CS, explained the situation and that also 2 of my O.J.'s rang at regular price. Since I am in there ALL THE TIME, really, I am, they went ahead and refunded me the coupon amounts (usually you are out of luck) and the full amount of the O.J. I included the refund in my total.

SO, there it is! My great Kroger run! I am trying to prepare for the new arrival, so getting deals like this is definitely going to help!

And Now There's 3!

2009-02-09T13:26:00.001-08:00

So it wasn't long ago that I found out I'm pregnant. It will be baby #3 for my husband and I. We currently have 14 month old twin boys! I am nesting very early with this pregnancy because we need to find a home for the little one. So, I am giving up my studio but not my love to paint. I will be shifting some things around in the house and getting rid of things I no longer use or even NEVER use! I'm going by the tips given on Biblical Womanhood: Spring Cleaning for Normal People, and that would definitely include me!

These are the things I am going to work on:

Organizing

Setting up the nursery

Cleaning

Decluttering

I'll post my progress on my site, as well as the things I am doing to decorate the new nursery frugally! I need to set a goal, so I'll be back with the goals for getting my home ready for baby!

FREE Starbucks!

2009-01-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

What is better than Starbucks coffee? FREE Starbucks coffee!! That's right- from now until Sunday, if you pledge to do at least 5 hours of community service, you get a free cup of Starbucks coffee. What a great idea. And you'll have so much energy from drinking your free coffee! More details HERE. Check your local Starbucks, I just did! MMmmmmmm

The Lemonade Award

2009-01-13T09:17:00.001-08:00

WOW! I was nominated for an award. How sweet. It reminded me that even though I don't get to blog all the time, I have been able to help a few people out there. So THANK YOU for reminding me about that! I enjoy sharing ideas with others because I am always returned the favor.

I was nominated for The Lemonade Award by Coupon Clippin' Mama B. What is the Lemonade Award? "The Lemonade Award is given by a previous winner to 10 people who have shown a great attitude or gratitude this week. It’s a great way to show these people that you appreciate them." What a great idea!

If you were a nominee here's what you need to do. Please share this opportunity with your favorite bloggers by doing the following:

Put the logo on your blog or post.

Nominate at least 10 blogs, which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Now to make my selections! Truthfully, it's only a handful and there may be repeat nominations. If that's you, please feel free to pass up the "requirements" because you have already participated. Without further delay, here are my nominees (in no specific order):

1. Coupon Clippin Mama B She has a wonderful, upbeat blog. I enjoy looking at her deals and trying to get the same! I also LOVE the name of her blog... that's my nickname!

2. The Thrifty Mama If you don't know her, you should! She is the very reason I save the money I do today! She "held me hand" learning CVS and Wags. Thanks to her blog, I have taken over my finances again. I also appreciate her dedication to her faith. Very inspiring. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CRYSTAL!

3. Southern Savers Thanks to her blog, I am able to locate the deals in my area. Due to stores being regional, it's frustating when I read about a great deal only to realize I can't get it! With this blog, I can count on that my store is participating!

4.Common Sense With Money Mercedes seems to be able to find all the deals! Thanks to her, I can find them too. She does an awesome job!

5. Savvy Saving Mama Before I started blogging, I followed this blog. It's very down to Earth and I enjoy reading her deals and steals. Thank you for making it look so easy!

6. Nickels-N-Dimes I appreciate all the charity work she posts about, and the opportunities she "gives" us to help...motivation! She also has a wonderful blog that lists the latest bargains.

7. Money Saving Mom Where I got my start. I visited her site one day, drooled over her posted deals, and the rest is, well, history!

8. So Cal Saver I just love her attitude! It's fun and fresh!

9. That's Just Nifty Thrifty She is so talented! She made a quilt for Christmas, does graphics and kicks but at CVS! I follow her to keep up with some great CVS ideas!

10. $aving Makes Cents Love following along with her getting deals. I wish we had a Mejer! She keeps her site up to date and up beat.

Well, there you have it! My nominees, although I know there are more out there!

SO...how did it go???

2008-12-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

Well I thought it went great!! I stuck to my budget! Here's the breakdown:

Beginning Budget: $75

The following are updated totals. My amounts before were "guess-timates", but I have included ALL aspects of doing the birthday party.

Gift: $35
Invitations: $0 FREE using Evite
Cake & Ice Cream: $2.64 I got the cake mixes free with coupons, I made the icing myself (had all ingredients but the confectioner's sugar and Jello pudding). I also had a coupon for free Turner Ice Cream. I got the "Happy Birthday" candle set free from Wags and then found the other set at the Dollar Store- perfect because it had 3 candles in it: a #1 for the big cake, and 2 stars for each of their cupcakes. As for the cake decorations, they were FREE. A big thanks to my sister for helping me out there!
Food: $13.18 I purchased Velveeta and Rotel tomatoes for the dip, Tortilla chips & sausage, cheese and Bisquik for the sausage balls.
Drinks: $1.69 This was the price for ice. I used an arrangement of soda I have been getting free (even PAID to "buy") from Wags all week!! I put the drinks in a large tub filled with ice. Added some color to the mini buffet.
Plates/Cups/Utensils: $5 from the Dollar store

Gift Bags for adults: $2 I put 2 gourmet chocolate bars in each (FREE) and a party blower, so all I paid for was the bags and the blowers.
Decorations: $0 for balloons. I did notinclude the cost of the balloons since I actually bought them for their 1 year pictures and repurposed them. I also took all of their birthday cards and put them in a picture holder I already had- instant center piece!!

GRAND TOTAL: $59.51! That's $15.49 under budget. Guess I'll get myself a birthday gift with that, lol!

Here's the boys in action eating their (delicious) homemade cake. YUM!

The boys had a great time and got some wonderful gifts: books, Step2 wagon, a play kitchen, 2 new big boy car seats (kind of for mom, too) and a xylephone!! WOW! And as for the cake...they loved it. So funny how different their personalities are, and it really came through during the cake eating process! Levi grabbed his with both hands and shoved it in! Noah on the other hand had to analyze it first. He poked at it, wiped at the icing, then picked it up, pulled it apart and made a little cupcake pile. Finally, he got a little taste and decided it was time to dig in as well! When it was time for ice cream, same sort of thing, but poor Levi realized that it all shouldn't go in at once- brain freeze! But it was so much fun, I was pleased at all I did myself and the boys never got fussy.

Thank you to all those that gave us birthday wishes!! I hope you got some great ideas from here!

Decorating on a Dime

2008-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

But first...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOYS, NOAH & LEVI!!!!! (oh, and to me, too!)

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog posting: Decorating on a Dime...

Or closer to a dollar- I am making a trip to the $1 Store to check out their party supplies. I went and purchased the following:

Plates $2
Cups $2
Napkins $2
Spoons $1
Decorations $0
Balloons- $6 (These are for their 1 year pictures tomorrow, and I'll reuse them at the party.)
Goodie Bags $2-for the ADULTS, not the children!! Includes gourmet chocolate (FREE) and favors

To decorate other areas, I am simply using their toys. We will have other children there, so having toys out to play with will be a great way to keep them entertained. It will also be a thrifty way to decorate!

Budget: $75
Gift: $35
Party Supplies: $15
Food: $?
Subtotal: $50

$25 left to spend!!!

Throwing a Melt Down Free Birthday Party

2008-12-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here are a few tips I got from Parenting.com to throw a stress-free, 1st birthday party. Even if it doesn't all go to plan, have fun and enjoy this special day that only happens once in their lifetime!!

Keep it short -- about two hours. Little kids can't keep it together for more than that.

Don't make yourself nuts baking, decorating, and hand-making everything. It's a big event for you, but it's not like your child is going to have a clue what's happening. So do the one or two things you enjoy and are good at, and farm out the rest.

Pay your nanny or favorite babysitter to be on hand -- her familiar face may help comfort your baby if she's overwhelmed by all the family and friends.

Don't bother with elaborate games or activities. These are 1-year-olds we're talking about. Approach it like a big play date instead.

Ask a friend to take photos or video the event so you can be in the pictures, too.

Set up two snack tables -- one with kid-friendly foods, like Goldfish crackers, and another that's higher up and out of reach with nibbles for the adults. Remember that some of the food you like can be a choking hazard for babies (carrots, popcorn, nuts, etc). I'd also like to add some foods aren't recommended for children until a certain age due to allergies, such as nuts. Keep that in mind!

The Menu

2008-12-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well, besides presents, this is where the budget usually goes downhill... Hopefully with a menu plan, it will keep that from happening! Here's what's on the menu:

Rotel Dip with Chips

Sausage Balls?? Maybe...I just LOVE these things!!

Fruit Plate or Salad

Cake

Ice Cream

Punch or Other Beverage Item

I am trying to keep the snacks kid friendly, with the exception of the chips and dip. After all, it is for the kids, right???

I have .55 off coupons for Velveeta block cheese which will get doubled. BUT Kroger has Nice and Cheesy which is, well, nice and cheesy. The chips will be from Aldi. They are .99 a bag! GREAT price for those!!! If I'm lucky, I'll find some of those free sausage with the purchase of links coupons... I'll need a few other ingredients for those, too, but not much.

The fruit I will buy and cut it myself. That will save quite a bit!! I won't have to buy too much because me husband received a gift basket with quite a bit of fruit in it; it will keep it from going to waste and save money, too!

As I mentioned, I am making the cake myself. I bought the mixes this morning and paid $0!! I love my new coupon addiction! The icing will be homemade buttercream icing, for which I already have all the ingredients. I have a coupon for a free gallon of Turner ice cream; it's the only perk I've received from my cable company, lol! As for the candles, I bought the ones that spell Happy Birthday! just like in the picture above. I got them FREE from Walgreens last week. They were a filler item so I could use my $5 Register Reward.

As for the punch, I'm still looking for a low sugar option. I guess that's what they call water-

Well, I'll keep you up to date! Tomorrow is decorating on a dime. Hmmmm....what a great name for a blog!

Birthday on a Budget: Party Invitations

2008-12-15T12:04:00.001-08:00

Invitations can get expensive, especially after you add the stamp. So what have I done to resolve this?? I used Evite. Evite is an on-line invitation generator. The great thing is, you can retrieve addresses from your hotmail, yahoo or google account. Another nice thing about it is saving paper and stamps. Oh, and ANOTHER nice thing about it is the RSVP set up. Guests can reply to your evite and RSVP on the spot, whether they can make it or not. Once you get a final count, it will also help you generate number of servings needed for food, beverages and cake. Evite will also automatically send out reminders to your guests as well, and if you choose, send you a notice when someone has RSVPed. How cool!

Now I will probably send out a few paper invites to immediate family, and so I will also have one for the boys' scrapbook. I am probably going to try to create my own and print it on card stock. You can also look at the $1 store and the $1 section in Target to find some great invitations!

Birthday Budget: $75

Spent $35 on gift

Invitations $0

Get PAID to Decorate from Walgreens!

2008-12-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

Well, if giving me money for spending "money" at Wags wasn't enough! I say "money" becasue I am only spending pocket change...total before coupons today %47+. After Qs, $1.08!! THEN I got a $5 Register Reward. I just didn't think it could get any better.

WRONG! I was at my Wags tonight and they had all lighted Christmas decor 50% off, including the items on page 69 of the Easy Saver. I bought the Lighted Crystal Gift Boxes and added fillers to get my total to $25. So it went something like this:

Lighted Boxes $29.99, 50% off= $14.99
Fillers = $15.01 (rough estimate)
Minus my Qs ($15.00) I got free after coupon items: Sure deo, Nivea travel size, etc
Minus previous $5 RR for $25 purchase
Less $10 Rebate
Plus 10% for adding to my gift card
PROFIT of $1!!! Plus I got the $5 for spending $25 again. I just count that as paying for my tax on this purchase :)

Some other things I noticed:
3x5 Digital Frame Clearanced to $39.99
- $20 rebate (page 56 ES)
Plus extra 10% for putting in GC
= Great Digital Photo gift for only $17.99

7" Digital Frame Clearanced to $59.99
- $20 rebate (page 56 ES)
Plus extra 10% for putting in GC
= Another Great Digital Photo gift for only $37.99

I hope you can find the same deals!!

Walgreens Toy Sale!

2008-12-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a few toys, now's a good time to visit Walgreens. Going on today and tomorrow their $6.99 toys are buy 2, get 2 free! Great way to get your total up to $25 to get that $5 holiday register rewards. You could put a few extra toys under the tree, or better yet, donate them. Happy shopping!

To Theme or Not to Theme?

2008-12-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves a theme to a birthday party. Really, it could make decorating for a party quite easy. The problem? It can get expensive and out of hand. You start with the idea, then buy the plates, cups and hats. Then you need goodie bags filled with favors. And what about the games?? And the balloons?? And the table cloth?? Before you know it, you are having a breakdown because you can't find the right color of red to go with the red streamers hanging in your daughter's hair!!!!

Okay, that may be a little over the top, but it shows how being so stuck into a theme can really make you lose site of the real reason to have a party: the birthday child, or in my case, children (oh, yeah, and mom, too!)

So what am I planning to do? Well, the boys are too young to tell me what they want in a party, so I am keeping it simple. Close family and friends on the invite list, snack foods, cake and ice cream and a simple theme or, um, non-theme.

The boys have a lot of music toys since their dad loves music. So what I've decided to do is use some of those toys to decorate with. I'll go to a dollar store and get a solid color table cloth, plates, cups and napkins.

Now, about the invitations. Those thinga are about $5 for 10! Then add stamps, and things could get pricey there, too. Check back to see my ideas on how to do invites inexpensively without missing out on the cute designs out there.

For their cake, I am going to make it myself. I haven't chosen on a specific design, so I'll just see where an idea takes me. I will reserve enough cake batter to make each boy their first individual cake: a cupcake.

So there's the plan. Keep an eye out to see how I do.

8 days and counting!

Birthday Present: FOUND!

2008-12-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

As thrifty mamas, I'm sure you have visited Free-Cycle or Craigslist. If not, you should!! I was looking for a possible gift, and boy did I find one!! I got the Fisher Price Incrediblock with 25 extra blocks for only $35! The Incrediblock alone is $50-$60 and extra blocks are about $30. The toy is educational, provides hours of fun AND is big enough for both of them to enjoy together. I also avoided the cost of gas. The person selling it works up the street from me and is going to drop it off for me. SCORE!!!

BUDGET: $75

Birthday Present $35

TOTAL left to spend: $40

Wow, this is going to be a challenge!!

Birthday on a Budget!

2008-12-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

My twins are turning one next Saturday, December 19th. That's actually my birthday, too, but I think my thunder may be stolen, lol. That's okay because I've had thirty-one of them on my own!

Since it's holiday season, money will definitely be tight. And since I'm going to try to be thrifty, I've decided to give you an inside look on my birthday planning. I would like to get this party for two, um three, done for less than $75, including invites, snacks, cake and gifts. I'll be using items from my stockpile and stored up craft items. Let's see how I do!!

Money Maker at K Mart!

2008-12-04T08:29:00.001-08:00

The only good deal I found on my K Mart Super Doubles run this morning!

As I wandered through the aisles disappointed that ALL the good deals were gone, I went to check out some of the cleaning supplies. The Pledge multi-surface wipes were on sale for 2/$7. I had $1.50 off Qs, doubled to $3, so I got them 2/$1!! BUT a $1 Cat printed out for EACH one!! I made $1. So I bought more, and rolled the cats. These did not double at my K Mart, but I bought 3 cases of soda with my $1 OYNO coupons! FREE SODA!!

Here's the fine print: it seemed to only be working on the blue packages (multi-surface wipes) even though both were marked 2/$7. The other kind (allergen free) wasn't even ringing up correctly. And again (unfortunately!!) these did not double.

I found my coupons at Kroger. They are blinkies!

WHOA! Bliss Chocolate for CHEAP!!

2008-11-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

So after my CVS run, post to come on that, I stopped by Kroger. We're headed out of town for Thanksgiving, and I needed to grab a few things. On the way out of U-Scan, I noticed some Hershey's Bliss marked down to $1.10???? Well, I was pretty sure I had $1 off Qs in my car, so I checked. YEP! So I bought 6 bags for $1.06! On my way out to the parking lot, I found a dollar. It was 3 am and no one else in site. So I guess I got them for 6 cents!

I don't know if it's just my Kroger, but it's worth checking out. And where did I get those Qs? They were blinkies at CVS.

Good Luck, ladies!! Happy Thanksgiving!! Have fun and be safe on Black Friday!

I'll Take That!

2008-11-25T07:24:00.001-08:00

So you want more free stuff, huh?? Me too! I was at Kroger last night and this is what I got for free:

Select 2nd Gerber baby food is 2/.99. Catalinas are printing out for .50/2 2nd foods. Once doubled, These are FREE!

And guess what's back?! The J & J Catalinas. I bought 3 Buddie Bars last night, used the $3/3 coupon from the insert and got a Cat for $3/3 J & J purchase. So keep rolling them and get lots for FREE. These would make great stocking stuffers or fillers for gift baskets.

The Price is Right: FREE

2008-11-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

This time of year it's hard to save money, but here's a great way to do it. Don't pay for stuff! No, don't steal it! Follow my lead!

FREE Cranium Pre-School Game! These are on sale on Target for $4 through Wednesday. Use a $5 off ANY Cranium game peelie to get it free! Thank you to The Thrifty Mama for posting about this awesome deal. Target also has a $5 off STORE coupon that can be used with the $5 off peelie to get Cranium Cadoo for $5. I also found a great stocking stuffer: Cranium Zigity. It's $7.99, but only $2.99 after the $5 peelie. I went a little Cranium crazy and bought 2 pre-school games (free), Cadoo ($5), Cariboo ($6.99) and 2 Zigity ($2.99 each). Really not that bad: 6 games for $15.97!!

Crystal's blog is one of my favorites. Have I mentioned that before?? Check out her Black Friday deals HERE. They are awesome!! Plus, she is giving everyone else a chance to post the deals they've found, so it's like having a team of shoppers!!! She also gives some great advice on shopping safely on Black Friday. Read them HERE. There are some really good tips, and she reminds us of some obvious ones, too. Like don't take the kids! But if you're like me, shopping is a break from the kids!!

Well, a week has gone by AGAIN

2008-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry, ladies. I can't believe a week has gone by and I have neglected to post yet again! How do you ladies do it?? I'm even sneaking a post in while I sit at my desk at work just so I could let you know I haven't forgotten about you!

I will be following along with Crystal at The Thrifty Mama and contributing ideas to the Thrifty Christmas Roundup. Just take a look at this cute ornament:

It's very easy to do! And I will have some ideas as well. For starters, if you formula feed, or know someone who do, save the cans!! Or just about any container will do... We'll be using them for a project, so just a heads up!

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this! I was doing so well, and then life happened!

I'm Organizing My Life...& My Blog!

2008-11-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hello! I have really enjoyed my new way to vent creativity. And I'd like to thank all of you for your encouragement. I know it can be disappointing for you to come check things out on here, only to see I haven't posted for a few days. Many things contribute to my MIA posts, but I think with a little organization, even the unexpected won't throw me off my groove! I frequent The Thrifty Mama A LOT, and I mention her site SO MUCH that some of you may think I get some kind of kick back!! Well, I don't, she just has such awesome deals, I find myself staking her site. (Hey, Crystal). But she is very organized and she also posts multiple times a day to be sure you get all the deals! I'm hoping I can at least post daily!!

But I digress...
The point of today's post is to let you know what to expect from my site from days to come. That way if something comes up you want to keep an eye out for, you know what day to check back. Don't get me wrong, I'd love regulars, but I know time is money!!! An since I got started because I was trying to save money, well, you see where I'm going with that one. This is a work in progress, but here are the beginnings of what I have in mind for the new daily line up:

Monday Makeovers:
Have a design problem you need solved?? Let me at it! Email me or post in the comments section your dilema. I will try and solve it for you! This will include FREE room makeovers!! More details to come on that!

Tuesday???

Wednesday???

Thrifty Thursdays:
Just a posting of the week's deals I found, to help lead you on your way!

Fridays???

Saturdays???

Sundays:
This will actually be "ME" time. I will not do new postings, not regularly anyways. It IS the 7th day (Sabbath Day!!) so I will spend it with the Lord and my family, not that I only do this on this day, lol.

I found the Starbuck's Chocolate!!!!

2008-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

I went to Target to see if I could find the Starbuck's chocolate everyone was talking about... I did!! There was another girl there that aparently reads the same blogs I do. She grabbed ALL of them right in front of me. I found one on the top shelf because I was 2 feet taller than her. I should have "taken her" for the others, but I just figured kharma, if you know what I mean! If I ever grab the last of something, and someone else is next to me, I ask to make sure they aren't looking for the same thing. Just in case!! If so, I always share.

So I came across another flavor at the registers and thought I'd check to make sure those weren't clearanced as well. No such luck. BUT, I saw some of the others mixed in with them! So I went to each aisle and found 20 more!! Now, had the girl offered some of her loot to me, I would have done the same. Instead, she saw me with them and said, where did you find all of those????

So, offer to share, and the favor will be returned!! I donate a lot of the items I get from my savvy shopping. Try to do the same!

My total OOP at Target was $4.xx. I had a coupon for free doggie food or $7 off the larger bag. I also had a $3 off Target coupon on the same food, so I got a bag of Iams doggie food for $2! The Mighty Dog was also a free coupon. No overage on the candy bars like some of you reported. BUT, I did get Starbuck's chocolate for FREE!!! Yay!

Stay tuned for some new features on my blog. I hope you will like them!

Gnu Give Away on the Thrifty Mama!

2008-11-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

It's kind of a catch 22 for me... I want to win, but to get an extra entry to win, I'm listing about this great give away from The Thrifty Mama. Her site is already awesome and now a great give away! She is natural and thrifty. To be honest, she is the very person that taught me my thrifty ways. Thank you so much, Crystal!!

I Heart Kroger...and Target...and Wags...and...

2008-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Kroger is having their Mega Event Sale and it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome! If you buy 10 of certain items, which you can mix and match, you get an extra $5 off your order. Pair this with coupons, and you've got yourself some free items with possible overage! It's a limit of 3 offers per transaction, so you may have to do it a couple of times. Is it worth it?? OH, YEAH! So I made a run, or 2 to Kroger. Then stopped at Wags to take advantage of their awesome diaper deal.

I've had some requests on my OOP. This isn't exact, but here is an idea of what I spent:

Target: $6.xx

Petco: $3.08

Kroger $6.89

Wags: $15.xx

I saved WELL OVER $130!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basement of Bargains

2008-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's been about four months since I started down my thrifty road. What a difference it has made! I don't feel like I have to rush out to the store to buy things when we have suddenly run out. That saves me time, money and gas...and frustration, too! I'm lucky enough to have a basement where I can store my growing stockpile. We call it the mini store. When we run out of something, my husband will say, I'm going to go to the store and grab some! He'll walk down to the basement and come back with it and a HUGE smile on his face. He thinks it's as fun as I do!

I stock pile almost everything. Cereal, crackers, taco shells, brownie and cookie mixes, juice, soda, chips, condiments, granola bars, tuna, pudding, DIAPERS!!, wipes, water, make up, toiletries, toilet paper (too much to picture!), cleaning supplies and SO MUCH MORE!

Here's a look at what I've established. I tell my family, if you need anything, let me know, and I'll see if I have it! My MIL takes care of our twins, and she finds stuff all the time! I happily share it because there is no way we could use it all in time. But I get it for free, sometimes even get PAID to take it, so why not?? I DONATE what we do not or cannot use. It's a great way to help out in the community and feel like I am contributing when I can't give money.

How do I do it?? With lots of fun and a little time. Check with me, and I'll help you do it, too!

Here's the FOOD Stockpile:

TOILETRIES Stockpile:

CLEANERS Stockpile:

FREEZER/FOOD Stockpile:

It's amazing what coupons can do if you plan it right! MOst of this stuff I got for FREE or just pennies. And I didn't even picture ALL of it!! I won't have to buy toilet paper for the rest of the year, at least!!! The only thing I still buy regurlarly is milk, meat and dawgie food. It's such a nice feeling that I can fuel my addiction to saving money on food, something we need, and not just finding a good bargain. There IS a difference!

Super Saturday Shopping!

2008-11-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

I know it's Tuesday, but I got such great deals I had to share!! I made 3 trips: Wags, Target and Schnuuks. I spent $76.xx. Sounds like a lot, but when you see what I saved, it was definitely a great shopping day! This was stuff I needed, or at least the twins needed!

Schuunks $33.xx OOP, saved A LOT! ;)

Pack of Luvs Dipes

4 Beechnut Cereals (I am going to donate these, they were FREE)

40 Jars of Beechnut Babyfood

1 Gerber Graduates Wagon Wheels (this was an accidental purchase, but the boys LOVE them, also why they are not pictured)

2 Smoked Salmon (my husband CANNOT resist these. And I never have a coupon!)

2 Bumble Bee Salmon Prime Filets...DEAL! 2/$5, used $1/1 (x2) AND got a $1.50 OYNO!!

Wags $7.13 OOP after rebate, saved $76.28

4 Packs Dipes

3 Tombstones clearanced 1/2 off

Cemetary Sign

Newspaper

4 Packs Gum

2 Almay Mascara
*I'll get a refund for the mascara of $7.69*

Target $36.13 OOP, saved $45.48

4 Clorox Wipes

2 Clorox Spray

7 Fusion Razors (Clearance and Qs expired that day!)

Cabinet Locks

Sponges

Sponge Wipes

Huggies Wipes

Baby Shampoo

Large Bag of Dogfood (not pictured)

Button Adorned Pillow

2008-11-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

I know I have gotten a little behind in my button series. I'm sorry about that; I have had some health issues in the family. But I'm back on track! Here is the next idea for those extra buttons you've collected!

All you need is a plain pillow cover. You could use a pillow, but sewing the buttons on may be a little more challenging! But then again, you could use a glue gun or fabric glue to attach them!

And if you're feeling REALLY crafty, simply sew a cover!

Arrange the buttons in a pattern: grid as shown, square, circle or just an abstract arrangement! Sew or attach in another fashion. Stuff the case if it was a cover, and you're done! That's it! Not much to it, now was there? Now find the perfect spot for your new accent pillow and sit back and relax!

Stay tuned for a more "organized" blog. I am going to have specific days for certain features. Hopefully this will help my posts be more regular and my readers will have something to look forward to!

Have a great day!

Late Nite Wags Run

2008-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to take advantage of the Wags $5/$20 that came out last week. And I was told by a Wags employee that this handy coupon, or one similar to it, will be released every week. So, I guess we'll see! Here's what I got:

Transaction 1

4 Bags M & M's $10

Venus Embrace Razors $8.99

All Free & Clear $6.98 (too good of a deal to pass up)

Rimmel Foundation $7.49 (I really like this stuff!)

Coupons used:

2 x -$1 M & M's

2 x $1 off M & M's ES Q

$4 Venus (Vocal Point Q)

2 x $1 All Detergent

$1 Rimmel

$5/$20 Wags Q

Total before taxes: $17.45 (OOP a little higher because I got the 2nd All)

Transaction 2

Venus Embrace Razor $8.99

-$4 coupon

OOP $5.45

I will get rebates on the M & M's ($5) and the Rimmel ($7.49). I got $8 in RR for the razors (that's why I broke into 2 transactions)

The razors will be stocking stuffers and I'll use the M & M's to make cookies!! YUMMY!!!!!

I got Tagged??!!

2008-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

How exciting...although I'm not quite sure how it works! But thank you SO much for the acknowledgement and the opportunity to tell you a little more about me.

I've been out of town, so this is the first chance I've had to respond to the 3 people tagging me: Coupon Clippin Mama B, That's Just Nifty Thrifty and $aving Makes Cents. Thank you, ladies!

7 "Unknown" Facts About Me

1. I am a first time mom of identical twin boys.

2. I know how to fly a Cesna Airplane. That's FLY, take off and landing are totally different!

3. I am a buyer for a modern furniture store and often "star" in our commercials. Ha, my 30 seconds of fame...

4. I have been published in local & national magazines (Goal I set in college as a class assignment. Think I'll get the extra credit??)

5. This isn't necessarily a positive thing, but it's a funny story and a lesson learned. First time I got really intoxicated, I threw up...at the table...in front of A LOT of people. Like I said, lesson learned!

6. I am a painter. I have a hard time "finishing" my pieces.

7. I love driving my "toaster"...a Scion xB. I figured with number 5, I could go easy on the last one.

I am tagging the following:

The Thrifty Mama

Money Saving Mom

That's Just Nifty Thrifty

$aving Makes Cents

Savvy Saving Mama

So Cal Saver
Newlyweds! (she has twin boys a month older than mine!)

Just a side note...to those I tagged, and you've already been tagged by another, I give you "permission" to sit this one out :) No need to keep going round in circles on it!!

So, there you have it. Thanks again!!

Light Up Your Life

2008-10-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

Many of you guessed a lamp shade for this project. Great guess, but that's later in the week (thanks for the idea!)- I chose this as the first project because it is so easy, and you probably already have these things around your house. This is also a great way to repurpose some items in your home and give them new light...um, I mean life!

Materials Needed:

Candle, any color

Ribbon (some you saved from Christmas last year?)

A button (or two, or three, or...)

Glue Gun

I actually picked up the candle at Target when they had all their Christmas stuff 90% off. So it cost me 30 cents. It had a silver ribbon around it with a snowflake charm. I removed the ribbon and charm, which I used on a necklace; 2 items for the price of one! I cut a piece of ribbon long enough to wrap around the candle. I hot glued one end, then wrapped the ribbon around, folded the end under to create a clean edge, and hot glued it in place. I then took a button and hot glued it in the middle of the ribbon seam. And that's it! I had a plain white pedestal I received as a gift and placed the candle on top of that.

The great thing is, the ribbon can be easily removed and replaced with another color. So, if you change your color scheme, the season changes or it's a holiday celebration, you can swap out the ribbon to match your decor.

More ideas on the way, so if you like this one, come back and check the others out!!

Let Me Push Your Buttons

2008-10-27T07:17:00.001-07:00

...into a design masterpiece! I'm talking about those buttons you get with a new shirt or pants, attached in a little baggie. Seems mine never fall off, and when they do, I can't find them! I usually complie them in a baggie, like the one below, but I was starting to gather quite a collection! So I started thinking... just what can I do with all of those?

So this is a new series; I hope you enjoyed the last one. The designs are simple, and can be done by yourself or with the family. I also like to use things I already have so I'm not spending more! That defeats the thriftiness of it all. But I will say, something new is nice every now and then!!

Get all your buttons and spread them out, and pick a few favorites. You won't need many (the first project only requires one button!) but it will give you a better way to save all of them!!

Come back tomorrow and I'll shed some "light" on this series! That was a hint, by the way...

Halloween Decorating

2008-10-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since I posted my series on decorating for Halloween frugally. I would LOVE to see pictures of how it turned out!! So much so, that I'm starting a new contest!! That's right, not only did you get decorations for free or close to it, you'll win something out of it!!

Please email me pictures of your "haunted houses". I will host a picture gallery, then annouce a winner. In the comments, let me know you're entering and if you enjoyed the series. Should I do more like it?? And was it fun for your children, too?? I'd love some feedback!

The prize will be announced in the next few days. I am out of town, and doing this on a time-limited computer!! Thank you everyone!

-Lisa

The Customer is Always Right...

2008-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

...except if she's using coupons! I rarely have trouble using coupons. It's not worth the time and effort to get up a great scenario only to have it ruined when the cashier tells you your coupon is only valid on the 6.0 ounce toothpaste, not the 4.0 ounce tube. why is she being so difficult?? Well, it's not really her, per say, but the advancement of computers. Now, registers will select the product the coupon is valid for, and link them together. Not that you would intentionally try to pull one over, but it's hard to do these days!

So why do I bring all this up? No, I didn't try to use a coupon for an item I didn't have, I merely wanted to get some good deals with the coupons I DO have for the items that match them.

Let me start off by saying I NEVER have issues at CVS. I have respected the cashiers telling me "no", until I have learned the ropes, and they know that. So my transactons always go smooth as silk. Until Friday night.

I asked if I could use a Walgreens coupon from the Easy Saver on the SoBe water at CVS. The manager (in the office), yells 'NO!". We don't take ANYTHING from Walgreens. Well, considering they are RIGHT ACROSS the street, maybe you should. So I said okay, well, I have manufacturer's coupons from tearpads at Walgreens I'll use. MANUFACTURER'S coupons. Well, they say Walgreens on them, not only valid at Walgreens, just "Walgreens" printed on them. The cashier scanned them, and theywent through just fine, but wait, it says Walgreen...

So she calls over a- manager?? I don'tknow if she was the maager or not, but the lady refused my coupons. She commented, tese are copies anyway. Um, NO. I'm not committing coupon fraud over 40 cents and 3 ECBs. THEN she starts looking through my other coupons. These are are copies, too. I said, "you are allowed to take those. I verified it with CS. If they scan, they are valid. I shop here once or twice a week. the cashiers know me, and I am NOT going to risk being able to shop here for 40 cents! You have a great rewards program, and I want to be able to take advanatge of that. NOT take advantage of you." She just says, Hmmm, then gets to my Excedrin coupon and my CVS Excedrin coupon:

"You can't use these together."
"Yes, I can. One is a store coupon, and one is a manufacturer's coupon."
"Well, this one says "do not double". If you use them together, that's doubling."
(laughing on the inside). "No, that's not doubling. If you doubled that one to $4, that's doubling. The CVS one is for $3, so together they are $5. I'm stacking them, not doubling. CVS allows that."
"Well, I just don't think you can do that. And THIS one is a copy."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? So I said, "forget it. I'm not getting any of this stuff." I looked at the cashier, apologized for wasting her time, then looked at the "manager" and said. I have NEVER had any trouble with using coupons. I am familiar with the coupon policy here, and I follow it. I will just call customer care on Monday, and we'll get it straightened out."

Then I realized my CVS papertowel coupon was expiring the next few days. I'll be out of town, and they are FREE, so I went back inside to get them. The cashier apologized and said the other lady is from out-of-town and won't be here long. I told her I understand them being cautious, but like I said, 40 cents isn't worth it. No biggie, I'll be back!

So avoid this trouble. How? Take the following steps prior to coupon shopping...

Be sure the item stated on the coupon is the item you are buying.
Check the expiration date! This is a minor detail that often gets overlooked, but most registers will catch it, or the cashier will.
Email the store you frequent and get their coupon policy. I would even print it out and keep it in your coupon binder.
Keep transactions small, if possible, so not to overwhelm you or the cashier when using so many coupons.
Make a list of the items you are buying, with prices and even coupon amount you are using. this comes in very handy when working up scenarios.

I knew the coupons I was using and the items I was getting matched up. I knew I was in the right. But me walking out and refusing to buy ANYTHING when I was given a hard time struck a cord with the troublesome lady. She started to back pedel, and I refused to buy anything. When I went back in to get the papertowels, I just said, I know this coupon is okay, I got it here!

And if you need help with all this coupon stuff at CVS, you'll want to visit The Thrifty Mama's site on how to shop CVS. NOW is a great time to start because she is starting from the ground up!! Take a look HERE.

Thanks for hearing my vent, and GOOD LUCK!

Baby Food Bargain

2008-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I left for work yesterday on a mission- to get baby food. As a mom of twins, it's hard to gauge what they are going to eat in a week! But with my trusty binder in hand, off to the store I went. I stopped at Shnucks, formally know as Seesles's by Albertsons, because they will sometimes run specials on my favorite type of food, Beechnut. Well, sure enough, the 2nd foods are on sale for 40 cents a jar! Typically they run about 55 cents, so i was pleased. They also had several flavors on close out. So I snagged a few jars, along with the Green Giant Steamers on sale 10/$10, a family sized tub of Mosse Tracks ice cream and some Uncle Ben's rice. I used a couple Beechnut coupons I received from them (just call and ask!), $1 Green Giant Qs from this past Sunday's insert and a coupon for free Uncle Ben's cajun style rice that was mailed to me. Then I decided to stop at Kroger to get more deals, including the new Glade money maker!

The latest money making deal is the new Glade deal. It's as good as the last one, and you can get the details from The Thrifty Mama; just scroll down until you see the Glade deal!

So I grabbed up more baby food, Glade Oil warmers, Johnson's Buddie Bars, Tums Smoothers and a Febreeze Noticeable starter kit.

Here's a pic of my haul. The only thing not pictured is the ice cream (I left it at work to thank evryone for letting me do a quick run on my lunch break) and the Glade warmers. Frankly, there were just too many to put on the counter!!

Not too shabby for a total OOP of about $6! All of this was free after Qs: GG vegies, Uncle Ben's rice, J & J Bars, Tums Smoothers and the Febreeze kit. I actually got overage from the Tums and Febreeze! The Tums were on clearance for .84, and I had $1 off Qs. The Febreeze was $7.99, and I had a $5 Q from the paper and another $5 Q loaded on my Kroger card from the P & G website. (Thanks again, Thrifty Mama!) Kroger has a TON of stuff on clearance right now in the pharmacy section, so check it out. You could get great stuff for free or close to it when you pair it with coupons!!

As for the Glade money maker- I bought 8 this morning. I paid 27 cents OOP and walked away with 8 warmers and $32 in catalinas for money off my next purchase. AWESOME!

Part 3: Cottonball Creepy Crawlies

2008-10-19T00:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you remember making spider webs "the old-fashioned way", besides collecting spiders and having them do it! I'm talking about using cottonballs. Just unroll them, and gently spread the cotton out! Best thing about this decorating idea is that most of this stuff you will already have!!

1. Gather your materials: large cottonballs, 4 toothpicks for each spider, black paint, redish fingernail polish and double-sided tape.

2. Put some of the black paint on a paper plate or even a regular plate. It will wash right off (just clean it in a reasonable amount of time). Leave to dry.

3. Unroll the cotton ball.

4. Find a home for your web. Bricks work great because the cotton snags on it. If you don't have brick, use the double-sided tape to hold the web in place.

5. Break the toothpicks in half. Stick each piece in the cottonball body. Four on one side and four on the other. Using the nail polish, paint 2 eyes on the spider. Place the spider in its new home; you may need to secure it using the tape.

And there you have it! Spiders and webs. What did this cost me?? NOTHING!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Part 2: Cereal Box Cemetary

2008-10-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

So you scored some great deals on cereal. With the cost of cereal getting ridiculously high for air and sugar filled puffs, and milk costing more per gallon than gas, it's good to get all you can out of it! So here's my plan for you...

Making Cereal Box Tombstones

1. Put rocks, sand, rice or other "heavy" substance in the box to anchor it. Glue the open end of the ceral box closed. You could tape it, but the paint make not stick to it.

2. Paint the box with black paint: acrylic or spray paint. It doesn't even have to be solid black. Mine is a deep brown with navy blue. It gives it a little more depth than black. But then again, I couldn't find my black paint, so I just used what I could find!! Let it dry.

3. Paint on an epitaph with white paint. Use clever names like this one: Lota Bones. (lot of bones, lol). You can even water down the paint a little and with the box standing up, paint RIP. The watery paint will run, making it a little creepier...

4. Make several and place throughout your yard. If you don't have anything to put in the bottom of the box, tape a sharpened pencil to the back, with half of it protruding past the box, and stick it into the ground.

Remember these won't be waterproof!!

Glad in Glade WINNER!!

2008-10-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Managing Mommy! She is the winner of the Glad in Glade contest. I will be mailing your prize package out next week.

THANK YOU to all those who participated, and I will have another contest soon!

Halloween on Almost a Dime: Part 1, Frugal Phantoms

2008-10-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, with Halloween quickly approaching, I am running out of time to decorate, my favorite part!! And with 2 babies, I ran out of money a long time ago!! So here are a few, family friendly ideas for Halloween. I'll start with one idea today, and give 2 more, one on Saturday, the final on Sunday. By Monday, you'll be ready for Halloween!

So what do you do with all those plastic shopping bags you get after unloading your groceries? Well, if your local grocery store doesn't take them to recycle, offer you a discount for using your own (mine just started!!) and you don't have a dog (these make great bags to pick up doggie "mines" when walking in the neighborhood), use them to decorate for Halloween!!

Grocery Bag Ghosts

You can really use any bag, but your children will probably stress to use white ones. They are ghosts, you know!! The bags in my area that are white are Target, Kmart, CVS and Walmart.

1. Take one of the bags and lay it flat. Cut off the handles at the edge of the opening on the bag.

Save one of the to tie around the neck. The other will be part of the stuffing.

2. Cut the bag along the seams to make 2 pieces. (I didn't cut my handles off on this one, but do it as mentioned in step 1).

3. Wad the piece with the print up into a ball, trying to hide the print "inside" the wad. You will be able to see some of it, but not much. Put this in the middle of the other bag. Lay the bag over the ball, cinch at he bottom of the ball and tie one of the handles around it to hold in place.

4. With a permanent marker, draw on eyes and a mouth if you want one! Then, using fishing line or even dental floss (that you got FREE from CVS, lol), tie it to a tree limb or hang from your house. It won't take much string, only about 12".

Waterproof AND you could save them for next year!! They look great when you have several im a tree. Best thing is, you could make DOZENS of them, and it hasn't cost you anything!! BOO!

Stay tuned for the next thrifty tip on Saturday!

So You Want to Shop CVS?

2008-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across CVS after becoming a frugal shopper. I learned all I know now after watching other mamas save and get things FREE at CVS! What is a CVS? What makes it such a GREAT place to shop??? Why would you drive to another state just to shop there?? (It's really only 10 minutes away, but SO worth it!)

You can get all these answers and more by clicking on the box below. The Thrifty Mama is the queen at shopping at CVS; I bow before her, lol. When I get ready to take a trip there, I always check her site first!

Thanks to my frugal shopping, I haven't bought diapers in a long time! I know I say that a lot, but for you mamas that buy them, you know what a money saver that is!

So a take a look there, learn about: how to get things free when they have a BOGO sale and you have a BOGO coupon, getting a free $30 GC, the cool thing about ECBs, oh, and what all those abbreviations are for!!!

I blew all my ECBs last week, but on things I needed, so I'm basically starting over. I'll be following along with her, too!

$avings Makes Cents is Giving Away a Carpet Flick!

2008-10-15T09:00:00.001-07:00

Jump over to $avings Makes Cents, and register to win a Swiffer Carpet Flick! It's too bad I don't have carpet because I would love to win this. Of course, I haven't been throwing any wild parties lately, so I don't have a lot of confetti lying around the house. I am going out of town this weekend... no wild parties at my house unless I win this thing!!

And don't forget about the Glad for Glade contest HERE. You can also find it in my "Floorplans" section. Have fun and get FREE stuff! Gotta love that!

Recycling and Repurposing

2008-10-14T08:05:00.001-07:00

The best way to be thrifty and contribute to preserving our Earth is to reuse items. My sister bought this cute sign for us when she found out I was pregnant. She knew my husband would love it because it is made from reclaimed wood from a pier; he longs to be on the seas one day, sailing across the ocean. He's trying to convince me to go with him... lol (small fear of water is the only thing that would keep me away). I love it because it is giving an item new life, and keeping it from finding a home in a landfill. I tease her it's the reason we had twin boys; otherwise the sign wouldn't have been as appropriate! I only knew I was pregnant at the time, not carrying two!!

This would be easy to make. Find a piece of scrap wood, it's better if it has been sitting around a while because that adds to the character of it! Drill 2 small holes in the top (one on the left, one on the right) to thread a piece of wire or string through it. This will allow it to be hung anywhere!Do a wash over it with any color paint you choose. To create a wash, you can add a glaze to the paint, but water would work just as well, and it's free! Let it dry... then paint your phrase and littles pictures on it. No need to be an artist, the simplicity adds a childlike effect to it. After the paint is dry, thread the wire or thread into the holes, and pick the perfect spot to hang it. Your little one could help you with that, too!

Have a good phrase to use? Leave a comment to help some other moms out!

Find the Glad in Glade

2008-10-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

Get it?? Glade...

I was putting away my Glade oil warmers (again), and it got me to thinking- what is everyone else doing with theirs? I have mine stacked, stored, even hanging from the ceiling in my basement! Then another thought came to mind- I should have a catchy little contest to see who has the best Glade stockpile or who can come up with the best idea to "use" these. Hence, the name! You'll be glad you bought all those Glades (or that I did)!!

To get things started, here are pics of my crazy stash. I have 36 gel warmers, 36 oil warmers, 12 Wisps, 8 oil candles, 8 oil candle refills, 4 of the 4 oz candles and 12 Fabric refreshers. Take a look!

So, take a count, better yet, some pictures and enter my contest! Subscribe to or follow my blog and leave a comment.

And what's the prize you ask?? Well, since I am trying to be thrifty and helps others at it too, how about a great start or addition to your coupon collection? Your prize pack will include 50 coupons and 2 Glade gel warmers and 2 oil warmers (your choice of fragrance from what I have). Also included will be a couple of those BOGO Glade Oil warmers everyone is crazy over right now. Why do you ask?? Because it's free money!! If you don't know what I'm taking about, take a look HERE at The Thrifty Mama.

I'll be drawing a winner this Friday, and sending your prize to you on Monday!

Good Luck, and I hope you have a great time participating!

Snuck in last minute Saturday Shopping

2008-10-12T18:04:00.001-07:00

I'll admit it; I may have a coupon addiction. But is it that bad if I'm saving money?? I haven't bought diapers since July, and I am shopping for twins!! So if this is an addiction, I think it's one of those healthy kinds!!

Another Wags Run

24 SoBe Waters

3 Crest

2 Scrubbing Bubbles

2 Windex Wipes

4 Oral B Toothbrushes

Visine

Spent $0 OOP (paid balance on GC)

I will get rebates for the Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles ($4)

I got lucky with the SoBe. Wags had tearpads a couple of weeks ago for .4o/1, and I only took 8 coupons. I didn't want to get greedy! When I went last night to get the SoBe with the 8 coupons I had, they had just put out more! SO I got 16 more coupons, still leaving the rest of the Qs (there were 2 tearpads). When I went to check out, the cashier said I couldn't use one of those with the Easy Saver coupon. TRUST ME, I can!! So she tried it, and of course it worked!!

If you can't wrap your head around all this coupon business, just keep trying. You WILL get it, and when you do, the rewards are awesome!

Lunch Break Bargains! More Saturday Savings...

2008-10-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

So I decided to run across the street to Wags on my lunch break. Here's what I got for NOTHING out-of-pocket!! I'll try to post a pic later, since a lot of us love seeing the haul!! They always say a picture is worth a thousand words!!!

1st Transaction:

5 Softsoap @ $4.49 ea

4 Crest Toothpaste $1.99 ea

-4 x $1/1 Softsoap (manufacturer Q)

-5 x $1/1 Softsoap ES Q

-4 x $1/1 Crest (manufacturer Q)
-4 x $1/1 Crest ES Q

-$3 RR

Total $13.22, used GC, nothing OOP!

Earned $10 RR for Softsoap

2nd Transaction:

5 Walgreens Dipes Mega Packs $5.49 (clearanced)

Less $10 RR, $3 RR, $3 RR and $3 RR

Total $4.99 on GC, nothing OOP!

I used all my Register Rewards, but I got diapers for FREE. Comes in handy when you are going through them twice as fast!!

Frugal Friday turns into Saturday of Savings

2008-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is my first post of one of my late night shopping runs. I go once the boys are in bed so I can go alone, without distractions and it gives me some "me" time. I know a lot of you understand that even grocery shopping is a break we look forward to!

The reason my Frugal Friday turned into a Saturday of Savings is because I started late Friday night and didn't finish until 1 a.m.!! My husband woke up enough to help me carry in my haul, I know, that was so sweet of him!! He didn't get the full impact of it all until I told him this morning how much I spent. "WHAT??!! That's great!" So, how much was all of this?? Only $16.38. Just check out the details below...

Walmart

4 Gold Bond Powder, travel size .97 each

Parent's Choice Puffs $1.59

3 Gillette Shampoo + Body Wash $2 each

Well Patch Single .97 (should have saved the Q for CVS!!)

Coke (not pictured because I was thirsty)

Annie's fresh Baked giant Pretzel FREE because they were about to close and the girl just gave it to me. (Not pictured because I got hungry, was the reason I got thristy)

Total after coupons: $3.43

Kroger

I will never go to Kroger for a large shopping run after 10 p.m. anymore.

Only the Uscan is open!! I also have misplaced my reciept, so this is from memory. No individual prices, just my total OOP at the end.

1st Transaction:

8 Glade Oil Warmers $4.49 ea, BOGO Qs, used $4 cats so nothing OOP

2nd Transaction:

Eggland's Best Eggs

6 Betty Crocker Potatoes

Huggies Dipes

Pampers Wipes

2 Dole Salad

3 Bolthouse farms Juice LARGE ($1.99 ea)

3 Pure Naked Juice, single serving (.99 ea)

Carrots

Fresh Mushrooms

Milk

2 Success Boil in Bag Brown Rice

Immune Boost by Emergen-C (on clearance)

Land-o-lakes Spreadable butter

Kroger Butter

2 Shredded Cheese

Cream Cheese

2 Buddie Bras

J & J Baby Oil

24 Jars Beechnut Babyfood (not pictured, ran out of room)

Total after coupons: $16.xx (where's my receipt??)

CVS

I actually drive to another state to shop CVS! It's only 10 minutes away, and it is so worth it for the Extra Bucks and cheaper tax rate!!!

1st Transaction:

Benefiber 32 servings

Benefiber 48 servings
$0 OOP after ECBs & Gifcard

Earned 10 ECBs

2nd Transaction:

Well Patch $5.99

Lady Speedstick $1.99

Listerine (clearanced .50 ea)

CVS Papertowels $1.99
I received $1 off the deo, papertowels and Listerine from the coupon scanner so both were free after coupon and ECBs. I'll be taking the Well Patch back because it was the wrong one for ECBs. Also, the $1 Q for the papertowels actually took off $2!!

$0 OOP after ECBs and Giftcard

3rd Tranaction:

2 Playskool Diapers

I received $4/$20 Playskool purchase from the coupon scanner. I also had $2 off playskool Dipes. i don't think I was supposed to use them together because the cupon beeped when she scanned them, but she entered them manually. Yay!

$0 OOP after coupons, ECBs and giftcard

Walgreens

Glade Flameless Candle $5.99

2 SoBe Life Water

4 Glade Candle Oil refill

$0 OOP after coupons and Giftcard

AND I have $1 ECB for CVS, since I messed up the Well Patch (I'll get $5.99 for it when I return them), $12 Register Rewards for Walgreens and $4 in rebates coming for this month!!!

I am thrilled. So how on earth did I do all of this?? Well, I'll tell you that next week. I'll give you the scoop on my favorite sites to follow for big savings.

Let's Get "Star"ted

2008-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the pun, but I couldn't help myself! Bear with me today, I've been having issues with my keybaord AND camera. But I am ready to jump in, are you?

Here's the materials list:
1 Wooden Disc (for the body). This can be aby size, just make sure you find a mirror to fit in the center! My disc is 6" in diameter

Wooden Craft Circles in various sizes. These come mixed in a bag, and I only needed one bag.

Assortment of round mirrors. Each bag is size specific. I used 14 small, 27 medium and 14 large.

1 Large Mirror for the body. Mine is 5' in diameter

Wooden dowels, 1/8". The number you need will depend on the number of rays you will have. I have 16 long rays and 16 short rays. The long rays are 10" long, the short are 5" long. Multiply the length times the number of each size arms, and that will give you the over all length needed, hence the number of dowels to get. If you're a math person, you'll have no trouble figuring this out. Or just buy some dowels, they were only 9 cents, use what you need, and take the rest back!

Wood Stain, any color. I got lucky and found this nice dark brown in the "oops" section for only $1

Glue Gun

Wood Glue
Picture Claw to hang your finished piece of art

Okay! Time for preparation and assembly.

1. Cut the dowels iinto the desired lengths. Then stain ALL the wooden pieces: wooden disc for the body, the wooden circles and the dowels. Leave to dry.

2. Draw a "grid" on the back of the body to mark the position of the rays. To get placement, meaure the length around the disc, and divide it by the number of arms. Then make little marks on the back around the circle. Draw lines from one mark to it's coordinating mark on the other side (passing through the center). This will tell you where to drill the holes for the rays. Just to be sure you've done it right, arrange the precut dowels around the body, alternating between long and short. If you have 2 long or short next to each other once you're done, OOPS! There's an error somewhere. Re-do the grid in another color if needed. Make sure this is right before moving onto the next step.

3. Attach the picture claw onto the back of the body. Most of these are tacked into the back. If you don't do it now, you may ruin the piece if you have to do it once it is finished.

4. Using a drill bit, drill holes the size of the dowels around the rim of the body. Don't forget that the placement of the dowels was determined in step 2! Drill the holes in the center of the edge (if your disc is 1/2" deep, then your hole will be 1/4" from the top and bottom of the disc). Wrap a piece of masking tape around the drill bit, 1/4" from the end of the bit. Once you've drilled into the edge until the tape touches the disc's body, you know you've gone the same depth all the way around! This will keep your arms the same length!!

5. Arrange a pattern that you like along the dowels. Start with the larger size on one end, and then use the medium then the small as you get towards the other end. Once you get them arranged, hot glue the wooden discs and mirrors on the dowels. Alternate mirrors and dowels for a unique touch. Get all your dowels done, then go to the next step.

6. Put some wood glue on a paper plate or in a small holder. It won't take much!! Dip the end of the dowel into the wood glue and then slide into one of the holes you drilled into the body. It doesn't matter where you sart, but then alternate between long and short arms.

7. Lay the piece down and allow the glue to set.

8. Pick a perfect spot in your home and hang! Great job!!

Have questions?? Feel free to ask. This is my first DIY post, so I need to know if I am explaining it well. I'm happy to help!

Edit: It would have been helpful if I had included my cost on this. After all, it IS about saving! I bought all craft items from Hobby Lobby. The wooden craft circles, dowels, disc and mirrors were 50% off, due to a sale they were running. I didn't need it, but they often have a printable coupon for 40% off any regularly priced item on their website. The picture claw was something I already had, but you can get them at any hardward store. As mentioned earlier, the stain was only $1. So after supplies, I spent about $10. What a bargain! Of course, that doesn't include my time invested, and as we all moms know, that's priceless!

A New "Star" for Your Home

2008-10-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

So you've seen them everywhere in different sizes, finishes and designs. The starburst has become an icon in design again. Very popular in retro atmospheres, it has been altered many times to create a softer, more formal appearance. The only problem is the price has been altered, too! I've seen some of these as high as $1399.00! Yes, that's one thousand three hundred ninety-nine dollars, not a misplaced decimal point. After drooling over these for some time, I thought I had settled on a great alternative, the one from West Elm. Attractively priced at $39, this was a steal! But the more I looked at it, the more I felt something was missing. Yes, even on my minimal mindset. So after taking another look, I decided to create my own! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture timeline, but I'll give you step by step instructions and a picture of the final product.

But first, some inspiration photos...

Pictured above (from left to right) are the Sunburst wall art from West Elm, the Raindrops mirror from Uttermost and the Raindrops mirror from Potterybarn. These are just a sample of the some of the different styles available!

After about a week of collecting supplies for mine and only a day of assembly, this is the finished product...

I used a combination of wooden craft circles and round mirrors of various sizes to create a unique piece. I stained the wood a dark brown, and it really warms the overall look. I could have used the mirrors only, but not only would it have gotten pricey, but the wood helps it blend with the other would tones in the room. The sculpture compliments my decor instead of dominating it.

So how did I do this? Check back tomorrow, and I'll tell you how!

Welcome

2008-10-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Dimely Design. The "design" portion of this blog is to serve two purposes: help others with design solutions and encourage myself, and other dormant artists, to continue to be creative. The "dimely" portion is to create timeless, or timely!, accents for your home on a budget. Every week, I'll feature a design solution, piece of art or frugal find. After all, you don't have to empty your wallet in order to fill your house!

To get started, I'll tell you a little about myself and why this blog has come into creation. I graduated with a design degree and have been a buyer for a modern furniture store for almost eight years. I am a painter in my almost non-existent free time. I really enjoy thinking out of the box to decorate my house while illustrating my style, values and uniqueness throughout my home.

So why do I say "my almost non-existent free time??" Well, I am a new mother of two very adorable, no really, they are VERY adorable, identical twin boys. They were my birthday present for the year 2007, and the best present I have ever received! Motherhood has changed my life, and of course the way I decorate!

I would like to thank my husband for always encouraging me to paint, even if it is to the point of annoyance, although I'm not annoyed, actually flattered he believes in me so much. Without that, I may have put my paintbrush down a long time ago. He is always there, ready to lock me in my studio, so that my creativity never hibernates again. Thank you, love of my life.

And another thanks to the mamas that have shown me the way to being thrifty. I've developed a new creative addiction: coupon clipping. How is that creative? Well, stick around, and you'll find out.