Money Saving Monday: If it ain't broke...or even if it is

*Deep Breath* Okay. This post will be a little revealing. This is going to expose parts of our life that I like to keep hidden. It's going to uncover truths about our life that I'm embarrassed to admit. Yet, I do this all in the name of money-saving. Yes, I'm going to exhibit just how cheap, old-school, and uncool we really are by showing you some of our most outdated and even somewhat broken prized possessions that we just keep using because, well, as the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." When considering tossing vs. holding onto some of your "old" possessions, ask yourself if it's original function is still intact. This logic surely leads to becoming a lead character in that Hoarders show, but when your budget is tight, it works like a charm.

Exhibit 1: The Sony Radio Arm Band

Back in 2000, when home for summer break during college, one of my older brothers introduced this gem to me.  I was a sophomore in high school and was just really starting to take my running seriously in track and cross country (not that I was any good really, but just that I was actually trying harder and therefore running more). At the time, this was a huge step up for me in the world of music technology and running-Goodbye portable CD player! I shoveled out the $50 for this puppy, and I will admit that I at least have gotten my money's worth.

Here it is in it's original grandeur and glory.

This little guy has been with me for the majority of my runs for high school and then when I ran in college cross country for one year and for all the years after and in between. It has gotten me through training and race day for my one and only half marathon last fall.  It has traveled with us to Kansas City, then back to Wichita, then to Spokane and now to Birmingham. It has weathered sweat, rain and snow; treadmill, track turf, pavement, country dirt road or mountainous trail. It endured 5K's, 10K's, fun runs, trail runs, and a half marathon.

If you can't make out the huge eyesore, it's right there on my left arm. This was around the 12.75 mile mark on my half marathon last November.

All this, but not without some wear and tear: I've replaced the original headphones with ear buds...and I've super glued those replacement ear buds. (I'm so embarrassed to admit that I've actually super-glued ear buds in order to salvage them. Who does that?!?)

Evidence of my super-gluing ear buds...it is a thing.

 But like any old friend, it has some quirks that I've gotten used to over the years. For example, most of the time, the left and right ear buds alternate between which one carries majority of bass or treble. The irony just kills me every time this song comes on. And the left ear bud has lost it's squishy comfortable earpiece, so that one ear bud just usually hangs out on the collar of my shirt during my runs.  Unless this or this song comes on-then both broken ear buds are in and cranked up.

Right after running my first 10K with my trusty radio headset last November.

 Yet, it continues to motivate me and accompany me as my favorite running buddy. As vintage as it has become, I like the variety that the radio supplies vs. using downloaded songs. And I don't have many options as you'll read further down; I don't have an ipod or an iphone or itunes. So, does it still fulfill it's original purpose? Yep, so it stays.

Exhibit 2:  T.V's

This section is technically 4 part.

1. Box T.V.s. Need I say more? No flat screens over here.  Still, I remember what a big deal it was for Christopher to wait in line on Black Friday on the first Thanksgiving of our marriage (7 years ago) in order to get our big junker that is sitting in our living room now. That T.V. has also been through all of our multiple moves and life changes.  It may be silly, but I feel sort of attached to that monstrosity.  Throughout all the changes in our marriage and life so far-medical school, residency, different RN jobs and staying at home, moving and moving again, new babies-Christopher and I have always had "our thing": movies. Not in the theater (hello, we have 3 kids under 5), but at home on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I always look forward to getting our Netflix in the mail for our movie/date nights once the kids are in bed.  
2. Lack of cable. Yes, you read that right. We do not have cable. Well, actually, we had cable for about a week last summer when we (ahem, Christopher) painstakingly thought AT&T was offering a cable package for a 1 year special of only $60 (correction-it was $60/month in reality).  But we have PBS kids for kids' cartoons and we get our movie fix by either Netflix or Amazon Prime so we don't really feel the pain of a cable-less home.
3. Duct-taped antennae.  I'll let the picture speak for itself, but please note that both antennae are now taped, thanks to me on both accounts.
   
   Maybe now that this picture is all over the internet I'll finally spray paint the tape black. You know, make it a little less conspicuous.
4. VCR player.  The fact that my wonderful mother-in-law gave this to us from a garage sale makes it even sweeter.  This also numbs the sting of a cable-less home, especially for the kids..just take a look at this VHS collection of kids' movies. 

   

   I may or may not have had quite a few of these before we had children.

Despite all these tacky truths about our t.v., it continues to be the source of "our thing"; continues to be my parenting crutch basically anytime PBS kids is on; and continues to bring pure satisfaction whenever Parenthood or Bachelor is on. So, does it still serve it's original purpose? Yes, again.

Exhibit 3:  Flip Phones

Everyone's getting all crazy-excited about the new iphone 6 and I'm sitting over here with my old, non-texting flip-phone.

Who needs the new iphone 6 when you can have this?!?

A couple years ago, we got tired of receiving texts on our phone and having to pay for those notifications even though we didn't have a texting plan, so Christopher called Sprint and completely eliminated texts all together on my phone. So, I don't even get notifications anymore if you send me a text. I try to let all my texting friends know so they don't think I'm ignoring them. 

Big news: Christopher recently upgraded his and only his phone to texting. But it was only because he was missing work-related texts. Still, at least one of us is text-able now.  I almost forgot to mention that my phone is (obviously) not a smart phone; it's more like a "dumb" phone. Not only that, but it's extremely old. I'm surprised it still functions. I've had it for over 4 years...maybe 5. That's got to be like 103 years in phone years.  If it were to accidentally fall in the toilet, "get lost", or otherwise get destroyed, I wouldn't be too upset. 

I would only miss the newborn pictures of Gianna and Benjamin and a few saved messages of my parents and sisters. As worthless as I make it out to be, I'm pretty dependent on that old piece and feel slightly connected; it has been through 3 states, 2 additional children, and job changes (and it used to hang out in my scrub pockets daily when I was an RN and now it hangs out in that same pair of gym shorts as a SAHM). So, it still does it's job overall so it stays.

Exhibit 4:  Vechicles

The most drastic way to cut down on costs for vehicles is to drop down to a "1 vehicle family", although I wouldn't recommend it for much longer than a few months. It being my first year as a SAHM, we made the decision to leave 1 vehicle behind when we moved to Spokane, WA from Kansas to save on money. In reality it was because we honestly didn't think Christopher's 15 year old Camry could survive the road trip. My in-laws graciously let us store Chris's car in one of the farm barns during Christopher's intern year of residency when we lived in Spokane. Unfortunately, when moving from Spokane, WA to Birmingham, we soon found out that the Camry was mice infested and would no longer run. So, our initial plan to be a 1 vehicle family for only 1 year turned suddenly to indefinitely. 

To top it off, I was around 20 weeks pregnant with our 3rd baby, we were moving across the country, I was a newly SAHM and we were in a new city/state where I knew no one and knew nothing about my surroundings. It's no wonder I started feeling extremely cooped up after Benjamin was born and it was going on 2 years that I did not have my own vehicle. If I had an appointment or wanted to go somewhere with the kids, I'd have to pack all 3 little ones in the Corolla (3 carseats in the back of the Corolla in and of itself is pretty amazing) to take Daddy to work (early at the break of dawn-resident hours, remember) and then do it all again during rush hour traffic through downtown to pick him up from work later that day. This got old real fast.  And that is why I was so desperate to get a vehicle and am never ashamed to be a "van mom"; in fact, I'm sort of in love with our van. 2 words: DVD Player. Those 14 hour/day drives to Kansas are much more tolerable for all involved now.

On a trip from AL to KS taking a "non-movie" break.

Another more reasonable way we cut down on costs for vehicles is to eliminate car payments. Neither Christopher or myself have ever had car payments and we've always bought used vehicles.  We plan on driving our vehicles until they can't run anymore. So far, we've done just that with Christopher's first (mice-infested) car and my first car from college which I totaled the year before we moved to Spokane, forcing us to get the Corolla we have now (Best. Car. Ever).  Our little Corolla was my car when I was working 5 days/week and had 2 little ones; it got us through our "1 vehicle family" 2 year stent; it has safely carried Christopher along with as many of our possessions it could carry to Spokane and then all the way to Birmingham a year later; it has welcomed Benjamin home from the hospital and into our family; it has seen Christopher through medical school and into residency; and now serves as  Christopher's work car and the occasional Mom's Night Out, kid-less car. We're not planning on getting rid of it any time soon.

Exhibit 5: Gym Membership

Really, it should be "lack thereof". I guess I'm lucky because my favorite types of exercise are running and biking, where a gym membership isn't really necessary. One year during Christopher's 3rd year of medical school (and our 3rd year of marriage), we used our Christmas money to buy a treadmill so I could still run during the winter without fighting the cold during my runs (I really hate cold).  And I guess we had to spend money to buy bikes and the trailer but I got a heckova deal on our current trailer for 80% off at Target last summer.  Our first bikes and trailer we bought from craigslist while in Spokane and we were able to re-sell them after using them less than a year for the same price we bought them at, so nothing lost there.

Our first bike/trailer combo in Spokane a few years ago when we were a family of 4.

Sure, it'd be nice to have a gym membership (um daycare during work-outs obviously), but honestly, I actually like running and biking with the kids in the jogging stroller/bike trailer; it's like a double work-out with that extra 70+ pounds. Plus, I like getting us out of the house and into the fresh air. And the flabbergasted looks and comments I get from people I pass while hauling my load either running or biking is seriously the highlight of my day. Lastly, my mornings FLY BY when I get the kids out with me on a run or bike ride. The only bad thing about actually enjoying running is that all the races I end up running during a year's time probably would cover the cost of a gym membership. 

My favorite running buddies.

My favorite biker buddies.

Exhibit 6: Camera

I'm starting to feel like my camera is turning into one of those weird obsolete things from the "good ol' days" like cassettes, VHS tapes, and land line phones.  I've gone through quite a few cameras since college similar to this one.  I also print off pictures regularly and store the hard copies in photo albums, which is probably more money-wasting than money-saving. But I'm a big fan of having the pictures out to see vs. stuck in my computer or a hard drive and never viewed. My kids will talk about things that happened when they were infants like they were actually capable of having memories at 6 months old because we look at photo albums CONSTANTLY, telling and re-telling stories of our past. So, for now, or until we eventually get an iphone, I'll keep my old-school camera handy.

My current camera: the next cassette tape of my generation? 

I'm curious what secret possessions other people have in their lives that could or should be upgraded; everyone has something. But in all honestly, they are just things...our possessions. It's easy to feel attached to our prized possessions that we use 24/7/365.  Heck, I realized how attached to my silly "dumb" phone I am when realizing the pictures and voices of my loved ones that live and die in that old piece of junk.  Yet the more we move (and are forced to purge in the moving process), I realize how much unnecessary stuff is cluttering up my life. I love the feeling I get from de-cluttering my cabinets, taking boxes to Goodwill, and even just taking the trash out on trash day. I don't mean to contradict myself in this blog by starting out by saying, "hold on to your old stuff," and then finishing with, "get rid of all your junk". I just mean to evaluate if you really need the upgrade or if using the old is enough; to get rid of the excess, yet hold onto the useful.

Less is more. Simplicity is the new black. As Leonardo de Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."  Or as Socrates said, "The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less."  In this crazy, materialistic world we live in, we yearn for simplicity. Or at least I do.  So, while it would be nice to have flat screens, blue-ray players, iphones, and gym memberships, for now I'm content with where I'm at. Or at least I'm trying to be content with where I'm at. 

  

Money Saving Monday: DIY homemade dishwasher detergent

As you probably know, I have been making my own laundry detergent for just over 3 years and have never looked back. It was one of my first posts on my blog and I love it. Well, I also have been making homemade dishwasher detergent as well. 

Before I post the recipe, you should know that we basically run the dishwasher once a day (sometimes twice if I get backed up or lazy and let the dishes pile up on the cabinet). We rinse off every dish after each meal so that by the end of the day, we simply load the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher. I originally found this recipe on pinterest (big surprise, I know) but ended up modifying it after I found that it wasn't cleaning the dishes as well as I'd hoped it would. The glasses were cloudy and some of the dishes still had dried food on them. Using my new and improved recipe, the dishes are clean and it saves money-win win. I only use 3 ingredients and it is a powdered solution.

Amelia's Modified Dishwasher Detergent

Supplies: 

1. Baking Soda 
2. Borax
3. Store bought powdered dishwasher detergent (We use Great Value brand)
   

Directions:  

1. Mix equal parts of baking soda and borax. I like to do 1 cup of each.
2. Add the total of combined baking soda and borax of the store bought powdered dishwasher detergent. For example, if you used 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of borax, you'd add 2 cups of store bought dishwasher detergent. 
3. Mix all 3 ingredients together and you're finished!
4. 2 Tablespoons per load is what the original recipe says, but I usually only use 1 and it works just the same. Easy Peasy.

So, I realize that this isn't technically a true DIY since we're using store bought detergent in the ingredients. But, it basically stretches out the store bought detergent for twice as long as it was before; I have to buy store bought detergent half as often, ,therefore, saving money. 

Happy Monday, ya'll!

Money Saving Monday: Garage Saling

 

I'm trying to remember the exact time in my life where I pretty much ditched department store shopping and replaced it with thrifting. (When I say "thrifting", I mean thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist, Facebook buy/sell sites, used clothing stores/consignment stores, estate sales, and hand-me downs/freebies.) I'm pretty sure the change happened during my transition from high school to college.  But I think I got serious about it during college. Of course this time in my life makes perfect sense that I would start seriously thrifting because I was completely broke and was living on my own for the first time. However, I do have to give some credit to my friend and roommate at the time, who was super creative, fun, and also thrifted. My roommate and I even had "Goodwill runs" where we'd go thrifting for creative projects, decorations, and furniture. Obviously, the things I thrift for now have changed quite a bit when you add 10 years, a husband, 3 kids and 7 moves across the country. During these past 10 years, I've learned some valuable lessons when it comes to thrifting. These days, my favorite types of thrifting are Garage Sales and thrift stores. This post will focus on garage sales only. Don't worry; I'll do another post on thrift stores soon.

 

Having lived in the Midwest the majority of my life (27 years), the Pacific Northwest for 1 year and now the South for 2 years, I was pleasantly surprised by how vastly different the entire garage sale experience is depending on your zip code. In Kansas, Wichita area specifically, most of the cities and little towns have "city-wide garage sales". This. Is. Awesome. I mean, seriously, a true thrifter's dream come true. You can find the list by googling it and I used to put them on my calendar and try to make as many as I could. Also, garage sales almost ALWAYS started on Thursdays, continued Fridays and concluded on Saturdays. But the best thing about garage sales in the Wichita, KS area was the fact that you could basically just drive around certain parts of town during garage sale season (April-August) and hit easily 20-30 sales in a 5 mile radius. If you had the entire morning you could hit even more sales. 

 

In the Pacific Northwest, I realized that there weren't "city-wide garage sales", most of the sales were Saturday-only sales, and I couldn't just drive around and plan on hitting even ONE garage sale (let alone 30) on any given Saturday during garage sale season. I had to improvise using Craigslist to "search" for both close garage sales and/or needed items. This took the spontaneity out of it a little, but it worked. I've found that here in the South, it is similar to the Pacific Northwest experience except I have found certain neighborhoods that have "neighborhood sales". I like to find them by searching for "neighborhood garage sale" in craigslist. I like these because I use way less gas and so my savings increase.

 

Nevertheless, a garage sale is a garage sale; these tips aren't necessarily location-specific. But they will help you garage sale like a boss.
 

Top Thrifting Tips for Garage Sales

1.  Have a list in mind of what you NEED. "Need" and "Want" are two very different things. My husband is very good at reminding me to "only buy what we need" when I go garage saling...Maybe TOO good at reminding me. But in all honesty, he's right. I strive for that ideal because browsing other people's junk with no list in mind leads to purchasing items that end up being in YOUR garage sale in a year or so. Believe me. I know.
2. Only bring as much cash as you're willing to spend for said items on your list. For example, if you're looking for a couch and willing to spend $200 max, only bring $200.
3. If possible, plan ahead by browsing on craigslist, the newspaper, garage sale apps (I don't have an iPhone, so I'm not sure what those apps are, but I know they exist) or other social media a   week or so ahead of time to search out said list of items to see if any garage sales are close to you.
4. Look for any neighborhood sales or city-wide sales 1st. You are bound to find some things on your list by hitting massive amounts of sales vs. a few scattered sales. Plus, it saves gas money since you're driving in a concentrated area vs. miles stretched between various locations. 
5.  Go on the first day of the sale if possible. I used to think just going on the final day of the sale was good enough, but there's a reason people rush the 1st day of a sale: the best deals get taken fast! This is especially true for big ticket items like furniture and appliances. The only downfall to going on the 1st day of sales is the fact that people usually aren't willing to haggle down prices quite yet (and with good reason).
6. Go on the last day of the sale if possible. By this point, in general people are just plain done: they are tired of the sale; tired of the haggling; tired of their unsold junk lying around; and, frankly in most cases, getting desperate to make a sale so they won't have to either haul a load to the thrift store or pack it up in storage again. (Having been on the other side of hosting a garage sale, this is definitely how I feel by the end.)
7. Go garage saling during rainy weather. Seriously. All the points in #6 are 10X's more true during rainy weather because they have had less customers and are even more desperate to get rid of their junk. I have found some of my best deals during rainy weather sales including a pack 'n play for $15  and they threw in the baby walker because I was hesitating on the offer.
8. Never be afraid to ask a lower price. Especially on the last day of the sale. And especially if it's the last day of the sale and it's raining. I was at one said sale and this lady happened to be pregnant and happened to be moving. (I may or may not have been eavesdropping while I was shopping).  I ended up with a handful of my now favorite cardigans from Gap and Banana Republic for probably a quarter a piece. Cute, right?
   

   

    But really, the worse they can say when you haggle is "no" and you'll never know if you don't ask. Back when we were living in KS during the 1st two years of medical school, I started offering 1/2 of their asking price (mostly with kids' clothes) right off the bat and was usually surprised by how many times a deal was made. Don't judge. Desperately poor times call for desperate measures like becoming a shameless garage-sale haggler. Get your price that you want to offer in mind before you ask if they'd take lower and be prepared for them to say "no". One type of garage sale I DON'T haggle at are fundraiser garage sales. That's just tacky.
9. Don't settle when looking for items on your list. Don't just buy it because it's "close enough" to what you need. If you have the time, your item will be sure to show up and you'll be glad you waited. An example of this is my dining room table. When we moved to Alabama, we actually had a formal dining room which we had not had in the past. It drove me crazy to see the empty space and so I started doing my search for table/chairs set. I started looking in July but did not find my set until mid November. I'm glad I didn't settle or spend more just to get the set; it was something worth waiting for since it wasn't a necessity in the house (we already had a kitchen table/chairs set).
10. Don't be afraid to ask the hosts of the sale for the items you're looking for. Especially if you're in a hurry. This strategy has found me some awesome finds including the legos pictured below. I asked if she had any boy toys and she pulled them out and made me an offer I couldn't refuse of $5.

Top Items to Buy at Garage Sales

1. Baby and kid clothes and shoes. My theory about kids' clothes is that I'm going to keep buying second-hand until they start caring and hopefully that won't happen for a while. Plus, kids are so rough on clothes that it's just more practical to buy it cheap so it can be easily replaced. There have been NUMEROUS occasions, especially during that new baby, breastfeeding, diaper-blow-out stage where I simply threw the onsie away because it just wasn't worth my time or the $0.25 I spent on the darn thing for me to scrub any nasty stains out. It may sound gross, but that is the exact reason I try to buy used training pants/underwear for the kids at garage sales. It's just easier to toss it in the trash when it only cost a quarter. I try to find clothes between $0.50 and $1.00, but have been known to spend more if in good condition. I like to spend around $1.00 for shoes but I also pay more depending on quality. I got these adorable sketchers for Gianna when visiting in KS a couple weeks ago at a city wide garage sale in Andale. I paid $1.00 for them!
   

   

    
2. Maternity and women's clothing (clothes for me!).  Most of my maternity clothes are boxed up in storage now but this shirt I recently bought at a city wide garage sale in KS a couple weeks ago for $1. It's in great shape and you can tell by how new the "Motherhood" tag looks and the lack of washing machine wear on the shirt.
   

   

   Maternity clothes is so expensive if bought new, even if on sale. I LOVE to buy maternity clothes at garage sales, even if I'm not pregnant. I just put it in my "maternity" box at home and then when I am pregnant, it's like Christmas! Some of my favorite maternity finds through the years have been: shirts, dresses, jeans, shorts, pajamas and even bras (Those nursing bras are SO expensive and you can never have enough. Once you know a brand and size that worked the first time around, it's crazy to pass it up at $1.00.). I have only a few pieces I bought full price at a department store and I'm okay with that.
3. Baby equipment. I got this baby gate for $5 and the safety night light (it screws into the wall so that kids can't unplug it or take the bulb out) for $0.50 a few years ago while living in KS.
   

   

   As long as it can be wiped down or thrown in the washer-it's fair game. Some of my favorite baby finds through the years have been: pack 'n plays, baby walkers, strollers, bouncy seats, booster seats, potty chairs (yep. It can be bleached), bumbo seat, mobiles, crib soothers, monitors, diaper bags, play mats/gyms, changing pads/tables, and even bottles. One thing to keep in mind about anything baby related is if it has been recalled. Also, if buying things like helmets or car seats, they are no longer deemed effective or safe to use if they have been in a car accident and it's hard to know if bought second hand.
4. Furniture. I got this glider/ottoman set for $40 at a garage sale. It was a hideous hunter green/khaki checker pattern on the cushions so I just covered them with changing pad covers. (It's not a perfect fit, but it works and it was free. I already had the covers.)
   

   

    This t.v. stand used to be taller with a square for the t.v. to sit in. We got it for $10 at a garage sale in Wichita, KS right before we moved to Alabama (we actually loaded it into our moving van from the garage sale a day before we moved). I remodeled it about a year ago by taking off the top and now love it. Ironically, a lady was giving one just like it away for free on a Facebook buy/sell site so we have a matching on in the basement with the VHS player.
   

   

    I picked up a set of 4 of these for $5 a piece last summer in Alabama shortly after we first moved! Now, they were pretty gross to look at with yellowing paint, cobwebs and covered in dust. But it was fairly easy to wash them off and repaint them; and I was about 8 months pregnant, too! Where there's a will, there's a way.
   

   

   Some of our favorite furniture has been bought at garage sales through the years. Anything that can easily be wiped or scrubbed down without damaging the integrity is key.
5. Baby and kids' toys. I got this mint condition floor mat at a garage sale in Alabama last year and gave it to Benjamin for his 1st Christmas last year. They wanted $5 and said it was taken out of the package once and realized it didn't go with the décor so it was never even played on. I could tell it was in great shape because it was so clean and there weren't any bite marks like the ones my kids have added since last year. Side note, I also got that fan on the floor for a whopping $1 at a neighborhood garage sale in Goddard, KS about 4 years ago. It still works like a charm and doubles as the kids' white noise maker because it puts off a pretty good hum.
   

   

    This is a tub full of Legos that I gave Gabriel for his 5th birthday a few months ago. I got all of them (we're talking 5 Wal-Mart bags full with Spiderman guys, Star Wars guys-though Gabriel doesn't know those characters quite yet, cars, wheels, etc) for $5! Anyone who has boys and/or legos knows what a steal that is.
   

   

   Again, anything that I can wipe down, put in the dishwasher or washing machine. Some of my favorite finds over the years have been: Leap Frog activity table, riding toys, baby strollers, baby rattles, dinosaurs, stuffed animals, board games, and puzzles.
6. Kids and/or adult books and movies. I recently got these almost mind-condition favorites of ours for a mere $0.50 a piece.
   

   

   I especially like getting kids' books for less than $0.25, but have paid up to $1.00 if in good condition. I like to spend $1.00 on DVD's and $0.50 for VHS. 
7. Holiday décor. I got this beautiful nativity (it's probably close to a foot tall) at a Spokane garage sale for I think $10. I think it's beautiful. I keep it up all year round in the basement.
   

   

   Usually they are priced dirt cheap. I got a dozen cheap plastic Easter eggs last year for $0.10. We're talking pennies, here.
8. Appliances. You do have to know a little something about it before purchasing it, though. I honestly don't buy appliances at garage sales because I haven't really had the need, but my mother in law has had luck in the past. Come to think of it, our VHS player was a garage sale find from her and we use it all the time.
9. Home goods. My mother in law and I love looking for kitchen items at garage sales. Some of my favorites from over the years are: utensils (can openers, spatulas, pizza cutters, etc), popcorn popper, George Foreman grill, measuring cups/spoons, hot mitts, kitchen towels, glass pyrex pans, and both rugs I have in the kitchen currently. I also love looking for picture frames and mirrors at garage sales. I got this gold-painted wood frame at a garage sale here in Alabama for maybe $1 last year.
   

   

    This mirror I got at an estate sale in Kansas City for $15. I love it and it always reminds me of being newly married living in our 1 bedroom apartment. It has traveled to each of our 4 homes during our (almost) 7 year marriage.
   

   

   If you don't like the color of the picture frame or mirror, you can always paint them.
10. Outdoor goods. Again, you have to have some knowledge about what you are buying. I'd be clueless about most outdoor equipment (like lawnmowers, edgers, etc), but I see these things at garage sales constantly.
11. Crafting projects. Depending on what you have in mind, you can find some amazing deals on supplies. One sale in Washington, a guy had recently done a remodel job and was giving away extras for free. He had a whole box of small, plain white, ceramic tiles for free. I took about a dozen but would have taken the whole box had I not been moving across the country in a few months. Um, have you checked Pinterest lately for DIY projects involving tiles? I've done a few projects with them, but I had intended to do coasters with them. I also got free screen, which I use as backing for making earring holders with picture frames. Can't beat free stuff, right?
    

    

    Some of my favorite crafting items over the years have been: sewing scissors, buttons, jewels/beads, material/felt, needles/thread, glitter, paint, markers, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, and even paper.

So there you have it. Garage saling at it's finest. I hate to admit this, but I'm pretty sure from April to August, my hobby is garage saling. I also hate to admit that I have given my kids garage sale toys and clothes for numerous Christmases, Birthdays, and otherwise. And I sort of hate to admit that the majority of our furniture is second-hand. But there's one thing I'll never get tired of admitting: I love garage sales; I love the "green" aspect of garage saling; I love the adventure of looking for a treasure from someone else's "junk"; I love the adrenaline I get when I pull up to a sale and see in plain sight the long awaited items on my list in plain sight; and  I love saving money. Happy Money Saving Monday and Happy Easter Monday!



 

 



Money Saving Monday: Do It Yourself Crown of Thorns



I remember a few years ago seeing a picture one of my fellow Catholic friends posted on facebook of a crown of thorns she had made herself. Not only was it was big enough to be the centerpiece for her table during Lent, but it was beautiful. What a perfect reminder of Christ's suffering and death He endured for us! As a Catholic, when praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary, we meditate on the Crowning of Thorns on the 3rd Sorrowful Mystery. Every crucifix in our home (and we have enough to have at least one in each room, bathroom, and hallway thanks to generous guests at our wedding who gifted them to us) has an obvious crown of thorns on Jesus's head. Now that my kids are getting a little older (5) (3 1/2) and (17 months), I've been trying to explain what Lent is, what sacrifice is and why Jesus sacrificed for us.

Now rewind to a few weeks ago. I was doing some Spring yard work and clearing out old leaves from around the rose bushes in the front yard. The rose bush, full of thorny branches, kept pricking my fingers as I cleared around it's base. Then I realized the rose bush branches would be a perfect guinea pig for me to try a DIY crown of thorns.

This is how my crown of thorns turned out.

 

Do It Yourself: Crown of Thorns

 

1. Cut 7 or 8 six inch pieces of thorny branches. The longer the better. If you can, cut them around 12 inches.
2. Find some brown thread/string. I used some brown embroidery thread.
3. Wrap the thorny branch pieces in half or full circles and secure by tying the thread around the pieces.

It's that simple. I probably didn't need a tutorial, but there it is. I just have ours on our table with this random candle as a sort of Lenten centerpiece. It's big enough to fit on our heads and hurts! I've let the kids touch the thorns with their fingers and tried to use it as a teaching point for them to understand how much Christ endured during his passion. However, I did have to make a rule that no one is allowed to pick up the crown or place it on anyone's head...even your own head.

 

Ironically, the same day I made the crown of thorns, I received an advertisement for a local Christian store. I flipped through it and saw a crown of thorns for sale. They were asking, wait for it, $79.99! I couldn't believe it, so I took a picture of it to prove that I'm not making this stuff up. If you use the 25% off coupon in the advertisement, the price drops to $59.99. Still, I'd never pay that much for something you can do yourself for free.

I've seen some really cool ideas incorporating the Crown of thorns on Pinterest. Now, if you follow me on pinterest, please know that just because I may have pinned something, doesn't mean I've actually done it. I'll be honest, I haven't actually tried any of these, but Lent isn't over quite yet. If anything, maybe you could try them. Here are links for my Favorite Pinterest projects:
 

Top 5 Pinterest Crown of Thorns Projects

1. This one is from Catholic Icing. She has AMAZING Catholic ideas on teaching (a preschool curriculum), recipes, arts and crafts, saints costumes and so much more. Please check out her blog if you get a chance. Here, she takes a wreath and places (painted) toothpicks inside the wreath to make the thorns. Each time your child does a good deed or makes a sacrifice, they get to pull 1 thorn out of the wreath a.k.a. Crown of Thorns. The goal is to remove all the thorns by Easter and then transform the wreath into something beautiful on Easter morning. 
2. This one is from Waltzing Matilda. She makes a big crown of thorns and uses it as a centerpiece on her table with a purple (for Lent) candle burning in the center.
3. This one is from Sojourn Kids. They use paper crowns (think Burger King crowns or apparently you can purchase paper crowns at a craft store or you can make your own from construction paper) and decorate half with stickers, jewels, etc and make paper thorns on the other half. They call it, "Crown of thorns/Crown of glory" art project. It seems like a neat visual for children to see that Jesus was both the bearer of such suffering as fully man and also the bearer of all the glory as fully God.
4. This one is from Three Sided Wheel. Of course I'm going to add anything that has to do with chocolate. This one seem easy enough: pretzels sticks and melted chocolate. Layer them into a crown of thorns and allow to dry. In the blog she says it's a perfect treat for Good Friday. I'm pretty sure I'd make the chocolate crown with the kids on Good Friday and purposely not eat it until Easter Saturday night or Sunday morning (after mass). This way, the kids could learn a tangible lesson on sacrifice, which as I have been trying to teach my kids as, "Doing something that is hard because you love someone".
5. This one is from Catholic Inspired. She uses her palm from Palm Sunday (in 2 weeks from yesterday) to braid it into a crown of thorns. This link actually provides tutorials for lots of ideas on how to braid your palms. Never knew it until after browsing through her site, but apparently, I have always done the "4 square palm braid" that I learned from my mom as a girl.

So there you have it. Money Saving Monday tip is: go out to your yard and make a crown of thorns for Lent. Passion Sunday is this Sunday. The crown of thorns can be a perfect visual aid for your family as we journey into Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Happy Money Saving Monday!

Money Saving Monday: Meal Planning

Meal Planning. So, I guess this blog post could be the sequel to my earlier post on shopping at Aldi. In case you didn't get a chance to read it, I basically said that for the past couple years, I've been shopping for 95% of my groceries at Aldi and I do this every 2 weeks with a budget of $175-$200 each trip. I get the other 5% of groceries at Wal-Mart. When we moved to Alabama (almost) two years ago, we were hit with a 9% sales tax on all groceries-ouch! This was really wrecking my budget (and stressing me out because I really don't like grocery shopping and budgets in general, but my husband really likes budgets) and in order to trim all excess off what I was buying, I needed a way to make sure I was solely buying essential items. Thus, the 2 week meal planning menu was born.

Now before you get your hopes up, I have to be honest. We're not a paleo family...or a vegetarian family...or an organic family. I take most of my meal ideas from meals my own Mother and Mother in Law made, which were/are very much meat-and-potatoes type meals. After all, we're from Kansas and farming is in our DNA and ancestry. Don't get me wrong; some of my meal ideas are vegetarian and I could probably tweak some into a paleo diet. But basically, I buy my groceries from Aldi's selection that is priced the cheapest. For example, I buy bagged frozen chicken breasts in the freezer section; I buy a bag of baby carrots, not organic carrots; I buy canned cream of mushroom soup instead of making my own from scratch. So, keep this in mind when reviewing my menu ideas.

Also, I haven't perfected the method to my madness. I've read some blogs or talked to people who have excel documents or binders full of meals, menus, grocery lists, etc. However, mine are just on two laminated (if taping them with packaging tape counts) index cards.  I put magnets on the side of the refrigerator so I can easily find it, add to it, and easily take it with me to the store. One of the index cards holds "Meal Ideas" and the other holds the "2 Week Meal Plan".  The "Meal Ideas" card has a running list of meals that my family has loved and worked well in the $175-$200 budget. The "2 Week Meal Plan" is really two sided. On one side is just a rough, free-hand-drawn chart where I can fill in the meal ideas for a given 2 week period. Then, I flip the card over and write out my grocery list on the back, taking into account only the items for those meals, snacks, desserts, etc.

When making your "2 Week Meal Plan" chart, keep in mind that yours will probably look different than mine. For example, I only write down meals that we all eat together as a family. For us, that means Monday - Friday, I only have 1 meal (supper) on the list. And on the weekends, I have 2 for both Saturday and Sunday, since most weekends, my husband eats both lunch and supper with us since he's around (we save breakfast for him but he's usually either working or sleeping in). I also don't add a spot for lunches from Monday - Friday since I usually do something like macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, noodles, etc that doesn't necessarily need to be replaced every shopping trip. Also, breakfast is not listed on my chart because it's almost always pancakes and scrambled eggs or oatmeal. The occasional cheerios and yogurt does happen, but it's rare.

Staple Food Items I Buy every 2 Weeks, Regardless of the Menu

• 5 Dozen Eggs: Yes, I said FIVE DOZEN eggs lasts just long enough for 2 weeks.
• Milk: We use 5 gallons in a 2 week period (lots of little ones drinking whole vitamin D milk). I buy 5 gallons and it keeps for 2 weeks! We always drink it up before the expiration date. There has only been 1 time that I had a gallon of milk be sour to the point I took it back to the store and they gave me a complete refund. And get this, I didn't even have the receipt and half of the gallon was gone (I was dumping it down the sink when midway through I realized I should take it back for a refund). There were no questions asked! There are no hormones added to this milk. (The picture is 2%, but it shows in the yellow that there is no hormones added).



• 3 bags of Frozen Chicken Breasts: Most of my meals have chicken in them and the kids really like it over beef or fish. If I have 1 bag in the freezer when it's time to do the 2 week shopping, I'll only buy 2 bags. But I make sure to have 3 bags by the time I've finished my 2 week shopping.
• Apples and Natural (no sugar added) Applesauce: I also make sure I have at least 2 bags of apples (I prefer Honeycrisp after living in the Pacific Northwest and being spoiled by the amazing, fresh picked apples) after the 2 week shopping. They keep for a long time, I'm talking weeks. I will buy other fresh fruit at Aldi like pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, and grapes and go through those the first week. The second week we eat more applesauce and apples.  My 5 year old also takes applesauce to school with him every day at school.
• Peanut Butter.
• Honey: My kids prefer PB and H sandwiches over PB and Jelly.
• Pancake Mix: as previously stated, I buy 3 boxes and that usually lasts us 2 weeks.
• Oatmeal: I like to buy quick oats and old fashioned oats (Aldi has both) and mix them together. My 3 year old daughter LOVES oatmeal for breakfast and so do I, so we go through it pretty fast.
• Noodles: My kids love eating spaghetti and just plain noodles so I make sure I have some sort (bowtie, macaroni, tri-color, egg noodle) and Aldi has a pretty good selection.
• Crackers: My kids love snacking on crackers. Our Aldi favorites are: animal crackers, square cheese crackers, cheese/peanut butter sandwich crackers, vanilla wafers, and graham crackers. 

• Flour, Sugar, Powdered Sugar
• Fruit: (besides the apples) I like to buy Aldi grapes, pineapple (especially when it's on sale for < $1.00), blueberries and strawberries. The ONLY fresh fruit I have ever had problems with from Aldi is the strawberries. Once (and only once in the few years I've shopped loyally there) I found some slug holes in the strawberries). But remember that you can take back anything you are not satisfied with for your complete money back.
• Spaghetti Sauce (Traditional flavor): This is what I use for my pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce and it's also good for dunking cheese quesadillas in! It's amazing. So sweet and tangy. I prefer it over Ragu which I was raised on!





Potatoes: My husband says, "Potatoes are God's gift to the poor" and I'll admit, I love buying the 10 lb bag of potatoes for a few bucks. You can also get sweet potatoes for dirt cheap! I like to use them as potatoe fries (slice in French fry size pieces, toss with olive oil and bake for 425* for 45 minutes or so, season with garlic salt). I also like to use them with soups or as mashed potatoes.
Croissants: I try to make sure I have at least 1 tube.
Hamburger: I've tried the packed meat (like in the picture below) and I usually buy the 90%, 10% (out of laziness so I don't have to drain the grease, and I guess because it's healthier). When I do this, I separate it immediately when I get home into 4 pieces of hamburger and put them individually into 4 sandwich bags. This stretches the hamburger out and my kids don't really like hamburger enough to have it all for 1 meal.

• Bread: I prefer the whole wheat bread from Aldi that ranges in price from .89 a loaf to maybe $1.18 or so. I usually buy 2 loafs to get us through 2 weeks.
• Sharp Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese: I usually buy 2 bags of each. Many of my recipes use cheddar cheese and I love the way both mozzarella and cheddar taste. Plus, the price can't be beat.

• Canned Beans: Green beans, Northern White Beans, Black Beans, and Pork and Beans. All are awesome and I use them all regularly!
• Frozen Vegetables: I like to have a bag of frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, and frozen broccoli in the freezer at all times. (I like the steam able broccoli the most that steams in the bag in the microwave)
• Brownies: Lastly, I like to keep a box of their plain brownie box mix in the pantry for if an event or party comes up. They are so good and make a huge pan (13 X 9, as compared to most 9 X 9). They also have a killer cream cheese addition on the back that I always get compliments for every time I make them!
• Light Sour cream
• Vanilla Yogurt. They have lots of flavors and even have greek yogurt that is pretty tasty. My kids prefer yogurt that doesn't have fruit in it.

As far as prices go, Aldi is considerably cheaper on the majority of items sold. I have a copy of one of my last receipts so you can get an idea of what things cost, at least for the Birmingham, Alabama area. 

Cream Cheese for $1.29, Kraft American Cheese (with no preservatives) for $2.79.

Whole milk for $3.39 is at least $.0.60 cheaper than Wal-Mart prices.

I love their maple syrup for $3.99, the 40 oz Peanut Butter for $3.49, 4 butter quarters for $2.49, 1 dozen eggs for $1.89.

 I even got some "extras" that I normally do not buy, like the cinnamon rolls for $2.99 and still stayed < $200.

 I love how the bananas are always $0.44/lb. The cheapest I've seen anywhere.

"2 Week Meal Plan" Card and "Meal Idea" Card



I know it's not the clearest picture, but this gives you an idea of what my "2 Week Meal Plan" chart looks like. Note that the weekends start with Sunday first on the left and Saturday is last on the right (for both rows). I use my "Meal Idea" list to get ideas of things that have worked in the past and also stayed in our budget.

This is what the flip side of the "2 Week Meal Plan" card. It is the essentials of what I need to make the meals on the chart, plus the staples (like 5 gallons of milk, 5 dozen eggs, a few boxes of crackers, etc.).

Again, not the clearest picture, but you get a general idea of how I keep track of my good "Meal Ideas". It's not anything fancy, by any means.

Our Favorite Lunch and Supper Meal Ideas

• Home made Pizza: we love supreme, sausage, pepperoni, banana peppers, green peppers, onions, black olives, mushrooms and the occasional plain cheese pizza. I get the yeast packets at Wal-Mart and it looks like this. It is really simple; it advertises as "30 Minute" pizza crust and it is true to it's name! You don't have to wait for it to rise, which I love.
• Meat Roll: It's sort of a calzone type roll with hamburger, canned diced tomatoes, cheese and whatever else you want to add. This one is from my Mother in Law and my husband's entire family eats this with honey either drizzled over top or to dunk each bite into. I have to admit, it's pretty good. I wouldn't make it if it wasn't good and my kids didn't eat it. I've made the dough from the yeast packets and I've also used croissants in a roll-up tube before. Both are good!
• Hamburger pockets: Basically, it's ground hamburger with cheddar cheese that I stuff into the triangular roll-up croissants. I try to make them look as circular as I can by using a square (2 triangular croissants in the shape of a square, not separated). It sort of resembles and tastes like bierocks, which we both also grew up with, minus the sauerkraut (which I love by the way).
• Hamburger Gravy over Noodles or Mashed Potatoes: Pretty self explanatory. I make the gravy by adding diced mushrooms, some minced garlic (1 T?), and chopped onions to ground hamburger. Then I add probably 1/3 cup of light sour cream, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and milk to desired consistency. The kids LOVE this one, actually!
• Tacos
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Pot Pie: I buy the pie crusts where you can just unthaw the dough and bake it in the oven, then add the diced chicken breasts, 1 can of cream of chicken/cream of mushroom and bag of frozen vegetables.
• BBQ Pork in the Crockpot: A summer favorite. I've done pork loins and pork chops with this. You can also do BBQ chicken this way. Just put the meat in with the BBQ sauce (like half a bottle) and the crockpot do the cooking.
• Spaghetti
• Breakfast Casserole: I don't have one in particular I use; I look up different ones on Pinterest, usually. But it usually involves hash browns, sour cream, cheese, and bacon.
• Hamburgers and/or Hotdogs: Another summer favorite. We also like hot dog pockets (hot dog wrapped in croissants with cheddar cheese.
• Meatloaf
• Grilled Chicken Salad: We went on a salad kick last fall when I was training for my half-marathon and I haven't done them in awhile because I honestly got burned out on them! But I loved adding banana peppers, green peppers, avacados, tomatoes, cheese, and even the occasional bacon.
• Sloppy Joes or Sloppy Joe Bake: The Sloppy Joe Bake is basically the croissants on the bottom of a pan with the sloppy joe mix, topped with cheddar cheese, topped with another layer of croissants.
• Chicken Quesadillas: One of our all time favorites. I like to shred the chicken by boiling it for about an hour. Then I like to sate the onions, green peppers (and mushrooms if you like them) and mix it with the chicken. You can add whatever else you want. Some of our favorite add-ins are of course cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, black beans and salsa. The kids are still not crazy about this, but they do love some cheese quesadillas dunked in ranch!
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup: Canned tomato soup and I like to add a can of diced tomatoes to make it taste more like Tomato Bisque. I also like adding parsley and basil to the soup.
• Chicken Tortilla Soup: I like to make the chicken shredded, so boil a few chicken breasts for at least an hour. Then, add to the broth some chicken bullion cubes, 2 cans of white northern beans, 2 cans of black beans, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes or rotel. Top with light sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese and eat with tortilla chips. This is another all time favorite, even for the kids! I got the recipe from one of my 6 sisters and love it.
• Hamburger Vegetable Soup: This recipe uses the crock pot and is one of Gabriel's favorite. Basically it is (however much you want to use. I've used 1/4 lb and 1 lb before) ground hamburger, 46 oz v-8 tomato juice, 1 can tomato soup, 1 can of diced tomatoes, and a couple bags of frozen vegetables. I like to add diced potatoes and minced garlic, too.
• Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup: I like to use shredded chicken. Add bullion cubes to the water used for boiling the chicken breasts. Add chopped carrots and celery and the egg noodles of your choice. My family loves to eat this over mashed potatoes and I have my husband hooked on this strange but yummy tradition. It makes the broth sort of creamy. And we also use either seasoning salt or celery salt on the top in our bowls.
• Tuna patties: This is from my Mother-in-Law and is so good. Mix 1 can tuna (with oil, not water) with about a half stack of crushed saltines and maybe a half diced onion. Make into patties and fry in a skillet with some oil. Awesome with ketchup, although my kids still turn up their noses.

These are not the sole meals I cook, but they are ones that go over well and that I can plan for on the budget to buy the said ingredients. Many nights we eat baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable or something similar. The above meals are ones that usually require specific ingredients other than what I may already have in the freezer or refrigerator. Also, this isn't taking into account fruit, snacks, etc.

I will say that I think in general, soups are a huge money saver but also very under-rated. Don't forget about soup, even in the summer! Whenever I make any of the 3 soups listed, they last us AT LEAST 3 nights of meals and usually my lunches for the following days. Plus, soup is just so filling that it doesn't take as much to make a warm, happy tummy. Try adding in some soup to your meal plan to stretch your dollar a little more.

Also, casseroles are another way to save money AND time. Do a double batch and toss the extra in the freezer for one of next week's meals.

I know my method isn't the neatest or prettiest or necessarily the healthiest, but it works for us. I hope in the upcoming years, I am able to buy more organic food, use home-grown food from my garden, and add more healthy options in our menu. But for the time being, it works. Hopefully you can draw some inspiration from my method and maybe even draw some cute little 2 week meal plan charts, too.

Happy Monday-Money Saving!