Wall Decor on the Cheap!

I know this idea is floating around Pinterest because several friends have mentioned doing this in their own homes. I had not seen it before (and sometimes I feel like I've been to the end of Pinterest and back) but I love the idea and knew it was something I could pull off.

Behold! The dry erase picture frame!

I am not crafty. I know first graders who have surpassed my "talent." But this craft... this I could handle.
What else I love about this project is that you can make it for almost no money.

The supplies: A dollar store picture frame ($1), dry erase marker (I bought a package of 4 for $1), scissors, pretty paper (I bought this silver paper years ago at an after-Christmas sale). To personalize each frame, I wrote quotes that I found inspiring. The most difficult part of the project was narrowing down what quotes to use. The beauty of the dry erase element is that you can change the quotes depending on whatever season in life you may be in.

My intention was to make wall decor for our baby girl's room, and I was so pleased with how each frame I made turned out. I originally purchased three frames - two are on display in her room, while one is displayed in our living room. The one picture above is in her room. I've seen variations of this craft (like this one) that I wouldn't mind adding to our home.

What are your favorite, simple craft projects that add something to your home?

Thrifty: Thirty-One and Vera Bradley

It’s been a while since I've highlighted some of my thrift store finds. I haven’t gone out much this fall or winter because time just hasn't permitted, and when I have trekked out, I don’t find anything worth purchasing. However, two items that I have found in the past six months have made me a very happy thrifter.

I love the Thirty-One line of bags and totes. Everything I have seen from this company is absolutely adorable, and their products seem to hold up very well. The prices for some of the items aren’t bad, but if I can hold out and get something for less, I’ll do it.

I found this tote (referred to as the “organizing utility tote” in the Thirty-One catalog) at a baby consignment store while I was visiting family for Thanksgiving. It has a couple of scuff marks inside the tote. The outside is in beautiful condition. The tote through the catalog is $30. I snagged it for $6.50.

I found this Thirty-One zipper pouch at Goodwill several months ago. It currently corrals my lip balms, cosmetics, and other miscellaneous beauty tools I carry in my purse. The catalog price? $15. What did I pay? $2.

And speaking of name brands, I’m also a Vera Bradley fan. However, I am not a fan of the prices. So when I saw this wallet (which has been my wallet now for at least a year) for a whopping $2.50 at Goodwill, I was tickled! It has seen quite a bit of wear since I’ve been using it, but I purchased it like-new.

Several months after I purchased the wallet, my mother-in-law found a purse in matching print at a yard sale. It was also like-new. She paid a whole $5. The print I have is retired, but similar pieces currently sell for $32 (wallet) and $38 (purse). No, thank you!

I don’t shun paying retail for items, but I challenge myself to be patient and wait to find high quality items at thrift stores, consignment shops, and garage sales. It really does pay off - and I like the thrill of the discovery!

(Disclaimer: I've linked to the companies mentioned, but the links are not affiliated.)

Back to Couponing!

When I kept a personal finance blog several years ago, I taught myself how to coupon. I am not an extreme couponer by any means. I can't see spending hours developing shopping lists and matching coupons, then spending a few more hours shopping, bringing items home, and finding space for all the items. (However, kudos to those extreme couponers who donate goodies!) I fell off the couponing bandwagon about a year ago because my source for coupons ran dry. We live in a pretty rural area that stopped receiving a major metropolitan newspaper - we can still get it, but the Sunday edition costs around $5. I'm not paying that, so I just stopped couponing.

I noticed that when I stopped couponing and being more aware of prices, our grocery bills each few weeks were getting higher and higher. Our steady income has increased since I stopped couponing, but now that it's summer, we're looking at two months of living on just one income. I figured it was time to get back into deal-seeking and coupon-cutting. I mentioned back in April how we saved gift cards from the holidays to make up for this slow period. We used one gift card last weekend on our anniversary for dinner and a movie. I've also signed up for various reward programs to area restaurants I hadn't signed up at before to offset our Sunday-lunch-after-church expenses.

And then I discovered something awesome: The Dollar Tree store near our church sells Sunday newspapers from another metropolitan area. Sunday newspapers for $1? Yes, please!

So after church this morning, we stopped by Dollar Tree and snagged two newspapers. Each newspaper had 3 coupon inserts. I was SO excited! Richie likes to huff at me while I make sure each paper has the correct amount of inserts, but I think he secretly likes tagging along with me to find deals.

Once we got home, I spent one hour perusing my favorite deal site (SouthernSavers.com), gathering the coupons I wanted to use, and headed back out. In our little town, the three big drug stores are located at the same intersection - convenient, right? It took me 40 minutes to visit all three stores. My favorite find? Turkey bacon at Walgreens for 29 cents! I stocked up on hair products, mouthwash, eggs, sports drinks for Richie, and makeup (for me, of course).

At CVS, I saved $9.79.
(I also took home $10 in ECBs for a future purchase!)

At Rite Aid, I saved $20.94.

At Walgreens, I saved $9.80.

I spent around $30 for everything I purchased and saved over $80. It's not the greatest savings, but I'm pretty darn pleased with the savings after being out of touch with coupons for a year. And the most important part? I only purchased things we will use.

Thank you, Dollar Tree, for doing what you do.

Summer Personal Finance

I would guess that there are about three of you who are currently reading this blog who are familiar with a previous blog I kept about personal finances and weight loss. While I no longer maintain that blog, I am still struggling with these two areas of my life. Keeping that blog was an educational experience. The things I learned during that time have made for a good foundation to make progress. I wish I could report about huge strides in both those areas, but alas, I'm still making baby steps.

Richie is working his way up the employment totem pole of high school education. When a teacher retires, there's little chance a new one is hired. When a budget is slashed, you just make do. He has an excellent position at the high school he's employed at, but one tiny drawback: he's a contract employee. What does that mean? If there's no school, there's no income.

Does this make us nervous? Yes. A little scared? Heck yes.

Source: PT Money

We recently learned that his contract will be renewed next school year, and his boss told him that he would renew the contract for as long as Richie wants the position. His boss knows that Richie is looking for another position that is more long-term, has benefits, and utilizes the training he has, yet with this knowledge, his boss is still comfortable with renewing his contract. This is a huge blessing and weight off our shoulders. But once the school year ends, that's it. There's no second income until school begins in August.

So what do we do? We've sketched out a game plan to get us through the lean times coming up.

1. We are praying. This job was an answered prayer. We'll continue to pray for financial peace over the summer.

2. I have been paying a little extra on our bills each month so in case we come up short this summer, some of the regular bills won't be as high. I have also added a little extra cushioning to savings in case something comes up.

3. We received many gift cards this past Christmas. Generally, we spend them faster than teenagers. However, Richie mentioned putting them aside and using them over the summer. So that's what we're doing with those. Brilliant!

4. To bring in extra income, Richie will be housesitting and petsitting for families we have done this for in the past. He has also spread the word through his school that he's available to do this, and he has a few more interested families. I also have a few items I'm going to list on Craigslist to hopefully unload.

5. We will only be eating out after church on Sundays. This will be our most difficult step, but we are both committed to sticking this out. We chose Sundays because it's our tradition now and we really enjoy it.

Of course, we'll be doing some of the other basics. I'll still be bringing my lunch to work. We use coupons and shop sales for groceries. We try to wait as long as possible to turn on the air conditioner to save on electricity. We made mistakes last summer, and I'm confident we have learned from those mistakes and will be smarter this year.

What are your absolutely tried-and-true, crazy or not crazy, ways you save money in lean times?

Thrifty: Columbia Sportswear

As a woman blessed with size-10 feet, shoe shopping is a bit of a challenge. I love shoes, but finding cute and comfortable shoes in my size is a frustrating endeavor. I also don't like spending half a paycheck on a pair. When I visit my favorite Goodwill, the shoe section is my absolute first stop. I have no qualms about purchasing shoes at thrift stores when they're in near-perfect condition. At $5.97, my wallet sings.

I have not purchased many pairs at thrift stores because A.) it's difficult to find attractive shoes in my size, and B.) the ones I do find look like they've been worn through a landfill.

My luck changed this week when I visited my favorite Goodwill.


Cute, comfortable, and practical!


Like new, size 10 Columbia Tenacity shoes. Thank you, Goodwill!

Thrifty: Dooney & Bourke

I love thrift store shopping. I've been an avid "thrifter" since high school. I found this gem last weekend. I could care less if it's a real or knock-off Dooney & Bourke. The price was $2... I couldn't turn it down. I brought it home, spruced it up, and I'm rocking it. I love a good bargain.