Frugal friday

Funny thing that today's topic over at FrugalFriday is budgeting and all that jazz, since that

was exactly what

I was going to write about today. Then it dawned on me that it was Frugal friday so I thought

I'd check

out what the scoop over there was!!lol Must be on a lot of peoples minds lately.

We went to a budgeting class on Wednesday night. It's part of a series of homeowners classes

that

are mandatory for Bill and I to take as part of our agreement with Habitat. The gal who

presented

the class was really good, but unfortunately, I didn't learn anything new about budgeting.

bummer.

We did however, learn about some really awesome programs that are available and we will

definitely be

doing those. The one program is called Fair Gains. We join for a year and each month we submit

up to

$50 into a bank account and we also take part in budgeting and financial classes. At the end of the

year

if we successfully saved at least $600, they will match 3 times that amount!! The catch is, we

have to use

it towards assets. No problem with that! cool, eh?!?!

I'm not sure if they are just for our local area, you can Google 'momentum' and see if there is

one in your

area. One thing though, it is for lower income individuals.

Our income is changing because I will no longer be babysitting my friends daughters, so I need to

get our budget in order. Bill and I have discussed him taking on a part time job to help. We'll see.

Here's what I have done thus far to lower our budget:

-ensure we know the difference between WANTS and NEEDS

-reuse as much things as possible. (ie; wash and reuse ziploc baggies)

-make coffee at home versus buying it

-cut everyone's (except Robbie's!!lol) hair at home

-enjoy free activities

-do not buy:

processed foods, cleaning products, brand new clothing/shoes etc

-make all foods as much as possible, from scratch

- make the budget AND stick to it

-shop the sales for foods and other items you might need

-keep your vehicle with a full tank of gas

-use groups such as craigslist and Freecycle and Kijiji for household items and clothing.

-sew whatever I can and repair clothing rather than buying new or second hand first.

Add to the list where you can!!

We do not use credit cards. It's very difficult in certain circumstances, many places won't even

give

you the time of day without on one 'on file'.

Right now we are in the process of paying off our line of credit from years ago *sigh* and of

course

we have our van payment as well. First things first...baby steps!!We plan on attacking the

remaining

line of credit first.

Since we use something similar to the 'envelope method' I am setting out to make these!!

Aren't they so uber cool?!?!

Check out the rest of the site here for more great info and tips.

The need thing about frugality is it sometimes goes hand and hand with sustainability and

eco friendly

Pretty neat if you ask me!!

Have a fabulous Friday!!

Blessings!!

Frugal Friday

Re-Fashioning Clothing is my tip this week.

I know a lot of this most of us all ready do, but it's well worth reminding. I rarely and I mean rarely buy the kids brand new clothing. Truthfully, I see it as a waste of money and really not eco-friendly at all. Second hand is a perfectly good thing and an excellent resource to make use of. Whether you purchase through a thrift store or consignment. Another even more cost effective is to get in touch with other mama's who have children in similar age groups and get together twice a year with all the clothing your own children have outgrown and have a clothing swap!
(this is my own personal goal as well)

Here's what we do (and why I don't EVER turn down clothing despite it's condition)
-turn pants into skirts for the girls
-take the long sleeves off of stained shirts and sew them into the short sleeves of a good top...instant long sleeve top!
-use pillowcases for sun dresses for the girls...the bottom is already hemmed and if I need length, just sew a few inches of contrasting material to the bottom. Plain colored or white pillowcases work the best. Make the top with cute little ties at the the shoulders or shirred straps.
-remove the picture of a childs favorite top that has become too small (cut it out as best you can) and carefully attach it to a different shirt that fits. This looks so neat because if you just sew it on, it kind of frays around the edges and looks really cool.
-take the sleeves from mens shirts and make pants or shorts for the kids.


I'm sure there are more that we've done, including making pillows from sweaters and t-shirts, bags from jeans and blankets out of scraps.

Sometimes a totally new outfit is right there in your closet, just use your imagination! Check out the sewing section of my blog to find a ton of links to other Mama's who have blogs that have tutorials available on how to make some wonderful things!



Blessings!!

~FRUGAL FRIDAY~

Holiday Dinner on a Dime

This is the majority of our holiday dinners!!lol Anyways, this Easter we are just having us (which is dinner for 9, technically 8 since Breanna won't be eating!!lol)
On the Menu is:
Honey Ham
Perogies
mashed potatoes
au gratin potatoes
mixed veggies (steamed and raw)
buns

Of course there will be versions for me to be able to enjoy. The decorations will be courtesy of the kids. A bed sheet with pretty flowers will be the table cloth.

My tip would be to find things around the house to use for decorating purposes. How about a bowl of fruit as the center piece or even just a basic plant?!? Cut out Easter Eggs and let the kid's decorate them and use them as placecards. I typically begin planning for Easter approx 1 month earlier so I can watch the sales and make sure I have everything.

I always try to fit a celebration into my budget, it's more about the people and the memories than having the most expensive cut of meat or hors d'orves. Simple and served with love should be the goal!!

Be blessed!