curtains

I finally made some curtains for our living room.

Well, we have two big windows.. and I only did one, so I guess I'm half-way there.

I almost don't want to do the other side.

I'm scared it'll start to look small and cramped in there.

But, it looks weird since only one window has curtains! Decisions! LOL

Here's how I made them!

This..

plus.. this..

and some of this..

Equals my curtains!!!

The only thing that drives me a little crazy is that the wrinkles will not come out! I was able to smooth it out.. but I'm sure you could see some of the wrinkles in these pictures. I ironed for hours and finally just had to give up. I have a wonderful sewing machine, but I'm so scared to use it! So I didn't sew one thing on these curtains. Easy peasy AND cheap! ((the drop cloths were $9.70ea or something like that .. the fabric was $4.12 and the hemming tape was just a couple of dollars)). My kind of decorating!

**I think I'll be changing the lampshades out... that's the only white thing in this room. **

** I didn't take a picture of the actual drop cloth and iron-on tape packaging that I bought.. I just googled some images. I think my size drop cloth was different. **

** if you google (use swagbucks.com!! sign up at the bottom! ;)) drop cloth.. you will actually find a lot of projects like mine! they are quite popular! **

**ignore the length on the left side.. that one turned out to be a little bit longer! lol.. I'm done with the notes now! **

free decorating!

I love our house, I really do. I love having a bigger house.. an extra bedroom.. lots of cabinet space, but I don't like all the extra walls I have to decorate now! It wouldn't be a problem if I was, ya know, a millionaire and could afford to go out and buy all the cool, stylish things. We're a one-income family.. not a whole lot of money going towards beautiful landscape pictures. We also happen to be military folks. Which means, we move a lot. Our next house could be itty-bitty, so I really don't want to buy so much for this house when our next might not even be able to hold it all.

Anywho, all of that to say, I made something and I want to show you guys! ;)

I had to be creative and use what I had around the house.

Before.. another blank wall in the hallway.

A piece of cardboard that came with a package.

(I'm having some real issues moving my pictures around!!) My little sign. I just put some scrapbook paper on the cardboard. Some ribbon on the edges. Glued a little sign onto some more scrapbook paper and that was it!

My not so boring wall! :)

The hallway is kinda tiny (and dark!) so I couldn't get a picture of it all together. Had to do angle shots.

I am sooooooooo happy with it. I love that I used stuff that I had around the house and didn't have to pay a dime for it!! =)

spring wreath

The other day I was just itchin' to make a wreath. I wanted something bright and fun!

After a trip to the dollar store, some cutting and lots and lots of hot glueing, here's the end result.

One question! Should I add a bow to the top center or not? I think I kinda like it as it. But, feel free to tell me your opinion! The best part is that it cost me about $4 to make.

Circle cardboard cut out - Free
3 bags of plastic eggs - $3.00 (still have a few leftover)
1 bag of shredded green paper - $1

I originally wanted some of the easter grass. But my dollar tree didn't have it, so I used the shredded paper, which is all they had.

I looooove it! Now the only thing that bothers me, is that if centered it hides my peep hole. I use that hole every.single.time someone comes to the door, so it has to be off-centered. Oh, well! My family's safety is more important than a wreath being centered, right?! =)

Christmas mood

I can't wait for Christmas! I just want to skip Fall/Thanksgiving this year and go straight to Christmas. I'm excited to decorate for it! =) Although, the closer it gets to Christmas the closer we get to moving and that is not something I am looking forward to!!

I found this idea on Melissa's blog and I could not stop thinking about this (cheap!!) project! I went to my dollar store and had a hard time finding the platters/plates/whatever they are called. I wasn't sure what section they would be in, but I finally found them on the bottom of a shelf in the baking/cooking section.

Please excuse my horrible pictures. I am a lazy photographer, haha!

Here they are just after I bought them.

Another shot with me in it :P
Spray painted them red

Here's the backside. Look, I'm a lazy spray painter, too!!

The snowflakes that will be hot-glue'd to the tray.

Ta-dah!

Closer up

Aren't they adorable!?

Okay, I said this project was cheap. Here's the price break-down for ya!

2 trays from the dollar store (not dollar general) - $2.00

set of 3 snowflakes again from the dollar store - $1.00

red spray paint from Walmart (have a ton leftover to use for other projects!)- $.98

Total cost - $3.98 for 2 cute Christmas decorations!!

Love it!

I'm going to have to go back and pick up some more. They even have some oval ones. Think of all the possible things you could do with these trays!!

before and after - tray

Serving tray that I got for free.

Serving tray after some spray paint and wrapping paper.

Here's another before.

And the after.

Right now, the tray is sitting on top of our microwave holding a picture frame and a candle. I love it! I have a small obsession with black & white, black & silver combinations, and black toile!

Frugal Friday - Unclaimed Money

I recently came across unclaimed.org. It is a national website to look for unclaimed money in states where you may have resided. There could be funds from unclosed bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, company refunds, utility deposits, etc. that you may have unknowingly left behind when you moved. I didn't believe it at first, but when I searched my hubby's name it said we had around $100.00 that belonged to us! I had Brandon print and fill out the paperwork and we mailed it in. We started to think maybe we weren't owed any money, that it was wrong, and we weren't getting anything. What do you think showed up in our mailbox on Saturday?? Yep, a check for almost $150! It only takes a minute to find your state, and to put in your name. Go search and make sure you don't have any missing money!

To see how other people are saving money, go on over to Life As Mom.

Do you Redbox?

I do! Confused? These little red machines are slowly starting to pop up around here. Every Monday, Redbox gives out a code for a free rental.

Here are a few codes that will give you a free movie.

~REDBOX (this will only work if it is used as your first order)

~BREAKROOM

~DVDONME

Every Monday, I just go online and google redbox code. There are a ton of sites that will have the code for you. If you sign up online, Redbox will email you the code to your cell. But, I don't want to use up my minutes doing it that way. You have to use your credit or debit card, but you won't be charged. There will be a $1 hold on your account, but after you return the movie it goes away. You have to return the movie, the next day by 9pm, or you will be charged a $1 and then another $1 each day. After 25 days, or $25, the movie is yours to keep. Who can turn down a free movie? I can't! ;)

Don't forget to hit the "rent with a promo code" button on the lower left hand side before you begin!! ;-)

Kmart Deal

If you have a stash of coupons and you have a Kmart near you, don't walk, RUN there! My friend Rebekah and I decided to go take advantage of their double coupon days - and we scored! Here's a picture of every thing I bought. My total with tax was $37.43. How much did I save? $76.85!!

Here's a detailed list of what I got and how much I paid for it.

L'oreal Eyeshadow - free

Suave body wash -2.97 for 3

Revlon eyelash curler - 1.79

Colgate Kid's toothpaste - 1.50 (needed this!!)

Crest toothpaste - all 4 for free

Secret Deodorant - .58 for 2

Gillette shampoo - 1.00 for 2

Always pads - free

Dove shampoo - .49

Dayquil - 1.29

Carefree pads - free

Dawn soap - .99

Dawn soap - .99

Easyups training pants - 7.49

Bounty papertowel - .49

Pampers diapers - 7.99

Bounce dryer sheets - .79

Pringles - both free

animals crackers - 1.29 (a just because item for Kyle)

If I didn't buy the diapers, my total would have been $21.48! Not bad, huh? Check online to see if the Kmart near you is participating in double coupon days.

update on our 'challenge'

We did it! We went a whole week without eating out. We didn't even buy a drink here and there and my hubby didn't buy anything from the snack bar at work. During the week it wasn't hard at all, but the weekend is where we were tested. I was invited to a movie and dinner, with a local play group, but it was a Mommy's night out type of thing. But, since we are doing this challenge, I couldn't go. I would like to have gone, to meet other Mom's and such, but there's always next time.. I hope. We realized that since we can't eat out this month, we really can't go anywhere. So we stayed closed to home. On Saturday, we did something (another first for me, which I'll blog about later) and I made sandwhiches to take along. Not only are we saving money by not eating out, we are saving money on gas since we aren't going out and about. One week down and only two weeks and five days left. But, I'm not counting or anything!!! ;) Who am I kidding?! A Hazelnut Iced coffee from McDonald's is calling my name!

Totally off subject -
I am still in my pj's when I should be in my workout clothes. Today is a day that I do NOT want to go to the gym. But, as soon as I hit publish post. I AM GOING! I can do it! :)
Eat Healthy & Exercise!

A Challenge

The husband and I were looking at our finances the other day. Something we do every so often. We did all the math to see how much we were bringing in and how much we were spending. We added up all our bills and all that fun stuff. After all the important things are paid and our money goes to it's proper places, we still have a significant amount of money left over. But it got me thinking, where exactly is our money going?? I want to know how much we are spending a month on food, on diapers, on clothing, on every thing! Of course I have an estimate on how much we spend, but I want to know down to our last penny.


I've tried in the past to keep every single receipt for that month so I could see what we were buying. I've even tried writing every thing down in a notebook and it didn't work. I would always lose a receipt or two and just give up. It's hard when you have to remember to get the receipts from the hubby, too. I could go online and check, but that would only tell me how much we spent and not on what. But after looking at our budget today, I am motivated to find out. It's going to be a lot of work, but it needs to be done. A trip to DisneyWorld is a big motivater, too!! ;)

Last night, we were talking to our friends and we decided to have a little challenge. Absolutely no eating out for the month of February. No quick stops through the drive-thru. No more being lazy --start packing a lunch every night for the husband. Not only will it be healthier for us, but I want to see if there is a drastic change in our checking accounts. The winner of the challenge has to buy dinner at a Japanese restaurant on the 1st of March! Pretty good incentive, right? =)

If anybody has a better, easier way to track spending your spending, I'd love to hear it!

Paper towel vs Rags

You're pouring yourself a glass of milk and you accidentally spill some on to the counter.. which do you grab? .. a paper towel? or a rag?

Me? I grab a rag. I love rags. I'm not a paper towel person. I probably buy a roll every six months or so, if that. And I don't use them for cleaning or to dry my hands either.

When we wash our hands, we use towels to dry our hands off.

I have a stack of towels in the kitchen that are just to be used in the kitchen. And I have a stack of rags next to my washer, that I use for cleaning the house.

My Mom is a paper towel person. She dislikes using rags and is constantly buying paper towels.

I go to great lengths to save money and honestly, I think paper towels are a waste of money. Plus, it's bad for the environment! :)

I think it's funny that even our exterminator knows that we don't use paper towels. He asked the first time where we kept them and the second time he asked, I didn't even get to answer him before he remembered, LOL.

So, which do you prefer to use? Paper towels or rags?

These towels on my oven door are just for decoration, well, until my husband or my son start using them to dry their hands! But, aren't they just beautiful? Ignore the fact that they are wrinkly and not straight.. I just pulled them out of the box! ((I wrote this up a few days ago.. the next day, Kyle spilled some milk (!!!) and before I could stop him, he was cleaning it up with my only-for-looks towel!!))

Crocs Toddler Endeavor Sandal Shoes $5.28 shipped

I just bought these for Kyle for next summer! There is a code for 15% off (COMEBACK), but for some reason I coulnd't get it to work. These sold out, and then they came back.. so I was in a rush to order these! Hope someone with young ones can use this. What a great deal! Gotta love cyber-monday deals :)

Where is the time going??

Today is December 1st! Already!? What happened to November?

Ever since we all got back home early last week our life hasn't slowed down one bit! When I think back to last week I can hardly even remember what we did! I went to bed Wednesday night thinking I was catching a cold.. what do you know.. Thanksgiving morning I woke up SICK! Probably one of the worst colds I have had in years. It took forever to get ready and we were late, but we finally made it to Brandon's Grandma's house. As the hours went by, I was just getting worse and worse, and definitely not in a giving thanks mood! We decided to leave early and I was going to just go home and go to bed, but we had to go to our bestfriend's house for dinner. Rebekah spent the whole entire day cooking a wonderful meal and I couldn't just not go over! We hung out for a little bit, but I just had to get home. I am so glad we went though, because her cookin' rocks!

I had intended to go out on Black Friday to do some Christmas shopping, but this cold was just too much. I usually get all my hubby's Christmas gifts this day, because all the stuff he wants goes on sale (can we say Craftsman?).

On Saturday, we did make a trip to Toys R Us to get some things for Kyle and I even went to a Pampered Chef party that night. We did a lot of spending this week, but it was all bargains, so it's okay. We scored some pretty great deals online though! As each years go by, I get more of my Christmas shopping done online. Love it! I would share my deals.. but I have family and friends who read this.. and I can't be telling them what their gifts are!! :)

Brandon goes back to work this week, but then he took the next 2 weeks off!! Yay! We love any extra time we get to spend with Daddy. =)

I hate to post without pictures.. but this couch sure is comfy and I am just too lazy to go get the camera! LOL. Our desktop isn't connecting to the internet so we've had to use the laptop to get online. It's much more work to use the laptop then the desktop, so I haven't even been getting online as much. The other day my google reader said I had 136 unread items! I thought just maybe it would be a slow week and not very many people would post.. boy, was I wrong!

Well, that was our week, was yours just as busy and hectic??

Sale @ Limited Too

Limited Too is having a Buy One Get One free online sale (mix and match) on everything. You can also use the coupon code 758 to get an additional 30% off!! If you have a young girl to shop for this Christmas, this is a great deal!! Their sizes run big, too.. my mom can fit into the larger sizes (Arlene you can fit this stuff!!). Hope this can help someone!

Enough already, right?

Okay, I am sure you guys are getting sick of me posting about grocery shopping and saving money. But.. I can't help it! It gives me such a high and I just HAVE to tell somebody!

I just came home from my weekly grocery shopping trip. Here's what I got.

(sorry for the bad picture)

I spent $31.19 and saved $58.35. I messed up by like a $2.. the jars of baby food were BuyOneGetOne free.. and I accidentally bought one of the wrong kind. So, I paid $.10 more for that jar and I didn't get one free. I noticed this while putting the kids in the car, but the time and effort it would have taken me to drag both kids back in the store wasn't worth the 2 bucks. Now, if I have to go back to Publix before the sale ends, I will definitely bring back the baby food so I can get another one for free ;) hehe.

The best deals I got today were the Febreeze Noticeables. They are orginally $6.99, but they were marked down to $3.50. I had a $5(!!!!) coupon for it, so I ended up getting $1.50 towards the rest of my groceries. I love it! The other good deal was the Gerber Rice Cereal.. those are usually $2.09, but they were marked down to $1.04, and I had a coupon for $1 off two. So one box was $.04!

*sigh* Some people get high off of drugs and what not. Me? I get high off of saving money at the grocery store, haha!

I love me some Target

I have always loved Target, so I'm not sure why I don't go there more often. I received a $50 GC from MyPoints, so that is why I even went to Target. ((BTW, if you want to sign up for MyPoints, send me your email address, and I will send you a referral email. I receive bonus points for referrals! Just had to put that out there!)) They always have awesome clearance sales (especially after holidays)!

Here's what I found on sale!

-Off! Spray, originally $4.54 each, marked down to $1.13 each. I had a $.75 coupon and a $.55 coupon, so I ended up paying $.38 and $.58 for two bottles of Off! Spray.

-Fructis Garnier Conditioner, with a free bonus conditioner. Orginally $2.54, used $1 coupon. Two bottles of condtioner for $.77 each.

-Biz laundry stain remover, orginally $6.99, marked down to $5.94. I had $2.50 coupons. Final price $3.44 each. I bought 3 bottles because, um, I have two kids, need I say more?

I think I will be stopping by Target a little more often now! Don't forget to browse the endcaps whenever you go to Target/Walmart/wherever! You never know what you'll find! :)

love savin money!

I paid $3.17 for all that and I saved $14.37. I'm pretty proud! Exciting stuff, huh? haha.

where, oh, where!

You know what absolutely bugs me? When I have a coupon for a free item, and then I can't find that item anywhere!! This is the third time it's happened to me. I recently was sent a coupon for YoMommy yogurt. I've checked both my usual grocery stores AND our Supercenter Walmart, and they don't carry it. I was really looking forward to trying this YoMommy yogurt since it's supposed to be great for pregnant and nursing mothers. I'm hoping that since it's a fairly new product it'll be stocked soon. I hate to let this coupon go to waste!

six dollars and fifteen cents