June goals recap

My goals were short and simple this month...

1. Save $1500. Check! I accomplished this by holding a garage sale and selling some items on craigslist.

2. Any clothes buying needs to be done at the consignment store. I circumvented this a bit. The consignment store where I had credit didn't have anything I really needed for summer, so I took my money and bought a couple of summer dresses on ebay instead.

And my personal goal was...
Whittle down my wardrobe. I was pretty successful with this. I took a whole bag of tops to the consignment store last week, and I've gotten rid of a lot of things that no longer fit well. I also sold some bags that weren't very versatile for me. I'm going to try to continue to be very critical of my wardrobe's versatility. For example, bright colors may be fun, but they're not very versatile for me. So I need to stick to my tried-and-true neutrals from which I know I'll get a ton of wear.

Menu Plan Monday

This week will be short and sweet, as we are visiting my in-laws for the Fourth.


Monday: pasta bake, salad
Tuesday: Mexican pizza, Spanish rice
Wednesday: lentil spaghetti, garlic bread
Thursday: black bean tortillas, Spanish rice
Sun. night when we get home: pizza

More from "The Budget Fashionista"

Yesterday I shared some tips from The Budget Fashionista (aka Kathyrn Finney) on how to infuse your wallet with some extra cash (or your wardrobe with some extra clothes). Another great section in her book details how you can get great beauty products for cheap prices at...the grocery store.

Avocados--Good moisturizer and used in a lot of home spa treatments

Cranberries--Add flavor and color to homemade lip gloss (and eat them for brain power!)

Eggs--Source of protein for hair and skin, plus great for tightening facial skin

Honey--Key to a clear complexions

Milk--Used in many home spa treatments

Oatmeal--Great exfoliant

Olive oil--Great moisturizer (and I was used this to help cure eczema)

Paper cupcake holders--Perfect for mixing foundation, lipstick, etc

Plastic grocery bags--For wrapping shoes and products that might leak when you travel

Tomato paste--Tightens pores

Vegetable brush--Good, cheap body brush

Zippered baggies--Perfect as cheap make-up bags or to hold bottles that might leak when traveling

Look around and imagine other possibilities--you might not have to go back to Sephora again. :)

Tips from The Budget Fashionista

Kathryn Finney has been blogging about being fashionable on a budget since 2003, and I recently reread her popular book How to Be a Budget Fashionista. In the second chapter of the book, Finney gives ten examples of how to infuse your wallet with some extra cash so you can build up your wardrobe. Since these ideas work beyond a budget wardrobe, I'm reposting them here as a reminder that there are lots of ways to make a little extra cash, even in this rough economy.

1. Host a clothing-swap party. I've always wanted to participate in one of these, but I've never known anyone who's hosted one. Maybe I should just do that myself! It's a great way to score some new clothes and accessories (or kitchen appliances, toys) with nothing leaving your pocktbook.

2. Have a garage sale. Between my two sales this month (I had one and then was able to put my leftovers in another sale), I made an extra $325. Not too shabby.

3. Sell designer clothes to a consignment shop. While designer clothes are obviously the most profitable, brand name clothes like Gap or Old Navy are accepted at most consignment shops. I've netted about $100 from the consignment shop over the last few months, just for cleaning out my closet.

4. Sell your clothes in an online auction. Or anything else in your home, for that matter. I've made quite a bit of extra dough lately selling things on craigslist. There's always ebay, plus newer sites like bonanzle. Plus, your home will be less cluttered. :)

5. Get a part-time job at a clothing store. Or, if you don't care about the discount for building up your wardrobe, get a part-time job at a small grocery store, a home store, etc. If you're in need of something, there's probably a store where you can work and get it with a discount.

6. Sell items at a flea market. My parents did this when I was a kid--my dad did woodwork on the side (he made a lot of our toys) and sold his wares at the local flea market on the weekends.

7. Donate your old clothes to get a tax break. 'Nuff said.

8. Do it yourself: sell craft projects. With the popularity of etsy, this is easier than ever now. I have no talent to speak of, but I love browsing others' homemade wares. If I was good at making anything, I would definitely go this route for a little side cash.

9. Mystery shopping. Another hustle I've never tried. I did sign up with a few companies, but the assignments in my area are usually very inconvenient or very pricey. But other bloggers have had success wih mystery shopping, so it's something to look into.

10. Become a personal shopper. Know a busy professional who doesn't have time to pick out clothing or shop for groceries? Offer your shopping services.

There are so many different avenues to take in order to make a little extra cash. Good luck with any of your ventures this summer!

"The Ordinary is Extraordinary"

If you have a moment, check out this beautiful post over at My Money and My Life.

Beauty-full Thursday

Remember when I posted about affordable SLS-free haircare? Well, Loreal Everpure has been outdone. The Everpure started drying out my hair after awhile, and I was quite disillusioned with the product...another eco-friendlier shampoo turns out to be a bust for me. Well, there's a new, affordable kid on the block. I had been hearing about this new line for months, yet hadn't seen it in any stores. Until now!

David Babaii for Wildaid is paraben-,SLS-, and cruelty-free. 10% of all proceeds go to a wildlife fund. And the amplifying shampoo and conditioner I'm using are leaving my hair full and silky (rather than its usual flat and lifeless state). Most of the prices I've seen for this line are in the $9.99-12.99 range, but the products are Buy 1 Get 1 Free at Sally Beauty right now. Oh, and the bottles are huge.

This might be...the one.

Saying no to "good enough"

I have been on the hunt for black shorts for a couple of months now, and I never thought they would be this difficult to find. There is an abundance of navy shorts out there, but black is apparently not a popular shorts color. I finally found the perfect black shorts on clearance at, of course, JCrew. Except the store was out of my size (and I checked repeatedly). So I started trolling ebay and stalking the returns on the JCrew site. No dice.

Then this morning, the shorts I wanted popped up in my size in khaki. I added them to my cart immediately--I was thrilled the shorts had finally shown up in my size! So maybe black was the color I really wanted to fill a hole in my wardrobe, but wouldn't khaki be nice as well? I do love the fit of those shorts.

But I'm trying not to get tangled up in "good enough." If I like a top but the color is not great on me, I need to say no (thrift stores and their cheap prices are where I sometimes have a hard time with this). Black shorts are what I'm looking for, and I'd still be looking for them if I purchased a khaki pair. I don't need a khaki pair, so why were those shorts in my cart? I quickly deleted them and will continue to wait for a black pair to show up. Well, I hope.

I've been tagged!

The other day, Frugal Dreamer tagged me to reveal seven interesting things about myself. Interesting is relative, but I'll try my best.  :)

1. I'm very accident-prone, and it's legendary among my friends and family. I've been hit by a car, had a table saw nearly crush me, been stabbed in the throat with a pencil--the list goes on.

2. I think baseball is the best sport EVAH. I played as a kid and am always up for watching a game.

3. I taught myself to read when I was 4, before I went to school. And I've never stopped! I listened very carefully to my mom when she read bedtime stories to me, and then I figured out how to sound out the words in the books.

4. I'm an HGTV addict and have been since the channel first premiered. When I was a teenager, my favorite show was Decorating Cents.  :P

5. I love to rescue animals. I have a cat (who actually lives with my parents) that I rescued after his leg was cut off. And, man, he's now the toughest cat I know!

6. I love thrift stores. Oh, wait--did you know that already?

7. I grew up watching classic films and reading classic novels, and that pretty much shaped my interests from a young age. I've gotten J into classic movies, and he loves them now. I never get sick of watching Breakfast at Tiffany's or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

I'm no good at tagging, so I'll just ask: Anyone have any interesting facts you'd like to share about yourself?  :)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: lentil spaghetti, squash
Tuesday: black bean tortillas, Spanish rice
Wednesday: salad, baked pasta
Thursday: Mexican pizza, Spanish rice
Friday: pizza
Sat. lunch: we'll be spending the day working on a lady's home with our church class and will probably eat some more pizza or something
Sat. dinner: loaded baked potatoes
Sun. lunch: lo mein
Sun. dinner: squash, mini baked potatoes (red potatoes), cooked carrots

Sentimentality

Sentimentality is not something I generally struggle with. I can get rid of just about anything that I don't absolutely love or use frequently. I have less than 10 small items that I own that I would be truly sorry to lose (like my grandmother's wine goblets or the handbag she gave me). I'm just not one for keeping stuff like that around. I don't generally keep something for the sake of someone's feelings. So why am I struggling with it now?

I have two collections I've worked on over the years: collector Barbies and teacups, particularly ones that feature people. While I still admire the beauty of these items, I no longer want to keep either of these collections around. I've sold most of the Barbies I bought myself, but a lot of them were gifts from my mom. And I know she'd be heartbroken if I let go of them. I've thought about offering her whatever she wants and selling the rest, but I don't even know how to broach the topic (my mother might be a little emotionally sensitive). Same with the teacups. She gave me a few of them, and she just gets so excited whenever she is able to add to one of my collections. She doesn't quite understand the journey I've been on the last few years--desiring to really pare down my life to useful objects. The monetary value isn't even the issue--collectibles aren't going for very much in this economy. I just crave the space and freedom.

Anyone had a similar situation with a parent of family member? How did you broach the fact that you weren't really interested in things like that anymore?

Weekend plans

I have a pretty inexpensive weekend lined up, and I'm stoked. Tomorrow morning I am dragging J out of bed so we can go get fresh Krispy Kreme donuts, then I think we are going to hang out in the park for awhile. I'm going to try to talk him into checking out some sleeper sofas with me; we're buying a couple when we eventually move (no designated guest room, as we're not fans of unused spaces). Hey, at least it's free to browse. Then, some friends are coming over tomorrow night for shrimp and Death at a Funeral (hee-larious).

I think Sunday will be a chill-out day. I'm making breakfast for our class that morning, but I only had to spend a couple extra dollars for some more muffin ingredients. And I'm already prepared for a lazy afternoon with a stack of movies from the library.

Anyone have any fun and frugal plans this weekend?

Beauty-full Thursday

The other day I had to go to Ulta to return a shampoo that, hey, I found cheaper somewhere else. While I was there, I did what I always do in a cosmetics store: I searched for my perfect undereye concealer. I have very dark circles under my eyes, regardless of how much sleep/water/etc I get. Eye creams are no help, so I have to rely on concealer in order to avoid frightening any children. I have tried everything from Revlon to Amazing Concealer, and there was only one that really worked for me: TheBalm TimeBalm. Unfortunately, they redid the shades recently and now there isn't one that works on my skin. Awesome.

But yesterday I found IT. I was playing around with a new concealer at the store and applied it to my undereye area. It immediately erased my circles without making me look like a pale, sick raccoon. Because I'd sold another $65 worth of stuff this week, I allowed myself to purchase this wonderful specimen (well, order it--the concealer was out of stock in the store). If I hadn't been on track with my savings goal for the month, I would've had to pass it by. So why am I confessing this concealer purchase to you? Because it was twenty-six dollars.

So maybe I only made half the profit I wanted to. If my circles are covered and not scaring anyone, I'm cool with that.

Book Review: A Million Bucks by 30

Alan Corey's unconventional, conversational A Million Bucks by 30 is not like any other finanacial book I've read. It's almost a cross between a frugality tome and a motivational finance book. First of all, Corey speaks to the reader almost as a close friend, curse words and all. The book is written more like a personal journal than an organized financial how-to. Corey basically recounts how he accomplished his goal of being worth a million dollars by the time he turned thirty; there are no budget forms or anything of the like. And some of his savings tactics were a bit...unethical. Regardless, Corey recounts a rollercoaster tale of making it...in NYC of all places.

With an average-paying job and $9000 in savings in the bank, here's how Corey got to be worth a million dollars...

Rent a very cheap apartment and keep living on a college budget. Don't indulge just because you have your first job--hold off on lifestyle inflation for now. Corey rented with some friends and only paid $400 a month in rent.

Make it automatic. Corey made a "secret" bank account that was very hard to get to and automatically sent most of his paycheck there. This forced him to live on very little and get very creative with budget-living.

Hustle, hustle, hustle. Corey took just about any side gig he could find, from reality TV to taking online surveys. He made this into a game to see how low he could get his expenses.

Buy property, and do so in an an up-and-coming neighborhood. Corey bought his first home at age 23, and was able to get the home he wanted by doing his research and low-balling.

Keep buying investment property. Corey readily admits throughout the entire book that he doesn't have any special skillset--just determination to be a millionaire. He became partners with someone who knew how to renovate well, and was lucky enough to starty flipping some property for a handsome profit.

While the frugal tips in the book will be old hat for anyone who's read anything on pinching pennies, A Million Bucks by 30 is really more the tale of one guy's willingness to sacrifice and save to achieve his dream. Corey is a consummate cheapskate, and was able to save so much to invest by living on very little ($15k before taxes). And he aso bought and flipped during the recent real estate boom, which would be nigh impossible to do in most areas of the country today. Still, it's an entertaining--and even inspriring--read. If you don't get anything else out of this book, you might be encouraged that simply saving and saying no to something now can yield a big reward down the road.

Just keep repeating the mantra that Corey told himself over and over again to keep going: "I'm going to be a millionaire." And he is.

Frugal Makeover: Thrifted Bookshelf

I recently decided I needed to relegate our wooden ladder bookshelf to a display shelf, as it is starting to crumple under the weight of all the books. So I have been on the lookout for bookcases at thrift stores. I recently passed on a black one at Goodwill (I'm 99% sure it had originally been from Target) because it was $40 and I just didn't want to pay that much. Lo and behold, I found this stunner at another thrift store this week. Ok, it wasn't much of a looker, but it was $25 and I had a 40% off coupon, bringing the price down to just 15 bucks.

After some sanding, paint, and water-based polyurathane, I have myself a glossy black beauty of a bookshelf. And that long wooden tealight holder on top? $3 at Goodwill this week.

(The accessories were just to jazz it up for the photo--that thing will be full of books in no time)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: black beans and rice, sour cream biscuits
Tuesday: ravioli, squash
Wednesday: salad, grilled cheeses
Thursday: black bean tortillas, Spanish rice
Friday: pizza
Sat. lunch: eating out at one of J's favorite Thai places--blessedly, it's very inexpensive
Sat. dinner: grilled shrimp and veggie kebobs, cheddar biscuits
Sun. lunch: migas
Sun. dinner: loaded baked potatoes

Sunday deals and steals

Nothing much to report today. I got a newspaper and a Crest toothpaste for $2 and received $2 in ECBs. An even trade money-wise, but at least I got something to add to the donation basket.

I also got another 40% off coupon for one of my favorite thrift stores in the mail. I used one last week to buy a bookshelf (you'll see that in a couple of days!) so I'm really hoping to find another great basic for my home.

Part 6

Part 6 of Crystal's "100 Different Ways to Save $100 This Year" is up. I love the tip on creating challenges for yourself--making frugality a game is, I think, one of the keys to staying on track and beating deprivation. One of my games lately has been to sell whatever I don't love. Sure, I may like it a lot--but that's not enough. Would I like $20 better? If I would, out it goes. I am getting down to the nitty gritty, and it is really fun seeing the house clear out and the money stack up.

Speaking of, I made another $30 at the garage sale today. Woot! Since I can't make it to the sale tomorrow, my friend is being sweet enough to sell the rest of my items for me for whatever she can get. Anything that's left over will be piled on a donation truck. Hopefully a few more bucks will be coming my way!

Snowflaking

I have been doing awesome when it comes to snowflaking this month. Not only did I make about $300 at our garage sale last weekend, I've also sold a couple of collector Barbies ($20), a pair of shoes ($20), a winter dress ($45), another dressy dress ($67), and my Gazelle Edge ($30). I also rolled some change and made a deposit to the tune of $20. And I am at another garage sale right now--my friend's MIL was kind enough to let me bring my leftover yard sale items to her sale today. I priced things very low so they would hopefully sell quickly, but any extra moolah would be great. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Even with our auto insurance premium due this month ($550 for 6 months), I should be able to hit my savings goal. Here's hoping (trying)!

Confession

So one of my goals this month was to only buy clothing from the consignment store where I had some credit.


Well, I failed.


The consignment shop didn't have anything I really liked, so I won these two dresses on ebay and sold a winter dress to make up for it. I have too many winter clothes and too little for summer, so I'm trying to balance my wardrobe out a bit. Then I am going back to the consignment shop this weekend to pick up the money they owe me and just stash it.


(I actually got the top one in black for more versatility)

June already? What!

I can't believe we are almost halfway through 2009! When this year began back in January, my goals and plans looked a lot different than they do now. So here's an update...

1. Save $15,000 for a house down payment. Since we were planning on buying anyway this year, we ratcheted up the plan with the news of the tax credit and hope to buy a home in the next few months, depending on how much we are able to put away this summer.

2. Work on starting a side business. I hate to admit that I haven't done anything about this at all. Lately I've basically made a side business of selling online and through craigslist, and that has been a lot of fun.

3. Save all my change for Christmas. I decided to forgo this goal and put the change in the bank account. I've deposited $60 worth so far, and will probably utilize my usual strategy of setting aside a little each month in the fall for the holidays. I don't buy for very many people, so I don't need a ton of cash for Christmas.

4. Find one free (or super inexpensive) thing to do each month. This has been slightly successful. I've gone to a pizza joint grand opening (free food!) and a free minor league hockey game, to name a couple. Last month was a bust, but the summer should be better and more laden with free opportunities.

5. Donate at least one dollar a month to Project Share. Check!

6. Track all my spending for the year. I did this for about 4 months and then stopped. I wasn't very surprised at what I saw, since I was pretty aware of my spending habits to begin with.

And my personal goal was...
Eliminate all HFCS from my diet. I am always working on this. I did concretely stop buying any granola bars that had any corn syrup in them, and now I'm not really buying any bars at all anymore! Some things are very hard to substitute for--anyone know of a tonic water without HFCS??

How is everyone doing on their goals? Have your goals or ambitions changed since the beginning of the year? Do tell!

The little things

I'm constantly trying to refine my attitude toward the little things. It can be so easy to become complacent about the smaller aspects of life, even for a frugal junkie. Just because something's tiny and inexpensive doesn't mean I need to buy it or that the manufacturing of that object didn't cause harm to the earth. Paying attention to these small details isn't such a difficult task--it just takes practice. So what are some "little things" we can look at with a fresh eye?

Reuse packaging. Be careful when you open packages so that you can reuse them for your own mailings. Cut bubble mailers open and simply tape them closed when you need to use them again. Save crumpled tissue paper to cushion the packages you send. You don't have to be a packrat--just keep a small basket of "recycled" mailing products.

Choose glass over plastic. Glass generally tends to be more recyclable than plastic, and many times the products are the exact same price. Olive oil, spices, pasta sauce--so many things can be bought in a glass bottle. Kick the plastic.

Choose the recycled option. It only takes a minute to look around and choose the recycled option if it's available. Paper towels, aluminum foil, etc--these products are now about the same cost as the non-recycled versions and work just as well. The only one I don't choose? Recycled face tissue--still not yet soft enough for my allergy-ridden nose.

Choose the smaller version. A lot of frugal people are big into bulk purchasing in order to get more for the money, but sometimes it pays to get less. Want to indulge yourself with a Starbucks latte? Choose tall instead of grande and avoid extra padding on your body and the corporation's bank account. You'll still get the indulgence you love--but at a lower cost. In fact, take a moment to look around and see if there's a local coffee shop you can visit instead. I even found a local shop that still has grequent visitor cards, so eventually I'll get a free coffee.


If we would spend just one more minute thinking over what we're about to purchase or consume, a better option might have a chance to present itself.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: rice with veggies, squash
Tuesday: hamburgers, homemade french fries
Wednesday: pizza
Thursday: black beans and rice
Friday: salad, pasta
Sat. lunch: going to check out at a new, inexpensive pizza joint that I was told was really good
Sat. dinner: loaded baked potatoes
Sun. lunch: ravioli
Sun. dinner: lentil spaghetti

Sunday deals and steals

Although I spent a mere $6 for all of this (and received $6 in ECBs), I'm quite annoyed with myself. I printed off a $3 CVS coupon that was going to expire today and didn't realize I had left it at home until I was paying at the register. So I spent $3 more than I planned and wasted my printer's ink--blah. At least the pads, pantiliners, and soap (on clearance, not an ECB deal) have already gone into the donation basket, so that cheers me up a bit.

Garage sale: success!

Between the two days of the sale, I cleared $300. J's brakes began giving him major trouble a couple of days ago, and I was preparing myself in case we had to put all the yard sale money into the car. But a quick change of brake pads (for a mere $21) did the trick. My in-laws came over so J's dad could help him with the brakes, and then we all went out for a yummy Mexican dinner. A busy, full weekend, but it paid off in a tidy profit. Yay!

"The point of frugal blogs"

I have read so many encouraging and inspiring frugal blog posts lately that I simply had to share this one from My Money and My Life. Won't you take a moment to be reminded what it's all about?

Garage Sale-ing

I am having a yard sale today and tomorrow at my home. A friend joined me, and we are packed to the gills and looking to make some dough. Send us some good garage sale vibes, won't you? Hopefully this weekend will involve making lots of money rather than spending it.

Breaking news

I just got my latest issue of Marie Claire, and I'm letting my subscription run out. And I will not let myself get suckered into buying one in the store every month. I'm trying to whittle down my magazines to just a couple a month. but I've been subscribing to magazines since I was 10 (no, that's not an exaggeration: I started with Bop), and I love them.

It's the beginning of a new era.

Tips from "City Chic"

Even though I don't live in the city, I picked up Nina Willdorf's City Chic: An Urban Girl's Guide to Living Large on Less and really enjoyed it. I reread it this week and thought I'd share some of my favorite frugal tips from the book...

Save on paint. Want to spice up your home with some new paint but don't have a big budget? Paint just one accent wall instead.

Visit art openings and events for free wine and snacks. Free appetizers and wine are usually on hand for these (usually free) events--just check your local museum's calender of events. And don't forget to have a dollar or two ready for a tip!

When eating out, go meatless. Veggie meals are almost always cheaper in a restaurant than those with meat as the main course. And once you master the art of grilling a free-range steak at home, you won't want to pay those crazy restaurant prices anyway.

You get can get away with owning fewer bottoms if you have many tops. Pants always seem to be the most expensive for me to to buy anyway--just buy a couple pairs of basic pants and let your tops do the rotating.

No money for shopping? Go DIY. Feel like your wardrobe needs a lift, but you have no budget for it right now? Try an iron-on transfer (a couple bucks at a store like Michael's) or an inexpensive monogram (check a local shop) on one of your basic tees. Or buy a few beads and string them on floss for a new necklace. You don't have to be super crafty to breathe some fresh life into your wardrobe.

Book Review: Miserly Moms

Even though I'm not a mom, I picked up Jonni McCoy's Miserly Moms a couple of years ago when I heard it contained lots of great frugal tips. I recently reread the book and thought I'd offer my two cents on Miserly Moms.

First, McCoy lays out her Eleven Miserly Guidelines.

Don't confuse frugality with depriving yourself. Here, the author states that "Money and class are not synonymous." You need to experiment with what you are willing to give up for more financial freedom, and let go of those frugal habits that are too extreme for you.

Remove little wasters of your money. In this chapter, we read about what is commonly known as the Latte Factor. Where are your budget holes? Find them and plug them.

Keep track of food prices. The price book was made famous by The Tightwad Gazette, and McCoy shows you how to use one to always get the best price on food.

Don't buy everything at the same store. Shop around and hit up the best sales to get more bang for your buck. I employ this strategy every week, an it really works.

Buy in bulk whenever possible. Buying in bulk generally saves you loads of money. Though we eat mainly fresh food around here that doesn't last very long, I do buy things like toilet paper in bulk.

Make your own whenever possible. You will almost always save money this way. Find an easy cookie recipe, and you'll only spend a few more minutes in the kitchen than you would with a pack of cookie dough. I whip up my homemade chocolate chip cookies in a little more than 5 minutes.

Eliminate convenience foods. This has been the hardest for me. We relied on a decent amount of organic convenience foods, like crackers and granola bars. Eat fresh or homemade snacks instead and save your wallet and your health.

Cut back on meats. If you can't go meatless, don't. But at least cut back and treat meat the way it really should be treated: as a side, not the main course.

Waste nothing. Use it up!

Institute a soup and bread or baked potato night. We do this about every week (baked potato, and soup in the winter), and it is a great way to stretch your food dollars.

Cook several meals at once and freeze them. Use less energy and spend less time in the kitchen by cooking ahead and having ready-made meals available.

Next, the author continues with a mishmash of frugal tips, such as how to save on energy, clothing, holidays, and auto maintenance. McCoy finishes the book with a chapter on how much you might expect to save in a year by employing various money-saving tips.

While this book might've been new and original in 1994 (when it was first published), it doesn't have much in the way of unique content nowadays. What I did think made the book worth a second look was the addition of recipes and frugal meal tips. For a more in-depth look at that information, I just might check out her book, Dining on a Dime.

Frugal Makeover: New Chair

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a chair for $5 from a thrift store. I loved the chair's lines, but the piece itself was pretty dingy. I can't believe I forgot to take a "before" picture, but the wood was patchy and worn and the seat was faded yellow vinyl. Here's how I made it over on a budget:


Black paint: About $1.50 worth
Fabric remnant to cover the seat: $3 from Hancock Fabrics
Toile pillow: free! My mom made that for me a few years ago and it's been on my guest bed for awhile

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: chili over potatoes, squash (we never got to this last week)
Tuesday: black beans and rice, squash
Wednesday: loaded baked potatoes
Thursday: pasta and salad
Friday: pizza

Since I'm having a garage sale this weekend, I haven't really meal-planned for the weekend. I have a feeling someone will be making a sandwich run for lunch on Saturday, though.  :)