The Only Way to Buy Ribbon

Little girls love ribbon! And big girls do to! It is great for crafts, scrapbooking, clothes, hair, presents, the uses are numerous.

I have collected a varied and plentiful supply of ribbon and have paid just a few dollars for all of the ribbon I have. How you ask? I buy remnant ribbon packages! What they are are packages of 30 yards of ribbon in various widths, textures and colors. Each package is different but each has about 3 yards of 10 different kinds of ribbon. The best part about these packages is that they cost only $1.99! You can barely buy a spool of 15 yards of ribbon for that little.

Where can you find them? I have seen them at many craft stores but I can confirm that they are $1.99 at Hancock's and Hobby Lobby. Each time to go I get a little goddie bag full of beautiful, satins, organza's, and grosgrain ribbon. Check it out you're never by spool ribbon again!

* Oh yeah, and don't forget to save the ribbon on packages that people give you!

Tank Top Bags

Have an old tank top that is in good shape but just doesn't fit you anymore? Turn it into a bag!

I created this bag from one of my favorite shirts that just didn't fit any more. Each tank top is unique and how you sew it into a bag will differ. This one has french seams and gusseted corners. Bags like this are great for beach bags or whatever you need a bag for.

Make yours today or you can buy this one from my etsy site. www.cuttscreations.etsy.com

Don't Throw Out Those Old Pots and Pans!

When I was in college I had the pots and pans that my parents used well before I was born. I have gradually updated my kitchen supplies but I didn't throw much of the old stuff out. There are many uses for pots, pans, lids, Tupperware, wooden spoons etc.

The following are other possible uses for these old items. Get creative and discover your own uses!




Pots and Pans: Tie-dye, make soap, melt candle wax
Pot Lids: Use as a "catcher" or a hot pad for your hot glue gun.
Bowls: Tie-Dye, soak your feet
Tupperware: Store Play-Dough, store small kids toys, store nails or nuts and bolts
Tupperware lids and old plates: Use as a paint pallet

The options are endless. What are some of the things you use old kitchen stuff for?

Download and listen to free music

As with many women I am head over heels for all things Twilight. I was debating if I wanted the The Twilight Score music or not and I found this site which lets you listen to a sampling of each song. I love to listen to it over and over again. I'm going to ask for the full soundtrack for my birthday.

Beacuse of this I followed the link to Amazon MP3's and discovered a whole treasure trove of free and very cheap music. Most of the free music is stuff I don't immediately recognize but that is when you find the best stuff. It looked like there was a lot of classical, jazz, Christmas but also some more modern lesser known artists. They also only charge $.89 for regular song downloads and had entire albums between $4 and $8. Check it out!

Create your own fabric baskets

I got sick of looking at the ugly yellow bucket that my laundry soap came in and the pile of dirty dish rags and bibs that accumulated on the floor of my laundry room, so I created these cute little fabric baskets for them, for FREE!

I see cute fabric baskets at the store for a minimum of $10 each (and that's talking Walmart, can you imagine Pottery Barn?!) . Since I am a cheapskate mom, I searched my basement for suitable sized boxes and covered them with fabric items I had laying around my house.

The big basket is made from a crock pot box and a table cloth that doesn't fit my new table. I got the table cloth for $1 at an after Christmas sale a few years ago. I simply wrapped and folded the table cloth around the box and slid the laundry soap bucket in.

For the small box I used an Eggo waffle box from Sam's club and put an old flannel pillow case that we never use over top. I secured the corners underneath with clear packing tape. I chose to leave the fabric bunched on my baskets for texture but you can wrap these up as tight as you want to. Both boxes are very sturdy.

I now feel much better about my laundry room and it didn't cost me a penny. Feels good...

Think Outside the Christmas Box

Everyone knows that after Christmas is the best time to buy things for the next Christmas. For example last year we got $50 from our grandma for Christmas. My husband and I bought a 6 1/2 foot tree with lights, and over 200 christmas ornaments. We saved hundreds of dollars since the tree alone was over $150 the day before.

But what many may not think about is that this is also a great time to stock up on items for other times of the year too. There are always table cloths and plate sets and other house hold items that we never think to look for that are also majorly discounted. I have several beautiful table cloths and place setting that I have purchased for pennies that don't "look" Christmasy so I use them all year round. For example plain white or a beautiful sage green, both of which match my kitchen.

Think about other special occasions as well. I was getting married in April and I knew that my colors were going to be black, white and red accented with gold. My mom and I went to an after Christmas sale and stocked up on red and white candles, gold platters and thousands of white lights. We used them to decorate my reception. It looked elegant and not like Christmas at all. The money we saved was spent on the designer dress I just had to have and our honeymoon at Lake Tahoe. A much better allocation of funds.

Also, be sure to check out clothing departments. You can always find very nice dress clothes for your kids at very low prices. Some dresses and things are clearly Christmas but many can pass all year round. If it's an item that is clearly Christmas that you just love buy it in the size you think your child will wear next year. If it doesn't fit them when the next year rolls around sell it at a consignment sale. You'll probably get more for it than you paid for it.

This year, think outside the Christmas box and save youself a lot of money on things you can use year round!

Grate your Cheese

Could cheese be any more expensive? I love cheese. I think it is one of the greatest foods on the planet. That is why whenever I buy it I eat it as fast as I can, or at least I used to...

I discovered that when I would buy block cheese I had no problem cutting large chunks of it and eating it. My cheese wouldn't even last a week. When it costs anywhere from $7 or more (sometimes much, much more) for a two pound block of cheese it can add up.

The remedy? Buy grated cheese or grate it yourself. Why it works? When cheese is grated you eat less of it. You are less likely to snack on grated cheese. When you cut slices or cubes you are using up a great deal of cheese. With grated cheese it looks like you are using a lot of cheese when you really aren't. It's almost like a mind trick.

What I do is buy a 5 pound bag of fancy grated cheese from Sam's Club for $14. I take it home and fill smaller bags with the grated cheese. I keep one bag in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer. When I need a new bag of cheese I just pull it out of the freezer. It thaws in just a few minutes. I can still snack a little on the grated bits and it is very easy to put on the meals that I cook. I use less and it lasts weeks longer than when I was buying block cheese.

Try it... your waistline and pocketbook will thank you.

Free Books for Your Preschooler

Dolly Parton has created a wonderful foundation for children called Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

What it is: It is a program for preschool age children to receive a free book once a month.

Who can sign up: Any child ages 0-5 who lives in an area that participates in the program.

How it works: This description was taken directly from her site:

"A community must make the program accessible to all preschool children in their area. The community pays for the books and mailing, promotes the program, registers the children, and enters the information into the database.
From there The Dollywood Foundation takes over and manages the system to deliver the books to the home."

How to sign up: Visit her website . You can sign up and get all details there.

How I feel about it: My daughter is a participant and I think it is great! Each month she gets a new book in the mail. It is a lot of fun. They are very nice quality books and age appropriate. Thank you Dolly! We love reading your books!

Buy Expensive Wipes to Save Money

Just because a box of generic wipes is cheaper at the store it doesn't mean it is a better buy. For example, the last time I bought wipe refills at Sam's Club the store brand was $13 the Huggies brand was $15. I decided to save $2 and go with the store brand. Big mistake. Not only were they a little rough (causing me to use a little more diaper rash cream) but they refused to tear in half. Most of the time you don't need to use a full wipe, especially when wiping a face or changing a wet diaper. Spend the extra $2 and get the name brand wipes. They will work better, last longer because you can easily tear them in half and will save you a lot more money in the long run.

Consignment Sales

One of my favorite ways to buy inexpensive things for my daughter is through consignment sales. There are many consignment businesses open year round as well as organizations that do sales on a yearly basis.

My favorite, and the largest that I know of, is in Birmingham, Alabama. It's called Kid's Market. It is held biannually and is housed in an old grocery store. You can sell your child's old items and you can buy new ones.

I like to look for toys, bedding, books and clothes. Kid's Market has strict rules on items in working and good condition so you almost always find great items in great condition for great prices. At the close of the sale items are sold at 50% off which makes many items practically free. Try selling old items at these sales and if you are unsuccessful you can then donate them.

Check around for consignment sales in your area. Also look for Mother's of Twins sales, double the stuff for half the price! You can save and make yourself a lot of money.