Cleaning house. Some of us love it, some of us hate it. Either way, it has to be done. Kids, pets, husbands...all tend to track dirt into the house. But do you really need a bunch of premade cleaners and supplies to get it done? It can be so expensive to buy a variety of different cleaners, not to mention having to make the space to store it all. Guess what? You don't really need all that stuff! You can totally keep your house clean with a bare minimum of supplies. Easier, cheaper, and even … [Read more...]
Best Kitchen Tools for a Frugal Mama
If you're a frugal mama, you probably spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So much of living on a tight budget is making a lot of your own items. Most of those items seem to be food. With all that time spent in the kitchen, you're probably wondering what are the best frugal kitchen tools. You want to be able to make the most of your DIY kitchen work but you also don't want to spend money on a tool that isn't going to be worth it or breaks too quickly. You also want tools that do more than one … [Read more...]
Does DIY Really Save Money?
If you're living on a budget, you probably try to do many things by yourself. Some of it make be homemade convenience foods or cleaners. Or maybe you even do your own home repairs and car maintenance. But have you every wondered: does DIY really save money? Sometimes yes...and sometimes no. There is no one answer to that question. If you can get the materials you need fairly cheap, doing something yourself may save you money. I make iced tea each week for my husband's lunches. It is far … [Read more...]
DIY Thrifty Kitchen Renovation
I have shared that we are doing some home renovations right now as we are casually looking for a bigger home for our growing family. We might stay here, we might not. We're not sure at the moment. Either way, we are doing some much needed updates. If you follow me on Facebook, you will know that a large portion of those has been a thrifty kitchen renovation. Whether it helps the house sell or just makes it nicer for us to live in, it's good to get them done, especially the outdated, dark … [Read more...]
Upcycling a Ceiling Fan with Spray Paint
Back the summer of 2010 I lost my job. It's a long story that we won't get in to but I had about 6 weeks of nothing to do as I was waiting for school to start up again so I could have a job in the field I preferred. That meant a lot of time at home with no money. That meant a lot of time staring at a house that was sadly in need of updating (still does, really). It was then that I fell in love with spray paint. It's just such a cheap way to update old items. The very first spray painting … [Read more...]
Thrifty DIY $20 Sandbox
Last summer I decided Abby needed a sandbox. Unfortunately, the standard plastic sandbox with lid is $50-100, more if you get a bigger one. I refused to pay that much. I kept my eye out at yard sales, Facebook, etc. but always seemed to be about 30 minutes too late. I asked Matt to make her one but he just didn't have the time. I finally took matters into my own hands and decided on a sort of DIY sandbox. We've still using it this summer! Materials needed: -plastic wading pool … [Read more...]