Bargain Preschool Art Class

This year is my last year with a child at home during the school year.

*sniff, sniff*

I decided not to put my daughter into a regular preschool, because...

• Our Joy School group dissolved.
• Preschool is expensive.
• I will miss her too much!

Instead, our preschool is called "Mommy & Me" preschool. (I have never been good at naming things.)

We have a preschool homework book (Costco for $9).

We go to story time at the library (free).

She has scheduled play dates with a few friends (cost: returning the favor).

She also loves art! I tried to find an affordable art class for preschoolers, but $60 was the best I could find around here. Ugh! Then I discovered a program at the Dallas Museum of Art. It's called, "Arturo's Art and Me." Designed for children 3 to 5 years of age, the class has an art lesson followed by art activities. It lasts 1.5 hours, is offered once a month, and is limited to about 10 children. We went today for the first time. It was awesome!

Today they learned about still life. The children listened to a story about still life painting, then looked at two paintings of still life and discussed them. Then the class worked together to create this still life. Sofie placed the orange papaya that is right in front by the black grapes. (I'm so proud of her!)

In the studio, Sofie got to use food as a stamp. The cut pieces of food were dipped into paint, then stamped onto the paper to create their own still life.

Final product:

"Explosion of Food" (Sofie's words)

The cost is $10 per class. However, I became a member of the museum today for $90. That means I can take her to the class for free every month and visit the museum anytime I want (for a year) with another adult and any kids under 12. That's a bargain in my book!

Tips:

• Reserve your spot early. I had to plead with them to add Sofie, since the class was already full. They kindly obliged. If you sign up for the newsletter, it will inform you when the classes are available to sign up for.
• If you don't live in the DFW area, check with your local museum to see if they have a similar art program.

Old Navy Groupon

I've had great success with Groupon! Used it for excursions, clothing, gifts, etc. Here's one not to miss:

Pay $10 for $20 at Old Navy!

Old Navy Groupon

Tips:

• Don't wait too long to use it! This Groupon expires July 30th.
• You can get 50% off the latest, or make clearance purchases dirt cheap.
• The more you spend over $20, the more you reduce your discount. If you spend just $20, your savings will be 50%. If you spend $40, the discount is reduced to 25%.

Dillard's Winter Clearance

Take an extra 30% off already low clearance prices at Dillard's.

participating stores

Just started yesterday...

Tips:

• Check online, but you'll find better deals on Dillard's winter clearance in the store.
• Dillard's is my favorite department store for clearance sales. You can sometimes find great items for 90% off original price.

Homemade Pillow Pet

Remember how I claimed to be a fashion designer and seamstress? For Christmas, I got brave and decided to try something for real. Behold the homemade pillow pet...

My daughters (3 and 5) have been begging me for one ever since they began to watch Qubo, which has a pillow pet commercial about every 5 minutes. The requests crescendo shortly after each commercial, then die off, only to recrescendo after the next commercial. Needless to say, all I hear is, "When can I get a pillow pet?....When can I get a pillow pet?"

My problem was that I couldn't swallow shelling out $20 to $40 for one of these glorified stuffed animals, so I attempted to create my own.

I went to the store to look at the real thing. I took notes and made sketches of what I thought were the components.

When I came home, I grabbed some fabric scraps and made a quick, small prototype from my notes.

Then I took the pieces from the prototype (after a few adjustments) and drew a larger pattern for the pillow pet.

Here they are on Christmas morning!

The whole thing ended up being easier and quicker than I thought it would be. I spent about $5 and one hour on each homemade pillow pet. My girls love the fact that no one else has a pillow pet just like theirs.

Does anyone want to invent a new genus and species for this animal?

Tips:

• Use coupons to purchase the fabric in order to keep the price down. I purchased this fabric at Jo-Ann's.
• Email me at bargainbasics@gmail.com if you want my instructions and pattern.
• Visit No Big Dill to see a REAL seamstress in action!
  
  
  

Old Navy Price Cleanser

Just stopped by Old Navy today. All clearance is an additional 30% off.

My local store still had a lot of clearance...even in baby and toddler clothing. They are usually the first to get picked over.

Tips:

• Hurry!
• If you just bought clearance items within the last 2 weeks, you can take your receipt in for a price adjustment.

San Marcos...Again

I've only been a few times. It's not hurting anyone.

I didn't really mean to go to San Marcos again. It just happened.

I have quit shopping a bunch of times already. I can quit anytime I want--I don't have a problem.

My family thinks it's weird that I sleep with a shopping bag under my pillow and wake up thinking about shopping, but I know what I'm doing....I can handle it.

Is 9 am too early to start shopping?

Anyway, check out our back-to-school fashion show:

The original price of everything we purchased totaled $1056.

We paid $258. We averaged 75% savings.

Tips:

• Never pay full price. Nuff said!


• My frugal husband would not let me forget to factor in the cost of the hotel, gas and meals. We minimized that cost by driving/lodging with friends and bringing some snacks of our own.


• Or you can call it a family vacation with a side of shopping.

Clearance at Children's Place

I stopped by The Children's Place yesterday.

Here's what I found:

Overall that's 80% savings. These will come in handy when my soon-to-arrive nephews/nieces come along.

Tips:

• Don't be afraid to backtrack. I initially bought twice as many items, thinking they were lower-priced than they actually rang up at the register. When I got to the exit, I turned around and returned the items that weren't "bargain huntress worthy." It helped my budget and saved me a return trip later.
• Note to The Children's Place (just in case they're reading...): Please make your sale signs less confusing. Half the items on a "$2.99" rack are not actually $2.99. You get away with it, because the sign says, "select styles," but you frustrate your customers.
  
  
  
  
  

40% Off at Children's Place

San Marcos: Part 2, The Report

Had to have enough room to bring back our stuff.



A pile of F.U.N.


Have you seen the magazine features entitled, "Look like a million bucks for under $100"?
Then they show a belt for $99, or a t-shirt for $75 (only a slight exaggeration).
This entire outfit--shoes, jeans, top, and earrings--came from the Kenneth Cole outlet for $110.




Matching Gymboree fur vests, $5 each.

Gap jeans with just the right amount of stretch, originally $40.

Gap knit tops (2 on right) originally $27; Banana tees (2 on left) originally $17.

Other finds:

• EVERYTHING @ the Victoria's Secret outlet was $5.
• DC shoes for my 9-year-old for $10 (originally $80).
• Osh Kosh jeans and tees for $4 each.
• Farting Fred and the Dog Show @ the Oops! outlet--my gift for being the driver :)

Tips:

• Travel for less to maximize your shopping money. The six of us drove in my SUV to share gas. We shared 2 hotel rooms. We also bought breakfast and lunch @ Walmart and ate lunch on a grassy area at the mall.
• What happens in the car stays in the car. This is a warning/threat/piece of advice. If you want to get invited again, DO NOT repeat silly and/or incriminating information gleaned during the road trip.

Homemade Easy Bake Oven Recipes

One of my babies just turned 5.

Happy Birthday, Claire!

For Christmas Claire got an Easy Bake Oven. Unfortunately, she used all the mixes before the end of '09. I haven't replenished her supply, because I hate paying $1 to $3 for a mix that makes barely enough for one adult-sized bite.

So, for Claire's birthday, I found some recipes for homemade mixes (Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Frosting, Lemon Cake, White Frosting, and Oatmeal Cookies) and invited my friend, Heather, over to help make them.

Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt. Stir with a wire whisk until blended.




With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal.








Spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture into each of 11 small containers with tight fitting lids or ziplock bags. Seal containers.






Label with date and contents.

Voila!

Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 11 packages of Children's Chocolate Cake Mix for Easy Bake Style Oven.

To Use:

1 package cake mix

4 teaspoons water

Mix together and stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth. Pour mixture into greased and floured 4 inch round miniature baking pan. Follow directions for child's oven, or bake in Mom's preheated 375° oven for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto a small plate and remove pan. When cool, frost with Children's Chocolate Frosting. Serves 2 children.

I found a ton of websites with different recipes. A lot of them are the same or similar. Here are the other ones I used:

Children's Chocolate Frosting

2 cups icing sugar -- sifted

3 Tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 Tablespoons vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine icing sugar, milk powder and cocoa powder. (Sift cocoa if lumpy.) With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 9 small containers or ziplock bags and seal tightly. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 9 packages of Children's Chocolate Frosting.

To Use:

1 pkg. Children's Chocolate Frosting Mix

3/4 teaspoon water

In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth. Makes about 1/4 cup.

Children's Lemon or White Cake Mix

1 cup sugar

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. lemon-flavored unsweetened drink powder -- like Kool-Aid

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and drink powder. Stir with a wire whisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture into each of 10 small containers or zip lock bags. Seal bags tightly. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 10 packages Children's Lemon Cake Mix.

To Use:

1 pkg. Children's Lemon Cake Mix

4 tsp. water

Preheat mom's oven to 375ºF. If using an Easybake oven, follow directions for baking cakes.
Grease and flour a 4 inch miniature cake pan. In a small bowl, combine cake mix and water. Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 12 to 13 minutes in mom's oven or as directed in play oven. Remove from oven. Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a small plate. Remove pan. When cool, frost with Children's White Frosting if desired. Serves 2 children.

NOTES: Any flavor of Kool-Aid powder can be used for a wide variety of flavors. For a white cake mix, omit the powder. If you like, a drop or two of vanilla may be added at the time the cake is prepared.

Children's White Frosting Mix

2 cups icing sugar -- sifted

3 Tbsp. instant nonfat milk powder

6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine icing sugar and milk powder. Stir with a wire whisk to blend. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening. Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture into each of 8 small containers or zip lock bags. Seal bags tightly. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 8 packages of Children's White Frosting Mix.

To Use:

1 pkg. Children's White Frosting mix

3/4 tsp. water

In a small bowl, combine mix and water. Stir well with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting. A drop or two of vanilla may be added if desired.

Children's Cookie Mix

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup brown sugar -- packed

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and brown sugar. Stir to Blend. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles corn meal. Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture into each of 8 small containers or ziplock bags. Seal bags tightly. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 8 packages Children's Cookie Mix. Each package makes 9 cookies.

To use:

1 package Children's cookie mix

2 teaspoons water

or make:

Raisin Chip Cookies

1 package Children's cookie mix

2 teaspoons water

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Cook in oven according to Easy Bake Oven directions.

Tips:

• You can add the shortening later to any of these recipes to get a longer shelf life. I went ahead and added it, because I'm pretty sure ours will get used before 12 weeks are up.
  

Additional 50% off at Children's Place

Winter/Spring clearance season is upon us again....

Head to Children's Place to find great prices on clothing for your child.

Click on the image to find your nearest store.

Tips:

• Find additional clearance online.
• If you get invited to lots of baby showers, this is a good opportunity to stock up on baby gifts. My mom taught me to buy baby clothing gifts a little bigger (18 mo to 3T). New moms tend to receive plenty of newborn clothes, but not much else.

Back from San Marcos: Part 1

We arrived in San Marcos Friday night.... Isn't it beautiful? It should be named one of the 7 wonders of the world.

We shopped Friday night, stayed at La Quinta in San Marcos (not impressed...I don't recommend it), then arrived back at the Outlet Malls by 9am. We shopped amongst other Spring Breakers, including travellers from Mexico, all day Saturday and arrived home by 10 pm. It was a busy place, but not overcrowded.

Evidence of a happy trip:

Full trunk (see above)

Empty wallet (see below)

Here are a few of my favorite purchases:

Original outlet price: $80.

Original price for the sweater: $99

Shorts: originally $69

Dress: originally $78

Roxy hats for bad hair days: originally $22 each.

Tips:

• Avoid traffic. We left at the wrong time, hitting Austin just before rush hour, which added an extra 2 hours to our trip.
• Bring snacks. Dining options are slim at the outlet malls.

This is only part 1, because in May I'm headed back for a birthday/Mother's Day trip with friends. Wanna come?

Headed to San Marcos Outlet...

The outlets in San Marcos, TX were named the "third best place to shop in the world" by ABC's the View. It is the biggest outlet destination in Texas, and the 3rd biggest in the world. Find more info in this post.

Thesaurus.com:

"Main Entry: heavenPart of Speech: nounDefinition: place where God lives; wonderful feelingSynonyms: Arcadia, Canaan, Elysium, Shangri-la, Utopia, Zion, afterworld, atmosphere, azure*, beyond, bliss, dreamland, ecstasy, empyrean, enchantment, eternal home, eternal rest, eternity, fairyland, felicity, firmament, glory, great unknown, happiness, happy hunting ground, harmony, heights, hereafter, immortality, kingdom, kingdom come, life everlasting, life to come, next world, nirvana, paradise, pearly gates, promised land, rapture, sky*, the blue, transport, upstairs, wonderland "

This is where I'll be, what I'll be experiencing this weekend.

This is what my husband calls it:

"Antonyms: hell" (from Thesaurus.com)

I'll report back in a few days...

Try to have a weekend as fun as mine!

Be My Valentine...next year.

Get dirt cheap valentines for your child's Classroom Party 2011

Buy them today. I usually get them 90% off, so a box of valentines costs roughly $.25.



Tips:

• Check Walmart, Target, and Walgreens. That's where I usually find them.
• You might be able to find cheap doodads/toys to go with them. I don't recommend buying clearance candy for next year. They either taste gross in a year, or they slowly and mysteriously disappear.

Clearance at Walmart

I had to kill some time at Walmart today in between errands. I noticed a lot of clearance at our local Wal-mart here in Texas throughout the store. The items I saw on clearance included:

• clothes
• shoes
• housewares
• crafts
• home decor
• bath and linens
• toys
• cosmetics
  

Let me know if your Walmart has some good stuff on sale...

Tips:

• Check the original price. When I see a red tag or a clearance sign, my hand automatically starts reaching for my wallet. But if you look carefully, sometimes the sale price is only 20% off.

Children's Place Winter Clearance

I love getting inexpensive children's clothing at The Children's Place.

Store locator. Shop online.

Tips:

• You can stock up for next fall, or wear them now. (Did you see my last post? Like I said, it's still cold here.)
• If, like me, you have an 11-year-old daughter who thinks she's 15, DO NOT buy her clothes that say "The Children's Place" on them. The result will involve slammed doors, tears, and rolled eyes.

Extra 50% off Old Navy Clearance

Ends today!

From Thriftyfun.com: How to Fill a Stocking For Free

From Thriftyfun.com

"We all love stockings. Up until just a few years ago, my mom would still give me one and it had always been my favourite gift to open. Stockings don't have to cost anything and are supposed to be filled with small trinkets and goodies, not things like $50 gift cards and iPods! Remember when we used to get clementines in there? What happened with that? :)

"Here are some things you can get for free, but plan early for some of these:

• If you happen to go to trade shows or conventions, you can always get free things there. Have a look around. I usually go to a Health Show every year and get a free goodie bag with things in it.


• Go to freebie sites, start collecting early and keep a box set aside for them. There are SO MANY free things to be had out there from big companies. A few years ago I kept a box with all the freebies I got just to see how full it would get. Over the course of a several months it was filled with things like books, cards, samples of makeup or soap, shampoos, cleaning products, amazing.


• Craft Shows. Right around the holidays there are a lot of craft shows. Some crafters give out free samples of things that you can keep and set aside. (like soap pieces for example)


• If you are planning to spend money on some holiday gifts, look for items that you get something free with purchase. This time of year that's easy! Use the free gift for a stocking.


• Best Buy gives you a gift card if you trade in an old cellphone. So dig out that dinosaur phone of yours and bring it in!


• Cash in credit card points or airmiles for free gift cards, magazine subscriptions, video rentals or movie tickets. They often don't cost a lot of points.


• My drugstore often has deals where if you purchase a certain amount of goods at the store, you can get a free gift card of some sort. It is usually movie tickets or coffee cards. I rarely go in and spend $40 in one shot, so sometimes I wait till I need something big or lots of things then make a big trip so I can get the freebie.


• Make some cool Rock Candy! Most people have sugar and food colouring in their pantry, so follow this recipe: http://candy.about.com/od/hardcandyrecipes/r/rock_candy.htm


• Go to a department store and ask for samples of perfume and make up. Maybe get a free makeup application while you are there :)


• PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has a lot of free stuff to give away like stickers and booklets. Check out their website for all the freebies. http://www.peta.org/


• Print out some free Baking and Cooking E-books here: http://www.preparedpantry.com/baking-guides.htm or some other independent books can be found here that are free: http://www.ebook88.com/shelf.html or do a search for free ebooks online.


• Make Compilation CDs with the recipient's favourite music or a new band that they may not have heard of yet. Myspace.com has tons of free indie music that can be downloaded from upcoming artists!


• I don't recommend eating at fast food places, but sometimes they will give away free trinkets for children, even crayons and a colouring sheet or book. I've seen people just come in and not buy anything and ask for a free toy for their child.


• Make candy or caramel apples! Most of us have sugar and apples at home or this time of year you can probably still get some for free from farmers. http://www.allfreecrafts.com/halloween/candy-apples.shtml You can use recycled and washed chopsticks to put in the apple.


• Make a free printable calendar for kids that they can colour in: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/calendars/a/2010calendars.htm


• Have a swap or exchange with friends of items that you no longer want or things that you want to re-gift. This can include clothing, gadgets, handmade crafts, bath and body items (un-used), kids' toys, etc.

"Good luck and happy holidays everyone!"

Tips

• The point is to get creative.


• Last year my daughter requested a nice letter from us as parents instead of a gift in her stocking. The kids loved it, and that idea just might turn into a tradition.
  

Dallas Outdoor Expo

Looking for a fun, low-cost family activity in the Dallas area?

Kids 17 & under are free. Adults are $5.

Tips:

• Check their website for more info.

50% Off at Payless ShoeSource

Get 50% off your entire purchase at Payless ShoeSource, courtesy of The Oprah Winfrey Show. You will find the coupon on her website. You can either print a coupon or send a text to receive a code on your mobile phone. The promotion is only good TODAY!

Tips:

• Before you go, ask yourself, "Do we need shoes?" If the answer is yes, zip over there.
• If you have the means this may be a good chance to buy shoes for those in need.