more from thriftyfun

Stretching Your Food Budget


Trying to make budget meals exciting can be a challenge these days. I use a three-pronged approach:

1. To stretch meals, I use a metal meat tenderizer tool to pound the meat. It tenderizes the cheaper cuts of meat and makes the portions seem larger.


2. To bring some excitement and color to meals I use diced colored bell peppers, parsley, red onions, canned mushrooms: whatever seems to be on hand and is colorful to bring some sparkle to the dish. These additions also help stretch the dish without too much added cost.


3. Adding a little extra seasoning helps to fool my tongue into thinking I'm having a larger portion because the taste is intensified. A happy tongue means a happy tummy.

By Frazzled Leslie from New Orleans LA

Save Seeds From Store Bought Tomatoes

I bought a tomato at the store and squeezed the seeds onto a paper towel. After they dried, I cut the paper around the seed and planted them in good potting soil. Keep damp and you will have tomato plants in about a week. I tried planting seeds immediately after squeezing the tomato and they did not grow, so you must dry the seeds.

By Dajavooi from Independence, MO

Do-It-Yourself Custom Framing

Once upon a time, the Bargain Huntress browsed a thrift store and happened upon this framed picture.









Fortunately, she only had to pay $8 for the frame. Unfortunately, the picture in the frame was forgettable. Fortunately, the $8 frame matched this frame (below) that the Bargain Huntress already had hanging at home.








Unfortunately, she had no art to put in the frame. Fortunately, in their basement the Bargain Huntress' parents found her grandmother's charcoal drawing.

Unfortunately, custom framers wanted too much money to frame it for her. Fortunately, she could purchase the supplies to do it herself. (Please forgive the sideways picture. I couldn't get it to turn the right way.)

Unfortunately, the custom framers discouraged her from doing it herself. Fortunately, she didn't let them intimidate her. Unfortunately, she was a little nervous to make the first cut.

But fortunately, things went well, and fortunately it turned out great, because fortunately she is the Bargain Huntress.

Total cost: $32

(including the mat cutter that I can use in the future on other projects)

Tips:

• Practice beforehand. Find some scrap pieces of matboard to practice on before cutting the real thing.
• Don't let the pro's intimidate you. Of course they don't want you to think it's possible to do it yourself, because they want more of your money!
• If you like my story, you might like "Fortunately" by Remy Charlip.

Remove Unwanted Hair for Less

Thick, dark hair works great on my head...











but NOT under my arms or in my bikini area. Shaving leaves bumps and ingrown hairs, and it NEVER looks cleanly shaven. This is a huge quality of life issue for me.



Here are my options for taking care of unwanted hair in "Step-down" fashion:

• Laser hair removal: A rough estimate for underarm and bikini totals about $1000. The upside--potentially never having to shave again. The downside--no guarantee that it works/lasts forever.
  
  
• Professional waxing: The local salon I visit charges $70 for underarm and bikini. Upside--lasts 6 weeks or more. Downside--ouch!
  
  
• At home waxing: $8 and includes enough supplies for about 5 or 6 rounds of waxing. Upside--low cost and lasts 6 weeks or more. Downside--again, ouch!

• Shaving: $7.50 for a 3-pack of my favorite razor, Gillette Venus. Upside--convenient. Downside--requires daily maintenance at times (summertime and gym visits) and never looks completely smooth.



• Go European: Free. Upside--low cost, low maintenance. Downside--unattractive! (That's the nicest way I could put it.)

WWBD: I wax at home. I seriously considered laser hair removal, but the price and the reports that it doesn't last forever steered me away.

Tips:

• Find a helper for at-home waxing. I happen to have a live-in helper (my husband) who's excellent. He does it quickly and when I'm not expecting it, so I only jump around and yelp minimally.
• Please don't go European! Unless you're in Europe...

Elle Decor Reproduction: April 2009

Elle Decor, April 2009 issue

I love this room, because of its simple lines, soothing color scheme, and dramatic art.

You can have this room for under $300:

1. Do-it-yourself king-sized upholstered headboard. Bejane.com has instructions for making a headboard yourself.

• 1/2" Plywood: $10
• 2" Foam: $11 (after using a 40% off coupon at Joann's)
• Batting: $0 (I can use the batting out of an old comforter that we're not using.)
• Fabric: 3 yards @ $5/yard (found in the "Red Tag" fabrics at Joann's)
  

Total for headboard: $36.

2. Floral wall art.

I took a few snapshots of flowers in my house, chose the best ones to convert to sepia, then pasted them (in photoshop) over a leather background that I found on the internet. Glue the print onto a stretched canvas, paint the sides of the canvas to match the print, then glaze it.

• 16" x 20" print from Costco.com: $9.99
• 16" x 20" stretched canvas from Michael's: $3
• Brown paint for sides of stretched canvas: $1
• Spray glue: $0 (in my cabinet)
• Glaze: $2
  
  Three of them would cost $48.

3. Nightstand

$45 on craigslist.com; pint of paint (see color below) for $10.

4. Bedding

From ebay.com

King-sized sheets from big lots in white or ivory.

Pillow from Costco. (I bought this for my living room in cream, but I would buy it in brown for the bed.)

5. Accessories

Lamp from google shopping.

Gold frame for the nightstand from google shopping.

Total: $270

Tips:

• Make it your own. It's great to get inspiration from a magazine, but add some touches that make it personal and meaningful, like the floral art.

Bargain Huntress Faves: Frugal Living Resources

1. Thriftyfun.com

Basically a huge forum for frugal living. You can sign up for newsletters on topics ranging from recipes to crafts to household cleaning and repairs. Here's the latest "tip of the day" that I received:

Gardening On A Budget

"I think that the easiest way to garden on a budget is to have patience and to gain a collection of plants that are simple propagators; for example Sedum. You can break a piece from the mother plant and plunge it into the ground and it will stay green and thrive. The following year will bring you a hardy new plant with multiple stalks to fill out more and more with each year.

"I also like to buy hardy plants that can be safely split, like day-lilies already bloomed. These often get discounted after the flowers are gone. Take it home and slice it in half and plant it. You will have two fuller plants the following year, and it may re-bloom late summer.

"You can save a lot of money by asking for clippings, buds, or seeds from friends and family or by purchasing one plant and having some patience."

By Gina from Collegeville, PA

2. The Dollar Stretcher

Generally the same idea as thriftyfun with less focus on crafts.

These two websites kept appearing during google searches, so I decided to add them to my regular "surfing" repertoire.

Tips:

• Be prepared to sort through. Like shopping at a discount clothing store, you need to sort through the abundant amount of information to get what you're looking for. Using the "search" tool or signing up for newsletters will help to focus the material.

Joy School: Inexpensive Alternative to Preschool

According to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), more than two-thirds of 4-year-olds and more than 40 percent of 3-year-olds were enrolled in a preschool in 2005.

Every mother wants the best for their children, wants their child to have a competitive edge, or at least be prepared for elementary school and beyond.

But preschool can be a budget buster. Our local preschool charged $140/month for 2 days a week (a few years ago when my now 7-year-old attended).

Joy School offers an inexpensive alternative to formal preschools. Here's a description from the Joy School website:

"Do-it-yourself Joy Schools involve from 3 to 6 mothers who rotate as teacher, holding Joy School in their homes twice a week using the detailed lesson plans from this site which include all the music, stories, games, and activities to learn and teach one kind of Joy each month.

"The Joy School curriculum is built around joy -- with the philosophy that happy children become strong students and well adjusted adults. For three and four year olds, "J.Q." (Joy Quotient) is more important than I.Q. (Time after time we are told by kindergarten and first grade teachers that Joy School graduates do better in school than kids coming out of pushy, early-academics preschools.)"

I'm on my third go around with Joy School. Don't forget that I'm creatively challenged. For that matter, I'm challenged in the nurturing area, too. But I love it, and my children have had great experiences with Joy School.

Best of all is the cost: $140 for the entire school year. That includes all the lesson plans (click here to sample a free lesson plan) and cd's of music that goes along with the lessons.

Tips:

• The second year includes a kindergarten-readiness program.
• If you're interested, start asking around early (like now) for other interested parents.
• Don't be intimidated. The website tells you exactly how to get a group up and running. It's simple.
  

Bargain Biore Pore Strips

An article in a recent Woman's Day suggested using Biore Pore strips on occasion to keep facial skin looking vibrant (a concern for me since I determined aging bothers me more than I thought it would). So I decided to try them out. Plus, it feels like I'm looking at a tiny alien planet when I peel off the strip and stare--fascinating....

My local Walgreens carries the strips in a box of 8 for $7.99, as does drugstore.com. I probably could find them cheaper if I waited for a sale or used a coupon at Ulta, but I figured there must be a homemade alternative somewhere out there in cyberspace, so I googled it.

I ended up at The Dollar Stretcher, where I found this recipe:

(The following content may not be suitable for children, or anyone else for that matter, as it contains graphic photos--blemishes, blackheads, wrinkles, pimples, etc)

How to Make a Homemade "Biore" Pore Cleasning Mask
by Christen Henderson

Introduction:

It's as easy as 5 minutes! You can make as much as you want and it's LOTS cheaper, and in my opinion works a lot better!

Instructions:
Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

1 T Knox unflavored gelatin

1-1/2 T milk

Not very hard to find at all!

Step One

Mix two ingredients and microwave for 10 seconds to slightly warm. Using a clean cosmetic brush (or a Q-Tip works fine), apply to nose and chin area, avoiding delicate eye area.

Step Two
Rinse brush immediately. Allow mixture on nose and chin to dry for 10-15 minutes. Mixture will dry quite stiff and form a "stiff film."

Step Three

Peel off the film and stare at all the little porcupine quills that used to be in your nose pores (one of the chief entertainment factors with B'Strips!).

I'm still not entirely convinced that the forest on the film contains pore crud rather than peach fuzz from my face. But I have to say my pores look smaller and my skin looks rather (should I say?) vibrant!

Best of all, I cleaned my pores for free! I had gelatin and milk in my kitchen. (If you don't have gelatine, you can get it at the grocery store in a box of 32 packets--1 T each--for just a few dollars.)

Tips:

• Use the mixture rather quickly. It congealed into a rubbery disc after about 15 minutes.
• Have a pore-cleaning party. The recipe makes enough for you to invite over 20 friends and compare pore crud.