Category: frugal

home tour – handmade bedside tables from reclaimed fence board

my sweet husband loves a good project. when he worked at camp he access to an amazing workshop and all kinds of old wood. when a 30 year old white oak fence was torn down, he decided to make 2 matching bedside tables. he made the tables before we were dating, and was thoughtful enough to make a matching one for his future wife. how cute is that?!
here’s mine. i keep it filled with magazines and books, an air freshener, and chapstick. on top is a photo of me with my bridesmaids, and 2 candles. the printed fabric coaster was a wedding gift from marci. the lamps were purchased for almost nothing from windy gap.
i love that he kept the sides rough and made the top smooth.
he is so creative and talented!
his table is filled with magazines as well.
he is the keeper of the alarm clock and flashlight.
i wish that we had access to a workshop here so that jed could build more fun furniture. maybe someday he will have a workshop of his own.

home tour – our comfy, casual, and slightly rustic bedroom

our bedroom is a peaceful place.
the simplicity of the white, green, blue, and brown color palate
is relaxing and natural.
best of all, everything in our rustic bedroom was free or found at a very frugal price.
jed made most of the furniture from reclaimed fence wood when he worked at windy gap. he created the headboard, picture frame, bedside tables, and shelf. i love the rough wood and the fact that they were created by my husband’s talented hands.
the bedding was a wedding gift from my meme, aunts barbara and kelly, and cousin jessica. we use this summer quilt in hot weather (a birthday gift from jed last year), and a duvet cover and down comforter in cold weather. the lamps, dresser, and chest of drawers were bought from windy gap (when they redecorated the camp) for under $100 total. the mattress was given to us by the camp for free. you can read about the fence wall art here.
the tiles were a flea market find, as was the painting. the empty frame was a pottery barn outlet find. i’ve got to find a photo to fill it. jackson’s bed was a gift from my parents. the baskets full of headbands were used to hold favors at our wedding. the curtains are hand-me-downs from my meme. the sign and vases were wedding gifts. the fabric leaves were an etsy purchase. i made the paper flower.
i hope you enjoyed the tour!
i’m sure not everyone shares my taste, but the important thing is that you love your own space, and feel comfortable there. both of those things are true for us in our home.i would define my style as comfy, casual, and a little rustic.
what is your style? 

frugal friday – an ode to aldi

oh aldi, how i love thee…
you force me to remember my reusable shopping bags.
you fill your aisles with cheap olive oil,
affordable frozen items,
off brand chips that seem glamorous and european,
and even organic produce that fits into our budget.

this week we found fresh organic strawberries for 99 cents a pound!!!! i am in love. the downfall of this little german wonder is that you can’t find them everywhere, you have to bring your own bags (which i appreciate), and you have to pay for a cart (you get your money back when you return the cart). also, you can only use cash or debit, no credit. yay!! dave ramsey would approve. they don’t take manufacturer coupons, because they sell all of their own brands. we shop there first, because you won’t find everything you need there. but, you will find some great deals on some of the items on your list.

currently, jed does most of our grocery shopping. he says i always come back with some expensive fancy cheese or an unnecessary baked good. so not true, but who am i to get upset when the man wants to go to the grocery store? he’s on summer vacation, right? might as well make himself useful. we make a list, look through the grocery ads, collect the coupons, and then hit the stores.

i was in no way compensated or coerced to write this post. it was written purely out of love for aldi, and gratitude for the amazing 99 cent organic strawberries.

what is your grocery shopping strategy? do you visit a bunch of stores, or stick to one? clip coupons or search the ads? share your wisdom.

cooking with friends

i am blessed with creative friends who like to cook, and really like to cook together. we recently had our second sunday girls’ cooking night, and i think it is an awesome solution to the dilemma that is dinner. this particular evening we were helping betsy get some food ready to freeze in preparation for the birth of her child. here’s what happens…

we gather at betsy’s house because she has the biggest kitchen with an island range and double oven. everyone brings their own ingredients and 4 aluminum loaf pans, 1 for each person cooking. we spend a few hours preparing our selected dishes together, catching up, and laughing a lot.

it is way more fun to cook with friends.

do you like these aprons? whitney makes them.
once the dishes are ready, everyone divides their dish among 4 loaf pans,
perfect for storing or freezing, then reheating in the oven.
the great thing is that everyone goes home with 4 pans full of deliciousness for the week.
this time we had real mac and cheese, penne pasta with ground turkey and vodka sauce, mini-meatloaf, and zucchini bread. the zucchini bread was gone at my house by the next morning, but we made the rest last for several meals throughout the week.
maybe next time we’ll have a few more folks, and a few more dishes to take home. so, if you are in desperate need of a girls’ night AND a dinner solution, invite your friends over to cook with you.


*i originally posted this as a guest post on tatertots and jello.

frugal friday – confessions of a shopaholic

hi, my name is becca, and i’m a shopaholic. seriously, i have a problem. i love to partake in a little retail therapy when i’ve had a bad day, or really any day. we’ve been credit card free for a long time now, so that limits my spending. because of the strict budgeting, my new favorite places to shop are marshall’s, ross, and tj maxx. i have to tell you that i found the cutest mexican style dress at marshall’s for only $15.99! it has pockets and is perfection. i haven’t taken a picture yet, but i’m sure i will soon. the only difficulty i have at those stores is the search. i think you have to go in with a few items in mind, otherwise the madness and disorganization will drive you up the wall.

the dress is great, but my favorite thing to search for at those stores is… bras! i fell in love with calvin klein perfect fit bras several years ago, but they are pricy. they run $38-45 retail, and that is just too much. i have found many at marshall’s in the $6.99-$12.99 range. holy monkeys, that is a big discount!

my next mission is to find a new pair of jeans… i’ll let you know how it goes.
what is your favorite search item at discount stores?

frugal friday (just barely) – finishing baby step 3

yesterday we took another HUGE step towards financial freedom. we finished dave ramsey‘s baby step 3!!! this means that not only are we debt free, but we also have 3 months of expenses saved in an emergency fund. i cannot express to you how free this makes me feel. it took ten months for us to get through the first three baby steps, but it has been an awesome journey. we have taken control of our finances and are able to give more than ever before.

here’s the thing – i am TERRIBLE with money. when i left home for college, i made one bad financial decision after another. i maxed out 8 credit cards, bought a brand new car i couldn’t afford, and spent whatever i wanted. i consolidated all of my debts into a big loan and paid on it for several years. while i was paying it off i opened up new credit cards at gap, banana republic, old navy, and victoria’s secret, then got a new visa and discover card for good measure. i was basically a disaster. i was always later with my rent, trying to explain myself to roommates, and completely unable to get it together.

in early 2006, i felt really convicted and overwhelmed by the way i was dealing with money. i again consolidated my debt and cut up all of my credit cards. by the time i married jed in 2008, i was completely debt free. jed was a different story. he still had a few credit cards, a major loan from his parents, and the dreaded student loans. still, i thought we were doing ok. we were very frugal throughout the first year of our marriage, and never used credit cards. but, we still had all of that debt hanging over our heads.

last year we were introduced to dave ramsey’s ideas by jed’s brother, sam. he and his wife michelle had taken control of their finances using dave’s plans, and were eager to share the program with us. i fought it. big time. i did not want a budget. i did not want to sacrifice to pay off “his” debt, when i had already worked so hard to pay off mine. one fateful weekend we were driving to houston and happened to listen to dave’s radio show. it was a “debt free friday” with people calling in to scream, “we’re debt free!!!”. i was hooked. we started the program the next week, and the rest is history. we have found such freedom.

if you are drowning financially, or even just struggling a little, go check out dave. his ideas are not rocket science, just the common sense that we try to hide from as we run up our credit card bills. i am not receiving any kind of compensation for this post, just trying to share the wealth.

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blooming in my living room

i put away my spring decorations,
and decided it was time for summer.
i learned how to make paper flowers when betsy (friend and younglives leader) taught our younglives girls a few weeks ago.
i needed a refresher, so i looked to a few of
the great tutorials out there in blogland.
some didn’t turn out well. they went into the recycle bin.
all of the decent flowers went on green fuzzy pipe cleaner “stems”
and then into my mason jar collection.
i made 3 different sizes for 3 displays
on a bookcase and 2 end tables.
the photo effect used is “1960s” on picnik.
they were fairly quick and easy to make, and cost almost nothing.
i think they make my living room come alive
with bright colors and fluffy blooms.
are you ready for summer?

i’m linking to: All Thingz Related DIY Day @ ASPTL  http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

welcome to texas. let’s make breakfast burritos.

first things first. grab a cup of coffee. this is my favorite mug, from our honeymoon in charleston.
until i married jed, and we moved to texas, i had never heard of a breakfast burrito. when he offered to make them one morning, i was confused and doubtful. he cooked them for me, and my life was forever changed. seriously. we eat them at least once a week for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. there are a million different ways to make them, but here’s how we do it. put your bacon on first, 2 slices per person. we use lean turkey bacon. we tried the extra lean and it was basically turkey jerky. the lean still has flavor but is better for you than the real stuff. feel free to use the real stuff or even breakfast sausage or chorizo. you can’t go wrong.
the next thing you need are your hashbrowns. we use these fresh, never frozen babies from simply potatoes. they don’t have anything added, and are just less work.
brush olive or canola oil on your pan and then lay out the hashbrowns in a thin layer. we use 3/4 cup per person. cover them and let ’em sit for a bit on medium heat. you will need to flip them once.
grab your eggs next. we use 2 per person (sometimes 3 for boys).
beat those huevos, then add 1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice. we like colby jack. add the egg/cheese mixture to your hashbrowns when they are about done.
breakfast burritos are best on freshly made flour tortillas. it is just science. we are trying to be healthy though, so we are using these tasty wraps.
your bacon should be cooked, so slice it up.
toss the bacon in with everything else, and mix it up.
load it on your wrap or tortilla and you are ready to go.
the only seasoning we use on the burritos is tony chacere’s. it is great on everything, as advertised. you might add salt and pepper to taste.
i like to put a little salsa on mine. jed prefers his without. the choice is yours. sometimes we add refried beans to the mix, and it is never wrong.
enjoy your taste of texas. what is your favorite breakfast food?

The Girl Creative Keeping It Simple

frugal friday – estate sale decorating

we love estate sales, and have had a lot of luck with great finds lately. here’s the big one…
isn’t she lovely?! we had an ikea ektorp couch that was great, but we needed more seating. jed loved the back support of the ektorp, and wasn’t liking anything else. please excuse the ugly rug. it belongs to our landlord and she makes us keep it to “protect the floors”. u.g.l.y. you ain’t got no alibi…
at an estate sale in a ritzy neighborhood, we found this bigger 2×2 ikea ektorp sleeper & storage couch. it is $1200 new, and the people bought it one year ago. they had an extra brand new cover for it worth $200. they wanted $800. we bought it for $600. cash works. we loaded that sucker in the back of the truck, stuck the wicker set up front, and rolled through the ritzy part of town like the beverly hillbillies. it’s ok, i’m from arkansas.
we called a friend to help us move the couches, and he bought our old one on the spot for $300. so, we basically got my dream couch for $300. amazing!
what is your favorite estate sale/thrift store/flea market find? what would you love to find? now i just need some new throw pillows…

frugal friday – dinner @ home

last august we made our very first budget as a family. to figure out how much to budget we had to look at what we actually spent in a month. whoa. it was disturbing. the biggest shocker was how much we spent dining out. oh. my. goodness.
we are both work full time, and often when we come home we are too tired to cook, and dallas has so many great restaurants. the combination was proving to be destructive to our finances. we decided to set a relatively low dining out budget at $150 per month. you can spend that much on one good meal in dallas pretty easily. when the money is gone, we are done dining out. we have stuck to it since then, and it has been good for us. it is very difficult, as i’m sure you know, but we are trying to cook at home as much as possible. here is a meal we had this week:
we had a big batch of fresh strawberries that we sliced up, for 99 cents a lb at aldi. i looked at bagged lettuce and it cost $6.99 for red lettuce and spinach. i bought a head of each for $2.69 total, and they made double the salad. i added some low fat feta and black pepper. we used balsamic vinaigrette one night and raspberry vinaigrette another night.
we also tried the barilla plus pasta this week, and it was actually good. i’ve had bad experiences with whole wheat pasta in the past, but i’m loving this kind. it has to cook a little longer, but that’s ok. we browned some lean ground turkey and added it into the mix. we tossed it together with organic vodka sauce and fresh parmesan. the whole shebang took way less than 30 minutes, and unlike rachel ray my lettuce does not show up shredded during commercials. i love dinner @ home.

dining out was our budget buster. what is yours? have you conquered it or is it a work in progress?

i’m linking to:

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