When you're a homeschooling mama, you're always trying to find frugal bargains. Of course, that was my style even before I began homeschooling. I must say that I believe there must some kind of serendipitous act going on when I go into second-hand shops. The reason is that I can just be dreaming and/or praying about what it is that I'm hoping to find at that time, and almost every time I find something that is just perfect for my needs. For example, I read a book that I had discovered on OwlHaven's website. It's called, "Family Feasts for $75 a Week". Now, while I don't have 10 children, like her. The things I have in common is an adopted child, a tight budget, and being a homeschool mama. So, any book that can teach me a few more ways to be frugal is a welcome sight for me. In fact, I'm so frugal, that I usually don't buy the books I see online. I usually just get them from the library, which I did in this case. One of the new things I learned is that your potatoes can go bad faster, if you keep them in the plastic bag they came in. It has something to do with a chemical reaction. So, they'll last longer if you keep them in a basket that allows air inside. So, I headed out to Goodwill, in search of a basket that could hold potatoes and fit on the floor of what I call my "baking pantry". It used to be a broom closet, that the previous owners added shelves to. That was perfect when we moved in, because the regular pantry was smaller than the last one we had. Well, once at the Goodwill, imagine my delight when I found this tall, skinny basket, with handles and a lid. It fits perfectly next to my 20 lb. bag of rice.
You may notice that the inside of the pantry is a lovely 70's orange color. I'll just call it retro for now, until I have time to empty my baking pantry to re-paint it. Speaking of DIY projects, the next one I'm tackling is sprucing up our laundry/utility room. It's like a dark, dirty cave, complete with spiders and their webs. I'm not afraid, because I grew up on a farm and had to push my way through webs in the barn, that would make Indiana Jones proud of me. But, I'm finally getting really fed up with the barn-like atmosphere in my laundry room. Doesn't exactly make one eager to do loads of laundry, if you know what I mean. Well, I still have a LONG ways to go, but at least I've started! The first thing I've done, is clear the cobwebs from the corner and primed the wall. Jay bought a wire shelf to put up in that corner, once I've finished painting it. I've decided to be frugal and use my leftover paint from my upstairs project of painting an accent wall in my dining room/hallway. So, the color will be a celery sprig green. But, so far, all I have pictures of is the start with priming the back wall. There will be more to come. But, it may take a while. Hey, folks, I'm not in any big hurry, since I now went back to work part-time and we have the homeschooling back into full motion. Here's my start...
Now, back to more frugal finds. The first picture shows a couple of frugal finds, along with a freebie. The free hand-me-down came from my great aunt Sarah, who passed away this year. She was a special aunt, because she was one of my missionary aunts. Whenever she'd come home from Africa, she'd usually stay with us for a while and give me books about missionaries. She's part of the reason whey I knew I wanted to go to Japan as a missionary since I was ten years old. So, the thing I received from Aunt Sarah, was her sewing machine. I'm a little intimidated, since I haven't sewn since my home-ec days (that dates me, since they don't even call it that, anymore). But, my goal is that by sometime next year I'll begin to try some simple things like panel curtains, using the machine.
When I first got the sewing machine, I didn't have anything to set it on, besides the dining room table. So, it just sat on the floor, in it's case. So, I'd been hoping to find a little table to set it on. Well, it just so happened that a couple of weeks ago, I went nextdoor to the neighbor's garage sale and found this little table and chair. It's not ideal for sewing, because of the bottom piece that sticks out. But, since I sew so little, I think I can make it work. It fit perfectly in this corner of our sun porch. And the best news was that the chair and the table cost a total of $15! For that price, I'll make it work. But, now my very best find. I've been hoping to eventually get some furniture to place out in our sun porch to make it a fun place for people to hang out in. Well, although I still don't have any wicker furniture that I'm dreaming of, I did find this awesome coffee table at the Goodwill.
And, can you believe the price? They were having their "Half-Off" sale. The original price was $14.99. So, that's right, I got this neat coffee table for around $7.50! Now, I'm already envisioning how I'm going to paint it, either a light sage green, white, or avocado green. I'll probably wait until I get furniture to go with it before I decide. The cat has fun lying underneath it while we drag one her toys across the glass! Let me know if you've had any other great frugal finds or fun DIY projects in the works!
You may notice that the inside of the pantry is a lovely 70's orange color. I'll just call it retro for now, until I have time to empty my baking pantry to re-paint it. Speaking of DIY projects, the next one I'm tackling is sprucing up our laundry/utility room. It's like a dark, dirty cave, complete with spiders and their webs. I'm not afraid, because I grew up on a farm and had to push my way through webs in the barn, that would make Indiana Jones proud of me. But, I'm finally getting really fed up with the barn-like atmosphere in my laundry room. Doesn't exactly make one eager to do loads of laundry, if you know what I mean. Well, I still have a LONG ways to go, but at least I've started! The first thing I've done, is clear the cobwebs from the corner and primed the wall. Jay bought a wire shelf to put up in that corner, once I've finished painting it. I've decided to be frugal and use my leftover paint from my upstairs project of painting an accent wall in my dining room/hallway. So, the color will be a celery sprig green. But, so far, all I have pictures of is the start with priming the back wall. There will be more to come. But, it may take a while. Hey, folks, I'm not in any big hurry, since I now went back to work part-time and we have the homeschooling back into full motion. Here's my start...
Now, back to more frugal finds. The first picture shows a couple of frugal finds, along with a freebie. The free hand-me-down came from my great aunt Sarah, who passed away this year. She was a special aunt, because she was one of my missionary aunts. Whenever she'd come home from Africa, she'd usually stay with us for a while and give me books about missionaries. She's part of the reason whey I knew I wanted to go to Japan as a missionary since I was ten years old. So, the thing I received from Aunt Sarah, was her sewing machine. I'm a little intimidated, since I haven't sewn since my home-ec days (that dates me, since they don't even call it that, anymore). But, my goal is that by sometime next year I'll begin to try some simple things like panel curtains, using the machine. 
When I first got the sewing machine, I didn't have anything to set it on, besides the dining room table. So, it just sat on the floor, in it's case. So, I'd been hoping to find a little table to set it on. Well, it just so happened that a couple of weeks ago, I went nextdoor to the neighbor's garage sale and found this little table and chair. It's not ideal for sewing, because of the bottom piece that sticks out. But, since I sew so little, I think I can make it work. It fit perfectly in this corner of our sun porch. And the best news was that the chair and the table cost a total of $15! For that price, I'll make it work. But, now my very best find. I've been hoping to eventually get some furniture to place out in our sun porch to make it a fun place for people to hang out in. Well, although I still don't have any wicker furniture that I'm dreaming of, I did find this awesome coffee table at the Goodwill. 
And, can you believe the price? They were having their "Half-Off" sale. The original price was $14.99. So, that's right, I got this neat coffee table for around $7.50! Now, I'm already envisioning how I'm going to paint it, either a light sage green, white, or avocado green. I'll probably wait until I get furniture to go with it before I decide. The cat has fun lying underneath it while we drag one her toys across the glass! Let me know if you've had any other great frugal finds or fun DIY projects in the works!
1 comment:
I bought all my furniture from craigslist.com, Goodwill, and hand-me-downs from my Mom and Dad. I love going to Sequels for shirts for $1 each. Find the best time to go clothes shopping is the opposite season because they have more selection. Also just got some lawn décor at K-Mart for 70% off! The best time to get it is at the end of the season. I got one whimsical flower pot that was $24.99 for $7.49! Found most of my curtains at second-hand shops and my Mom suggested using sheets for curtains. The most special things I am using are also things that belonged to my special Mom and Grandma. They are the best of all to me too :)
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