Frugal Homemade Gifts from Felt

It's kinda been a felt week here at my house. On Monday, I shared a quick little tutorial on how to make a superhero mask for an inexpensive gift for kids. Then on Wednesday, I shared how to create some fun decorations for your holiday beverages.

Really, I should use felt a lot more frequently. I have a HUGE box of felt in my craft closet that really I need to start making a dent in it. See?

Yeah, my husband probably thinks that it's a little crazy to have so much felt to require its own box. That mauve felt there? That's seriously OLD. Like, my mom used that to make me a 50s skirt when I was in elementary school. Yeah, OLD.

But, felt is so easy to use in crafts and homemade gifts. Best of all, it can be CHEAP! The most readily-available kind of felt that you'll find at the craft store is pretty inexpensive and often made from recycled materials. You can get a 9 x 13" sheet for usually about $0.30 or so. Fabric stores will also sell it off the bolt if you need larger amounts. The really nice felt (made from wool) is usually pricer and harder to find. Personally, I stick to the cheap stuff because I've actually never found any of the wool stuff in any store I've been in.

Felt is a great material to work with. It doesn't fray so it's great for handmade projects. You just need a good pair of scissors to make clean, easy cuts. Trust me, it makes crafting with fabric sooooo much easier if you have a good pair of scissors! Felt is also easy to sew by hand and gives a cute, rustic look.

Here are a few ideas of things that you can make as gifts this holiday season. Just click on the links to find the tutorials:

• Felt Crowns: This is another fun gift for kids -- especially those who like to play "castle" or "Princess"!
• Felt Flower Hairclip: This works for little or big girls.
• Fast Felt Purses: This tutorial includes three versions -- plain felt purse, a felt purse lined with costume satin, and a felt purse lined with costume satin with a divider.
• Felt Covered Journals: This journal would be great as part of a Morning Out Kit. Throw in a thought-provoking book and a coffeeshop gift card.
• Felt Coffee Cozy: This is fun gift for the coffeeshop lover in your life. A link to a template is included in this post to make it easier.

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For other frugal or money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM on Fridays.

Gift Ideas under $12 for Little Chefs

While both of my girls enjoy cooking in the kitchen, Lucie REALLY enjoys it these days. I call her my little sous-chef. She's even started watching kitchen shows on TV for fun. Who knows if this is a life-long interest or a passing fad. But, I'm trying to embrace it now and enjoy moments in the kitchen with her.

Perhaps you've got a child (or niece, or nephew, or friend) who likes to cook too and for whom you'll be getting a Christmas gift. Here are a few inexpensive gift ideas for little chefs:

Make a Reversible Apron! Choose fabrics that your little chef will enjoy. I shared this reversible apron tutorial earlier this week.

Make a Love Spice Shaker Jar! Let your little one add that special ingredient at the end. This gift is practically free. Just reuse an old spice jar and embellish it with whatever you have on hand. I used scrapbook paper and Modge Podge. Instructions are available on Life as MOM.

Buy a child-friendly cookbook. Here are a few suggestions that are under $12:

• Food, Faith, and Fun: A Faithgirlz! Cookbook: I bought this for Lucie (sshhhhh...don't tell!). She saw it at the school's book fair and really, really wanted it. I'm not sure if I'll give it to her for Christmas or for her birthday since that comes right after Christmas. But, I know that she'll love it! It includes recipes for many different holidays as well. The "cornucopia" recipe for Thanksgiving was amazingly adorable!
• Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen: The librarian at E's school showed this to me. It looks soooo great. It has excerpts from classic children's stories and recipes that you can make together that are an extension of the story. It would be a great way to combine a storytime at home and a cooking lesson!
• Cook It in a Cup: Quick Meals and Treats Kids Can Cook in Silicone Cups: This cookbook comes with a set of silicone baking cups to use to create the dishes in the cookbook. So fun!

What would you give to the little chef in your life?

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For other money-saving ideas, stop by Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Save Money by Customizing Your Own Jewelry

I am not a fashionista. Really, I'm rather a Plain Jane. When I first read Fancy Nancy, I totally identified with Nancy's mom -- hair in a ponytail, glasses, jeans, and a t-shirt. Yep, that pretty much describes how my style has been. Comfortable. Low maintenance.

However, I'm learning that even just a few accessories can make a simple jeans & t-shirt ensemble look much more put-together. Unfortunately, I just don't have the extra funds in my budget to splurge on things like jewelry...unless it is REALLY cheap.

On the rare occasion when I have time and think of it, I will browse the clearance section to see if I can find a cool necklace or pair of earring for a steal. My fashionista sister-in-law Aimee picked up a cool necklace from The Loft for me last year for under $5, so I know that deals are out there if you look for them.

The other day, I decided to pop into a new accessories store in town to see what they carried. Oh my, Charming Charlie is an affordable accessory wonderland! Their regular prices are great -- about $12-15 for a necklace and earring set and $10 for individual necklaces.

Always the bargain shopper, I decided to check out the clearance section. Yes, it was obvious why some of the things were in the clearance section. Case in point? A chain with a 5-inch rhinestoned lightning bolt on the end. (Funnily enough, L thought that was pretty cool. Then again, it was pink so of course she liked it!)

However, there were also some pieces that were cool but just a bit overdone for my tastes. The necklaces themselves were very pretty but had some dangling jewels at the bottom that were just too much. Personally, a "jewel" that is nearly two inches in diameter is just too big for me to wear on the end of a necklace. It made me feel like an 80s rapper or something.

But, the necklace was only $3, so I decided that I could make it work. With my round nose pliers, I was able to detach the ginormous "jewel" in mere seconds and create a necklace that I really like. Yeah!  Really, with some jewelry making tools, it's easy to customize a clearance necklace. You can shorten the length or remove any doodads that you just don't care for. I suppose you could even take different elements from multiple necklaces and create a unique piece too! The added bonus is that you can keep whatever you remove from the necklace and repurpose it in some other craft.

Do you have any budget-friendly fashion ideas?

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to stop by Frugal Friday every Friday at Life as MOM.

Decorate for Fall with a DIY Twig Mirror

Have you decorated for Fall? Well, of course, I meant to do so, but I got stymied on my mantle. I know I need something large to go over it, but I'm at a loss for what. I used to have a mirror there, but it really didn't do much for the room since it was frameless. Then my husband built a frame for it, but it didn't seem to go with the rest of the decor in the room. So, we've relocated the mirror, and I've got a blank mantle to work with. Thankfully, Lisa has some great step-by-step tips on how to decorate a mantle. I've got it on my to-do list...I'm just waiting for some inexpensive inspiration.

But just because I didn't get around to decorating my mantle doesn't mean that I haven't done any fall decorating. Just last week I made a fun mirror that is a great way to decorate for fall.  The finished size is about 12-inches in diameter -- just perfect for a Fall accent mirror. Best of all, this DIY Twig Mirror is so incredibly inexpensive to make - the main materials cost a mere $2! Wanna see how I did it? Head on over to DIY Your Way today for my step-by-step tutorial on how to make this sweet little twig mirror!

What inexpensive ideas do you have for Fall decorating?

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Make Your Own Canvas Wall Art

I am not an artist, but that didn't stop me from giving this project a go. I've seen canvas artwork online for more than I want to pay, so I thought it would be fun to try making my own. It was fun and soooo much more affordable. For under $10, I made this inspirational sign to hang in my home. Wanna learn how to make your own? Stop by DIY Your Way today and get inspired with DIY canvas word art! (Oh, and if you like that vase, you can learn how to make a raffia covered vase there too!)

For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Budget-Friendly DIY Crafts

Ever since I became a craft contributor at DIY Your Way in June, I have been crafting, crafting and crafting some more. It is just the motivation that I needed to carve out time to do what I enjoy and get a little bit more organized!

However, along with crafting comes the necessity of purchasing crafting supplies. Although I'm not a huge shopper, I love looking around the craft store. Translation? I need to be careful with my purchases! After all, this girl has a law school budget to keep. I keep my crafting costs down by shopping the sales and keeping an eye out for the discount coupons. Because I shop at Joann Fabric & Craft, I signed up for their mailing list and get coupons via email frequently. I can almost always find a 40% off coupon either in their mailer or email. Joann's is great because they will let you use more than one coupon as long as they aren't copies of the exact same coupon -- check their codes to be sure. So, oftentimes I can use a print mailer coupon along with one (or more) that I've received online.

In the past couple of months, I shared several do-it-yourself crafts (both here and at DIY Your Way) that are also budget-friendly. Just in case you missed them, here's the recap.

Raffia Vase - Transform a humble glass bottle into a vase that is perfect for a centerpiece, mantel decor or even a sweet little gift or token of appreciation

Satin Flowers - These flowers are simple, yet so pretty! Plus, you can use them in so many different ways!

Cup Identifiers - Got too many used cups in your house? Try making cup identifiers to help your loved ones keep track of their cups.

Photo Book - This is a great way to share your summer memories with others.

Kids' Chore Chart - I made these last week for my girls to keep track of their chores. They are ridiculously easy (and inexpensive) to make!

Woven Paper Storage Boxes - These stylish boxes are a fun way to reuse shoeboxes and organize your stuff. They'd also make great gift boxes too! If you don't have a shoebox for this craft, make your own custom storage box out of cereal boxes.

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Homemade Toffee Dream Ice Cream

Ever since we bought our new Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, we have really enjoyed trying out new flavors. Seriously, I'm going to have to start doing the 30 Day Shred again or crack open the Ripped in 30 DVD that my sister gave me. It will be far too easy to pack on the pounds when I make my own ice cream with this much frequency.

As my big sister Jessica shared, making your own ice cream can be affordable and healthier than the storebought options. You can control exactly what you put in it -- organic or lower-fat dairy as well natural sweeteners or sugar-free alternatives. For my family, homemade ice cream is a more afforable and convenient option. I'm able to buy the ingredients for usually less than $3 a batch, which is comparable to ice cream on sale. However, the homemade variety tastes so much better than storebought that we're satisfied with less. Also, it's easy to keep the ingredients on hand for a last-minute dessert. This saves me from spending more money on an additional shopping trip where I'd inevitably end up buying more items than I intended.

The ice cream recipe below tastes quite similar to my favorite dessert of all-time -- Toffee Dream. Mom only served Toffee Dream at the holidays, so we relished every single bite of it. This is a vanilla based ice cream with delicious bits of chocolate and toffee mixed in. Now, I'm not a huge fan of large chunks of chocolate in my ice cream. I just don't like it when the chocolate gets stuck in my teeth. But, after discovering a recipe for Homemade Magic Shell in the ebook Cooking 101 for Kids, I found my solution. Oh. So. Good.

Toffee Dream Ice Cream

3 Tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits (sold in a bag in the baking aisle)
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla (or 1 1/2 teaspoons Watkins Double-Strength Vanilla)

1. Prepare the "magic shell" by melting the chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish at 10-second increments until melted. Add the coconut oil, and stir to combine. Microwave if needed to melt completely. Allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the ice cream.
2. Place the toffee bits in the freezer to cool.
3. In a large Pyrex measuring cup, combine the half-and-half and sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir to combine completely.
4. Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and freeze according to machine directions. A few minutes before the ice cream is ready, add the toffee bits, and slowly drizzle the homemade "magic shell" into the ice cream. It will harden and break into small bits of chocolate.
5. Transfer to a freezer container. You can eat it immediately if you like a softer ice cream, but it will melt quickly. I usually place it in the freezer for a couple of hours for it to "ripen."

How to Make No-Sew Fabric Pumpkins

Yesterday my little Lu went on her first preschool field trip. Oh my, isn't my baby growing up? When she brought home her cute little pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, I decided that we'd use it to decorate the fireplace. But, this one itty bitty pumpkin looked so lonely. So, I decided to make a friend for it - a no-sew fabric pumpkin!

This is a seriously easy (and cheap) craft to make. Not only is it practically free to make, but you can disassemble it after the fall and reuse most of the components. Guess what it's made out of?

Obviously, it's fabric, ribbon and a bit of brown paper bag. But what is inside?

Yes, that's right. A roll of toilet paper and some plastic grocery bags!

To make your own fabric pumpkin, you'll need:

• a square of fabric (mine was 22" x 22")
• a roll of toilet paper
• some plastic grocery bags (I used 2)
• a strip of brown paper bag rolled up to resemble a stem (you could also try to find a stick that works too)
• a bit of faux greenery
• ribbon

To assemble the pumpkin,

1. Lay your fabric square out flat, and place the toilet paper roll in the middle.
2. Bunch the plastic grocery bags around the roll.
3. Pull up one edge of the fabric and tuck it inside the cardboard roll of the toilet paper. Do this all the way around until you have your pumpkin shape.
4. Stuff your brown paper bag stem (or real stick) and greenery into the cardboard tube along with the fabric.
5. Tie a pretty ribbon around the stem to finish it off.

I'm thinking that you could also make larger pumpkins by using a roll of paper towels and a large square of fabric, but I haven't tested it out. If you do, let me know how it turns out.

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Thanks to my old MOPS group for this fun craft! I miss you all! If you're looking for other frugal ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Make Your Own Letter Towel Hooks

One bonus of moving into a new (to me) home is that it is a fresh start in the decorating department. The drawback in my situation, of course, is the lack of funds to purchase new decor. But, we're making do and trying to reuse what we can and make what we can.

Our new home has only one full bathroom...and a shocking dearth of towel bars. Okay, let me rephrase...a shocking dearth of useful towel bars. One is located in the shower and the other is above the toilet paper roll. Yeah, neither are ideal locations for me, especially since we have four bath towels to hang up every day. Then, I discovered these...

Source: Anthropologie

Aren't they adorable? When I saw them, I envisioned each of us having our own letter lined up along the bathroom wall. The letters would even help remind the girls where to put their towels. Oh, it's a genius solution. Unfortunately, I can't really afford a $56 solution ($14 each)!

So, for about $4 each, I made my own version. Coat and Hat hooks with a wooden or papier-mâché letter above give me a similar look for a lot let less money. I already had wooden letters for the L and E, but I needed a B and a J. Since I couldn't find wooden letters to match the ones I already had, I made some papier-mâché ones. The best part? They hardly cost me anything to make! I made matching letter templates on my computer, used cereal boxes for the structure, and made paste from ingredients in my cupboard. Then I painted them with some paint from a $3 Martha Stewart Paint Tester.

For step-by-step instructions on how to make the letters, check out this post from Green Zebra Crafts. Just be sure to make holes on the backside of your letter so that you can hang them on the wall. (I used a hole punch to make my holes on the backside of the letter before I assembled it. Be sure not to cover your holes with papier-mâché.) This recipe for papier-mâché paste has always worked well for me. It made more than enough paste for two 6-inch letters.

Papier-Mâché Paste (makes about 1 cup paste)
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup cold water. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add the flour/water mixture and stir to combine. Bring back to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar. Allow to cool. Paste will thicken as it cools. Store in refrigerator between uses.

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For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Save at Restaurants.com

Yesterday at MOPS a mom from my table shared with me about how she has saved money when eating out by buying gift certificates at Restaurants.com. We don't eat out very often; however, I thought it was worth checking out to see if there was a way to save money in those instances when we do.

We don't live in a very big town, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that 9 nearby restaurants offer gift certificates through this site, and I have already enjoyed eating at 4 of them. Once you find a restaurant that you want to try, you can purchase a gift certificate at a discount. For instance, my local restaurants all offered $25 gift certificates for $10. Some offered other denominations including $100 certificates for $40. Of course, there are certain restrictions. Most restaurants required a minimum purchase of $35 plus 18% included gratuity before the discount. In addition, only one restaurant-specific gift certificate can be redeemed per party, per month, per restaurant even if the party is seated at separate tables and/or receives separate checks.

Right now until January 24th, most $25 gift certificates are only $3 when you use the coupon code ENJOY. I decided to go ahead and try it at a restaurant that I know we'll go to eventually. Normally, it is easy for our family to spend $35 at this particular restaurant that I chose. With tax plus tip, the bill would normally come to about $45. After redeeming the certificate, it would be $20 at the restaurant plus the initial cost of the certificate ($3 with coupon code). So, for $23 my family can enjoy a meal out that would normally cost us $45. Not a bad deal.

However, I actually got a FREE BONUS certificate too! I turned down the "free coupon" at checkout and ended up getting a $10 certificate from Restaurants.com. (I'm not sure whether or not I would have gotten the "free bonus" if I took the "free coupon.") Unfortunately, I wasn't able to roll over this certificate into purchasing the discounted certificates. But, I was able to get a $10 gift certificate (with a $20 minimum purchase) at another place we've enjoyed eating.

It looks like we just might be eating out at some point this weekend. Yippee!

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For other money-saving tips, check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Fun and Frugal Ways to Celebrate Christmas

December is a hard time for me. Right after Thanksgiving, I jump into Birthday & Christmas Season. My husband's birthday is in early December and is followed all-too-soon by Christmas. Right after New Year's, we celebrate Lucie's birthday, and then we celebrate Ella's a few weeks after that. Not only is it a busy season with so many wonderful things to celebrate, it is difficult for me too keep my budget under control. I love giving gifts to my family on their special days. Throughout the rest of the year, it's easier for me to stick to our budget and avoid any unecessary spending. But when their birthdays and Christmas arrive, I want to shower them with gifts! I'm in the process of adjusting my budget by saving throughout the year so that I can do just that.

However, Christmas is something that I'd like to celebrate all December long...and not just with gifts. When I began creating my Christmas Calendar a couple of weeks ago, I got to thinking about the things I want to do with my girls and the memories that I want us to make as a family. Funnily enough, most of the things that I came up with DON'T involve money. There are lots of ways to celebrate throughout the month without hurting your budget:

• Go to a Christmas Tree Lighting -- we're headed out to one tonight! Our little rural valley offers at least two tree lightings that I'm aware of and many local shops offer holiday Open Houses at the same time. Check with your local paper to see what is going on in your area.
• Go to a Christmas Parade. If all goes according to plan, we're headed to one tomorrow! The kids just LOVE collecting all the candy from the parade participants.
• Count down to Christmas with a Candy Calendar. I had one of these when I was a kid, and I LOVED it. A few years ago I made one for Ella and posted some instructions here. If you get a ton of candy from a Christmas Parade, use it on the calendar!
• Check out a Living Nativity if there is one in your area. The church I attended as a girl had a drive-thru one every year, and our current town has a Nativity Pageant at our local outdoor theater. I've never actually gone to the Pageant, but I've got it on our "To-Do" list this year! Don't have one in your area? Get some friends together and make your own!
• Go look at Christmas Lights. A friend of mine likes to get her kids bundled up in their pjs close to bedtime and drive to a town about 20-minutes away where there is a phenomenal street. Typically, her husand will drive around until the kids fall asleep in the car...and once they do, she and her hubby stop at Baskins & Robbins for ice cream. A family outing and date night all in one! (No, they don't leave their kids unattended in the car -- one of them runs in to get it and then they eat it in the car.)
• Build a Gingerbread House. You can find inexpensive kits at various places, but Organized Christmas also provides Gingerbread Recipe & instructions. I was going to try this one out until my mom gifted me with a kit. The girls can't wait to make it!
• Do a holiday craft once a week with your kids. Family Fun is a great resource for cute and inexpensive Christmas crafts.
• Make holiday cookies with your kids or host a Cookie Making Party. Here is an egg-free cookie recipe that works with cookie cutters. Also, check out FishMama's Ulitmate Recipe Swap for other cookie recipes.
• Take your child out on a "date" for a special treat and shop for a Christmas ornament for his/her collection.
• Take a family walk and collect some pinecones. Turn your finds into nearly free ornaments with some ribbon, paint and eye screws. Screw an eye screw into the base of the pinecone and thread it with some pretty ribbon. Put some paint (white or gold) onto a paper plate and roll the edges of the pinecone in it. Let dry and then hang on your tree! See photo above for an example.

A (Like) New Patio Set

When we first moved into our home seven years ago, my sweet mother gifted us with an outdoor patio set from Ikea. It came with a wooden table, two chairs and a bench. Once we assembled it, it looked very much like this...

For the past seven years, this set has sat (and weathered) on our back porch. It no longer looked like the above picture. At various times over the years, we've attempted to give it an oil treatment but it never looked quite the same. Quite frankly, refinishing the table was just not at the top of our list of things to do...especially after kids came along.

However, since we started our plans to remodel our backyard, we've thought about replacing our patio set. We would love to buy a nice metal set with thick cushions...but with all the other expenses in fixing up the yard, I thought it might be more prudent to try to refinish the set we have. Since Brett was busy tackling the yard, I took on the task of fixing up the patio set on my own.

I started out by using our electric sander to take off the old layers of oil and stain...and dirt. Then I wiped down the furniture to remove the dust. I won't lie to you, it took me a few afternoons while my girlies napped to sand it all down. Because the furniture has wooden slats, I still had to sand some places by hand. I wasn't too fussed with sanding it perfectly because I hoped the stain would help camoflage the places that I missed. After the hard sanding work was done, it was time for the fun work - the staining!

For the stain/sealer, I chose this nifty all-in-one Krylon Exterior Semi-Transparent Wood Stain that I picked up at my local Ace Hardware on sale for $5/can. This stuff is great -- it provides a stain (7 colors available) as well as a water repellent and UV protection all in an easy spray can! I chose "Earthen Brown" hoping it would help camoflage my imperfect sanding job. After I wiped the dust from the furniture, I put on my protective gloves and got spraying. Since I wanted the wood grain to show through, I sprayed a light coat and then used a paper towel to remove the excess spray. I was able to coat the entire set one time with just one spray can. For extra protection, I decided to add an extra coat of spray and needed to start on a second can. The results? Beautiful! Even my husband was surprised at how nice it looks now. (Unfortunately, our backyard is currently a disaster, and I can't move the chair to a better spot for a picture.)
 
 

 
The best part is that our patio almost like new again...and it cost us only $10 to do it. I hope to post better photos of the entire set when our backyard is finished. Hopefully, that will be before the end of summer!

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For other budget-friendly ideas, visit Life as Mom for Frugal Friday.

Frugal Friday: Misto Sprayer

About a year and a half ago, I attempted my first loaf of homemade bread. Oh, was it delicious! Well, I started making it pretty regularly and went through non-stick cooking spray much more quickly than usual. It seemed that cooking spray was one of those things that never really went on that good of a sale...and I always hated throwing away the bottle.

I remembered that I had seen a pump-style cooking spray bottle from Pampered Chef years ago. So, I turned to the internet to find something similar. I came across the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer.

Priced at $10, the Misto is an aluminum bottle that you fill with any type of cooking oil and then hand-pump to pressurize it. The way I see it, the benefits of it over store-bought spray are:

• It's cheaper. Just buy one bottle & reuse over and over.
• No aerosol cans going to the landfill.
• It's healthier. No artificial stuff. Just the oil that you put in it.
• As long as you have oil in your cupboard, you won't run out of spray. You never can tell when you're going to run out with those store-bought bottles!

Overall, I've actually had pretty good success with the Misto. I admit that sometimes on glass pans, the results aren't as fantastic as non-stick cooking spray. But, it hasn't bothered me enough to switch back to store-bought spray. I recommend it!

For other money saving ideas, stop by Life as Mom on Fridays for Jessica's "Frugal Friday" post and links from other money-conscious bloggers.

Frugal Friday: Product Guarantees

I feel so blessed to have a backyard, however small it might be. It is so nice to have a comfortable place to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather we have here 95% of the time. And as a mommy, I just love that I can send my girls to play in the yard and watch them from my living room/kitchen. It makes motherhood easier.

However, along with the blessing of a backyard comes the responsibility of one. To make our lives easier, my husband installed a battery-operated timer to water our small lawn and garden. In the six years that we've lived here, we've gone through two batter-operated timers. Our most recent one cost us $25, and it just stopped working recently. Not good considering how HOT it has been here in recent weeks. So, off I went to the hardware store to get a new one.

For more money-saving ideas, stop by LifeAsMom on Fridays for Frugal Friday!

Since we don't have a big store like Home Depot, we usually shop at our local Ace Hardware. Yes, they are a tad more expensive. But, I have found that they live up to their name -- "The Helpful Place". They really do have wonderful customer service...and they do have an Ace Guarantee that they stand by. All I had to do was bring in the Ace brand water timer that failed and they exchanged it for a new one for free. I didn't need a receipt or anything and the woman at the store was really wonderful about it. No hassle. It was just a simple exchange.

Not only does Ace stick by their guarantee, but I've discovered a similar response with Jansport backpacks. I had a wonderful backpack from the college days that was in great shape except for the zipper. The thing just gave out. I held onto it because I remembered that it had a lifetime warranty. Since I paid $40-50, I wanted to see if they would stand by their guarantee. Sure enough, they did. I just had to wash it and mail it to them with a description of the problem. A few weeks later, they returned it to me as good as new. I had to pay to ship it to them (about $5) but that was much cheaper than buying a new one.

It really can pay to ask companies to stick by their guarantees. Don't be afraid to ask. The worst thing that they can do is say "No." And more often than not, they'll say "Yes".

Frugal Friday: Use AAA Discount!

After the Back-to-School clothes shopping I did the other day, I just needed to get new shoes for the girls. Wednesday, I braved a stop at Payless Shoe Source with both of them. Not something that I really plan on doing again...at least not with both of them. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't relaxing either. While I tried to help Ella find some shoes, Lucie just kept pulling shoes out of their boxes and saying "Meh-nee Shoe" which I think meant "Meli's shoes". Apparently, she thought they all looked like something her cousin wears.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any of the shoes that we liked in Ella's size in the Payless store. So, I figured that since we had her feet sized at the store, it would be safe to order online. Payless has their BOGO (Buy One Get One Half Off) sale, but their shoes are still more than I would like to spend. I remembered a friend saying that she likes to buy her children's shoes at Target. It seems that whenever I drive 30 minutes to the nearest Target, I never find anything in Ella's size that is within my budget. So, I tried online and found some great deals for both girls - as in some clearance shoes for only $6.50! We did splurge on some "princess" shoes for $12.99. I figured they will work great with the Cinderella Dress Ella will most likely wear for Halloween as well as most of her dresses. (Yeah, I don't do that whole no white after Labor Day.)
I also found a few pairs of shoes for Lucie including these little babies that were on clearance for $6.50.

Overall, Target has much better prices than Payless especially since you can find some clearance deals which Payless doesn't seem to have. But, you can get better prices at either of these stores if you are a Southern California AAA member! Just register online with AAA and you can access some online and in-store deals for shoes. To see what discounts they offer, log onto AAA, click on the DISCOUNTS tab, select RETAIL. See their website for details on how to get discounts including these:

• Target.com - Get 10% off your entire purchase, but you must link onto Target.com through AAA. Discount is automatically applied at check-out.
• Payless Shoes - Get 10% off regularly priced merchandise in-store. Cannot be combined with any other offers including BOGO. Just show your AAA card when you make your in-store purchase.
• Shoes.com - Get 20% off your entire purchase but you must link onto shoes.com through AAA. Free Shipping and Returns.

For other money-saving ideas, visit LifeAsMom for Frugal Friday.

Frugal Friday: Make Espresso at Home!

At our house, we LOVE coffee! Call us nerds, but we actually have held coffee taste tests at family gatherings. It's true.

We live in a small town that actually has an abnormal amount of pastry shops and coffeeshops. It's a tourist town. However, our town fiercely protects itself from chains so we don't have a Peet's or even a Starbuck's for that matter. (Not that I'm a fan of Starbuck's...I'm a Peet's girl!) I like my coffee good and strong. Unfortunately, I haven't found a place that serves coffee (the more economical choice) as strong as I like it. So, when I go out for coffee, I usually like to order an espresso drink for the stronger flavor. However, I can rarely do this without feeling a bit guilty about shelling out $3.50 for a small espresso drink.

So, if I really want one, I usually make one myself. It really isn't that hard or that expensive to do. You do NOT need a big fancy espresso maker to do it either. To me, that kinda negates the frugality of making your own. Instead, try a nice little stovetop espresso maker. Bialetti is a well-known Italian maker of these. A 3-cup Bialetti Moka Express (that produces 6 ounces or 3 "espresso cups") sells for about $25. But, I found this little baby in the home goods department at Ross Dress for Less for under $10. It's not Bialetti, but it has worked for me for nearly 8 years. You might have luck finding one at stores like Home Goods or TJMaxx as well.

Yesterday, I posted a homemade iced coffee recipe along with a tutorial on how to use this little wonder. I decided to price the drink out just to see what it actually costs me. I weighed out the coffee grounds that I used on my little scale. The amount barely registered on my scale, so I know that I did not use more than 1/2 ounce of coffee beans. Lately, I've been using good-quality beans from a local roaster ($10/pound). I also used 3/4 cup of milk (at $3/gallon) and 3 teaspoons of sugar (negligble cost). So, according to my calcuations, my homemade espresso drink cost me a mere $0.45! That's about a $3 savings for just one drink made with the equivalent of 2-shots. Even if you shell out $20 for the maker, you can "earn" back the cost of it if you make an espresso drink at home seven times. If you don't like your drinks as strong, you can use half of the espresso and make two drinks out of it at just $0.30 each. Not a bad deal.

For other money-saving ideas, check out Life As Mom for Frugal Fridays.