You could answer either way, but if you have a creative streak, you can turn anything that you were previously thinking of tossing in the scrap into a fun and clever crafts project. From sewing up a new handbag for yourself to selling old albums on musicMagpie, there are hundreds of possibilities for your unwanted items just waiting to be unlocked.

If you have a hobby that you love doing, now is the time to put it to use. This is one of the best ways to get crafty and (possibly) make money in the process. Bakers already have the ingredients that they need to whip up a batch of blueberry lemon cupcakes for a bake sale, for example. And when summertime is in full swing, lawn care enthusiasts already have all the tools they’ll need to beautify their property and possibly the neighbour’s, as well. If you’re going to do it anyway, why not lend a helping hand or make a few extra pounds?

The most mundane items that you find around the house can become the best crafts projects, too. Old CDs, for example, can easily be made into shiny jewellery by simply cutting them into smooth shapes and drilling a small hole that you can use to thread a silver chain. Their cases also make great organisers, perfect for holding business cards, delicate jewellery, or hair pins. And don’t forget about the album artwork! Unfolding CD album covers and displaying them side-by-side makes a great music collage for a bedroom wall.

But there’s a good chance that you won’t want to make a necklace from every single disc that you own. If you have more CDs (or DVDs) that you want to get rid of, you can sell them online at a buyback sites like musicMagpie without ever having to leave your little one’s side. You should also consider selling games with music Magpie to free up even more space next to the television in the family room.

Clothing is also an overlooked resource when it comes to making crafts. Old jeans cannot only be transformed into a skirt or shorts with just a pair of scissors and a sewing machine, but you can also use clothing scraps to make headbands and bracelets. T-shirts can be used in the same way; graphic tees often have messages or images that would make great book covers or even handbags.

And what can you do with all of those books besides, you know, read them? There’s more artistic magic within those small pages that you may think. And old book, so long as you don’t mind ripping out the pages, can become an intricate paper wreath or the basis for literary origami. You can also use hardback covers to fashion a chic and intelligent purse. (Just attach some ribbon for handles, and voila!) If you’ve been keeping your mind sharp by reading, you’ll have a great imagination to work with for these kinds of projects.

The best part about all of these crafts is that you can do them with the kids. So, show them how to reduce, reuse, and recycle using all of the things you have lying around the house.

EASY VEGETABLE FRITTATA

• 2 big tablespoons  olive oil
• I very large red chopped onion
• 200g frozen vegetables of your choice,
• 6 eggs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Boiling the vegetables  for 10mins. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes , drain the vegetables &  and add them to the pan with the onion. Cook for 3 more mins. Beat together egs, season, pour into the frying pan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.  Place under a hot grill for 1 minutes to finish the cooking. Dish up.

Why don’t you have a go?

1. Telling people I will get back to them when invited to a social occasion (this way I have time to think about if I can afford something or not without making rash decisions)

2. Never EVER having my credit card out and about with me so I avoid impulsively using it. THis way I  have to think and plan if I am going to use it.

3. Direct debiting money into my savings account the day I get money in each month so it goes straight out before I can spend it.

4. Whenever I am about to purchase something online I head to google and type the shop/restaurants name plus voucher code. Always a winner and has saved me £100′s of pounds.

5.  I have taught my children to be creative: nature, cardboard boxes, sport, imagination, role play and art. I don’t get badgered for days out DS games and laid on entertainment. Creativity saves!

Oh I could go on and on and on……

What are your top five ways to save money? 

This is an entry in the competition to win a 2 night hotel stay during the Write on Finance Blog Up Leeds which runs 22-23 September 2012; gold sponsor is MoneySupermarket.”

Hi, what’s your name? Liz Burton aka missielizzieb on Twitter which is where I spend most of my time!

Any kids? One daughter aged 4 going on 14.

Do you work? FT/PT? I’m a stay-at-home mum.

If you don’t work why don’t you?  I may go back to work once my daughter starts school in September, but for now I enjoy being here for her plus the costs of childcare make working non-viable for me.

What are your child care arrangements?  She currently attends a local nursery 2 days a week.

How do you manage for money? My partner has a good job so we’re lucky that we’re fairly secure.  But I’m conscious that things can change in an instant.

Do you worry about money? I do, we don’t save nearly as much as we should.

What do you waste money on? I’m getting better but we used to spend a lot of money eating out and on takeaways.

Have you made any big financial changes since having kids? It’s meant we’ve had to buy a bigger house which has stretched us further financially.  As I’m no longer earning a salary I’ve had to reduce my personal spending and I like to ‘earn’ a little money for myself.

How do you make extra cash?  I earn a small amount through my blogging by taking sponsored posts.  I’ve also turned some of our unwanted items into cash by selling them on.

Can you share 3 top budgeting tips for other parents?

1. I always try to buy second-hand where I can, whether that be clothing; household items or kids toys and books.  As well as saving money, it’s a more environmentally friendly way to live.  I share my preloved finds on my weekly blog link-up called Magpie Monday and encourage others to do likewise.

2. Cooking from scratch is so much cheaper than buying ready meals.  It’s healthier too and allows you to keep an eye on salt/sugar and fat intake.

3. Never pay full price for something.  Whether you shop around, use special offers, coupons or discount codes with a little bit of effort you can get a better deal on most things you purchase.

Thanks so much Liz

You can find Liz on her fabulous blog me and my shadow which is creative, crafty, money saving, funny and rather special. Fllow her on twitter @missielizzieb

I once borrowed a booster seat and when done with it stored it in the shed to give back to our firneds. Somehow the straps got all mouldy and manky I’m not sure why. Perhaps we didn’t clean them properly before we stored them? or perhaps the shed was the wrong place. Whatever we should have been more careful. To buy the exact same seat cost me £30. When I gave it back they were embarrassed I’d felt I should replace it. Oh dear we both lost with that borrow.

My list of don’t borrows would include

• A car seat (everywhere will advise you on this as it may not be safe enough or it may  have been involved in a crash)
• A christening gown (can you imagine if it got ruined! However if its a family heirloom I would say thats different- any stains can be put down to family history and a mark of its years.)
• Any newborn white clothing (not always easy to clean)
• Any clothes at all when going through the weaning puree stage (Mango and blackberry does NOT come out)

Photo Credit: Neeta Lind

• A pram/pushchair (unless it is a bit battered to start with) Some neighbours borrowed one of mine for a weekend away and it came back looking VERY well used and the hood was bent. I was so upset they had devalued it greatly and I was about to sell it too.
• If you borrow a cot it is advised you buy a new matress and these can be expensive. You will also want to have a cot for a number of years (so what about if the lenders have another baby?)
• Highchairs also easily get in a bad way and taking them apart to clean can be complicated, Only borrow entirely plastic ones without straps. Ikea do a neat little one for less than £20 which has been perfect for my two and which I have lent out many times.

Being given items that you can keep is entirely differnt. That is just brilliant and you should say a big yes please and a thank you. Borrowing can incur costs, guilt, worry whilst the item is being used and having to be over cautious and protective. it is much better to be able to relax around your baby and let them make a mess.

Rather than borrow the above items if you are o anew mum on a budget and need stuff for free I would advise you check out your local netmums board for free stuff or take alook at freecycle.

I have just eaten mashed potatoes with roasted tomatoes and yellow and red  peppers. Absolutely yummy. I am making sure I make an event out of my mealtimes by putting lemon in my diet coke and sitting down at the table with the kids and eating slowly.

This weeks consultation was great. We had a talk about emotion and eating and I have been noticing when I eat impulsively. Often  if I am cross , upset or sad I head straight for the kitchen and munch. I need  to go in a different direction so I have been heading instead upstairs and either picking up a magazine for a quick read or sorting the laundry! Both seem to be helping. (I prefer the magazine but that laundry pile is HUGE!)

I found out this week I have become a finalist in MAD blog awards in the category of best thrifty MAD blog . For those of you that don’t know they are the national parenting awards. This means I will be attending a big awards ceremony in a posh frock in September. How nice if I could be MUCH nearer my goal by then.

Watch this space everyone!

Here is a photo form last years awards ceremony where I was roughly at my starting weight.

I have been provided with diet plan feree for the purpose of review but my views are entirely my own opinion

Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”

Henry Ford.

 Photo Credit: tallkev

As well as the Little Kingdom version of the Olympics, The Elf Games, this DVD includes episodes:

• Nanny’s Lesson
• The Elf Factory
• Mrs Witch
• Elf Joke Day
• King Thistle’s New Clothes
• Elf School
• The Royal Golf Course
• Morning Noon & Night
• Gaston’s Visit
• Trip to the Seaside

Competition

I have 3 copies to givewaway to Ben and Holly fans!  If you would like to win a copy just let me know by leaving a comment in  the comments section  saying  why you like them. 

UK entries only.

1 entry per person.   Ends May 18th

Good luck everyone.

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

I am so in awe of her imagination – a birdy gift and colourful feather cards for her friends birthdays made entirely from the contents of the craft jar. How wonderful. The jar contains card, pom poms feather, tissue paper, scissors, glue, googly eyes, pipe cleaner stickers, letter and so on. Amazing! It seems to go on forever.

Later she made a model of her teacher Miss H…look how proud she is. How wonderful that at 4 she can think plan, organise, herself and create. As a parent I do find it hard to back off and not interfere sometimes but it’s when I do back off that my children really spread their wings.

The craft all day set cost £25 and is available from GLTC who have 15% off this weekend.

My son used to love to paint and draw but has become slightly self conscious lately. The best way to engage him is for him to have ‘props’ to use like stencils or stickers or in this case dinosaur stamps. These distract him for worrying if his picture is good enough and give him something to work with. The Dinosaur finger printing art set from GLTC is lots of fun. It has stamps of feet, beaks, spikes and eyes and different coloured inks and pencils to make some wonderful creatures. It retails at £8.

My little boy was totally absorbed in creating his funky orange monster:

Not only do these sets keep my kids entertained for hours I save a fortune on buying cards!

I’m so happy to say that Baby Budgeting has reached the final of the Best Thrifty Mad Blog at the Mad Blog Awards.I really wanted to say a BIG, HUGE thank you to all of you who voted. So kind of you and so much appreciated.

Over 3.000 blog s were nominated in the 2012 MAD blog awards which are the national parenting blog awards so to reach the final is amazing. I am so grateful.

Now I just need to ask you if you wouldn’t mind doing one last thing please.

If you hop over to THE VOTING PAGE would you please vote for for Baby Budgeting to win in the category Best Thrifty Mad Blog? My other site Family Budgeting is up for best blog post too so if you could pop that in there too I’d be delighted. You can leave the other categories blank if you wish.

P.S We  find out in September if we have won at a rather fabulous awards ceremony but I’ll keep you posted. I’d like to thank Idealo for sponsoring the Best Thrifty MAD blog category and Parentdish for sponsoring the 2012 MAD blog awards.

Fingers crossed!

Thnak you