We had these things on hand because I have been scouring the local thrift shop ever since the most amazing Son-in-Law-2-B EVER proposed to the entire family. They have half price sales and clearance sales regularly. I’ve been watching especially for silk ivy leaves and dark purple silk flowers. Whenever I see a container with dark green or purple glass discs, I snag it, and really, I just look for things that strike my fancy. Basically, I’ve been prowling for ingredients for decorating for the wedding and reception. I’ll decide what to do with them later.
The purple flower and the ivy both came from a much larger display of silk plants. I pulled out all the non-purple flowers and gave them Jenny for flower fairy dolls.

Oh, the paint chip in the background? Ignore that. I had a plan for it, too, but it didn’t work.

Here’s what I did with the above ingredients:

This is just an experiment- we may go with something different, but we kind of like this general idea. I also have some dark purple bath salts which could be used to fill the bottom of some small glass containers. We could keep with the garden label mode and do a variety of scriptures and scraps of poetry, or we can quote larger chunks on larger pieces of paper (in which I would go with computer printing instead of hand calligraphy) scattered on the table. I can also burn the edges a bit for a nice effect.  Or we may dispense with the garden stake altogether and put the verses inside the container, up against the glass so it can be read.

If you didn’t need very much, you can make your own colored salts by grinding up a colored piece of chalk with regular table salt and mixing them well. Our general idea - right now- is more small, clear containers- we don’t care if they match or not, and some may well be mason jars or antique canning jars- colored beads, salt, or bath salts, some purple flowers or candles, and silk ivy along the center of the table. We don’t like tall centerpieces that hinder your view of the person across from you.

I don’t know why the garden ’stake’ looks like it’s blue in the above picture. It’s actually almost a perfect match to the flower. Here’s a picture with the flash to show the color more accurately:

We’re also thinking about growing some wheat or rye grass in small shallow containers for the tables. We may use candles, ribbon, and some antique china as well- we’re still in decision mode. We don’t feel like each table has to look exactly the same either. For instance, every table will probably have something similar to the above arrangement, but the clear glass containers will not all be the same shape. The purple flowers will vary- I have some silk violets, as well, and some silk asters, and some other dark purple flowers of an indeterminate species  We’re trying to dry some live flowers, too, and we’ll have to see how that turns out.. Some tables will have purple vases with cream ribbon, and some green vases.

I have been collecting small picture frames for place settings- they each look a little different, but I’ll be painting the frames in the bride’s color theme before the wedding.  So the shape and size will be slightly different, but the colors will make the settings compatible and unified.

There’s another ‘what’s in my hand’ item pictured above.  The surface of my calligraphy/craft table is a bit of counter-top from my kitchen.  The  builder cut out a slab out for the kitchen sinks. I asked him to save it, and it sits  on top of an old door, which rests on two filing cabinets for my craft desk.

I’m open to any ideas and suggestions anybody else has for decorating for a wedding and reception.

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Yet there are some habits that make saving money painless.  Here are a few that keep me cheerfully frugal, without even trying:

Buy multiples on sale.  Bertolli sauces are BOGOF at Publix, or $1.09/jar.  I bought enough of our favorite to last through pregnancy–and postpartum.

Use powdered milk for cooking.  This saves me an extra milk run per week–and lots of spills, too.  Leave a little water in the macaroni pot; sprinkle powdered milk before stirring in the sauce.

Pay all bills online.  Every time I schedule a payment, I think of the stamp I didn’t use.  And the gas to buy more later!

Hang laundry out to dry.  When I can’t be bothered with the retractable line and pens, I slip damp clothes on hangers and leave them on the back porch rail.  Bonus:  less ironing and shrinkage!

Close blinds and drapes during the hot part of the day.  Just a few minutes’ work for several degrees difference!

I did all of the above in one short hour, and I wasn’t even thinking about the money I saved. 

What frugal habits have you internalized?  What saves you money when your brain is on auto-pilot?

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The winner of the giveaway is Ginny, who said:

I’d like the first Felicity book from the American girl series for my daughter.

Congratulations, Ginny!

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roundup: [noun] - in Internet jargon, a collection of web links gathered into a single location for the convenience of readers

Here are 3 roundups of frugal links to get the ball rolling:

• 50 Ways to Be Romantic on the Cheap
• The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living
• The Golden Money List: Hundreds of Tips for Turning Your Financial Life Around

And some links/hacks submitted by readers:

• Kathryn very helpfully sent a link to Meals for Pennies in response to Menu Math on my family blog.
•  Alex at HomeLifeWeekly recommended his post on birthday cards, saying:
  I was tired of buying expensive Birthday cards, so I searched on the internet for nice cheap birthday cards which I could make, However I was not happy with what I found. So put my crafty digital mind to work and made a set of birthday cards which I could give to some one with pride. I have made them available for you to use, All you need to do is print them out and fold. That’s its!!!
• Living Almost Large asks,
  Do you know how much energy your family really consumes? With rising costs do you think it’s time to consider replacing old appliances with newer ones with better energy efficiency?
• Another from Living Almost Large:
  I’m giving away a book I reviewed free to anyone who comments on the post. It’s about frugal/cheap living.  This guy does some crazy things to make a $1 million bucks by 30. I doubt I could be so frugal.
• Tropper said,
  I love Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee. One day I asked the server why I was paying more for Iced coffee if the cup is half full of ice???
  She replied: “The coffee is a double strength brew to compensate for the ice!!”
  I was amazed. So now whenever I go to DD for iced coffee - its a true luxury - I order an iced coffee with no ice. I then bring the cup home or to the office and add ice! You get at least double the amount of coffee out of it!!
  I will admit, there are times they will look at you like you’re crazy but its so worth it!!
  Tropper

Now use Mr. Linky to add other frugal roundups that you have found or compiled recently.  Thanks for joining in!

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Now, my children say, we retire to this closet during tornadoes and curl up with a good book.

Next:

This is a counter-top towel hanger. I really love these things- they are so convenient when you don’t have wall space near the sink for a towel rack. I’ve picked up three or four of them at our thrift shop for three dollars or less.

My eldest daughter likes them for another reason:

We are a family of hat wearing women. The girls and I love our hats, and we have, well, far too many. Storage can be a problem. Set them down on a flat surface and the brims can gradually get pushed the wrong way, or the nap gets rubbed off the edges over time. So the HG appropriated a couple of towel stands and uses them for her favorite hats.

I said we all like hats- I should clarify that the Equuschick does not like hats, except for riding hats of a horsey kind. She feels that hats make her face look smaller, and we say, ‘Sweetie? Your face IS small.’ Because we’re an encouraging, supportive family that way.

Back on topic- another improvised hat stand is an old doll stand for porcelain dolls.

Oh, and I must explain the couch.  I don’t mind it, but it’s not exactly the couch I would have chosen if I’d been given a thousand dollars and sent unsupervised into a furniture store.  However, it is exactly the couch I’d choose if I had no spare cash and an elderly lady who only sat on her couch on Sundays after church called my mother and said, “We’re redecorating, as we do every three years, and so of course, we are getting a new sofa.  Do you know anybody who would want the old one?”

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Moneysaving Mom received votes from Jamie, Dana, and Amy @ The Q Family.  Others mentioned Frugal Dad, Get Rich Slowly, Engineer a Debt Free Life, and Refund Cents.

Was your favorite site missing from the list?  Add it!

Question of the week:

What was your worst or craziest frugal idea?

Let’s hear it: give us your best story!  The commentor with the worst/craziest idea will win a free gently used copy of the worst/craziest frugal book I’ve ever owned,  by the tightwad twins, Ann Fox Chodakowski and Susan Fox Wood.

After one look at the cover, my daughter decided that no matter how much money the ladies save in other areas, they spend far too much on makeup.

I think paying $4.99 for this book was my worst frugal idea ever.  Check out these tips:

• Use spray adhesive to cover a worn out desk pad and press a towel on top of it.  It’s the perfect size!  While you’re at it, hang the towelling as an accent wall covering between the shelves.  (huh? glue a towel on my desk to make it look better?  that must be one ugly desk.)
•  Send Christmas postcards instead of a card that carries the full price of a stamp.  (Because some friends and family just aren’t special enough to entice us to blow 44 cents all at once.)
• Sand in a stand-up ashtray for inside or outside use is safer from fire and is cleaner and more convenient for the smoker.  (A stand-up ashtray also adds a certain “don’t care what people think” charm to the living room, don’t you think?)
• Paint concrete blocks a bright color and stack with holes in front to organize office supplies, magazines, files.  Top the two stacks with a board or door to make a desk.  (Who needs Pottery Barn when we can decorate with neon green concrete?)

Leave your worst or craziest idea in the comments to get a shot at winning this classic for yourself.  It would look great on a toilet tank converted into an end table.

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When you don’t feel good, it’s a challenge to keep up the frugal front.  My thrifty strategies usually put effort over expense. Do I even have a budget back-up plan?

Cheerful frugality means saving money–and enjoying the process.  After all, Phillippians 4:11 reminds us to learn ”in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” 

My iron-sharpening-iron readers had to remind me that this applies to frozen pizzas, not just made-for-pennies homemade dough.

Here are some of the cheerful (and yes, even frugal) benefits that have come with loosening my reins:

• We are spending hours reading in bed.  Thank goodness for the online card catalog and hold system!
• A trip to the pool seems more like a vacation than ever before.
• Can’t go everywhere, do everything?  We’re saving a lot of gas money, too.
• A $100 grocery receipt makes me grateful for the weeks I was able to cut costs so easily.
• Sunday lunch at KFC doesn’t taste nearly as good as it looks on TV.

I owe a big thanks to everyone who’s encouraged me lately.  Here’s to less complaining and more rejoicing!

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He’s very into materials and I’m more into simple living. I’ve tried handing over the bills, I’ve tried saying No to him, it seems I’ve tried everything and I’m just worried because we have $0 in our savings account and it seems that if there’s any money left from a check, he’s needing to spend it, even if it’s not on himself. We tithe, we try to pay all of our bills, but sometimes we stiff Peter to pay Paul, you know?

What can I do? He was this way when I married him, so it’s not like I didn’t know what I was getting into.

But I’ve changed and I want a more simple, secure, savings in life. Any ideas would be helpful.

What would you do?  What advice can you offer?

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Here’s what I have from readers:

• TheSnackHound (Chris):  I have a peanut butter cookie recipe that is made from that one lonely egg left in the fridge, and what’s at the bottom of the peanut butter jar.
  In my blog post, I am a little tongue in cheek, but the recipe listed is a real money saver. Not only does the recipe make “just enough” (when executed correctly!) but here is your chance to use up your leftover ingredients.
• LivingAlmostLarge: A comparison of the $70/week Hillbillyhousewife meal plan for a family of four. I had permission from Suzanne to do it.
• another tip from LivingAlmostLarge: Want to get a free movie ticket? Use your discover card.
• and from an anonymous tipster:  Purina is offering a 30 day supply of Purina one cat or dog food.  Just call 800-521-6300 to request yours.  If you can’t use it, you could donate the bag to your local animal shelter! one offer per household

Would you like to see your tip included in next week’s post?  Submit it here.

Join the fun: add your own roundup of frugal links below using Mr. Linky.

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I’ve been keeping the surplus baskets stashed in a tote in the garage, but this is getting awkward. It takes several minutes to find the ‘perfect’ basket for some new project or storage arrangement, and the baskets on the bottom get a bit battered over time (and over the more enthusiastic rummaging of our son).

I was looking at the Berea College website recently (just out of curiosity) and saw this lovely wrought iron basket hanger. It won’t be quite as lovely, but it would be just as functional for somebody with a strong pair of hands, good wire cutters, and two or three wire coat-hangers to make something very similar.

Now, I don’t have the strong hands anymore- I can’t open bags by myself these days. And my husband doesn’t have the time. But I thought about this some more- and I don’t really need lovely- I want to hang up baskets in the garage to clear floor space and make it easier to eyeball them to choose what I want. This isn’t going to be seen by anybody we don’t well enough to let traipse through our garage- and we have to know you very well indeed to let you in there.

What I have is a set of plastic coat hangers with a tier of circles coming down vertically (I know that’s not very clear, there’s a picture of a similar sort of arrangement here) . The purpose of it is to save place in the closet. You hang blouses up on regular coat hangers, but then you hang the coathangers of blouses in the tiers of this gadget, so you have half a dozen blouses taking the space of a couple of hangers on your closet rack.

But with some s-hooks, which I also have,* I can make a functional, though not very pretty, basket hanger to begin moving the baskets into vertical storage instead of spilling all over the garage floor.

*With wire cutters, pliers, and a wire coat hanger, you can also make some s-hooks if you don’t happen to have any on hand.

(If the picture isn’t showing up for you, you can see it here, over at The Common Room, where I regularly blog)

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