Thrifty and Creative

My son is turning 4 years old on Friday! Where to buy a bike?

2009-07-14T04:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

This Friday my son will be 4 years old! I just can't believe it! That means in one year he will be going to work with me every day for six years! Poor kid. :-) (I teach Art and he will have to have me once a week for six years...kinda weird for me but actually I am very excited!)
I couldn't stay home, so this is an awesome alternative and one of the perks of being an elementary art teacher. I do love my job and it will be super awesome when he is there and I get to wave at him in the hallway every day!

Anywho...I ran off on a tangent there for a second...I wanted to ask to blog world out there if anyone knows the best place to buy a bike (and kinda not expensive). We were thinking he needs something a bit bigger but could still have removable training wheels. Any ideas? :-) You know I am looking for a deal here!

Have a great day everyone!

P.S. I am excited to post that I will be finally using a gift card I received from my friend back at Christmas for pictures at the Picture People! I saved it for six months now just so I could use them for my son's 4th Birthday! I am proud of myself for holding back to run immediately to spend it. I LOVE pictures...she got me the coolest gift with that!

Christmas in July...check out this site and "Green" ornaments!

2009-07-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

This morning I was just checking around for Christmas ideas and ran across this site and great ides for "green" "eco-friendly" ornaments! I love them! They look awesome! A great inspiration for the season (5 months away is it?).

From EcoSalon.com:
Cute Ornaments made from recycled or "green" materials!

Enjoy! I just couldn't resist sharing the site and ideas. I know it is early, but I will not remember several months from now. :-)

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Monday Monday!

2009-07-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time of week again...Monday!

Just doing a random update here....

I hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth! We did...we hung out with friends and just basically relaxed.

My husband's garden is doing well...we have gotten tons of cucumbers and the tomatoes are starting to finally turn red! We love slicing up a tomato, cucumber and bring out the laughing cow cheese and that is a terrific snack...can be a nice little breakfast also...toss in a piece of bread.

I found out over the weekend it is hard to find drinks that have no caffeine in them. We are all trying to cut down on caffeine intake. I did find that Ginger Ale has no caffeine, and naturally Caffeine Free colas have no caffeine (but I am curious if anything else in them are bad for you?). I know, these days everything is bad for you.

We noticed recently that we started to eat out too much and decided to cut back again by eating healthy (healthier), etc....we are starting to make soups, baked dishes and such that last a while for several meals and these are healthier than eating out, taste good and last a while for cost effectiveness.

We stopped in a grocery store (other than Aldi's) this weekend and were sticker shocked. We always shop at Aldi Grocery Store (the bag it yourself type place). After that stop...we are proud of our shopping and value at Aldi! So, we are doing good in that area by shopping Aldi. Love that store!

I'm home for the summer, so we save gas and everything by myself and son being home. Also, my sitter likes her summer off too to spend with her kids...so it is a huge savings for us too. Most sitters and daycares require you to pay whether your kid is there or not. We are blessed in this area too.

We are searching for areas to save money though. I will keep you posted if I find a new saver.

Have a great Monday!
That is my update!

Hey Artists and Crafters: Michael's is having some huge sales!

2009-06-28T04:39:00.000-07:00

They are having tons of sales starting today! Go to their website to sign up for emails and they should send you a 40% coupon. When you sign up for their email newsletter...they send you regular coupons (you wouldn't otherwise get) and updates on sales and events and such!

I went Friday, but geez..such a good 4th sale that I may have to go back today to get the things I wanted Friday and didn't get! I am sick, sick I tell you....I love supplies!

Have a great today and even better tomorrow! :-)

Went to Yard Sales Saturday! Got some Deals!

2009-06-22T03:43:00.001-07:00

I love going to Yard Sales!

You just never know what you might find! Some times you go out and find nothing or everything just seems overpriced. Well, this past Saturday, my friend and I just went to a few and had a great time and got some major deals.

Here is what I bought that I am excited about:

*An Egg and Spoon Race NEW in the Box...never been opened for $4.00 (in the store it is like $15 or something)

*Some new notecards with a coffee theme for 15 Cents! I am forever needing thank you notes.

*Some Vogue (New in Box) Notecards for 50 Cents! (Beautiful Cards)

*A wrestler doll for $2 (sells in the store for $15)

*Cute Welch's Glasses with Curious George and Dragon Tales for 10 Cents Each!

*A Lifehouse CD for $1.00 (I like one song on there so it was a great deal)

My fav purchase was the Egg and Spoon Relay....my son has already gotten the $4 worth out of it plus the $15 regular purchase price! It is so cute!

Those were my best deals of the weekend. I did some other shopping at Target, Walmart and Tuesday Morning...but my most exciting purchases were at the yard sales! Loving a deal and it was Fun!

Have a great Monday all!

Thifty and Creative's Blogoversary is Today!

2009-06-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today this blog turns officially TWO years old!

I can't believe it either!

How did I celebrate? I took a few naps and had some coffee! :-)

Thanks to all my readers and passersby! :-)

Melanie

Here is to another two years...cheers (with cup of coffee)!

It's that time of year! Plant a garden if you haven't already!

2009-06-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

This year we have planted: Tomatoes, Cucumbers (already getting tons of them), Grapes (this one is going to be interesting), and Watermelons that apparently never went away from last year....weird!

I encourage you, if you can...to plant your favorite veggie soon! Take advantage of just buying seeds and enjoying what You grew!

I realize, if you don't already have a garden, it may take some time and effort and maybe even a little money to get it going. In the long run...it's worth it and easier upkeep year to year once you have everything set. For example: we have a raised garden bed...my husband had to buy the wood and piece it together to create the raised and step effects. It looks so nice and it is done! We also (well husband again) put in irrigation. I suppose not a necessity, but it is nice when you don't feel like getting out the water hose or a bucket. :-) Also, you would need stakes for such items as tomatoes and such. After the initial year of setting up, it is cheaper than buying from the market.

Summer Fun with my son....Use the Library!

2009-06-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

I got the idea from my mother who watches her other grandchild (my niece). She takes my niece to the local library once or twice a week for a children's book reading (story time). This way my niece gets to be around other children, they both get out of the house, and it is educational and fun for both! Oh yes, and it is Free!

I am home for five weeks (my summer vacation) with my son and thought, why didn't I think of that before? I sure didn't, but I will take advantage now. I love the idea.

If you are also interested...check out your local library...do a google search for your public library system and then narrow down to your location. There you go...each individual library many times has its own website and you can see the story times, etc....

I also noticed for older children...some libraries have other programs in the summer as well. I saw a science program for school age children. Also, book studies for 2nd grade and up!
Don't miss out on what your local library has to offer you and your child(ren)!

Yay! I am now in Summer Vacation!

2009-06-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

Finally! Sigh of relief! I made it through the school year successfully!

Time to relax at home and enjoy spending time with my son and the dog at home! We aren't going on any trips this summer. Saving money this year!

I love being home, especially with my son! He will turn 4 years old this summer!

My summer is going to be shorter than usual as our school adopted a new calendar which will give teachers a 5 weeks summer and 7 for the kids. No problem...it will be cool I think so. We will have a few long breaks within the school year and have breaks where kids can come in for extra help.

I'm excited! I love summer and the idea of a few longer breaks built in the school year.

Mainly, I am excited to have a job for next year. With the current economy and cuts to education, etc....I've been frightened at the thought of losing my job. My husband did this past Christmas as you know.

So far so good. Hanging on and going to save as much as we can to prepare for whatever the economy brings us in the next year or so.

We would love to plan a second child. I'll keep you posted on that as well!

So there is my delayed update and will be blogging more frequently now that I am on break and things have slowed down for the moment.

Oh yeah, I signed my son (will be 4 in July) up for Fall Soccer and signed my husband up to be a coach (his request). This will be fun for all of us! My son loves the outdoors and other kids. My husband loves soccer!

Have a great Saturday!

Recipe on the Cheap "Asian Salad" with an Inexpensive Noodle

2009-06-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had to share this Recipe as it is inexpensive and SOOO tasty! You may have read other variations of this or this one itself. If you haven't tried this recipe...now is your chance. Not only is it SUPER EASY and SUPER CHEAP...it is a LARGE QUANTITY and will last for several meals as a side! I am getting hungry for this Ramen Noodles (c) Asian Salad just typing about it. The following directions comes from a co-worker whom wrote it out for me to try. Everyone went ga ga at work over it. She brings this for our staff "Fat Fridays."

Ramen Noodles Asian Salad Recipe:

Here it is:
1 lb. bag of cole slaw
1 c. slivered almonds
1c sunflower seeds
1 pkg. Chicken flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
1 pkg. Oriental flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

To make the dressing DRESSING:
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
2 pkgs. of seasoning from the Ramen Noodles

The Instructions to put it all together:
Brown almonds and seeds in dry skillet.
Combine coleslaw, almonds, sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
Break up Ramen noodles into small pieces; add to slaw mix.
Toss all of this together.
Make dressing using reserved packets of ramen seasoning. and pour onto the salad.
Toss again.
Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
Toss well before serving.

Let me know if you have done this before or try this one and how you like it!

Paycuts and Furlough

2009-05-28T03:43:00.001-07:00

I am not complaining...but definitely my saving and cutting back skills are being put to the test.

As you may remember, my husband was laid off back in December...found a job two weeks later...that job cut him $5/hour...he found a new job (lower paying that the first) but is now happy and has steady 40 hours per week and no weekends. This is awesome for us!

Now, it is my turn! :-) Just got a 1/2 percent deduct (for my yearly salary...not month) out of one paycheck...we will also have a 10 hour of furlough (unpaid time off where you can't use sick days and such). I am really not complaining...just stating the facts. I am just excited to have a job and pray to keep it for next school year. It is getting frightening. I am cool with these cuts and such...my concern is when they start cutting jobs and the arts. No one has said they are cutting the arts, but if they do...there I go. A bit scary.

Thought I would share! We are still happy and afloat! We cut costs wherever we can. We don't go out (don't really ever do) and buy new cloths or unnecessary foods....just the basics and an occasional treat.

Lately, my "splurge" is buying crafting and art supplies. I guess it isn't a splurge as much as it is an addiction lately. I love Art and Craft Supplies! I guess I see it is as something that is "okay" to buy because pretty much, maybe I could get my money back by selling something I make.
Not the easiest task in the world to sell handmade items...but I do love it when someone buys from me as it makes me feel good that someone wants something I made enough to pay for it!
I have sold some crayons, and a few bracelets. My husband has sold a bunch of custom drawings.

That is my word on this Thursday!

Have a terrific day! Yay...tomorrow is Friday!

What is a PIF on Etsy anyway?

2009-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have been curious for some time on Etsy what a PIF is. Now I know and have actually participated and will definitely participate again in the future.

P.I.F. Stands for: "Pay It Forward"

Apparently this is a movie titled "Pay It Forward" and it speaks of good will towards others...with random acts of kindness. Someone on Etsy Started "PIFs" by putting items on Etsy for 20 cents but you really don't actually pay it....and you "pay" by promising to do a random act of kindness as your payment to create good will around you, etc...

Now...naturally many may charge shipping or have you to pay the 20 cents and some even have a price. Pretty much it is a large discount. A true PIF is no charge for item and no shipping. Folks can put a price as there is no rule, it is a simple gesture of good will. I have had several PIFs in my shop and I do not charge shipping or a price.

You have to read each description to see the expectations of the seller.

I have received some really cute stuff and useful items such as crochet patterns and such.

I have given away as PIFs bracelets, ACEOs and a keyring I made. Needless to say with no charge at all, they didn't last long. I am happy to receive the positive feedback to build my store on. It feels good to give!

I encourage you to either list a PIF in your Etsy shop (if you have one) or get started shopping on Etsy with a PIF! Keep in mind, you don't want all your purchases to be PIFs; although there is no rules against it...it is simply the idea of moderation and fairness. You don't want to come across rude by buying on PIFs. This is just an etiquette thing.

If I have a PIF in my store....it doesn't matter to me who "purchases" it...just leave me some good ole positive feedback! :-)

What can I do with Cereal Boxes and other Thin Boxes?

2009-05-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be a great way to gather ideas for myself, my classroom, and I assume many of you would be interested as well. I know folks that drop by my blog here are looking to save money in creative ways. Now, I also know that these same types of folks are like me in that Recycling and Being Green is a way of life for them (and you do save money by doing so as well).

We can all still be creative with how we recycle instead of the norm.

Sooooo....What I want to do every now and again is open up the "floor" to you guys...give me some ideas of how to use something in a creative way.

Today...I want to know...what are some creative uses for Cereal/Food/Thin Cardboard Boxes?

I will get us started:

Bookmarks
Artist Trading Cards
Bound with Recycled Backs of Paper = Autograph Books (these are things I have already done in my classroom).

Any other ideas? Share by dropping a line or two in the Comment Jar!

Happy Tuesday!

Getting Older Today! I will simply choose to say Getting a Year Wiser!

2009-05-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

Yep!

That is correct...you figured it out...Today is My Birthday! Hey, if I didn't tell you...how would you know? :-)

Anywho....

This is a busy week at work...therefore....it will be another slack week on the blogging. Testing going on...everyone stressed....but in the back of my mind...I am thinking...geez...only a few weeks til I get to hang out with my son at home for five weeks! Exciting! This summer we are going absolutely no where and I am great with that! I loved our trip to Romania last year, but to do that every year would be tough. So this year, we chill at home and save money in this topsy turfy economy. It will be a "staycation." I love that saying...and totally true. Sometimes HOME is the Best Vacation!

Have a great week everyone!

My apologies for my absense.

2009-05-13T04:01:00.001-07:00

I have somehow taken a break from blogging for about a week now from here. My apologies to my regulars. I should get back on track soon.

It has been a busy past few weeks. The end of the school year is approaching rapidly and it is time to wrap things up and prepare for testing and closing down my room and such. Also, on the homefront...lots of cleaning up and practicing letters, numbers, colors and reading with my son whom will turn 4 years old in July! I just can't believe it! He no longer looks like a baby...but like a cute little boy!

I am working also on an Etsy store for my Mom for her sewing items. I am pretty excited about that. I love Etsy and have found it to be more relaxed, more visibly pleasing to the eye versus another venue I used to sell on.

I will keep you all posted when her store is full functioning as she will be making several items of interest to many. She is great and has 37 years of upholstery sewing experience. I have encouraged her to make items that are fun for her and get away from the upholstery stuff for a while as she is burned out on it...you can imagine. She is excited about the etsy shop and is looking forward to stocking it!

You can bookmark/favorite her store by going to www.sewnanny.etsy.com I am excited about her store title as well! My husband helped me come up with it. Her grandchildren....my son and niece call her Nanny! :-) My son named her when he started talking. :-)

Don't forget Mom this Sunday!

2009-05-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

I love Clinique! One of my fav perfumes is Clinique Happy! Such a quiet scent and pleasant! They apparently have a new "custom" bottle for Mom's Day or Other Occasions! Cool idea!

I just checked on this custom bottle and for Mother's Day the order had to be in April 26th to receive on time. That is okay though...great idea for birthdays etc...I just thought it was cool! :-)

While you are shopping for Mom...Why not take advantage of gift with purchase of $21.50!

Fresh Air Fund: From the Email Bag

2009-05-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

About The Fresh Air Fund

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2008, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

(Info...from the site directly...link below can give you more information if this is a cause you are interested in.)

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If you like saving money, then you'll probably love Bromoney deals. Bromoney offers great bank deals on things like certificate of deposit rates, savings rates, and checking bonuses for strong banks. The next time you want a bank account, take a look at Bromoney.

Wordless Wednesday: Husband's Drawings

2009-04-29T03:32:00.001-07:00

My Wordless Wednesday is a picture of one of my favorite drawings my husband did for a client. I just love how he drew the hair and eyes!

My husband does custom drawings on Etsy. A few of scenarios are in our Etsy Shop: Art by Melanie and Claudiu; and, more choices are on our website: Pencil Perfect Art

Mother's Day isn't far off, but if you are interested...he could turn around a drawing in one week and have it shipped a few days following..granting you are happy with what you see...he does make adjustments for clients. We only sell through Etsy for seller and buyer protection purposes.

An 8X10 of one subject (like above) head and shoulders...is $45. This is the same price that I have seen many selling Computer/Digital "sketches" of photos. Those are not handmade and are done by a computer. These are hand drawn pieces of original art and take many hours to complete.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

It's getting warmer! Turned the A/C on yet? What Temp?

2009-04-27T03:27:00.000-07:00

I am just curious at what temperature most people keep their thermostats in the summer months?

We start off with 80 degrees F and then we eventually have to put it on 78 at some point and that is the lowest we turn it and it does allow us to save on our summer months electric bill.

It is the summer months we do best as we are cold nature people so we like it warm and that helps us on our bills as a result. We always (in the summer months) shoot for $100 or less bill per month. We'll see if we can do it this year.

Things we have done to help to get this bill and be able to stand the "heat."
Ceiling fans in many rooms. And this helps the temperature to feel better by having that cool breeze.
Thick curtains over windows to not allow the house to "heat up" in the first place.

Where we need to go next to continue improvement:
We want to insulate the garage (this will improve the bonus room above's temp which tends to be a very warm room in the summer.)
We also have a few rooms upstairs that still need thick curtains...and since heat rises...yep...long overdue for the upstairs. We still want two more nice ceiling fans: One for the kitchen and one for the guest room. I have debated the kitchen one over and over again...still uncertain.

What temperature do you leave your thermostat in the summer months?

Happy Earth Day! Yay!

2009-04-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

I am happy there is an Earth Day, but I try to make every day an "Earth Day!"

In my classroom, recycling is a way of life. When we have "Free Art" I have baskets on each table that is loaded with goodies that would otherwise be trash! To my students...they are like "Wow!" What great stuff!" They always make wonderful creations that they are proud to take home! So creative!

You can do this also with your children! Simple get a box, shoebox or something...and when you are about to toss that scrap string, button, etc...and you think "hmm..this is a shame...it is such a nice...etc...but no use for it, etc.." Think instead...."Can I put this in a box and have my child to make something out of it on a rainy day?" Then put it in that one box that you will keep somewhere easy for you to toss stuff in it. Old flyers, magazines (or favorite pages), shoe strings, twist ties (from trash bags and bread bags), bottle caps (all kinds and sizes), broken toys or missing pieces from puzzles etc... Kids find these things fun to create with. I always have puzzles in the baskets from puzzles from home where several pieces are missing and the kids just love 'em. They might tie string around a piece and color it and make a cool necklace or bracelet or put it in a collage. The list goes on and ideas are limitless. Get the creativity flowing and throw away less. Oh yeah...tissue tubes and paper towel tubes are huge hits as well. Don't forget those cardboard boxes, etc... I use those to cut into Artist Trading Cards (2.5"X3.5") and have kids to do art on those! Great stuff we throw away daily!

Join Nickelodeon's Power Down on Earth Day by turning all your lights off for One Minute! They have a global tracker of all those who pledge to do this. Pretty interesting and it is great to get kids involved.

At young ages, children are Excited about this! It isn't a chore to them. At our school....we have a "day to be green" for every class in the school and they have a section of school yard to "clean" on a certain day. Every class gets a couple turns each year. This takes place on Fridays each week to keep our school yard looking good and keeping our kids aware of the world around them and taking care if it!

Happy Earth Day!

My Etsy Shop...Helping me pay for my Hobbies.

2009-04-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

I have had an Etsy account for some time now but not until the past few weeks have I really got into it. I love it!

I have recently listed, in addition to the custom pencil drawings by my husband, knotted jewelry , Crochet Cloths and wall hangings. I made my first sale of my knotted items yesterday! I sold a bracelet! With the exception of the custom pencil drawings, necklaces and wall hangings in our store...most of my items are $5.00 each. I do this, not to make a huge profit, but to pay for my hobby of the items I sell. I love to stay busy and it helps to sell my items to make room for me to make even more. Even better, this pays for my supplies. My husband has sold and made quite a few custom pencil drawings. He is awesome!

If you get the chance...check out my Etsy store! I will be adding items several times a week.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

A decent picture taken with our normal digital camera of the moon.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Today I will be working on cleaning up our computer area so that hopefully I can become more productive and better with my time.

I am happy to report that our electric bill dropped thanks to the warmer weather by about $50! I am loving the spring time...better moods for everyone with more sun and bills drop. I enjoy the longer days as well...less usage of lights as we love natural light for as long as it lasts each day.

Happy Spring Time everyone!

Tax Deadline Approaching Rapidly! April 15th!

2009-04-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

If you haven't done your part in filing your taxes yet....there is no more time to waste.

This is your reminder that tomorrow is the deadline!

The Following site does a great job explaining postmarked dates and filing extensions!
GenerationXFinance
Happy Tax Season's End!

Shutterfly...we thank you! Still the best!

2009-04-13T03:22:00.000-07:00

I had to make a post about my favorite photo printing, sharing, products, quality site of my choosing. That site being Shutterfly! Truly looking out for its customers.

In the current economy, many of the photo printing sites are now requiring customers whom have uploaded pictures (doesn't matter how many) to make minimal purchases in a certain amount of time or pictures will be deleted from accounts. This frightened me so, mainly with Shutterfly, as they were and are my favorite and house around 1000 of my pictures currently. I had received an email from another photo printing site that I will not mention names that told me the above information and that was okay because I don't have many on their site. Then I started thinking about Shutterfly and worried that they may also follow by doing this in this economy to boost sales and such.

Well, good news, I also received an email from them stating the opposite...saying they know about other sites doing this practice and wanted to reinsure their customers this would not happen to them, it shall remain the same...free storage, no minimal purchases, no time frame on making purchases, free site for sharing your pictures, etc...the list goes on Shutterfly IS AWESOME!

I wanted to inform as many as I could that Shutterfly is the way to go in storing and buying your photos. Let's support these folks that are not taking advantage of the times for personal gains. Thank you Shutterfly!

I Should also mention that now is the time to start gathering your pictures for a Mother's Day gift! I made my sis one last year and have already promised her another this year because she loved it so much. I gave one last year to my Mom as well, and she too loves it! :-)

Review and Compare Credit Cards

2009-04-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the lack of posting this week. My husband had the flu and now I am getting something. Forgive me as this coming week I may be a bit slow on the posting as well. Can you believe Easter is coming up so soon?

It is spring time and we are all getting to where we want to go on vacations and get out and about. With the current state of the Economy...the funds just may not be there. I, as you may know, am not the biggest fan of credit cards. I do have one...it is our back up only. My card is through my teaching insurance so I found a good deal. (Still don't like it...but at least we have something as a back up source.)

I had some folks to share with me the following sites that allows you to review and compare credit cards and what they offer and rewards and deals and such that some cards come with. It is always best to pay off a card at the end each month in order to avoid those fees. Without further delay...here are the sites for your review:

Credit Land

Credit Card Menu