Copycat decorating

Last time I visited my sister-in-law I noticed this simple but brilliant way to showcase her daughter's artwork.  It looked simple anyways.  Black metal frames opened up from the outside so you could constantly change up the artwork showcased.

And then I looked these frames up online.  $39.95 for a black picture frame to show off my kids' art?  

I don't think so.  I have so many better ways to spend $40.

So, I scoured the aisles at my favorite local cheapie craft store (namely Pat Catan's for you local readers) and after spending $15 TOTAL I replicated the look!

Sure, I have to actually take the frame off the wall and open it from the back to put the new art in but that's an inconvenience I'd happily suffer to save a few bucks.

And now that we have these hung up in our dining room, it's so fun to see the kids' creations smiling down on us.  Chloe has always been a *prolific* draw-er but even Clive is getting into the artsy habit now that he can proudly see his work on display! 

  

Christmas productivity

Man, seems like the days are flying by too quickly as we approach Christmas!

As usual, I have been bitten by the sewing bug for the holiday season. My mind goes into overdrive and imagines all sorts of homemade gifty projects for family and friends. Of course my excuse for this madness is frugality. In order to save money during this happiest and most expensive time of year I should put my skills (or lack there of) to work and make stuff. But in reality it's more than mere cheapness that drives me to sew/craft. I LOVE IT! I heartily enjoy combining the art of giving and creating.

I am in the midst of several projects right now and have resorted to sewing during our at-home mornings while the kids monkey around. Clive often insists on sitting on my lap at the sewing machine (that may explain my crooked seams) and sometimes tries to "help" pulling the pins out and putting in the pin cushion. That drives me to the brink of insanity and then the kids get banished to a different room for some healthy non-mommy play.

I'm also trying to get some holiday baking in here and there. Thus far I've made thumbprint cookies, ginger molasses cookies, and sugar cookies. Cookies are patiently waiting in the freezer for our pre-Christmas week of feasting. Still hoping to make a batch or two of fudge, peanut butter balls, and something lemony or minty to round out the cookie tray.

With a scary busy looking week ahead of us, I best get busy. My goal is do work on one thing a day. And if something doesn't get done it gets chucked off the to-do list. Except of course for the chocolate treats . . . they MUST be made. Especially this year. This pregnant mama needs her daily intake of dark chocolate rich in antioxidants. :)

What are your Christmas project/baking goals this year?

Matt's almost successful attempt at bartering

Matt and I are currently uninsured. Again. It's a long story but let me just say that being a full-time graduate student family for four years has found us neglected in the crevices of our nation's insurance system many times.

I know, I know. It's a very risky business to be uninsured in America and we shouldn't take our chances. But Matt and I console ourselves that at least we're adults and can exercise preventative healthy practices to keep ourselves out of the doctor's office. And we make certain the kids are always covered somehow.

Anyways, Matt has horrific sinuses and is constantly struggling with allergies to boot. A few weeks back he acquired a mild version of H1N1 and as with every type of illness, it developed into a sinus infection. Matt often tries to muscle through a sinus infection or he'll ask his folks to get some antibiotics for him from Mexico. (Yes, we have resorted to foreign prescriptions several times. You wouldn't believe how much cheaper things are in Mexico. Wish I could go there for a tummy tuck. )

After two weeks of trying to get by, Matt couldn't take it any longer. We decided to pay out of pocket for him to visit the doctor. Matt's doc is a single guy who's very laidback and seems to be understanding about our financial situation. So, Matt thought he'd try bartering with the doc for some free medicine.

I've read a few articles on bartering and trading in the 21st century and I whole-heartedly dig the idea! Of course, bartering/trading will only work for service professions but I think the idea is fantastic. We've practiced trading on a small scale with some mommy friends by doing a babysitting swap group and it's worked out perfectly!

Well, Matt went in prepared to offer the doctor a personalized bound hard cover journal. (My husband is a man of unique hobbies. He built a book press in our basement and can publish and bind small books and journals.) I was skeptical the doc would take Matt up on his offer but proud of Matt for thinking so creatively and being willing to try!

Long story longer, the doc said YES to Matt's offer! He loved the journal and promptly left the examining room to get Matt some free antibiotics.

However, as the title of this post alludes, the transaction wasn't successful. The antibiotics the doc offered to Matt contained penicillin. Of which Matt is highly allergic. Bummer.

Now Matt is obliged to make the doctor a journal despite the fact that he didn't get any free meds out of the deal. Oh well. A handmade journal will certainly make for a good patient-doc relationship! I'm excited that the deal almost worked. Gives me hope and confidence that we can try bartering again in the future.

Have any of you ever tried the bartering method?

Date night suggestions?

Matt and I get a date night this Friday night!!!!

My girlfriends and I have recently organized a babysitting swap service. Since we don't have family in the area and we can't afford babysitters Matt and I very rarely get date nights.

Through our swapping system we'll watch each other's kiddos for credit and then cash in for some much-needed couple time. A win-win situation for all of us!

Our date night is approaching fast and Matt and I still don't have a gameplan. We hoped to go putt-putt golfing but the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms. We'll most likely eat dinner at home with the kids and then sneak away for 3-4 hours.

We're thinking a movie and then maybe dessert somewhere. Any recommendations for movies? I am so out of touch with movies that I don't know what's playing besides Wolverine. Which we might end up seeing. :) Romantic, eh? We're weird that way. We like a good action-packed movie if we're going to shell out the money to see a flick on the big screen.

Any other suggestions for an on-the-cheap date?

A plug for Revolution Money Exchange

If you haven't yet signed up on Jenny's blog for Revolution Money Exchange, let me encourage you to sign up before May 15th. Right now Revolution Money Exchange is giving away $25 in online cash to people signing up for new accounts. And the offer is ending soon!

Revolution Money Exchange (RME) is a new competitor of the ever-popular Paypal. Unlike Paypal, RME has no transaction fees whatsoever.

I originally wasn't going to sign up; this seemed like just another thing that I wasn't going to use so why bother going through the process.

But I really hadn't thought it through. This is $25 free dollars we're talking about and applicable to use at hundreds of online stores. So I invested 2 minutes and signed myself up! I need some new black flip-flops and there's a pair at Urban Outfitters that's going to be mine using this free 25 bucks. Or maybe a pair from Kohl's where my free cash can go farther . . . The possibilities are delightful!

So sign up! Use this link or the button at right and I'll even get a bonus $10 for referring you. (And you'll be happy to know that I'll be donating any referral money to a dear friend who is switching to cloth diapers.)

Woo-hoo for happy free money! What do you plan to spend your free $25 on?

Clarification: I just tried to use my RME money online and it didn't work the way I expected. Turns out you have to link your RME money to your checking account, pass the money to your checking account, and then you can use it. (There are a few small business websites you can use the RME cash with directly - you just have to search them out.) Or you can request the money in the form of a check. Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you! Have any of you used this RME stuff? If so, do you have any tips for us newbies?

Phone survey

Since I'm tired of posting about all-things-potty-training, thought I'd probe your brains for some information about phone usage.

For several years we've tried to save money by not paying for long-distance access on our home phone. Instead we purchase the long-distance calling cards from Sam's Club and then keep recharging them when we run out of minutes. We currently use SBC as both our phone and internet provider.

That system seems to have saved us money in years past but now that phone and internet providers have literally exploded on the market, I think it's time to change up our system. Even without long-distance on our phone we still pay 15-20 bucks a month for the phone. Plus we recharge our phone card ($26 a pop) about every two months. My mom is a vonage user and her $15 a month goes a long way - including lots of free long-distance minutes. Any of you use vonage?

I should also add that we do not own cell phones (I know, we're rare birds in this day and age). We have a cheap trac phone that we use for emergencies but that's it.

What do you do for phone usage and about how much do you pay monthly (if you don't mind sharing)?

Some sweet deals

I found some amazingly sweet deals yesterday while shopping with Chloe. I came across this flower cake pan on the Wal-mart clearance aisle and it wasn't packaged or priced anywhere. So, a manager had to be called and he offered a price of $2 for the pan. I immediately snatched it up and declared it mine (trying not to be too enthusiastic in case he sensed that and upped the price on me). Chloe's 2nd bday party is now going to be flower-themed and I'm about to dive into the world of wilton cake decorating!

Another good deal we found as at a local bread thrift store. We have a bread company located in our town and the thrift store adjoins the factory (makes for some yummy smells!). We picked up 2 loaves of 12 grain bread (without HFCS in the ingredient listing - yay!) for $1.50 total. I popped them in the freezer and we'll be set on bread for a few weeks.

Jo-ann's was our last stop and as always, we found some deals. I was looking for ribbon for a project and ended up finding LOTS of sale ribbon. Chloe decided to poop and be extra curious (and I was the dummy who let her out of the cart) so I didn't have time to thoroughly investigate all the sale ribbons. I plan to go back though and see if I can find enough ribbon to make a skirt for Chloe. I'll keep you posted on that budding sewing project!

What deals has the Lord brought across your path lately?