Conversion of a Common Coniferous Conundrum

When we moved into our own home, my sister and I decided to make our first Christmas a memorable one, which included the purchase of a 7 foot tall Christmas tree. Another occasion which came with taking possession of the house was our going to the sanitation office and signing up for trash pickup, at which time we were warned that sanitation engineers would refuse to empty any trash container which was overfilled. To make sure we understood what it meant to overfill a trash container, the sanitation department employee showed us several photographs of a trash container into which a Christmas tree had been rammed with the lid in various half-hearted attempts at closure. Happily, this specific offense we will never be tempted to commit. For why on earth would two practical people like ourselves throw away (or reduce to mulch) a perfectly good used Christmas tree?

Almost as soon as we wrestled and tilted our Christmas tree into a position which passed for perpendicular, I began scheming at the potential uses of this sizable item which would become available as soon as December 26. However, to make the best of the purchase, we left the tree decorated well into January. After divesting the tree of it’s ornaments, we sawed off the branches while the tree was still standing, leaving a few attractive stumps. The branches were easily disposed of without upsetting the sanitation department. We then sawed off the part of the trunk that had been standing in water and were left with a 6+ foot tree trunk.

My original plan was to convert the tree trunk into a coat rack for our entryway. This was to be achieved by inserting wooden pegs near the top, attaching to the base curved furniture legs to suggest tree roots, and possibly adding a wire bird nest in which to deposit objects like keys and fake eggs. The whole was to be painted a uniform color and varnished. I then shopped around for several months without finding the feet I had wanted and therefore the plan was changed.

My sister had begun playing the violin and was considering the purchase of a music stand. So, we decided to make a music stand instead of a coat rack. I measured the tree trunk and found that after cutting off the top for a music stand, the remaining section was just the height for a table. We had also been in the market for a small table. Each project took approximately two days and cost us next to nothing because we used small remnants of wood, leftover paint, and the only new materials were glue, nails, and screws. Although we painted the music stand blue and the octagonal table green, they make a very nice pair and we declare ourselves very satisfied with the results. But we are not skilled carpenters so you can form your own opinion from the pictures.

 

There really is no limit to what can be done with the nice piece of organically shaped wood that is a Christmas tree. One might turn it into a curtain rod, a chair, a stool, a ladder (decorative), balustrade, fence post, easel, or a rail to which to tie a goat when milking it to make cheese.

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Originally posted 2008-12-27 08:30:47.

Some objects do not need any modification to take on the new role of cabinet. For example, I have for many years used a faux antique birdcage to store attractive books. I also have an attractive wire puppy crate that is no longer in use which could store and display childhood stuffed animals. Other things can be become cabinets with simple additions and changes. Wooden boxes can have lids attached with hinges or wire. An unused aquarium can be polished or painted with glass paint and given an improvised lid. I have often contemplated the potential of spiral bindings from old notebooks to serve as hinges and have yet to try it.

Because looking expensive is not our first priority, my sister and I have a hobby of making cabinets from pine boards, scraps of plywood, and found items. These handcrafted cabinets can be used alone, stacked, mounted to a wall or placed on shelves and furniture. They add whimsy to our rooms and are ideal places to stash things which would otherwise accumulate on horizontal surfaces. Please allow me to introduce a few of our favorite cabinets.

 

• The blue and white cabinet which we call “Little Paisley” is decorated with 2 pretty note cards received in the mail, framed with lace and varnished. The handle is twisted wire. It holds rolls of paper for drawing.
• The yellow cabinet has a glass door made with a picture frame from a thrift shop and decorated with a scrap of velvet and fringe. It currently resides near the piano and contains songbooks.
• The white cabinet with star appliqués holds bags of polyester fill and sewing supplies. It also has a twisted wire handle.
• The “Kennel” cabinet with wire doors contains infrequently read books and 3 miniature dogs which my real dog used to steal off my shelf. I meant to buy wire for the doors but decided to use some more of the big coil of wire we already had. Instead of hinges, I hammered dowels into drilled holes. I don’t mind the slight crookedness.
• The littlest cabinet with the pink interior has a birthday card glued and varnished to the door. This one keeps my bedroom closet pretty by holding odd items such as lotion and rubbing alcohol. My bedroom closet is actually my personal library (my sister and I keep our clothes in the master bedroom) so this cabinet also serves as a bookend.

We are very fond of our cabinets for their flaws and individuality. They are versatile and easily change location or purpose as needed. Those who like projects of this sort should assign drawers or containers (or cabinets) for the purpose of tidily accumulating materials. Potentially useful items are:

• Greeting cards people have sent you. These are often rather expensive and should be given a permanent use.
• Any paper with tasteful patterns or artwork for decoupage. Old calenders can be recycled here.
• Attractive things that are inherently useless, fallen or broken off other items: silk or plastic flowers, miniature and doll house items, buttons, charms, rope, ribbon, pebbles, puzzle pieces, playing cards, party favors, old hair accessories, non-genuine jewelry, etc. Just about anything you fancy that can be affixed by glue will do.
• Things that can serve as door knobs or handles: large beads, teacup or mug handles, ceramic figurines, chess pieces, golf balls, small thread spools, interesting caps from perfume or cosmetic bottles, anything that is easy to grab and pull. Handles can be entirely decorative or absent if you wish.
• Potentially interesting doors are: old picture frames, wire shelving from small refrigerators and ovens, actual doors apparently fallen off other furniture or houses, art on canvas or in frames, book covers abducted from large old books (make sure the book is truly badly conceived, badly written, and in bad condition before harming it!), anything relatively flat and attachable. If you find a great door, make a cabinet to fit it.

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Originally posted 2008-02-28 15:39:39.

Quite a few years ago, when P. Pince and I were starting out, we rented a tiny studio apartment. To make a little more space, we built a free standing loft over our beds where we had a computer, some little shelves and cabinets and one of those pouffes for a chair.

After moving into a comfortably large house, we gradually disassembled our loft and reused the boards and hardware to make furniture more befitting our new lifestyle. Most of the pine boards went into making a large wardrobe called “the Monstrosity” and the top of our computer desk.

After making two little beds (like the ones in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) for our puppies on their first birthday, all we had left of our old loft was a rickety set of steps.

We had often been on the verge of tearing apart these three crudely made steps, but we felt sentimental about the last traces of our former and relatively poorer life. So, I finally decided to keep our loft stairs as a step stool for our library/master bedroom where we had built a wall of ceiling-high shelves.

But I like everything to look pretty in my life in as well as to having a dual purpose, so I turned the stairs on end, nailed on a back and bottom, installed a hinged top on each step, and painted it pink with leftover paint from doing Penelope’s bedroom floor.

Our renovated little staircase stands three feet high and is great for hiding things out of sight, especially long rolls of wrapping paper. Our steps also make a pretty display for baubles and antique books. It goes with our mother’s old dining table which has also been redone with the same leftover paint.

Making new things from old or broken objects is one of my favorite creative/useful activities. To anyone interested in this sort of craft, I suggest reconsidering the potential of any old or broken furniture you own, consider taking them apart for lumber, turning them upside-down or sideways, and reusing ornamental parts or hardware. You could even volunteer to “dispose” of unwanted things for your friends, family and neighbors. One could even start a business selling unique furniture made from reassigned materials.

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Even though we live at the edge of a growing suburb with new houses springing up around us every year, we sort of think of our house as being in the country. It is still a little isolated and teeming with birds, bugs and lawn-destroying rabbits. And now that summer is coming on, the yard smells like roses and grass (we are actually terrible gardeners, but the roses proved incredibly hardy).

And because we call this country life, we built a country themed shelf for our kitchen with a dairy cow pattern on the sides. The purpose of this shelf is to keep clutter off the counter and store towels and non-perishables in an attractive manner.

The materials for this shelf cost about $10, comprising entirely of leftover lumber, paint, and nails from household projects and repairs. Because large furniture will not fit in our car and shipping is so expensive, we usually opt to building large shelves and cabinets ourselves. The cost of this shelf is even less than the shipping we would have paid had we purchased a similar sized item.

It was lucky for Penelope and me that we attended an unusual private elementary school when we were kids where we were required to learn how to saw and hammer and do carpentry as early as age 7. We have built a lot of unique and pretty furniture with these very basic skills and would like to recommend that fellow frugalites give furniture making a try.

For kitchen storage, we like a country market look. This is easily achieved by lots of wicker baskets, egg baskets, and mini milk crates from the dollar store. Clean, unused trash baskets make nice bins for apples, onions, oranges, and bread. We keep rice and flour in large Christmas popcorn tins which come cheaper than storage containers sold without food.

As for the refrigerator, it looks the way it does, because P. Pince is fond of cleaning my paint brushes there (so as not to waste paint) before they are washed.

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Not surprisingly, we, with the help of our rambunctious dogs (especially during their puppy teething stages), inflict a noticeable amount of wear and tear on our home and furniture and it is lucky for us that the distressed look is so popular nowadays. Nevertheless, we have a cabinet stocked with paints to keep our lifestyle on the romantic side of shabby and away from woefully distressed. We are constantly painting, decorating, patching, repairing, refinishing, and making things for our house. Over the years, we have developed some economical and efficient habits which we would like to share.

Thrift store chairs purchased for $5-15 each that we painted in our favorite colors

• For both home or crafts Buy gallon size un-tinted latex/acrylic paint which costs less per ounce than small bottles of craft paint.
• Mix your own colors by adding colored craft paint to white paint.
• You can also purchase pigment to mix as much as you need for a project instead of buying a whole gallon of a certain color.
• Save food containers with lids (such as yogurt and cream cheese tubs) for mixing and storing paint.

Madoline’s closet bookshelf with rosy-pink wall.

• Slightly water down paint for more even application (except with oil-based paint). You may end up doing an extra coat, but will use less paint overall. I find thin coats of paint more attractive.
• Add water to keep leftover paint from drying up and store covered for several weeks. This paint can be used to paint matching decorations or mixed into new colors.
• Instead of throwing away or donating leftover paint as instructed on the can (they want you to buy more) hammer the lid back down and store in a cool place. If very little paint is left, transfer to smaller container to minimize evaporation.
• If you don’t want to use masking tape, carefully paint trims, edges, and corners of your walls with a small artist brush.
• Keep pets and children away from wet paint and be sure to have sufficient ventilation.

Homemade cabinets

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Even while growing up in very comfortable circumstances, I had a fascination with the potential of objects to be used as they were not intended. This interest may have begun with finding furniture for a doll house from household objects and making clothes for my dolls and cats from old clothing and yarns.

My pursuit of improvisation in furniture and clothes was furthered by literature such as novels by Charles Dickens which portray extreme poverty with infinite charm. There is also a children’s series by Mary Norton describing the lives of resourceful little people called Borrowers who see caviar tins as bathtubs and postage stamps as wall art. In one instance of borrower-like behavior, I used for a drawer pull the steam control knob from a clothes iron which had suffered a fall. Close examination will reveal that the knob bears the words “Max”, “Low”, and “Off”. The other embellishments used on this drawer were 2 pieces of star anise and untidy swirls of hot glue under a coat of paint.

A few years ago, while reading about Commedia dell’Arte, I learned that the colorful look of Harlequin costume originated from the practice of medieval jesters and fools, who were poorly treated and probably poorer paid, to fashion clothing from found scraps of fabric for the simple luxury of keeping warm. The romance of the pathetic significantly increased my fondness for patches and deliberate mismatching. The result is that some of my favorite clothes and household items are made entirely of materials left over from other projects.

 

The project I would like to describe in this post is after the example of jesters an fools. I have a favorite dress for wearing about the house because it is short enough to stay out of my way and has no sleeves to get wet when I clean. Over the years my favorite dress has been worn very thin and full of holes. The original green color became drab with accents of bright orange where it had met with bleach. There were also splashes of paint in attractive colors and not attractive colors. In recent years, I referred to it as “my favorite rag” and acknowledged that a sensible person would consign this former garment to the trash as it was not even fit for donation. However, I could not part with such an old favorite and so resorted to plans for resuscitation.

The first priority was to deal with the hideous color. Since the problem was uneven bleaching, I decided to bleach it until the whole was uniform. It took several days for the green to become orange and the orange to become pale pink—a pleasant surprise. And now came the unpleasant surprise. I laundered the pale pink thing . . . twice . . . possibly thrice . . . and it still smelled horribly of bleach which rendered it unbearably unwearable. After leaving the fuming rag in a heap for some time, I recalled once reading that UV rays in sunlight could break down toxic chemicals trapped in carpet. My toxic dress was then successfully rehabilitated after lying before a sunny window for about a month.

The next step was the fun part. I selected fabrics of various colors and textures from the leftovers of many sewing projects. These scraps were trimmed into squares, triangles, and whimsical shapes and sewn over the holes in the old dress. Scraps of leftover lace joined together covered the fraying hem and neckline. The spaghetti straps which were in the process of disintegration were reinforced by a satin ribbon which came to me wrapped around a Christmas present from my cousin and happened to be the exact length for this purpose.

The resulting garment is whimsical and wearable, and if unfit for promenading downtown, is quite sufficient for lazing and working at home or running to the mailbox. As more tears develop, I expect to continue adding patches until the original dress exists only as a lining. My favorite dress will, however, last forever.

I hope this account might encourage a few people to mend or renovate clothing. Sewing machines are very affordable nowadays (as little as $90 for a basic model) and sewing by hand is not unpleasant or very difficult.

In the near future, I will relate how my sister and I made use of our Christmas tree rather than throwing it away after the holiday and how this traditional annual botanical experience can leave you with a yearly asset instead of a waste disposal dilemma.

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Tiny leaks and evaporation put a constant drain on your resources. As discussed in our previous post, From Pennies One Million Dollars Grow, a few cents saved here and there can add up to be a significant amount. Here we offer 101 suggestions for plugging expenditures in various aspects of your life – around the house, in your personal care, transportation, recreation and more. Most of these ideas we currently use or have applied in the past.

101 Drops in the Bucket

Saving on Utilities

• Minimize electricity use during peak hours (weekdays during work hours). Do laundry, use hot water, etc. in the evenings.
• Cook enough for several meals at once.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
• Turn off shower when shampooing and soaping.
• Work or read in the same room with family members or roommates to consolidate light usage.
• Take advantage of natural daylight to get your work done. Sleep when it’s dark, get up as soon as it is light (before sunrise).
• Hold off on personal phone calls that can wait until evenings and weekends when rates are lower or free.
• Wash things on the lawn to water the grass at the same time.
• Water the lawn or garden in the early morning or after sundown. Skip watering on windy days.
• Use curtains to keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter.
• Keep thermostat lower in the winter and wear extra layers.
• Don’t separate colors in your laundry; instead, hand wash items that bleed. This way, you can reduce the number of loads. Saves water, electricity and soap.
• Keep thermostat as high as can be tolerated in summer without harming your pets, antiques and musical instruments.
• Drink lots of cold water to keep cool and reduce need for air conditioning.
• Turn off air conditioning in late afternoon, open doors and windows and turn on fans.
• Using ceiling fans in summer and winter (reverse directions to push warm air down).
• For laundry, set a shorter dryer time. It’s better to have to do a touch up instead of using unnecessary gas or electricity. You’d be surprised how little time some clothing need to dry. If taken out still warm, damp things can still air dry quite quickly.
• Cancel cable, purchase a few DVDs a month (which cost less than cable and leave you with an asset) and watch current shows online at Hulu or network channel websites.

Saving on Food and Health

• Eat smaller portions to avoid waste and overindulgence.
• Eat foods of substance that hold you over longer (i.e. proteins).
• Take baking soda instead of over-the-counter antacids (unless you have other health conditions that are affected by sodium intake).
• Put away leftover food immediately to prevent spoilage.
• Do not overfill refrigerator as food goes bad faster due to poor air circulation.
• Do house and yard work for exercise.
• Get an exercise bike for $150-$200 or pedal exerciser for under $20 and some hand weights instead of a gym membership.
• Water down juice to reduce caloric and sugar intake as well as make the juice last longer.
• Make a pot of tea with a teabag instead of just one cup.
• Opt for stainless steel silverware and cookware without plastic parts as they last indefinitely.
• Use a hand whisk instead of electric egg beater to burn calories and save money.
• When baking – cakes, casseroles, etc. – use a cookie sheet instead of aluminum foil to cover the pan or casserole dish.
• Combine a box of Jell-O with a pack of unflavored Knox Gelatin for lower sugar content and cost.
• Buy quart-size yogurt instead of individual serving cups. They often cost $2.00 per container and save a lot.
• (Cont. from #78) When finished with the yogurt, save the container for storing food, cut fruits and leftovers, or use for various projects around the house such as mixing paint.
• Bring treats home. For example:
• (Example 1 for #80) Instead of going out for ice cream, buy a gallon and a pack of cones and enjoy several ice cream cones at the same cost.
• (Example 2 for #80) Instead of ordering delivery pizza, bring home a frozen pizza. The most deluxe frozen pizza such as Freschetta still costs a lot less than delivery plus tip.
• If you cannot decide between a low-carb and low-fat diet, low-fat is usually cheaper.

Saving on Household

• Use old clothing to make rags, pillows, blankets and pet beds.
• Use a home dry cleaning kit instead of a professional dry cleaner.
• Use less laundry detergent unless your clothes are very dirty to extend the life of your clothing.
• Turn clothing inside-out when washing to preserve the appearance.
• Use rubbing alcohol to sanitize doorknobs, exercise equipment, refrigerator handles, etc.
• Hold the insecticide. When you see an ant or other little bug, wipe it away with a soapy sponge and discourage further visits by cleaning thoroughly and caulking any cracks and entry points.
• Use rubbing alcohol to kill insects such as ants, spiders, gnats, silverfish.
• Use vinegar to kill tougher and larger insects. Vinegar in a spray bottle is also the best and cleanest fly swatter.
• Use vinegar in place of more expensive cleaners.
• When the oven is on, set dishes or other items to dry on top of or near the oven (keep safety in mind).
• Repaint or varnish furniture you already own for a new look or to give it second life.
• If throwing or cutting up old clothes, salvage buttons, zippers, drawstrings, bows and re-usable trims for mending other clothing.
• Rinse dishes before soaping to save dish detergent.
• When doing dishes, put the dirtiest at the bottom so that soap and water can run over them while you’re washing other easier dishes first.
• If you dry your hands or face on a paper towel, set it aside for cleaning floors and other things.
• Use cold water to clean on hot days to prevent getting overheated and save electricity or gas.
• Follow the The Life Stages of a Dish Sponge not only for sponges, but towels, clothing and anything else that applies.
• Use plastic shopping bags instead of buying trash bags. The small size will also encourage you to take the garbage out more often.
• Use small holiday buckets that can be purchased half-price (around 25¢-50¢) after a holiday for trash cans/waste baskets or cleaning buckets. These small buckets can be set on the counter near the kitchen sink to keep dogs out of the trash.
• Water down dish and hand soap. You often pump out more than you need.
• Learn to perform minor repairs around your home such as lighting a pilot light, replacing a thermocouple, etc. (We once saved $70 by changing the thermocouple on our water heater ourselves instead of calling a repairman.)
• Redye color-worn clothing to give a second life. Fabric dyes can be purchased in the laundry section.
• To save your septic system, instead of pouring cooking oils down the drain, pour them into empty glass or plastic bottles, close tightly and throw away.
• To extend the life of your septic system and reduce frequency of pumping, throw toilet paper in a trash can lined with shopping bags (and take it out everyday).
• Instead of replacing your pillow, launder in hot water and dry on thoroughly on high heat (to kill dust mites). You can even cut one seam open, fluff the material by hand, and sew it shut. No one will notice if your stitching is untidy. Consider a pillow cover if you suffer from allergies.
• Use pillow and mattress covers to prolong the life of your bedding and facilitate easier cleaning especially if you have pets or children.
• Use a push reel lawn mower. It is cheaper to buy, efficient to store, requires no fuel, has fewer parts to maintain and repair, and provides for refreshing and fun exercise.
• Use a wind-up clock instead of a battery or electric clock.

Saving on Personal Care

• Opt for a low maintenance and shorter hair style to save on shampoo and hair products.
• Make bar soap last longer by unwrapping and letting it dry for about a week before using it. (You could set it in your closet during this time to make things smell fresh.)
• In personal grooming, wherever practical, pluck instead of wax as a one-time purchase of a good pair of tweezers lasts for years.
• While using a facial scrub, exfoliate your hands (and maybe even your elbows) before rinsing off.
• Accept free samples of products that you use and would purchase – soap, deodorant, shampoo, lotions, etc. – so long as it doesn’t require you to pay money or register for some sort of membership. A sample is usually enough for several uses and can put off need to purchase them.
• Dry your hair naturally to save electricity, heat damage to hair, and sweating. In cooler weather, wear a small towel, scarf, or flannel cap until hair is almost completely dry.
• Curl your hair without electricity. Cut rectangular strips from an old t-shirt, roll up sections of damp hair and tie in a knot. This method has been used for many centuries and gives a very charming style of curl. Mousse can be applied before curling if desired.
• Keep good quality ribbons from gift wrap and packaging (such as for candy, food, and cosmetics) and use these as hair ties for securing the ends of braids, tying a bow over a plain rubber band, or stitching hair styles on your head (with a blunt needle).

Saving on Hobbies, Recreation and Entertainment

• If there are 2 or more of you, wait for the DVD release of a film instead of going to the theater, especially if you like to watch a film more than once. The purchase of 1 DVD is less than the cost of 2 movie tickets.
• Buy DVDs instead of renting. You may see fewer films in a year, but will have assets to reuse or resell.
• If you have a piano, consider learning to tune it yourself, which can save about $160 a year. The one-time purchase of a good tuning kit and manual is about $110. Tools could be had for less, but good tools will better prevent damage. Refer to: Tuning Your Own Piano: A Skill With Many Unexpected Benefits
• Use the library to borrow books, audiobooks and music and rent movies for $1-$2 a week. See The Library Card: Your Other “Rewards Credit Card” for more ways your library can save you money.
• Buy a small potted Christmas tree instead of a large “dead” one. When Christmas is over, plant it in your yard to increase your property value or keep it for next year.
• If you need paper for crafts and projects, request paper at the grocery store checkout. We used to use paper bags for testing clothing sewing patterns. Horse feed bags are great for patterns, too.
• Use reading as a frugal leisure activity that will improve your writing, grammar, and vocabulary which is advantages in all walks of life. The Frugal Literate’s Guide to Affordable Reading.
• Stop paying for classes, lessons, and activities if you or your children do not attend, practice, or enjoy them enough. A break might revive motivation or provide a chance to discover new interests and talents.

Saving on Shopping

• Shop online whenever possible and take advantage of free and low shipping costs to save gas and time.
• When shopping, always check unit prices. Don’t be deceived by packaging size.
• Don’t buy junk food if you’ll regret it eating it.
• Use cash back rewards credit cards wherever and whenever you can.
• Try to limit purchases to things of lasting value such as books, classic literature, reference books, classical music, conservative fashions and acoustic instruments instead of electric.
• Purchase furniture made of real wood and not laminate or particle board. If items contain particle board, at least make sure the framing is constructed of solid wood. Particle boards will bow, causing shelves to collapse, and swell and become permanently damaged when wet.
• Choose latex and rubber toys for your dogs. They outlast plush toys by several years and are more sanitary.

Saving on Miscellaneous

• Use online postage printing and carrier pickup for mailing packages.
• Turn of wrist watches when not wearing them to save the battery.
• Pick up all loose change.
• Use open source software.
• Resist pressure from peers and solicitors to donate to causes you do not feel strongly for or cannot afford.
• Close your bank account and open a credit union account with higher dividends, no minimum balance, unlimited free teller visits and checks, and fee-free accounts. Why Credit Unions Instead of Banks
• Choose credit cards with no annual fees. You could be spending or earning interest on that money.

Saving on Transportation

• Walk wherever and whenever you can.
• Consolidate errands.
• Plan your route to avoid left turns when driving.
• When driving, take your foot off the gas when anticipating a stop ahead.
• Park in the first vacant space you find.
• Plan downhill routes to and from your destinations.

Hurrah! We made it!

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• Disposable trash receptacles. Food cartons stand up nicely and are good for catching bits of trash while you are cooking, saving you the cost of trash bags. The foil-lined and plastic bags inside these cartons are often sturdier and more leak-resistant than trash bags proper and are ideal for holding food scraps and bones.
• Throw-away cat litter boxes. Very few people relish the task of dumping out cat litter, lifting liners full of sopping litter, or scrubbing the gray-brown clumps from the bottom and sides of cat litter boxes. You can avoid this age-old task by cutting a rectangle from of the side of a cardboard carton instead of opening the top, filling this homemade commode with litter, and throwing the entire litter box away once a day. These litter boxes can be set on newspapers or other floor protectors if you have large cats.
• Cheap homemade notebooks. Use flat cartons as book covers, using one narrow edge as the spine. Paper can be stitched or stapled in folded sections or simply stacked. To be efficient, cut the box to fit the size of the paper rather than cutting the paper to fit the box. I made an exception with the sample pictured here because the idea of a notebook in a Jello box was too good to resist. Affix the pages to the spine with hot glue. If you want a bookmark, glue a piece of ribbon or string to the spine before gluing the pages. These are good for address books, shopping lists, anything. They can be covered with pretty paper or fabrics for a fancier look.
  
  

  

  

   

• Storage and desk organizers. Cartons covered with paper or spray paint can be used for storage on shelves or desks. Cereal boxes can be cut into trays for holding paper and file folders. I have covered all sorts of boxes with gift wrap paper (bought on sale) and Japanese rice paper (received as gift) with good effect. A good coat of varnish preserves these items for years.
• Gift boxes. For presents to family members, recycled cartons should be acceptable. After all, they will be wrapped . . . or not.
• Craft materials for children. Encourage creativity by having children make useful or decorative items with the nice cardboard from food packaging. Providing a wastebasket (or cardboard carton) at the project area will prevent mess. Some possible crafts are:
  • Doll houses. Simple or multi-level doll houses (or horse barns) are easy to make. Boxes can be stacked or adjoined, with doors cut between them. Plastic from packaging provide transparent window glass. Furniture is easily procured from cardboard and small cartons (Jello again). These houses can be papered, carpeted (old towels?), or painted. If used as cozy homes for small pets make sure they include no unsafe materials as rodents and guinea pigs tend to eat their homes.
  • Message box. Cover and decorate cartons for each family member to hold mail, messages, gifts and treats. They can resemble mail boxes, bear the owners name, and be hung on bedroom doors. It is also easy to cut boxes into heart shapes as pictured.
  • Picture frames. Cut one face of a carton into a frame and use the other face as a backing. Cover with paper, fabric, lace or other trims (flowers, candy, knickknacks). Glue on three edges, leaving one edge for inserting artwork (or photo), or glue entire frame with artwork inside.

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Originally posted 2008-03-17 06:38:26.

Undoubtedly, the only thing worse than having a “cheap date” is being called one. But in the current economic atmosphere when one should be more concerned with prudence in spending habits, a frugal date, in my mind, is something to be lauded rather than repudiated.

After all, dating is all about finding the person you will share your life and finances with till something beginning with the letter “d” do you part. So this year, and perhaps for a few to come, remember this and cut yourself and/or your significant other a little slack and remember that there are more important things in life than extravagant dinners and presents.

Here we will offer some Valentine’s Day Gift and Date ideas that won’t cost a fortune and hopefully make this Valentine’s Day special and fun. I’ve divided this post into several sections with subsections such as “Gifts under $10,” etc. within each section.

Table of Contents

Click to go to each section, click your browser “back” button to return here.

• Valentine’s Day Budgeting Suggestions
• Gestures
• Date Ideas
• Romantic Foods and Treats
• Gift Ideas
• Gift + Date Ideas
• Valentine’s Date Movies

The artwork contained in this post is by Madoline and more can be seen and purchased on a variety of products from our CafePress store.

Valentine’s Day Budgeting Suggestions

Before we begin, a few suggestions on the finances of Valentine’s Day.

• Discuss a gift budget beforehand whether or not you are married or share finances.
• Set a spending range that is comfortable for both parties and stick to it. (If one person gives an expensive gift but the other a more economical one, awkwardness may ensue.)
• Consider combining your individual budgets if they are low. This way you might be able to afford something pricier that you can both enjoy.
• Consider a “useful” gift. Something more practical rather than romantic that can make your life together more pleasant (long term benefits vs. short term).
• Consider making both your gifts by hand and from scratch.
• Discuss your date budget and activities that you will both enjoy without spending too much.

It may seem unromantic to talk about the date or gift ahead of time, but lack of communication in financial matters (i.e. spending) is one of the main causes for marital strife, so it might be better for your relationship in the long run if you share in such decisions.

Gestures

for Her

• Let her sleep in. Make the kids breakfast and keep them occupied with cartoons or other activities.
• Breakfast in bed. As this year Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday.
• Help out around the house or yard. Is there something she’s been asking you to do for a while?
• Take the kids out for the morning or afternoon to give her some quiet time to relax and get ready for your date in the evening.

for Him

• Let him watch football (or whatever sport is on in February). Bring him popcorn, chips, beer or whatever he likes. If you need to speak to him (even about the game), wait until commercial break.
• Go with him to do his favorite sport or activity. Is there something he often asks you to do with him that you always say “no” to? Go with him, let him show off for you and compliment him on his prowess.

for Each Other

• Ask a friend or relative to take the kids for the day and just relax and enjoy each other’s company at home.
• A massage. Lower back for someone who does a lot of physical work (e.g. housework), neck and shoulders if he/she works at a desk or computer.

Date Ideas

• Tour of your romantic spots. Plan a route including some or all of the local places where significant points of your relationship took place. Pack a picnic to enjoy at one of your spots. Suggestions of places: where you met, where you  had your first date, where you first kissed, where you proposed/were proposed to, your first home together, etc.
• Assemble a scrap book of your relationship. This can be an annual activity done on each Valentine’s Day chronicling your life together in the past year. Save and assemble memorable items such as: pictures; notes you’ve written each other; ticket stubs from movies, shows and sporting events you attended together; receipts from romantic dates; and if married or planning marriage: engagement announcement, bridal shower invitation,  wedding invitation, baby showers, etc.
• Read a favorite childhood book together. Find a book that you both loved as kids, check it out from the library or buy it used and take turns reading it aloud.
• Plan your future. This might be a dreaded subject for the commitment-phobic, but if this is a serious and committed relationship, Valentine’s Day is a good time to plan your future life together. Take a scenic tour of neighborhoods and homes that you want to live in, think about the kind of home you want to own (if you don’t own one already) and start thinking about how you are gong to get there.
• Do anything together. Paint a room in the house, work in the garden, play games, watch a movie, or just anything you both enjoy.

Romantic Foods and Treats

• Pink and red food such as pink butter, cheese, milk, cereal, cake, salad dressing, pudding, rice, sauces. Naturally red and pink foods are beets, cranberry/mayo, frosting, jello, strawberries, jam, and various ice cream.
• Heart-shaped food and treats. With heart-shaped cookie cutters and bakeware, you can make heart-shaped cookies, brownies, cakes, sandwiches, fruit, eggs, toast, pasta (lasagne) or whatever your heart desires.To make heart shaped eggs or pancakes:
  1. Grease the inside of a metal cookie cutter
  2. place on oiled heated pan
  3. Firmly hold down while pouring a layer of egg or batter inside of cookie cutter (careful not to burn your hands)
  4. Lift cutter when shape is firm and flip pancake/eggs
• Give a heart shaped chocolate cake instead of a box of candies. Cake mix can be had for $1 or less on sale. Write your message in frosting on top and save the expense of a card.

Interesting  Fact: The Chinese customarily give gold jewelry as a sign of caring, because the recipient may sell it for money in times of need.

Gift Ideas

Some suggestions for frugal but nice gifts. If you are giving a small gift, check out Madoline’s Eggshell Gift Wrap post from December; this is a unique way to wrap a small gift (such as jewelry) in a way your recipient will never forget.

Price breakdown for specific product suggestions doesn’t include shipping as rates may vary and some items might be purchased locally.

Gifts Under $10

• The language of flowers. If you live in a area where wild flowers are available, pick your own bouquet of flowers for your date. Refer to the language of flowers for meanings for various kinds of flora, known as floriography.
• Plant a rosebush or her favorite flowers in the yard. Plant seeds or transplant a potted plant and mark the spot with a romantic sign.
• Hand-knitted or crocheted scarf, hat and/or mittens in his/her favorite color(s). Yarn in fairly inexpensive and the paper wrapped around the skeins often come with instructions for making something.
• A Digital Photo Keychain filled with pictures of the two of you that he/she can carry around and look at at any time.
• Print his/her favorite poem in the center of a sheet of paper. Frame and matting will make it an elegant art piece and a nice, thoughtful gesture.
• A paperback book with your greeting written inside the cover instead of spending money on greeting cards which might get thrown away.
• For a nature lover, assemble and paint a bird house in his/her favorite color(s)  – Bird House Kit.

Gifts Under $20

• A 365 page-a-day calendar and write in personal notes on the anniversaries of all your special dates – date you met, first date, first kiss, when you started “going steady,” when you first said the “L” word, birthday and other holiday wishes, etc. And if you’re really good at this, one note a day for every day of the year.
• A customized mug with your valentine message or a photo of the two of you printed on it (and date and year if desired).
• A personalized chair or piece of furniture. Go to thrift stores in your area and look for nice pieces of wood furniture. A good solid wooden chair or other small piece of furniture such as a small shelf can often be found for $5 or $10. Sand off the finish and paint it in your significant other’s favorite color. Don’t be afraid to be creative and use colors out of the norm. You will need: a pack of sandpaper, a paintbrush and some enamel paint, or a can of spray paint. All can be found for reasonable prices at Walmart and sand paper and brushes can be found at some dollar stores.

Gifts Under $30

• A nice set of feather pillows so he/she thinks of you before falling asleep each night.
• A set of fluffy new towels.
• For her: pastel colored hand weights to help her meet her fitness goals.

Gift + Date Ideas

As Valentine’s Day this year is on a Saturday, you might be able to spend the day together instead of just the evening. Here are some suggestions for activities for your Valentine’s date are also gifts.

• Make heart-shaped chocolate candy together – Chocolate Heart Making Kit.
• Make aromatic candles that can provide ambiance for a romantic dinner and evening in – Candle Making Kit.
• Personalize His & Hers chairs together. (Date version of the personalized chair idea above.)  Go to thrift stores together, pick out and paint chairs for each other.
• Make dinner together. Cook something neither of you have made before like an Indian curry or sushi – Sushi Kit with instructions.

Interesting  Fact: The word “Gift” in German, means “poison.”

Valentine’s Date Movies

A Valentine’s date doesn’t have to mean an expensive night out. In fact, a quiet night in watching movies together on the couch has more appeal to me. Here are a few suggestions and favorites of mine.

Under $10

• Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn)
• Notting Hill (Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts)
• You’ve Got Mail (Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks)
• Sleepless in Seattle (Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks)
• Sense & Sensibility (Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant)
• Pride & Prejudice (Keira Knightley, Matthew McFayden)
• Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northem)
• Bridget Jones’s Diary (Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant)

Under $20

• Lady and the Tramp (Disney)
• North & South (Richard Armitage, Daniela Denby-Ashe)
• Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart)
• My Fair Lady (Audrey Hepburn, Harry Stradling Sr.)

Well, this wraps up our Valentine’s Gift and Date Suggestions. I hope you found at least a few helpful ideas here that will save you money but not get you called a “cheap date.” Just remember the purpose of the holiday is to honor the one you love, not compete for who gives the priciest gift.

The best gift would be to be considerate of him/her, everyday and not just on Valentine’s Day. Be creative, and be yourself.

Also check out our Frugal but Thoughtful Mother’s Day Gift Suggestions for more gift ideas.

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The practice of gift card giving for Christmas is highly debated, and from what I have seen in a lot of online forums, highly frowned upon as lacking in thought and effort. But I must confess, I am not one of those who frown upon gift cards for Christmas and actually like them. And I strongly believe that in the current economy, gift cards can be more of a blessing to many people than presents.

How Gift Cards Can Be a Blessing This Christmas

Many of us are worried about not having enough money for living expenses in the coming months and possibly years. A gift card to a useful store or a Visa or American Express gift card that can be used to purchase groceries and other necessities could be more helpful than say an Xbox or iPhone.

Multiple Gift Cards Into One Big Gift

Even in times without economic crisis, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with giving or receiving gift cards. Despite the common belief that gift cards are an easy way out and show a lack of thoughtfulness, I think that in a way, they can show thought.

For example, say a family wants or needs a new television (or computer or washing machine if you prefer the more practical) and their friends and relatives know about this. Instead of each person giving a gift, they could all give gift cards that can be pooled together and applied toward the purchase of the big item they really want or need.

This can be for things practical or non-practical. But the end result would be the recipient being better able to afford something more expensive they could otherwise afford on their own.

Why Not Just Give Cash?

While gift cards are almost the same as giving cash, they are a little more subtle and a step closer to the gift category. Giving cash for Christmas may feel a little blunt, and maybe even crude to some people. And while a gift card is just cash in another form, the name and implications are a little more gift-like. With a gift card, the recipient has a choice in regards to what their gift will be – be it food, clothes or a luxury.

Examples of Gift Cards That Can Be Helpful During Economic Crisis

• Visa or American Express Gift Cards

  These can be used to buy necessities such as groceries or household necessities anywhere Visa or Amex are accepted. They can be used in store, online and by phone, but be sure to include the accompanying instructions. I would recommend going with Visa as they are more widely accepted than Amex.

  If you wish to add a personal touch to your gift card, GiftCards.com lets you design your own cards with custom images.

  

• Amazon Gift Certificates or Cards

  Amazon.com has a huge selection of merchandise including dry groceries, personal care items, household supplies, clothing, furniture and home improvement. An Amazon.com Gift Card or Gift Certificate can be used to buy anything through the Amazon website including those from the Marketplace (fulfilled by merchants other than Amazon).
  

• Department Store Gift Cards

  Department Store Gift Cards such as the Target Candy Cane Zebra Gift Card pictured below could be helpful to families with children who need to buy things like school clothes and shoes, as well as things for the house.
  

Thoughtful Gift Cards

If you want to show that you do put thought and effort in the giving of a gift card, purchase one from a store or type of store that sells niche items for your recipient’s personal interests or hobbies. Many stores these days sell gift cards – it’s no longer just the big department stores:

• Toys and Games
• Books
• Music or iTunes
• Electronics
• Clothing
• Home improvement
• Restaurants
• Specialty and niche stores such as our own custom dog clothing and costume business. The recipient can select the item and have it customized to his/her pet.

Of course, if you’re just not comfortable with giving gift cards, there is nothing wrong with a traditional gift. After all, the Christmas tradition is one of luxury, and gifts should be luxuries. Only this year, and every year until the current economic crisis is past, I believe gift cards might be more well received than in previous years.

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This first writing project deals with the circumstances, people and events in our past which have led to our present financial habits. I proposed this topic as the first of our group writing project as I had been planning to write something about our background and why we live the way we do.

We are one of those people who have a somewhat complicated history. In our first 25 years, we had lived in 3 different countries and called approximately 20 different places “home.” After several hours of attempting to put it all in prose, we have finally given up and decided to put our family financial history and relevant events in timeline format (and with authentic pictures), for your sake and ours.

A note before we begin: The time periods used to head each section are names of actual time periods from history; however, they are not all in correct historical order, but rather arranged to fit eras of our lives.

Pre-History

• 1978 July – Oakland, CA
  Mother, an art student from Taiwan, marries a young engineer and flight instructor from Japan whom she feels sorry for because he is poor and alone.

Ancient History

• 1979 March – San Francisco, CA
  Penelope arrives.
• 1980 November – San Francisco, CA
  Madoline arrives.
• 1978-1980
  Father cannot find decent work and receives gifts of money and private airplane (in hopes of stimulating flight instruction business) from our maternal grandmother.
• 1981-1987 – Tokyo, Japan
  Father moves family to Japan for better work opportunities. Father becomes a workaholic and makes a lot of money, buys himself computers and other gadgets but won’t give Mother money for food or clothes. Mother relies on grandparents for help and begins giving English lessons to neighborhood children after learning Japanese.
• 1987-1988 – Taiwan
  Father tells mother to leave and take us with her. Mother files for divorce and we are sent to live with various relatives in Taiwan while Mother works to build up a successful multi-level marketing business in Japan and Taiwan.

The Middle Ages

• 1988 July – Kauai, Hawaii
  Mother marries a spendthrift, workaphobe, and tax evader among other things disguised as a romantic gentleman in a ninja suit.
• 1988-1994 – Several locations on Oahu, Hawaii
  Mother continues to work at multi-level marketing business, Forever Living Products, bringing in as much as $10,000 per month for several years. Stepfather also helps by dressing up in business suits; however, the level and efficacy of his participation is questionable. 

  For the first we few years, we enjoy an idyllic childhood living in nice houses, one with a swimming pool, with a menagerie of pet cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, fish and birds. As we get older, our mother begins to share her worries about our stepfather’s shopaholicism. He goes through one expensive phase after another – chess (during which he buys several costly chess sets and strategy books), golf, motorcycles, guitar, etc. She is also constantly worrying about his tax debt and his refusal to do anything to remedy the situation.

• 1991 – 2000 – Family Business
  Staring around age 12 and 10, Madoline and I become partially responsible for helping to manage the family business, as Mother and Stepfather become the area General Managers and run the warehouse for product inventory. Our duties include helping customers (called distributors) with product purchases, explaining the various purposes of the products, taking orders, retrieving and carrying products to customers’ cars, monthly inventories, compiling and mailing monthly sales summaries to the main office. We continue to help out in this business till around part-way through college, at times running the business solely in Stepfather’s place in later years.
• 1994 December – Hawaii Kai, Hawaii
  Mother is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer with 6 months to live. She begins preparing a will, appoints Stepfather legal guardian, names a trustee to set up our trust funds for the life insurance policy left for our future and education – $100,000 each for our education, $500,000 for the purchase of a permanent residence. Knowing Stepfather’s spendthrift nature, she allots $100,000 for his personal use. One month prior to Mother’s passing, the trustee of Mother’s estate is changed to Stepfather.

Imperialism

The following take place in several more locations on Oahu, Hawaii each successively less expensive than the previous.

• 1995 October
  Mother passes away, Stepfather collects the life insurance and begins spending money immediately. He purchases a new car – on credit so as to retain the cash for investing – and ignores calls from lawyer to set up trust funds.
• 1995 November
  Stepfather meets a man called “Grandpa” who has the investment opportunity of a lifetime; give him $250,000 and he will receive $6 Million in 2 months. Stepfather gives “Grandpa” $250,000 – without our consent, of course.
• 1995 November – Early 1996
  In anticipation of millionairehood, Stepfather spends money as if already a millionaire – takes a party of 10 to the Superbowl (including airfare, hotel and $1,000 tickets), takes entire family of which he is the oldest of nine to Phantom of the Opera, hosts a presidential campaign in Hawaii, etc.

The Great Depression

• 1996 Spring
  “Grandpa” proves by all appearances to be a fraud, though Stepfather continues to hope and chant “Our ship will come in.” All $800,000 is gone, new car is repossessed despite Stepfather’s efforts to hide it a ten-minute walk from house. IRS comes calling for back taxes dating to the 1970’s. All that is left is a modest residual income which would be sufficient for us all to live on if he didn’t spend next month’s check before it arrived.
• 1996 Summer
  Stepfather pushes for me to go to college one year early. When I do not want to do so, he resorts to asking for charity from a classmate’s affluent father. (We are unaware of this until after graduation.)
• 1996 -1997
  Stepfather begins to use the word “frugal” in family discussions, a concept he manages to abide to in theory; in practice, he continues to purchase computers, surfboards, and miscellaneous useless things which are somehow supposed to make him rich.

The Age of Enlightenment

• 1997 May
  I graduate high school and win the Sterling Scholarship for Foreign Language and receive a check for $4,000. Because Stepfather needs money, I endorse the check to him.
• 1997-2002 – Higher Education
  Madoline drops out of high school 2 years early, and does one year of independent study by correspondence in order to save Stepfather $16,000 in tuition, and enrolls in college one year early. We graduate college (with honors ) with the aid of scholarships and the residual income left by our mother. Even though the income is enough to support our very modestly priced education, getting the money from Stepfather to pay our class fees and insurance is like pulling teeth.
• 2001-2002 – My First Job
  I enter the work force after graduating, my first job being a contract 9-month receptionist/secretary for our college’s admissions office. I earn $9.00 an hour and work 30 hours a week. It’s a great first job where I discover I have an affinity for administrative work and enjoy counting how much I make every minute as I work (15 cents per minutes ).

The Great Schism

• 2002 June
  At the time of Madoline’s graduation, we sever ties with Stepfather due to a number of irreconcilable differences. When Madoline graduates and my contract ends, we get full-time jobs together. By sharing a house and all our expenses, we are able to put away about $1,000 a month. After a year at this job, we decide to leave Hawaii and try our luck in California.
• 2002 July – 2003 January
  We hire an attorney to help us deal with Stepfather and manage to transfer Mother’s residual income to us. By this time, the business has dwindled and the income is reduced to about 10% of what it was when our mother was alive and developing the business.
• 2003 February – Tokyo, Japan
  Biological Father now decides he wants daughters again after almost 20 years because he finds himself $80,000 in credit card debt from eating out and buying expensive presents for his girlfriends, and suddenly realizes family is important. Unfortunately for him (and for us), we have long ago stopped considering him as our family. Also, he asks us to help pay his debts which does not sit well with us.

The Age of Discovery

• 2003 May – Our First Apartment
  We decide to try living in the Bay Area, where we had been born. Because we will use up almost all our savings on the move, we look for the most inexpensive place we could find. We find a tiny place on Craigslist – and by tiny I mean 240 sq. ft. – an apartment behind a couple’s garage that will let us arrange the rental over email and let us bring all our pets for $650 a month. (Right: Approx. 1/3 of our First Apartment)
  We pack up our things (3,000 lbs. worth of furniture including our piano which we have had since childhood and couldn’t part with, books and mementos of childhood and our mother) and pets – our 4-year old dog, 16-year old cat, and 22 mice. The apartment is so small that we barely had room left after moving all of our things in.
• 2003 May – Our First Car
  After a couple of scary and extremely uncomfortable experiences walking in our new neighborhood to run errands, we decide we need to buy a car asap. Knowing almost nothing about car shopping and credit, we get tricked into a 24% APR.
• 2003 June – Our First Real Frugal Experience
  Having used up all our savings on the move and down payment on the car, and our monthly check having been delayed, we have $100 in the bank. One night we dig through all of our things, pockets and purses for spare change to buy groceries. Even after our check arrives, we go about setting up our apartment as inexpensively as possible because the amount of the income is unpredictable and unreliable. We begin to find creative alternatives for thing we need.
• 2003 Summer & Fall – Our Second Apartment
  As we are still trying to figure out what we want to do, we temporarily apply for and get jobs as sandwich makers at Togo’s Eatery. After a month, the owners of Togo’s offer us managerial positions at a new upscale pizza shop they are opening in Fremont. The apartment turns out to be in violation of several California building codes, and gets extremely hot, with temperatures above 100 degrees on the hottest days. As we are about to start our new jobs in Fremont, we upgrade to a 400 sq. ft. studio apartment. 

  As limited space continues to be an issue, we go to Lowe’s and bring home a carload of lumber and build ourselves a freestanding 8′ x 6′ loft over our beds with for our computer, cushions and other diminutive furniture. This loft is disassembled for a future move, and later recycled into cabinets, this computer desk (with hand-carved feet shaped like horse hooves), a shipping supply cabinet and beds for our dog.

• 2003 September – Our First U-Haul
  To save money, we rent a 10′ U-Haul for our short distance move from Hayward to Fremont. It’s my first time driving a truck, which is quite scary, but when it’s all done, we can’t help but feel just a little bit proud that we’ve done it all ourselves (except for the piano).
• 2004 March – Our First Credit Cards
  Ever since the car loan fiasco, we have been trying to learn about credit. A regular customer of our pizza shop who works for Bank of America advises us to apply for a credit card. We apply for and get our first credit cards and begin building credit histories. Biological Father wants us to add him as an additional user. We say “no.”
• 2004 Tax Time – Our First Time Filing Self-Employment Tax
  Our first tax season is a disaster. I have no idea about where to start and what forms I need to fill out for the income from our mother’s business. I spend days reading the IRS website and countless forms and instructions. I finally figure it all out and mail out our return on April 15th.
• 2004 June – Our First Loan Paid Off
  We have been saving up to pay off our car loan early (23 months ahead of schedule).

The Dark Ages

• April 2004 – Los Angeles
  Our 16-year old cat is diagnosed with kidney disease in November 2003. He becomes seriously ill in February 2004 and needs constant and costly care. As our pizza shop job does not pay very well due to business problems, we decide to move to Los Angeles for more employment opportunities.
• April 2004 – Our Second U-Haul (Actually Budget Rent-a-Truck)
  Again, to save money, we rent a 15′ Budget Rent-a-Truck for the move from Fremont to Van Nuys. This time the experience has gotten old, and the time constraints to return the truck in 3 days is more than a little stressful. We load the truck and hire a Bay Area piano mover to put the piano in the truck on Day 1, make the 8-hour drive and check into the apartment on Day 2, unload the truck and hire a Los Angeles piano mover to unload the piano on Day 3, and return the truck before 9:00AM on Day 4. We swear then and there as we rub our sore backs that this is the last time we ever U-Haul it.
• 2004 Summer – 2005 Summer – The Lost Year
  Having lost our dog to an accident and our cat to kidney disease in early 2004, we suddenly find ourselves a little aimless. Where we used to be content to stay at home and read or watch DVDs, we now find ourselves restless. For a few months, we wander one shopping mall after another as soon as we get off work (a depressing sales job working for a bald man who shouts a lot), buy more clothes than we need, and are reluctant to go home to an empty apartment. 

  Then we decide to quit our jobs and enroll in some arts classes at the local community college, and re-settle into our frugal habits. We become so frugal that we literally don’t do anything or go anywhere except to the library and to the grocery store. We stop going out except to walk the malls for exercise and window shopping.

The Industrial Revolution

• 2005 July – Franga Designs
  One day, while shopping for a Star Trek Enterprise model for my cousin, I discover eBay. Thus begins Franga Designs, our dog and horse clothing and costuming business named after Mother, which later becomes an online store.
• 2005 October – House Hunting
  Madoline’s designs are an instant hit and we begin to receive many requests for custom designs. Our one-bedroom apartment (638 sq. ft.) is completely covered in fabric, patterns, sewing and photographic supplies that we barely have room to walk. We decide it is time to expand our work and living space, and after all the moving around, that it’s time to buy a house and settle somewhere permanently.
• 2005 November – Homeowners
  We find a charming 3-bedroom house with a nice yard in California City. We make an offer and escrow closes November 22, 2005. To celebrate being homeowners, we go to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (matinee), which to this day remains one of my favorites.

The Modern Era

We are still in the process of settling in our home; with our frugal and DIY mentality, it takes longer to get things done. So far we have replaced all the carpet in our house with our own homemade flooring made from plywood that we sawed into floorboards, built a wall-length and -height shelf for our books and fabrics, and fixed up second hand furniture.

We try to save money wherever we can and build up our savings. Having been privy to our stepfather and our biological father’s mistakes and our mother’s constant stress over finances, we are paranoid about spending and debt.

If you are interested in finding out more about us, please visit the More About Us page.

* * *

About the PF Bloggers Group Writing Project

The Personal Finance Bloggers Network currently consists of 8 active personal finance and frugal living blogs. The Group Writing Project is a monthly project wherein each blog will write a post on a pre-determined topic and publish it on the same day of each month. Be sure to visit the PF Bloggers Group Writing Project page for the others!

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• Finance Blog Carnivals of Late
• Learning From Our Mistakes: Our First (Auto) Loan
• Closing Your Credit Cards Can Hurt Your FICO Score
• Warm Weather Food Safety Tips

With the charms of summer also come not-so-charming and unwelcome visitors. With consistent 100+ degree weather in the desert we call home, 6- and 8-legged visitors (or really more like trespassers) are almost a regular part of life. But we have discovered a few safe and relative effective ways to keep the trespasser traffic under control without endangering our health or that of our children/pets Ludwig and Wolfgang.

Ways to Safely Repel and Kill Ants

Ants are the largest problem for us. In this desert, there are more types of ants than we have seen anywhere else we’ve lived – there are tiny red ants, medium ants, and jumbo ants (luckily the jumbo ones don’t see fit to come inside).

Prevention is the Best Medicine

The most basic, safest and easiest way to keep the ant traffic down is simply keeping the kitchen as clean as possible.

• Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
• Wash pots and pans immediately if you cook anything with meat or a lot of oil.
• Wipe the counters several times a day with soap. A minuscule crumb or little drop of something sweet can quickly bring a hoard of ants.
• Take out the kitchen trash everyday. Take out trash immediately if it contains meat, bones, greasy paper towels and napkins, meat packaging and sweet things.
• Avoid eating in bedrooms, and be careful of dropping crumbs in other rooms of the house.
• I’ve also found that having the air conditioner on helps.

Creepy Fact: When you dispatch an ant on duty, you are in fact killing a “she” and not an “it” (or “he”). Worker ants are all female. The males are only used for breeding.

Ways to Safely Kill Ants

Sometimes keeping clean doesn’t keep them away completely (scouts sometimes explore squeaky clean counters), or if you miss a crumb or two. If you have children or pets as we do, the fewer poisons you use around the house the better. Even if you don’t have children or pets, it is best to avoid using toxins as they will affect your health.

• Vinegar
  Vinegar is our preferred ant killer. It kills small ants almost immediately and is completely safe. Simply spray the ants and wipe them away.
• Yeast and Sugar
  Mix some dry yeast and sugar and leave it out in a place ants frequent. The sugar will attract the ants to the yeast, which once brought back to the nest and consumed, will expand in their bellies and kill them. This method might cease to work after a few times as the ants might wise up and avoid the yeast. Caution: Make sure the yeast is in a location that can’t be reached by your pet(s). It’s not poisonous, but ingestion can be dangerous.
• EcoSmart
  I recently discovered a natural and effective insecticide called EcoSmart, which is made of organic vanilla, cinnamon and rosemary oils. It kills ants and other insects on contact and smells nice while at it. It is also affordable at $3.87 per can at Walmart. This is the only commercial insect repellent and killer we use in our house.

Keep reading for tips on repelling and killing other insects (spiders, roaches, silverfish, etc.)

To Repel and Kill Other Insects (Spiders, Roaches, Silverfish, etc.)

Our main non-ant pest here is the black widow spider, which flourishes during the warm months. When we moved into our house in 2005, we were ecstatic to find that there were no roaches here. However, since then, many new houses have sprung up in the area and people moving in seem to have brought more than their kids and furniture with them. Starting late spring of this year, we have begun to see the first signs of cockroaches in the yard. Argh!

Really Creepy Fact: After a single mating the female cockroach may continue to produce multiple egg capsules for many months. The male cockroach may give the female an edible gift as part of courtship.

To prevent insects from frequenting or nesting in your home:

• Keep clutter down. Insects like hiding in boxes and among paper.
• Keep your yard free of dead leaves under which they can hide.
• Keep all food sealed tightly.
• Keeping humidity level down by having your air-conditioner on can help reduce cockroach population as they like humidity.

Ways to help repel insects:

• To keep them out of the house
  Spray EcoSmart (or your preferred repellent) around doorways, windows, and any other points of entry.
• To Keep them out of cabinets, drawers and closets
  • Remove the contents of your cabinet, drawers, etc. and spray EcoSmart into the storage space. Let it air-dry for a few hours and put contents back in the drawer when dry. There may be a little oiliness so be careful with delicate things.
  • Pouches filled with dried lavender flowers or cedar shaving (you can pick up a large pack in the pet section at Walmart fo $3.00) in your drawers can help keep insect population down. We like to use cotton, polyester, linen, and burlap fabrics, and you can get creative with your cedar pouches to make them look nice in your closets. For extra protection, you could spray the pouches with EcoSmart or some other safe repellent before putting in in your drawer. We also put a few pouches inside the bottom of our piano to discourage insects from nesting.

Creepy Fact: The average spider has eight eyes.

A few ways to safely kill insects:

• Vinegar
  Keep a spray bottle of vinegar handy. Not only is it a good safe cleaning agent but, it is also very effective for killing small to medium-sized insects.
• Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
  Rubbing alcohol (also kept in a spray bottle) is surprisingly effective on small to medium-sized bugs and spiders. We have not tried this on roaches though.
• Cleaning Agents
  For larger insects, spraying them with cleaning agents such as 409 and Lysol can kill them. While cleaning agents aren’t always the most eco-friendly things, I still prefer them over outright poisons such as Raid. My favorite is the 409 Multi-purpose Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner, which we use for everything including floors, because I figure if it is designed for kitchen use, it should be a little safer than those not designed for kitchens. Be sure to completely wipe the area clean after to prevent children and pets from getting any on them.
• EcoSmart
  When the above don’t work quickly enough and that giant spider looks like it’s getting away, I pull out the EcoSmart, which does the job straight away. As with the cleaning agent, clean it up when you are done. It is child and pet safe, but because it is made of vanilla, rosemary and cinnamon oils, it is oily and you don’t want your child or pet getting it in their eyes.

You might ask “Why not just bust out the EcoSmart on every creepy-crawler I see?” The vinegar and rubbing alcohol come much cheaper than cleaning agents and EcoSmart, with distilled white vinegar at just $2.50 a gallon at our local supermarket. Rubbing alcohol is a little more expensive at $2.29 per quart at our supermarket, so that is my second choice. Also, they are the safest and most natural alternatives.

Creepy Fact: Houseflies can only ingest liquids. To eat solid foods, they first spit out saliva to predigest the food before sucking it in.

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Clean with Rubbing Alcohol

Our favorite cleaner is isopropyl, which looks pretty in clear spray bottles around the house. It is not perfumed, does not leave toxic residue like other cleaners, and costs only $1 to $2 for a large bottle. We acquired the mentality of scrupulous sanitizing from singing teachers, some of whom insist upon spraying everything with Lysol before touching. Lysol, however, damages the skin and leaves you with toxic fingers while rubbing alcohol evaporates cleanly away. Only be aware that rubbing too hard with alcohol might remove a little paint or varnish.

Left: One of our handy all-purpose isopropyl alcohol spray bottles that we keep around the house.

A few things we regularly use rubbing alcohol to clean are:

• Library books before reading
• Pillowcases before going to bed (in case pets have used our pillows in our absence)
• Doorknobs
• Cosmetic containers and surfaces (where we keep and apply makeup)
• Closets where we store pillowcases, clothing, and towels
• Office equipment such as phones and computers
• Mirrors
• Washer and dryer openings that come into contact with dirty laundry before we take out our clean laundry

Exterminate with Rubbing Alcohol

Yet another use for the wonderful isopropyl is in killing unwelcome insects. Because we have pets, Penelope and I are very reluctant to use poisons. A squirt of alcohol, which can even reach a tiny bug on the ceiling, makes most insects drop dead (no squashed guts!). A spritz can also drop airborne flies and gnats. There are no worries of children or pets touching and ingesting insecticides, and even adults can reduce cancer risk by avoiding exposure to many household chemicals. For tougher insects, white vinegar is more effective and although it leaves a smell, is healthier for everyone except the bug. A spritz of vinegar is more effective than a fly swatter because the fly thinks it’s water and does not try to escape.

Dilute Cleaning Solutions

When necessary, we prefer name-brand cleaners such as Lysol or 409 as being safer and more effective than cheap alternatives with suspiciously jaunty names. These cleaning products are—as expected—rather expensive and the use of spray bottles very wasteful (a whole squirt to wipe one or two paw prints). Adding water to cleaners in spray bottles allow for spot cleaning or covering large areas with less waste. The amount of dilution depends on the intended use—weaker for kitchen and table, more potent for bathrooms and pet accidents.

Alternatives for Curtain Rods

Instead of using store-bought curtain rods, we sometimes hang curtains from evenly spaced nails over both arched and straight windows. 5 to 7 nails cost much less than the cheapest curtain rod and the result is very attractive. We paint the nail heads to match the walls and keep the grease from staining fabrics. Framing nails are best as they do not bend when pounded into hard wood. The curtains can be hung by loops, ribbon ties, or button holes. (More details will be given in a future article.)

 

Spaghetti as Long Matches

Instead of long matches which can only be used once, ignite spaghetti noodles from stove tops or regular lighters to light sunken down candles and other hard to reach things. The noodles can be used until they are too short. After each use, break off the completely burnt tips, leaving about a quarter inch of charred noodle to make it easier to light next time. Make sure to completely blow out the noodle after use. Some brands of pasta take longer to light.

Scented Light Bulbs as Votives

Instead of burning votive candles or melting scented wax in burners, rub softened scented wax onto light bulbs. When the lights are turned on, the heat from the bulbs will release the fragrance. Even energy saving bulbs get warm when in use. This saves you the expense of candles and tea lights as well as the risk of candle fires.

Paint Plain White for Easy Maintenance

We paint our floors and many pieces of furniture with non-tinted white paint, using the generic brand of our local hardware store. The reason for this is that we have rather large active dogs who naturally scratch, bang, and sometimes chew our house. And admittedly, we humans sometimes drag chairs or accidentally carry large objects into the walls. Using a color easily available, we touch up wear and tear with very little expense and trouble. Of course, our home doesn’t resemble a white void. We simply have to take extra care not to chip the colored things. Diluting paint with water makes repaired areas less conspicuous.

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