Search Results for: blog new uses for chalk

New Uses for Chalk

Reusing items is more frugal than just recycling them or throwing them away. Many times, we can find new uses for inexpensive things that we already have, making an expensive trip to the store unnecessary. Chalk is pretty inexpensive, and if you have kids then chances are that you have chalk, since it is a popular and cheap toy that spurs on the creativity. Even if you don’t have kids, consider picking up some chalk, which may be on sale at the end of summer, and using it for one of the following tasks. You can use chalk with some … Continue reading →

The Frugal Blog Week in Review: Jan. 27 to Feb. 2

Hello there! It is a quiet Saturday evening on the day before the Superbowl. my husband is getting the last kid to bed, I’m listening to my new Nora Jones music, and I am seriously thinking of taking a nice hot bath. Before that, though, I wanted to bring you the week in review for the Frugal Living Blog. I know you read every blog faithfully, so I’ll just assume you want to reread them all again. Saturday, January 27 Save on Paper: Take Advantage of Junk Mail In an earlier blog, Save on Paper: The Three Best Ways, I … Continue reading →

Real Summer Bummer

And you thought Scrooge only reared his ugly head at Christmastime. Apparently, the grump works overtime in Colorado trying to turn young kids’ summer fun into a major summer bummer. Just ask three-year-old Emerson Cohen. The girl and her mom were recently thrust into the national media spotlight when they were cited for defacing property with sidewalk chalk. As in the colorful writing instrument used by kids of all ages for outdoor summer fun. That sidewalk chalk. Sarah Cohen, Emerson’s mom, told local news reporters that she used the chalk to encourage her daughter to practice her penmanship outside of … Continue reading →

Scraps to Scrap

One of the cleverest uses of scraps I’ve seen featured in a scrapbook layout was a collection of candles made from leftover pieces of ribbon placed on top of a die cut birthday cake and topped with rhinestones to mimic flames. Now, that’s creativity at its finest. I wish I could say I came up with the idea, but alas, I am not that ingenious. However, I have recreated the scrap ribbon candle in a number of my own birthday layouts. More importantly, the idea inspired me to find other ways to turn scrap material into embellishments for my page … Continue reading →

Expressing Gratitude

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” I wish I could say that I came up with that line myself. Actually, the zinger is the brainchild of the late Irv Kupcinet, a legendary gossip columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. Honestly, I’m much quicker when it comes to thinking of witty or caustic remarks than finding ways to express heartfelt emotions. That’s why, like a lot of scrappers, I tend not to journal as much in layouts. I simply don’t feel as though I can articulate my innermost thoughts, so I don’t even try. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

Insurance Needs for When a Hurricane is Coming

If you live on the East Coast, then you are probably keeping a close eye on the progress of Hurricane Irene right now. You might live in an area that has not been involved with a hurricane in decades. Now is the time to figure out which of your insurance policies to send a claim to in case your home or property is damaged by a hurricane. Insurance is tricky. In order for an insurance policy to do you any good, you need to have purchased it long before something bad happens. If your home is damaged by a hurricane, … Continue reading →

Creating a Rich Environment for Kids

Since we have moved to our new area, we run into families that are what I would consider affluent. The kids live in large, new homes and are surrounded with plenty of the latest toys, clothes, vacations and possessions. Each home has an expensive outdoor play systems, trampolines, pools, a number of current video game systems, etc. With our frugal budget, we can’t quite compete with all of that. But what we can do is create a rich environment for our kids. I think we have managed to do that, since our house is the current “hang out house” for … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: August 2008

With August passed, it will be hard to hold on to summer, but fortunately, we have a lot of memories of the “dog days.” We also have lots of great articles about saving money, something that is pretty important these days. Take a look at what was posted in August. August 1st Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008 July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: August 11th Through August 17th

Have you heard of the “no pooing” method? It is certainly controversial. At the last check, there were 37 comments on that post. be sure to check it out, along with the other great articles that we have had this past week. August 11th Frugal Living Week in Review: August 4th Through August 10th Saving money, earning money and reusing what you have are all part of living a frugal lifestyle. We know how to do these things in the way we run our homes. But, isn’t it nice when an entire country makes the effort to be frugal? That … Continue reading →

Removing a Cooking Oil Stain

Cooking oil can find its way into the strangest places. The most obvious place is clothing of course, but I recently had a run in with cooking oil on our playroom couch. A little imp got into the lazy susan where I keep all of our spices and oils for cooking and baking. He proceeded to open up a jar of olive oil, which inevitably spilled. With oily hands, he moved on to the couch. Yikes. I mentioned in an earlier blog that chalk can sometimes be used to help get out oily stains including cooking oil. Here are some … Continue reading →