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Reusing What You Have – For Bookends

Several weeks back, my son came to me and was complaining because his books on his dresser kept falling over. He wanted me to buy him some bookends to help hold the books up. So I started looking around at the prices for some that would match his room. Ha! The prices were outrageous for anything that was made for a child, and honestly even grown up style bookends are pretty crazy. I found a few cheaper ones, but they weren’t very heavy and would not have held his heavy science related books as well as his enormous collection of … Continue reading →

Reusing What You Have – Flower Pots

A great, low-cost item that is completely reusable is a flowerpot. /It does not matter if it is made of Terra Cotta, ceramic, plastic or any other material. And it does not matter if you paint it, decoupage it, stamp it, use fabric or use scrapbooking items on it. The creative possibilities for decorating the flower pot itself are completely endless. However, what can you use these items for besides your plants and flowers? Office Organizer Smaller versions of the pots make great desktop organizers. They can hold pens, small clips, larger tools like staplers and scotch tape, and lots … Continue reading →

Reusing What You Have – Baby Cradles

My friends and family think I’m funny when I go to garage sales. My purchases often include things in which they feel might be pointless. For instance, one acquisition was an old wooden baby cradle. It was not in the best shape, and my goodness I am certainly not having any more babies. So what was it for? I thought it would make a great storage “container” of sorts. In fact, I thought it would look really pretty if it was refinished and painted. I sanded the scratches out of it, and then went ahead and painted it. It turned … Continue reading →

Reusing What You Have – Dresser Drawers

My friends and family always laugh when they see the strange uses I come up with for my many different odds and ends pieces of furniture. I have been reusing furniture in new and innovative ways since I first moved out of my mother’s house at eighteen. So what could I possibly find to do with a dresser drawer? Oh, you just wait and see! First, it seems as if everyone has an old dresser sitting in storage or in the basement collecting dust. And I intend to give you some great ideas to reuse your dresser for many different … Continue reading →

Reusing What You Have: Beds

It has been mentioned before, and I will say it again, reusing what you have is one of the best ways to be frugal. Many things in our home are reusable, or can serve a different purpose than that it was intended for. Beth McHugh, who writes for the Mental Health blog here at families.com, left a comment on the article I wrote – Reusing What You Have: Baby Stuff. She shared a really cute idea she had, where she turned a doll house into a book shelf. Not allowing her daughter’s outgrown doll house to go to waste, she … Continue reading →

Reusing What You Have: Baby Stuff – A Personal Account

There are very few people I know who do not have a storage area somewhere in their home, that has at least one piece of unused furniture. Usually there is more. The reasons for storing these items are as individual as the person who stored the item. For instance, for years I had stored my daughter’s beautiful cherry wood crib set because 1)it was an expensive purchase I just couldn’t see giving away for free and 2)there was always the “what if” factor, that I could possibly wind up with another baby. About three years ago (my daughter was six), … Continue reading →

Green Pet Care

Our favorite family companions, our pets, can impact the environment in negative ways, just as we humans can. Earlier, I wrote a post about the dilemma of outdoor versus indoor cats. But let us now cover some ways that we can practice responsible pet care, no matter what type of common pet we own. Kitty Litter Cat litter can have a big impact on the environment. Did you know that those convenient clumping cat litters carry a two-part punch? The clay used in these litters is strip mined, which of course is bad for the earth. In addition, many of … Continue reading →

New Uses for Old Doors

You read that right, old doors. If you’re like us, you have at some point acquired, sitting out in your garage, an old door or two. And if you don’t, consider yourself lucky, or maybe not once you see what fun things you can do with them. Table My favorite use for an old door is to turn it into a table. You can create craft tables, or use them for when company comes to eat (just set the door on two even items at either end). We created tables for our garage sale out of them by placing two … Continue reading →

Frugal Tips to Decorate Creatively

Decorating your home with little touches, is a wonderful way to make it yours, and comfortable. However, it can be extremely expensive when you got purchase all the extras and wall hangings. Here are some ideas for decorating a bit more creatively, with not a lot of money. Tip #1 – Stock up on Frames Keep them on hand. Buy them at garage and yard sales, antique stores and on clearance at local department and discount chains. If someone offers to give you some, take them. Store them in a closet until you need them. THEN, when you are ready … Continue reading →

Decorating on a Dime – Finding the Inspiration for Free

Decorating in a stylish way, yet on nothing more than a very small budget, is possible, but it takes a bit more work than just walking into a store and purchasing all the matching furniture pieces for thousands of dollars. Where do you find inspiration to design the room or rooms of your dreams? New Homes The first place I recommend looking is in new homes. On Sunday’s most new homes have open houses and you can walk through and gain color inspiration ideas, furniture inspiration ideas and decorating ideas. Most of these homes purchase cheap furniture and low cost … Continue reading →