Recovering notebooks is such an easy way to make spiral notebooks more attractive (and unique) for just a few pennies. I first saw this idea at Pittypat Paperie and thought it was so clever. With school supplies in stores at rock bottom prices I picked up a few extra spiral notebooks to use but having them on my desk looked sloppy. 

I am lucky that I have been able to travel a lot and there are many things that I have learned that have saved our family a lot of money over the years. I just got back from Italy and here are just three quick travel tips that I would like to share with you.

I don't know why our family got into the very bad habit of using flavored drink crystals to make our lemonade when making it from scratch is just so simple. Yes it does take a moment or two to do but the taste is so much more satisfying than the weirdness that comes out of a tub of mix.

Once you start making your own summer drinks from scratch you will find that there is a world of options out there. Experiment, find something exotic and pass it on. I would love to hear about what you have concocted.

It really surprises me is that there are so many frugal living blogs were people are constantly trying to get their food bills down to nothing.  Yes I think that you should find recipes and cook food that is inexpensive to buy and high in nutrients but this seems to be a scramble to find the cheapest food no matter what its quality is.

Like any frugalista worth their salt I am already buying my Christmas presents. I tend to start doing my gift buying about 6 to 8 months before the event because I have found in the past that if I try to do it any more than that then circumstances can change and what was perfect before now isn't (dessert cookbook for a sister who then looses 30lbs or sweater for a friend who then moves to a hot climate).


 

Some times such a simple statement can resonate so thoroughly in you. I heard this early one morning and found my self thinking about as I went through my morning. 

I wrote about orphan creamers on April 14th and teased that I would tell you how I use orphan sugar bowls latter. Well later it is. Re-purposing items is one of the hall marks of a thrifty lifestyle but it doesn't have to mean that you can't have any loveliness in your life.

Vintage and antique sugar bowls that have elaborate handles on their sides often look like miniature trophies. While I am using glass and crystal ones here, these suggestions can also work for lovely ceramic or silver sugar bowls. You can often find sugar bowls at thrift stores and garage sales for under $1.

 

This year I was in charge of our raffle for our local boys and girls group. (They basically let me do anything I wanted as long as it didn't cost them any money!) 

I really wanted some new stacking chairs for our backyard for parties. I always try to keep a dozen and over the years they have broken and I was down to 6. I was driving home one night and in our neighborhood someone was moving and had put out 8 of these stacking chairs for the garbage. I drove by once and then drove by a second time slooowwlly. They looked a bit dirty but were all in perfect condition. They were on the curb side.... there was nothing wrong with them...should I grab them?

We are getting ready to open our pool for the season and one of the things that we had to replace was the pool cover. Following my own advice I researched what I needed on line, called around to local business, compared apples to apples and drove 45 minutes to another town as their pool covers, which had been a comparable  price, were now on sale for 15% off. I asked for a 18 x 36 cover (my pool is not that large, it is kidney shaped and we have to cut the cover to fit) which I had been quoted on the phone and was told that they had none in stock and they were not planning to get any but I could get a 18 x 40 which would cost me an extra $25  more than what I had been quoted.

Long pause.....