This came together in about half an hour, was free, and it's cute and functional. Thanks, BJ!
11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Showing posts with label to be frugal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to be frugal. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
How to Make An Easy Night Stand
While visiting a friend recently, I got the idea to make a simple night stand for my newly assembled guest bedroom. (Thank you, 19-year-old boy, for leaving your bedroom for me to girl up.) She used two piles of books and a TV-tray. When I expressed to her that I had lots of extra books I didn't know what to do with, but no extra TV-trays lying around at home, she dug into her storage and gave me one! What else are friends for? She blogged about her nightstand HERE, and now I'm blogging about mine....
This came together in about half an hour, was free, and it's cute and functional. Thanks, BJ!
This came together in about half an hour, was free, and it's cute and functional. Thanks, BJ!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Teenagers and a Clothing Allowance
One of the reasons many people I know decide not to have a large family is because they believe they won't be able to afford the costs of raising so many children. This is certainly a reasonable opinion, but if that's what stopping you, I'd like to share one way I save money and teach valuable lessons when it comes to teenagers and clothing.
If you've been to the mall lately, you know how expensive clothes for teenagers are. I have seen shirts for $40, jeans for $70 and sweaters for $80. How can one possibly afford to keep their children clothed, but still trendy, at these prices? Walmart is always an option, but I've found that most Walmart clothing is very low quality and doesn't last the year. You get what you pay for, right?
With three teenagers at home, this is what I do...
When a child reaches the age of 12, I no longer give them an allowance like I did from ages 5 to 11. (Incidentally, their allowance was their age in dollars every two weeks.) Once their twelfth birthday hits, they then receive a "clothing allowance". I pay this to them in the fall, right before school starts, at the beginning of the new year, and at the start of the summer vacation. Depending on the condition of their current wardrobe, I give them about $300 each before the beginning of each semester, and about $150 each for the summer. Let's break this down, so you can see how this adds up over the year.
3 kids times $300 (fall semester)
PLUS
3 kids times $300 (spring semester)
PLUS
3 kids times $150 (summer)
EQUALS
$2250
DIVIDED BY 12 MONTHS EQUALS
$187.50 per month
If you only have one teenager, this is only $62.50 per month.
It seems like a lot, but read further, and you may change your mind. However, if these figures don't work for your budget, you can change them as you see fit.
So what do I expect my kids to buy with their clothing allowance?
-shirts
-pants
-sweaters
-coats
-underwear
-bras
-socks
-shoes
-swim suits
-hats
-gloves
-belts
-scarves
-jewelry
...and anything else they want to put on their bodies.
As you can imagine, this allowance goes quickly, and it behooves each child to wisely consider which way their money will go. Will they spend it at Pacsun in the mall? Will they buy their underwear and socks at Walmart? Will they venture into some of our favorite thrift stores? Honestly, I absolutely love seeing what they come up with.
Last year, the 18-year-old boy spent $100 on a leather jacket, $60 on a pair of jeans, and $40 on a button-down shirt...
(photos shown are examples)
Total for one outfit: $200
These decisions left him very little in his budget for anything else.
In contrast, the 15-year-old girl bought all of her socks and underwear at Walmart, then spent the remainder at a local thrift store, purchasing a total of about seven pairs of pants, some for only $5, and ten shirts, some for only $3, a jacket, sweaters, and some scarves.
(photos shown are examples)
Total for one outfit: $13
Okay, so honestly, probably the $200 outfit is a tad cooler, but $187 cooler? I think not.
Often, other learning experiences present themselves as well. Sometimes, during the school year, one of the teenagers will come to me and say, "Mom. I need some socks. All of mine have holes in them," to which I will reply, "Great, we'll write it on the list of things we need at the store if you'll just give me some of your clothing allowance to cover it."
This response will almost always be met with a look of confusion and/or disappointment and/or consternation, sometimes even ensuing in an argument. But I remain firm, and if they have spent all of their clothing allowance, then I give them the opportunity to work to earn the money they need for their additional clothing desires. My going work rate is $5 an hour, which can be earned by doing any number of things, such as being my personal servant, giving me a shoulder rub, babysitting, etc.
So there you have it...how we do clothing for teenagers. How do you clothe your teenagers, but still keep them trendy? Let's talk.
P.S. To read about how other moms of teens do clothing, go to the JuiceBoxJungle Facebook fan page HERE.
On 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time today:
It's Cereal and Pipe Cleaner Time! Click the pic to see.
On life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day today:
{a vase}
If you've been to the mall lately, you know how expensive clothes for teenagers are. I have seen shirts for $40, jeans for $70 and sweaters for $80. How can one possibly afford to keep their children clothed, but still trendy, at these prices? Walmart is always an option, but I've found that most Walmart clothing is very low quality and doesn't last the year. You get what you pay for, right?
With three teenagers at home, this is what I do...
When a child reaches the age of 12, I no longer give them an allowance like I did from ages 5 to 11. (Incidentally, their allowance was their age in dollars every two weeks.) Once their twelfth birthday hits, they then receive a "clothing allowance". I pay this to them in the fall, right before school starts, at the beginning of the new year, and at the start of the summer vacation. Depending on the condition of their current wardrobe, I give them about $300 each before the beginning of each semester, and about $150 each for the summer. Let's break this down, so you can see how this adds up over the year.
3 kids times $300 (fall semester)
PLUS
3 kids times $300 (spring semester)
PLUS
3 kids times $150 (summer)
EQUALS
$2250
DIVIDED BY 12 MONTHS EQUALS
$187.50 per month
If you only have one teenager, this is only $62.50 per month.
It seems like a lot, but read further, and you may change your mind. However, if these figures don't work for your budget, you can change them as you see fit.
So what do I expect my kids to buy with their clothing allowance?
-shirts
-pants
-sweaters
-coats
-underwear
-bras
-socks
-shoes
-swim suits
-hats
-gloves
-belts
-scarves
-jewelry
...and anything else they want to put on their bodies.
As you can imagine, this allowance goes quickly, and it behooves each child to wisely consider which way their money will go. Will they spend it at Pacsun in the mall? Will they buy their underwear and socks at Walmart? Will they venture into some of our favorite thrift stores? Honestly, I absolutely love seeing what they come up with.
Last year, the 18-year-old boy spent $100 on a leather jacket, $60 on a pair of jeans, and $40 on a button-down shirt...
(photos shown are examples)
Total for one outfit: $200
These decisions left him very little in his budget for anything else.
In contrast, the 15-year-old girl bought all of her socks and underwear at Walmart, then spent the remainder at a local thrift store, purchasing a total of about seven pairs of pants, some for only $5, and ten shirts, some for only $3, a jacket, sweaters, and some scarves.
(photos shown are examples)
Total for one outfit: $13
Okay, so honestly, probably the $200 outfit is a tad cooler, but $187 cooler? I think not.
Often, other learning experiences present themselves as well. Sometimes, during the school year, one of the teenagers will come to me and say, "Mom. I need some socks. All of mine have holes in them," to which I will reply, "Great, we'll write it on the list of things we need at the store if you'll just give me some of your clothing allowance to cover it."
This response will almost always be met with a look of confusion and/or disappointment and/or consternation, sometimes even ensuing in an argument. But I remain firm, and if they have spent all of their clothing allowance, then I give them the opportunity to work to earn the money they need for their additional clothing desires. My going work rate is $5 an hour, which can be earned by doing any number of things, such as being my personal servant, giving me a shoulder rub, babysitting, etc.
So there you have it...how we do clothing for teenagers. How do you clothe your teenagers, but still keep them trendy? Let's talk.
P.S. To read about how other moms of teens do clothing, go to the JuiceBoxJungle Facebook fan page HERE.
On 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time today:
It's Cereal and Pipe Cleaner Time! Click the pic to see.
On life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day today:
{a vase}
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
How to Make Powdered Sugar
As if yesterday's post wasn't informative enough, I have something today that will change the way you view your world. Okay, I'm exaggerating, and maybe I'm the only person in the world who finds this tip I recently learned fascinating, but I'm going to share it with you anyway.
My kids love to bake and they love to make confections which require icing or frosting. Everyone knows that to make these dessert toppers, one must have confectioners sugar on hand. This is easily accomplished for most people, but for us, living in a tiny farm town in Mexico does not always allow for this kind of convenience. Sometimes we simply run out of powdered sugar before we anticipated we would and are left to purchase it at the over-priced convenience store down the street, or, if we decide to have a baking spree late at night, the over-priced convenience store will have already closed at 8:00, thus leaving us in a terrible quandary. Here is how we make our own powdered sugar in the frequent case of emergency...
Step 1: In a blender, pour one cup of refined sugar. Turn blender to high and blend until refined sugar becomes powdered sugar.
The cool thing is that when you remove the lid, a cloud of sugar dust will waft into the air, like this...
(Actually, this is only cool if you have kids helping. If you don't, it's annoying because then you have to dust any nearby small appliances.)
Here's what it looks like when it's finished...
...and here's what we used it for in our case of emergency...
(For this somewhat healthy 100% whole wheat orange-glazed doughnut recipe, click HERE.)
You're welcome. Thanks for listening.
My kids love to bake and they love to make confections which require icing or frosting. Everyone knows that to make these dessert toppers, one must have confectioners sugar on hand. This is easily accomplished for most people, but for us, living in a tiny farm town in Mexico does not always allow for this kind of convenience. Sometimes we simply run out of powdered sugar before we anticipated we would and are left to purchase it at the over-priced convenience store down the street, or, if we decide to have a baking spree late at night, the over-priced convenience store will have already closed at 8:00, thus leaving us in a terrible quandary. Here is how we make our own powdered sugar in the frequent case of emergency...
Step 1: In a blender, pour one cup of refined sugar. Turn blender to high and blend until refined sugar becomes powdered sugar.
The cool thing is that when you remove the lid, a cloud of sugar dust will waft into the air, like this...
(Actually, this is only cool if you have kids helping. If you don't, it's annoying because then you have to dust any nearby small appliances.)
Here's what it looks like when it's finished...
...and here's what we used it for in our case of emergency...
(For this somewhat healthy 100% whole wheat orange-glazed doughnut recipe, click HERE.)
You're welcome. Thanks for listening.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Homemaker Monday: How to Make High-Quality Fire Starters Out of Trash
Welcome to the 68th weekly edition of...
Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.
YOURS: This week's "YOURS" again goes to Tara over at Feels Like Home. She was featured last week as well, but I had to pick her again for her post on "The Best Pecan Pie EVER"! Since Thanksgiving is in four days, I knew this would be the perfect link to include. Plus, her photo is so delectable and mouth-watering...
For Tara's recipe, click HERE. Thank you so much, Tara, for faithfully participating in Homemaker Monday every week and we'll look forward to more great tips and recipes from you in the future!
MINE: I kind of have an obsession with dryer lint. I can't seem to throw it away. It's just that it's so soft and fluffy and sometimes it's vibrantly colored. Once, about ten years ago, I saved up enough to fill a gallon Ziploc bag and this I used as a decorative pillow insert. This worked very well until the Ziploc bag broke and the pillow became very dusty. After that I never really found a good use for dryer lint, except to put in a 72-hour emergency kit to use as a fire starter. That is, until now.
Way back on November 9, 2008, a woman named Carol was featured on THIS Homemaker Monday and she linked a tutorial I never forgot. However, I never got up the gumption to try it until last week, and now I will share with you what I learned.
Carol taught that one can make high quality fire starters using dryer lint, cardboard egg cartons and candle wax. Here's why this is important to me...we heat our home with FOUR wood-burning stoves. Each box of fire starters we purchase is about $10, which means $.50 each time we start a fire. This can add up quickly, so I finally decided to give these a go. Here's how it went...
Here's what you'll need...
Step 1: Place egg carton on a towel...
Step 2: Place a small wad of dryer lint into each egg receptacle...
Step 3: Melt the wax in the old candle you didn't like the smell of. I did it by sitting them atop my wood-burning stove...
...and pour this over the dryer lint...
Step 4: Let dry until hardened, then separate each egg receptacle with scissors or a serrated knife. Here is your finished product...
(I know, not too pretty, but you just wait.)
Here is the true picture of how they work.
First we stacked large logs into our wood-burning stove...
We then placed the fire starter under a couple of the logs...
The fire starter caught within seconds, which was much more awesome than the fire starters we buy at Walmart...
It burned for about fifteen minutes...
...but soon thereafter, to my shock and chagrin, began to dwindle...
...until only the bottom of the large logs were glowing...
I was so crestfallen. However, I thought that perhaps the momentum could be picked up again by inserting another fire starter in the same location. This one caught just as awesomely as the first...
...and kept burning...
and burning...
...and burning until these beautiful logs were lit and we had a full-fledged fire! Woohoo!
Conclusion: For trash, these fire starters are awesome and I won't be purchasing the fancy fire starter boxes at Walmart ever again!
OURS: Okay, let's hear what all of your awesome homemakers have for us today. Feel free to link an old post if you don't have something especially prepared for today. Thank you so much for linking up and I hope you have a wonderful Homemaker Monday!
Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.
YOURS: This week's "YOURS" again goes to Tara over at Feels Like Home. She was featured last week as well, but I had to pick her again for her post on "The Best Pecan Pie EVER"! Since Thanksgiving is in four days, I knew this would be the perfect link to include. Plus, her photo is so delectable and mouth-watering...
For Tara's recipe, click HERE. Thank you so much, Tara, for faithfully participating in Homemaker Monday every week and we'll look forward to more great tips and recipes from you in the future!
MINE: I kind of have an obsession with dryer lint. I can't seem to throw it away. It's just that it's so soft and fluffy and sometimes it's vibrantly colored. Once, about ten years ago, I saved up enough to fill a gallon Ziploc bag and this I used as a decorative pillow insert. This worked very well until the Ziploc bag broke and the pillow became very dusty. After that I never really found a good use for dryer lint, except to put in a 72-hour emergency kit to use as a fire starter. That is, until now.
Way back on November 9, 2008, a woman named Carol was featured on THIS Homemaker Monday and she linked a tutorial I never forgot. However, I never got up the gumption to try it until last week, and now I will share with you what I learned.
Carol taught that one can make high quality fire starters using dryer lint, cardboard egg cartons and candle wax. Here's why this is important to me...we heat our home with FOUR wood-burning stoves. Each box of fire starters we purchase is about $10, which means $.50 each time we start a fire. This can add up quickly, so I finally decided to give these a go. Here's how it went...
Here's what you'll need...
Step 1: Place egg carton on a towel...
Step 2: Place a small wad of dryer lint into each egg receptacle...
Step 3: Melt the wax in the old candle you didn't like the smell of. I did it by sitting them atop my wood-burning stove...
...and pour this over the dryer lint...
Step 4: Let dry until hardened, then separate each egg receptacle with scissors or a serrated knife. Here is your finished product...
(I know, not too pretty, but you just wait.)
Here is the true picture of how they work.
First we stacked large logs into our wood-burning stove...
We then placed the fire starter under a couple of the logs...
The fire starter caught within seconds, which was much more awesome than the fire starters we buy at Walmart...
It burned for about fifteen minutes...
...but soon thereafter, to my shock and chagrin, began to dwindle...
...until only the bottom of the large logs were glowing...
I was so crestfallen. However, I thought that perhaps the momentum could be picked up again by inserting another fire starter in the same location. This one caught just as awesomely as the first...
...and kept burning...
and burning...
...and burning until these beautiful logs were lit and we had a full-fledged fire! Woohoo!
Conclusion: For trash, these fire starters are awesome and I won't be purchasing the fancy fire starter boxes at Walmart ever again!
OURS: Okay, let's hear what all of your awesome homemakers have for us today. Feel free to link an old post if you don't have something especially prepared for today. Thank you so much for linking up and I hope you have a wonderful Homemaker Monday!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Please Join Us Today for The "Make It From Scratch" Carnival!
Welcome to this week's...
...blog carnival! Being the host, I got to be the first to see all of the wonderful things people are making from scratch in the blogosphere. Rather than tell you about them, here - let me show you!
Liss presents Ricotta hotcakes - *drool* posted at Frills in the Hills.
NtJS presents Seasonal Recipe: Sweet Cherries posted at not the jet set.
The Homemaking Helper presents Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar Added) posted at The Homemaking Helper.
Dora Renee' Wilkerson presents Y-2K Hippie: 07/23/09 posted at Y-2K Hippie.
Law Shay presents Fried Garlic Noodle and Pork Rib Soup posted at Law Shay - Lunch.
Grandmother Wren presents Maya's Birthday Pinata posted at Grandmother Wren.
Fee presents Decorating Cookies with Royal Icing posted at Icing Bliss.
Cmac presents Tofu from scratch posted at Cmac's Test Kitchen.
Abi presents Can Hedgehogs be cute? posted at lighter side.
Karen Bastille presents Make it from a washcloth - Ballet Slippers! posted at Thrifty Creativity - "A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.".
Sarah Peppel presents VLOG: Coffee Filter Jellyfish Craft posted at Parenting Squad.
Rose from FineCraftGuild presents Starbucks Coffee Cup Cozy ~ Easy Craft For The Beach posted at Fine Craft Guild .com.
RecycleCindy presents Recycled Plastic Bag Shell Purse posted at My Recycled Bags.com.
Make it from Scratch presents Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Cake posted at Make It From Scratch.
Katie presents Sausage Zucchini Bake Recipe posted at Kitchen Stewardship.
Alex presents Head Lice Mayonnaise Treatment posted at Home Life Weekly.
ahuli presents Paper Plate Scarecrow Craft posted at Home Sweet Home.
Wise_Bread presents Back to School: Savings and DIY Projects for Craft Capable Cheapskates posted at Wisebread.com.
Annette Berlin presents Easy Pizza Dough posted at Craft Stew.
Mom2my9 presents Quickest Bread Sticks Ever! posted at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven.
So there you have it! Hope you have a great time perusing all of the awesome "Make It From Scratch" posts. Don't forget to leave comments to let our writers know they are appreciated! Next week's carnival will be hosted at It's Frugal Being Green. Make sure you don't miss it! Have a great day!
I am pleased to list this post at...
-Tip Junkie's "Talk to me Tuesday",
-5 Minutes for Mom's "Tackle It Tuesday",
-Tammy's Recipe's "Kitchen Tip Tuesday",
-Blessed With Grace's "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday",
-Mary's "Tightwad Tuesday", and
-Jen's "Tasty Tuesday"
If you liked this post and would like to join me here on a regular basis via email or other reader, please...
Subscribe
(You'll be helping to pay for at least one of the nine kid's college tuition.)
OR... bookmark or share this post by clicking the "Add This" button below... Thank you for your visit!
...blog carnival! Being the host, I got to be the first to see all of the wonderful things people are making from scratch in the blogosphere. Rather than tell you about them, here - let me show you!
Liss presents Ricotta hotcakes - *drool* posted at Frills in the Hills.
NtJS presents Seasonal Recipe: Sweet Cherries posted at not the jet set.
The Homemaking Helper presents Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar Added) posted at The Homemaking Helper.
Dora Renee' Wilkerson presents Y-2K Hippie: 07/23/09 posted at Y-2K Hippie.
Law Shay presents Fried Garlic Noodle and Pork Rib Soup posted at Law Shay - Lunch.
Grandmother Wren presents Maya's Birthday Pinata posted at Grandmother Wren.
Fee presents Decorating Cookies with Royal Icing posted at Icing Bliss.
Cmac presents Tofu from scratch posted at Cmac's Test Kitchen.
Abi presents Can Hedgehogs be cute? posted at lighter side.
Karen Bastille presents Make it from a washcloth - Ballet Slippers! posted at Thrifty Creativity - "A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.".
Sarah Peppel presents VLOG: Coffee Filter Jellyfish Craft posted at Parenting Squad.
Rose from FineCraftGuild presents Starbucks Coffee Cup Cozy ~ Easy Craft For The Beach posted at Fine Craft Guild .com.
RecycleCindy presents Recycled Plastic Bag Shell Purse posted at My Recycled Bags.com.
Make it from Scratch presents Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Cake posted at Make It From Scratch.
Katie presents Sausage Zucchini Bake Recipe posted at Kitchen Stewardship.
Alex presents Head Lice Mayonnaise Treatment posted at Home Life Weekly.
ahuli presents Paper Plate Scarecrow Craft posted at Home Sweet Home.
Wise_Bread presents Back to School: Savings and DIY Projects for Craft Capable Cheapskates posted at Wisebread.com.
Annette Berlin presents Easy Pizza Dough posted at Craft Stew.
Mom2my9 presents Quickest Bread Sticks Ever! posted at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven.
So there you have it! Hope you have a great time perusing all of the awesome "Make It From Scratch" posts. Don't forget to leave comments to let our writers know they are appreciated! Next week's carnival will be hosted at It's Frugal Being Green. Make sure you don't miss it! Have a great day!
I am pleased to list this post at...
-Tip Junkie's "Talk to me Tuesday",
-5 Minutes for Mom's "Tackle It Tuesday",
-Tammy's Recipe's "Kitchen Tip Tuesday",
-Blessed With Grace's "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday",
-Mary's "Tightwad Tuesday", and
-Jen's "Tasty Tuesday"
If you liked this post and would like to join me here on a regular basis via email or other reader, please...
Subscribe(You'll be helping to pay for at least one of the nine kid's college tuition.)
OR... bookmark or share this post by clicking the "Add This" button below... Thank you for your visit!
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