I love ice cream. So I especially think an Ice Cream Sundae party would be a pretty ideal way to have fun. You could even make it more frugal by asking guests to bring their favourite toppings!
Visit Baked Bree to see how she planned an ice cream party in honour of the last day of school.
Related: My Homemade Caramel Sauce
Visit BuzzFeed Food to discover 30 Foods You’ll Never Have to Buy Again, because they can easily be made at home!
This post was a long time in coming since we actually did our mini kitchen reno over a year ago! Regardless, we still learned some valuable tips to help us get the most bang for our buck that may come in handy when you set out to do some renovations.
Our main goal in our kitchen renovation on a budget was to replace the counter top. Not only was it an awful colour (burnt orange) it was showing signs of major wear. The other not as important aspects, were to replace the broken dishwasher and leaky tap.
Here’s what we did to stay within our $1,000 budget:
We don’t intend on living in this condo forever so it wasn’t important to us to have that “dream” kitchen this time around. So, since the cupboards were still in pretty great shape we opted to leave them in place. This saved a huge chunk of money and time! I believe new cupboards are the most expensive part of a kitchen renovation, so if you can work with what you have already, you’ll be well on your way to staying within budget! The stove and fridge were also not an expense for us since they were both in working condition.
It’s important to check out all your options and price things out before you get started on a project. In our situation with the counter tops, we had a few different options:
In the end we opted for the second option because this was the most cost effective and time efficient option in our situation since my Dad and my husband can be pretty handy. We chose the arborite pattern that appealed to us the most then purchased the lengths we needed according to our measurements.
In almost every situation, opting to do it yourself is the way to go if you want to save some change. Since my Dad and my husband are quite handy and are good at figuring things out, this was obvious to us. A couple of times they had to do some Google searches to figure things out, but not only was the reno a success, I think they had fun too. 🙂
Since we decided to buy premade counters, we were left with some angles needing to be cut into our long rectangular counter tops. Rather than attempting to do this ourselves, we thought it wise to pay a small price to have the counters cut with the proper saw at a local business. The possibility of ruining the counter tops (thus having to purchase them again) was enough to convince us to not do this step ourselves.
On our list to purchase was a dishwasher, a tap, a sink and counter tops. We shopped around at Rona, The Home Depot and some local hardware stores and decided that The Home Depot had the best options and prices for us. Except the dishwasher. We bought that from a local furniture store. Even though we bought most of our stuff from one store, it was still worth it to see the other options available to us.
I decided I wanted a really basic (read: cheap) kitchen tap. I wanted to pay less than $100 since I knew I didn’t want to sink money into a home we wouldn’t be staying in forever. There were a few options but none of them were really jumping out at me. They seemed very poorly made and I was afraid we’d end up replacing it again. Low and behold, my husband spotted a really nice name brand tap on clearance for $90 ($100 off!). Once he pointed it out I made up my mind and bought that one. Long story short, watch for those bight coloured clearance stickers!
When it came time to purchase the dishwasher, we were on the hunt for a basic white dishwasher. We found a great one on sale at a local furniture store. Turns out, only the floor model was left. So I asked for a discount to make up for any wear and tear it may have received from others looking at it. The sales associate obliged! I learned that day it never hurts to ask for a discount!
A year and a half later, I’m still commenting to my husband about the spectacular counters he installed for me and the amazing, unleaky tap he found on clearance. 🙂 With all the tips I listed above, we were able to update our little kitchen for about $1,000. While the results aren’t spectacular, I’m happy to have a more updated counter top and functioning appliances!
Have you got any tips for saving money on a renovation?
So you want to decorate. Liven up your home with a new few things. The thing is, the piggy bank is pretty empty. But that doesn't have to stop you. There are plenty of ways to decorate on a budget, especially if you know where to shop.
Here are 5 places to shop when you're decorating on a budget:
Dollar store decor is definitely cheap, price and quality wise, in most cases. But, dollar stores always seem to have a nice selection of candles, candle holders, vases, wall art and more. Not only do they have "pre-made" decor items, they provide a great selection of craft supplies so you can create your own unique decor. As another example, I recently purchased two simple wooden picture frames that I intend on using for framing some nice papers I own to add some colour to the walls.
Thrift stores can be amazing places to go decor shopping. They often carry furniture, paintings, accessories, vintage fabric and more. If you find a piece of furniture you like, but it's a little on the worn side, you can always refinish, re-paint, or reupholster it. Old paintings and mirrors can be re-framed, or frames can be used for new pieces of art. Finally, clean, polish or spray paint the neat accessories you find.
Similar to thrift stores, garage sales can be a treasure chest full of cheap home decor items. While many items might need a little bit of TLC, you may find some beautiful items for sale simply because the sellers have changed their tastes.
If you're on the hunt for some new-to-you furniture, I think Kijiji, Craigslist and Facebook Buy & Sell sites are a great place to look. We recently were on the hunt for a new couch and love seat. I had been scouring the flyers a good sale, but nothing jumped out at me. It wasn't until a leather couch set appeared on a local Facebook group that I got excited. We ended up getting a great deal because we opted to purchase something gently used.
Possibly the most expensive option on this list, Homesense is a great place to look for brand new lamps, pillows, bedding, baskets, dishes, towels, bathroom accessories and more at marked-down prices.
Where is your favorite budget-friendly place to shop?
Clear out your closet and earn some cash by selling your unwanted clothing on consignment! Not only is selling on consignment a great way to earn some extra cash, you could essentially use the cash to purchase the clothing you really want! Maybe a guilt free solution to your shopping habits?
With almost every season, I find a small pile of clothes to bring in to a local consignment shop. It’s pretty exciting to stop by later in the year to pick up the cash I earned for items I would have otherwise simply donated.
Here are my tips to help you get the most money out of the items you bring to consignment:
Give your gently-worn clothes a wash to freshen them up and to get any stains out, you’ll have more luck selling items that are in great shape.
Going along with my previous point, having clothes that are newly ironed will help your items sell for top dollar.
You will have the best luck selling more “current” clothing; nobody wants to wear your grandmother’s polyester pants!
The longer you hold on to an item you know you won’t wear, the less it will be worth when you decide to finally clear your closet.
Not only is consignment great for buying pieces for your wardrobe at affordable prices, it’s also a great way to part with some of your gently-worn clothes and make some money while you’re at it!
What are your selling on consignment tips? Have you ever brought any items to consignment shops?
I love free stuff. You love free stuff. Everyone loves free stuff! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that claims to dislike getting stuff for free. Everything we want can be bought with a price tag, but before you head to the store to purchase an item, read my tips for acquiring the things you need for free.
Here are my 6 favourite ways to get stuff for free:
Borrowing could be ideal if you need a particular item only for a short time. I do this all the time with friends and family. Especially with serving ware used for big gatherings that I don’t have room to store. 🙂
Freecycle.org is an online network found in most communities around Canada that provides you with a way to acquire something you need for free. It’s also a great way to unload items you don’t have a use for any more! You simply create a post stating what you’re looking for, then someone will reply to you via email if they can fulfill your request!
Say you would like a room in your house painted, but you’re terrible at paint brush control. You do, however, know how to build a very sturdy shelf that a friend of yours has been hunting for. Why not suggest exchanging services? You’ll get a painted room and your friend will get a nice shelf in exchange for a few hours of work. Win win!
If would be silly to not mention using coupons as a way to get things for free. While getting stuff for completely free is not possible (you still have to pay taxes), it’s a fantastic way to get stuff you need for pennies. If you follow my weekly Coupon Match Ups that get posted on Thursday’s, quite often you’ll find items on the list that are free when you match a coupon to a sale price. Many companies are also offering FPC’s (Full Price Coupons) these days, most often through their Facebook pages. See also the How to Coupon in Canada series for more coupon details.
For the past several years, I’ve been collecting Swag Bucks through their search engine (and other options), then redeeming them for free Starbucks, Amazon and PayPal gift cards! They offer a ton of different products in their Rewards store, but those three are my favourite. Here’s a post I wrote featuring 6 Ways to Earn More Swag Bucks that may help answer some questions.
At least a few times a week, I’ll post a great freebie offer that a company is offering. The offers range anywhere from sample size body lotions and shampoos to full size products, like bacon! There are also frequent Mail in Rebate offers that will pop up from time to time good for a free box of dish detergent or stain remover, for example. While you do have to pay out of pocket initially for mail in rebate items, you will be reimbursed if you fill in all the paperwork correctly.
There you have it, 6 of my tried and true methods to get stuff for free! Have you tried any of these methods? What are your tips for getting stuff for free?
