This frugal tip is coming at you from a place I’m at currently at in my life. đ I’ve been feeling lately, like we could use some new things for our home. A new couch, a new rug, furniture that can double for storage…the list goes on and the imaginary costs keep going up. So, my frugal tip today is:
Rearrange or re-purpose your current furniture.
By simply moving around some furniture in your home, you’ll be amazed at how fresh everything can feel. It’s as though you purchased new furniture, but in actuality, you didn’t spend a cent!
Have you done this when you’ve felt your home is feeling a bit lackluster?
Do you have quite a few diaper wipe containers sitting around waiting to be put to use for something other than a wipes holder? Here are some unique ideas to help you put them to good use!
Gift boxes:
Decorate the boxes with scrapbook paper, buttons, paint or whatever you fancy, then fill them with a bunch of goodies that you know the recipient will enjoy.
Treasure chest for birthday party loot bags:
Create a treasure map leaving clues for little pirates, which will lead them to their "treasure chest" loot bags.
Craft supply holder:
Fill the containers with various craft supplies such as crayons or glitter containers. Then label the outside to make it easy to find what you need.
Toy for babies:
Babies might like to put objects into the top of the box, then you could empty it, then baby could start all over.
Piggy bank:
Get you kids to decorate the boxes in their own way to make saving money fun
Plastic bag holder:
If you have an abundance of plastic grocery bags, the containers might make a great way to keep them all in one tidy spot.
Hair accessory organization:
Wrangle up all the bobby pins, elastics and clips by using a wipes container.
Coupon storage box:
Create some category dividers using recipe cards then organize all your coupons in a handy little box.
First aid kit:
Keep all the basic first aid supplies on hand at all times. Great for in the car!
We have been trying very hard to adapt to the frugal living. Do the no shop challenge or pantry challenge. But having a hard time finding ways to feed the bottomless pit of a teenager on a shoestring budget. Thanks so much for any help!
If youâre looking for a fun and unique way to find some new Canadian coupons, then why not consider starting a free coupon exchange at your local grocery store? My local Co-op started such an exchange recently, and itâs turning out to be quite the talking point.
Unlike most coupon trading programs, this particular exchange works on an honesty basis but is extremely effective. Very simply, a basket labeled âCoupon Exchangeâ is located in the entrance to the store, and customers can take and replace grocery coupons as they wish.
You could say it works like a âtake a penny, leave a pennyâ tray.
When I first noticed this coupon exchange basket a few weeks ago, I couldnât help but get excited by the idea. Since the basket is located at the entrance to the store, itâs in the perfect place to browse for coupons that might be useful on that particular shopping trip. If you donât use them then you can just pop them back in the tray on your way out.
Now that this coupon exchange is in effect, I always bring a few good food coupons along with me whenever I shop at Co-op and add them to the tray for the benefit of others. Iâve noticed that the supply of good coupons has increased gradually since the program was started a few weeks ago, which indicates that the general response to the idea has been really good.
Maybe this is the start of a new trend in supermarkets across Canada? If youâre interested in starting up a similar coupon exchange at your own local store, then why not have a chat with the staff at the Customer Service Desk? If they agree to your idea then you could volunteer to donate the basket and a few of your own coupons to really get the ball rolling.
Louise Fiolek is the author of CanadianCouponSaver.com, a website dedicated to helping Canadians save money with coupons, daily deals, free stuff and frugal living tips. She enjoys encouraging others to live well and enjoy life to the fullest, while being savvy to money-saving opportunities.
It's finally finished! And I'm anxious to show you the room we created for our baby. Keep in mind that I like simple and minimal so it may be boring to some of you! I had a lot of fun doing this because I have a bit of an interior decorating background and hadn't really done any designing for a long time! Decorating to me these days, is about creating a comfortable room that is done on the cheap. That means I DIY'd and repurposed quite a few items to create our baby room on a budget! Oh, and since we didn't know the gender of our little one, I tried to make it as neutral as possible.
At the end of the post I'll have a source list with our approximate costs and links to my crafty projects đ
The curtain fabric that inspired the colours in the room:
I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. đ We obviously decided to forgo a rocking chair due to space restrictions since we have the single bed in there. We traded our double bed for a single bed my parents had since they couldn't store all the beds! I was going to buy one of those thick changing pads to put on top of the dresser, but decided that the bed could work just as well.
I’ve got a simple tip for you today that could help you save money on your grocery bill as well as precious time!
Keep a running grocery list on your fridge or in another handy spot to list items you’re running low on or have run out of. Not only will having a list help you to only buy the items you need but it will save you from making multiple trips to the store each week. Saving you money because you’re only buying what you need and you’re not using unnecessary gas to get to the store! Never mind the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t forget to buy anything important!
