Frugal Birthdays

Today we attended the 1st birthday of a friend's son. This little boy is my "fairy godchild" and I love to spoil him. I wanted to have nice presents for him, something that would not stand out as being "cheap" when compared with those spendthrifts in the crowd.

On Wednesday I sat down and drew an artist trading card of a dragon for him. I scanned the artwork and sent it to Walgreen's where I had an 8 x 10 and a 4 x 6 made. Total cost with tax was $3.50.

Today I went to a yard sale and was fortunate enough to find two nice learning toys (Leap Frog toys) for 25 cents each. I also found a VERY nice frame with matting (had a picture inside of it that I removed) for $2.00. Batteries for the two toys cost $2 at Dollar Tree.

We cleaned up the toys with a magic eraser (I love those things!) and inserted the batteries. I created a little limited edition label for the back of the picture to make it look more professional. It looked REALLY nice.

Total invested into this gift was $8.00. I did not get a good photo of the gift before I took it to the party, however, this shows the birthday boy (& part of his mommy) with the gifts.

Summer's End

We have one week left of summer vacation with the girls. They go back to their mother's house in 7 days. This means making the most of the upcoming week. It makes me sad to think of them returning to their mom's house, especially since we will only see them about once every 6 weeks or so. I guess I have to remember that like all things, this too shall pass. Life goes on and we will once again get back into the normal routines of life. I'm sure that soon my blog will once again return to its normal frugal-ness. Until then, enjoy the last of your summer!

Somewhat Professional Pictures

I took the girls to Chatanooga this past weekend for my great uncle's 80th birthday party and a mini family reunion. The pictures above were taken at the rest area at the top of MontEagle. The pictures looked professional so I uploaded them to Walgreen's and got wallets made. For $2.00 I got 8 of each pose to send to family members. That is a lot less expensive than taking them in for professional pictures.

I think I may have loosened my thrift belt a little TOO much this past few weeks with the kids here.

Our utility bill came. Gas & electricity for the month was $203! I know that it has been a hot summer but that is crazy! I need to see about getting a few things in order so that our bill is not that high again.

One thing I want is a timer for showers. I would like everyone to take 7 minute or less showers. The kids are taking 20 minute showers every day. Since I don't want to upset them, I don't normally say anything about it.

Another thing I have to do is make a makeshift drying rack. Hubby says he is going to put up a clothes line in the backyard but until he does, I need to do something.

I hate feeling like the utility company is getting all of my spare cash. It is time to do something about it!