How to save money year-round for holidays...

Over the last few years, money has become tighter and tighter, so I've had to get really creative to stretch what we have.  One thing I have gotten especially good at is finding deals for holidays.

My first tip - go to your favorite store the morning after a holiday.  Be there when they open if you can so you get the best selection! Most stores mark everything 50% off the day after!  Last year the kids and I were at Target & Walmart the morning after Halloween, and we made out like bandits!  I bought both kids costumes for this year ~ K will be a flapper and D will be a magician.  I got both costumes for the price of one!  I also got a crazy lightup tee-shirt for D on clearance, as well as cupcake liners, tableware, decorative items, and so much more.  We are set for this years Halloween party! 

Same idea for Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc!  We were on vacation last year in Florida the day after Christmas, but yes, I did go to Target and Walmart!  I would have been so mad at myself this November when I'd have to pay full price for Christmas stuff. So we went, we shopped, and we drove back to Atlanta with a big boxful of decorations, wrapping paper, candles, hand towels, Christmas cards and more.  Oh, and don't forget to check the baking section - the holiday sprinkles and cupcake liners, etc are usually on sale too! 

Just a few of the things I got for  1/2 price at Walmart, Target & CVS after Christmas in Florida last year!

One more after Christmas tip ~ You can buy Christmas candy like M&M's or jelly beans & gumdrops.  Save them in your pantry or fridge to use the red ones for Valentine's day treats and the green ones for St. Patricks Day!

If your Walmart recently brought fabric back in ~ check the fabric department the day after holidays - you can get holiday prints 1/2 off! I buy fabric for table runners, gift bags, etc.  Easy way to decorate frugally!

Check daily deal sites like Groupon, Half Off Depot. etc for deals at holiday attractions, restaurants and more.  I've already seen Haunted House Deals locally!

In Atlanta, the newspaper usually has a coupon on Thanksgiving Day for the Christmas light display at Lake Lanier that is good for 1/2 off the admission fee for Thanksgiving night.  That's a great deal!  Check local newspapers, or call local attractions to find out if they offer any specials, previews, etc.

Participate in local rewards programs: I'm in one for a local radio station that gives me points by email once a week to use in various contests - last year I won a gift certificate that paid for a nice gift for each of our kids at a local store.  The rewards program for a local tv station gives code words that I enter on their website.  Because of that program, we won 4 tickets to see Peter Pan when it was here in the Spring, plus we got to get a behind the scenes meet & greet with some of the actors, see the stage, see some of the puppets and props, etc - it was a total treat for us! 

Use Michael's & Hobby Lobby coupons for seasonal decor, gifts, and more.  Most every week there is a 40% off coupon in the paper or online - use it on something for your home or buy a gift for someone on your list and hide it away til Christmas! I try to do this all year long so I'll have several gifts for the kids by the time Christmas rolls around. Also check here for after-holiday clearance...In my Fall decor boxes that just came from the attic, I had some beautiful berry garlands that I got after Halloween last year for 70% off - I think they were $2 each!  I can afford to buy more pretty things when they are highly discounted! 

I like to check the dollar store before a big holiday: around the beginning of September for Halloween items,  beginning of January for Valentines, etc.  They tend to sell out of the cute stuff early.  (especially paper goods - if you need napkins and plates, cups and tableclothes)  And don't forget Goodwill and thrift stores...mine has a whole aisle of holiday decor all year round! I've gotten some cute Christmas & Halloween items there.

Use pharmacy deals to decorate for the holidays. I love when Target has their $10 gift card promo going on because I'll transfer one of my DH's prescriptions to Target, then get a $10 gift card for filling it there. I'm gonna have to fill it anyway, might as well get paid for it, right?!   I have gotten some really cute spring and fall merchandise using those cards! Kroger does this as well - but they will give you a $25 credit on your Kroger Plus card.  They always have an aisle or two of decor and gift items for every holiday, so spend it well!

Kohl's Cash is great for decorating your home for the holidays too!  I love to buy clothes for the kids there(during special sales you spend $50, get $10 Kohl's cash back) and save my Kohl's cash for a little spree!  My favorite thing to get with Kohl's cash is their birthday candles (the ones in a glass jar with sprinkles on top) for my friends and family.  Recently I've also started buying fun decor there too. Last month I used my Kohl's cash for a harvest candle and a box of faux acorns (vase filler) for my Fall decorating.  I don't like to spend "real money" decorating my house,  but I don't mind spending store rewards or gift cards! 

I hope these ideas will help you with some of the upcoming holiday sales (or after sales, I should say!)

Here are some pics to show what I've gotten over the last two years after Halloween...(actually just some of it, I've already started decorating, so alot has been put out!)   I'll shop the day after again this year to add to my stash - need to start working on some outdoor decorations next!

Looks messy, but this bin has stretchy mice, a black wreath form, funky scarecrow,napkins, plates, serving bowls, votive holders, platters, a cheesecloth "curtain" for my french door in the family room, and spider webs with creepy crawlies.  Plus David's magician costume-in-a-bag!

This has more decorative items - dollar store Ghost Motel & Witches Way signs, 1/2 price shirt, black light lamp, hair glitter, bat cookie cutter, tree, candles, and labels for jars/drinks. The cute little vintage bucket on the back right side (checked interior, vintage label on front) was 1/2 off at World Market! I printed out the subway art last year and put in a dollar store frame...

and a few more - 1/2 off cupcake liners & picks, 1/2 off scarecrow & snow globe (w/ scarecrow) from CVS last year, 1/2 off fabrics from Walmart, wooden black cat with ribbon was $1.91 at Goodwill, the skulls were 1/2 off from Michals, and the bronze pumpkin was a white one from the dollar store I painted. Plus white tulle for making ghosties! (use 40% off coupon at HobLob to get it so cheap!)

So I need to fluff the leaves more, I know - but this cute Welcome Friends birdhouse was $3.50 at CVS after Thanksgiving.  The bird is from the dollar store.   The hurricane is one of my Goodwill creations - a vase glued to a glass candlestick holder - filled with large balls from a fancy-schmancy bag of potpourri I got at Michael's with a 40% off coupon....

Love this look - the hurricane is from Pier 1 ~  I believe it was $9.99 & I had a $10 gift certificate from their Facebook page.  The acorns (bottom) were $12 from Kohl's - FREE w/ Kohl's Cash.  The smaller balls on top are from the same bag of potpourri mentioned above.  The candle was $9.99 at Kohls, but free with my Kohl's cash! It has a twine tie with a metal pumpkin charm on the front.  The garland is the one I got for 70% off at Michael's.  I just love all these elements together - the textures, the scent (the candle is Harvest Spice fragrance - yummm!) they work so well together.

You can really get some great things for cheap (or free!) just by shopping after the holidays for the next year, and utilizing sales, coupons & store rewards.

What is your favorite place to shop for holiday decor?

Hooking up with these hops this weekend:

How to make decorative clothespins with scrapbook paper

Day whatever of still being sick. I can't talk without coughing, so I decided to hunker down at home and make something fun & easy! (so I'd feel like I got something done today...)

I love to use clothespins to close bags of chips, brown sugar, bread, whatever...they are easy to store & if I break one, it's not a big deal! (Back when I used to break those tacky plastic chip clips that cost a dollar or more apiece, that would make me feel like I wasted $$ ~ hate that!)

When I sold my soaps and other items online & at two local stores in 2009 -2010, these decorative clothespins (sold in sets of 6) were one of my best sellers!  I would make forty or fifty clips a day in big batches.  Then at the beginning of 2010 I stopped selling my items and slowly but surely, my supply of cute clips has dried up.  Today was the perfect day to replenish my junk drawer with a few more of these little cuties....

What you need:
newspaper to cover the table or surface you are working on
$1 bag of clothespins from Dollar Tree
scrapbook paper, decoupage tissue, ribbon, fabric - whatever!
mod podge (I like the matte version for these)
foam paint brush
scissors, pencil

Using the paper, tissue or fabric, I like to cut a rectangle (by eye, not measured) about twice as wide, and a smidge over the length of the first clothespin.  Then turn it over and trace one side of the clothespin.  Next to that tracing, flip the clothespin over and trace the other side.  Cut those two pieces out, lay aside.  Do the same for each clothespin you want to cover.  (Don't just cut the pieces all the same as the first pin - each pin differs slightly in size, width, etc.  It takes more time, but the final look is better if you trace every one separately!)  If using ribbon, cut a piece slightly longer than your clothes pin for each side.  I like to use a coordinating ribbon on the second side - fun to mix things up!

Brush the first side of clothespin with a layer of mod-podge.  Apply paper, fabric or tissue.  Smooth out any air bubbles, and  let dry.   Once dry,  apply a layer of mod podge over the top of the paper or fabric.  Let dry.  Repeat two more times.  Then, flip over and do the other side exactly the same!  (That is why I do at least 10, 20, or even 50 at a time because by the time I finish one side, it's time to do the next step on the first ones!)   For the ribbon covered clips only: once the final layer of mod podge is dry, trim the end of the ribbon to match the length of the pin.  With the mod podge on it, there should be no fraying!

Once they are dry, you can add a flower, button or ribbon accent to make it even cuter, but that is not necessary!   (on a side note - if you live in Atlanta, check out Scrapbook Clearance Center in Buford! EVERYTHING is half off there.  The tag on the back of each item is the original price, when you go to checkout, they take 50% off your total purchase - LOVE! These sticky-back buttons were only 99 cents a pack - I use them in scrapbooks and on cards too! The little spools of ribbon in the top picture were only 49 cents each! SCC is on Buford Drive, next to Plato's Closet - across Hwy 20 from the Mall of Georgia)

These look really cute on a bag of chips or pretzels - much more fun than a plastic clip that says "chip clip" across it!  I like to package 6 of them (in a coordinating paper or fabric) in a plastic bag tied with a ribbon to give as a little gift, too.  (Easy teacher gift!)

Organizing Your Coupons

Almost every time I shop, someone stops me to look at my coupon box! So I thought it was about time to share my coupon box here so I can refer fellow shoppers right to my blog! : )

I start with these supplies:

photo storage box from Michael's (but don't forget to buy it on sale, or with one of their 40% off coupons from the paper or email!) Will cost under $3 this way.  I buy two at a time, I replace mine every 3 months or so - they get a lot of wear!!  Plus, I like to change up my box for a new color/pattern - I get bored!!

1 box of small envelopes from the dollar store (you'll replace these once or twice a year probably)

4 or 5 vinyl pocket folders from Walmart, various colors.  (when they go on sale later this summer for back to school, plan to buy a bunch for cheap!!) You can use 3x5 index cards until then - that's what I started with, but you have to replace them often - that's why I love the plastic ones I made!

I traced a 3x5 index card onto every available inch of the vinyl folders.  Cut them all out, set aside.

Open the flaps on envelopes, cut them off. 

Place a plastic (or index card) divider vertically in each envelope.  Label  (using a sharpie) with categories you want to use. (see list below of my categories for inspiration!)

Place envelopes in the box and fill those suckers up with all of your coupons!!

When I cut my coupons, I open all the inserts, then layer like insert pages together, so I am only cutting each coupon once.  Then when you file them in the envelopes, they'll be together.  

Go through your coupons once a month (end of month is best) to clear out the expired coupons, plus you'll remind yourself of what you have to use!

Here are my coupon categories ~ personalize this list to work for your family!

Air Freshener/Candles

Baking

Beverages

Bread & Rolls

Biscuit/Cookie Dough

Boxed Meals/International Foods

Breakfast Baking

Candy/Gum

Cereal/Grits/Oatmeal

Cheese & Eggs

Cleaning - Bath

Cleaning

Cleaning - Floor

Crackers/Cookies

Deli & Meats

Eye & Ear Care

Feminine Products

Frozen Breads/Breakfast

Frozen Appetizers/Entrees

Frozen Fruit/Ice Cream/Dessert

Frozen Pizza

Frozen Veggies

Fruits - Canned, Snacks, Dried

Granola Bars, Protein/Diet Bars

Hair Care

Home Items - Bug Repellent, Light Bulbs, Office Supplies

Jellies/Peanut Butter/Ice Cream Toppings

Laundry

Make-Up

Medicine - Cold, Flu, Allergy

Medicine - Kids

Medicine - Misc (1st aid, stomach, etc)

Medicine - Pain

Milk & Dairy

Milks (canned, boxed),oils, syrups (corn, waffle, etc)

Paper Goods

Pasta & Rice

Personal Care - Body

Personal Care - Face

Produce

Razors

Salad Dressings, Croutons, Pickles, Olives

Sauces, Seasonings, Marinades

Soap, Body Wash, Deodorant

Snacks - Chips, Nuts, Popcorn

Soup, Canned Chili, Tuna

Toothpaste/Toothbrushes

Veggies - Canned

Vitamins & Supplements

Yogurt

I also have store envelopes behind the category envelopes  - In these envelopes I keep store coupons, rainchecks, etc

CVS

Walgreens

Publix

Kroger

Target

Michaels/Hobby Lobby

Local Stores/Deals

Restaurants 

In the side of the box next to the envelopes I keep some small coupon books - my P & G one, a Target one, and the current Wags store booklet.

I carry my coupon box into the store every time I shop - you never know what you'll find on clearance to match up with your coupons! Sit in the cart seat sideways - it fits perfectly! I prefer this to the binder system, but everyone has their way of organizing - use what works for you!

How to make a Patriotic Wreath from Dollar Tree

After I took down the Easter Egg Wreath, I realized I didn't have anything cute to put on the door for summer!  So when I went to Dollar Tree yesterday, I kept an eye out for anything that would be good for summer ~ Memorial Day and July 4, especially!

So these are the three things I bought:

one wreath form, and two (different) 9 foot tinsel garlands.

This was the easiest wreath ever.  I just wrapped the larger (red, white and blue tinsel) garland tightly around the wreath.  Then I wrapped the blue garland with stars over that so the stars are standing up.  Super cute, super easy and super cheap! Only $3!  I just tucked the ends in when I started, and when I finished - no glue needed! 

Here it is on the door.  LoVe it!  (PS ~ took about 3 minutes to make, too ~ easiest wreath ever!)

If you have stopped by from one of the blog hops I'm participating in, please feel free to sign up for my email newsletter, or to follow me via Google Friend Connect, or on Facebook & Twitter! (All are linked in the right sidebar!) Just leave me a comment so I can follow you too! Hope you enjoy my blog!

http://www.ahelicoptermom.com ~ Alexa Hop

http://www.mommyonthemove.com"

Skip to my Lou

It's beginning to feel like Spring here, so I'm decorating like it is!

I've been stalking the glassware aisle at the local Goodwill and I finally found what I was looking for ~ another cheese board & glass dome set! I ADORE these!! I've found a couple of the glass domes by themselves, so this was a treasure! And it was so big ~ much bigger than the last one I found there, and only $4.94.   Time for another Goodwill Trash to Treasure makeover!  I needed something lighter-colored, so I bought some antique white spray paint at Wal-mart and got to work!

Before - just your average cheese board & dome....kind of scratched up too....

Here's how it looks now ~ I added some robins egg/nest vase filler I got at Target with my free Rx gift cards

but it's only $3.99 so I'd have gotten it even without the free gift card! 

It turned out to be so cute and exactly what I had in mind -a perfect centerpiece for the kitchen table! (please excuse the tablecloth - haven't gotten my Spring one on there yet!)

I even repurposed some tree branches from this Christmas project!  I really love the simplicity of this ~ isn't it sweet?! And the color - so nice, such a bright change from winter's darker shades.

Afterwards, I had so many pieces of the filler items leftover in the box that I spruced up my dollar store hurricanes with them, too! I am still looking for the perfect ribbon to tie around the base of each of them.

I'm ready for Spring to hurry up and get here!

Linking up with:

Dollar Store Decorating ~ Ballard Designs Inspired Paint Chip Mosaic Art

Happy Wednesday!! I'm back with another super easy and super cheap Dollar Store decorating idea!
I was visiting blogs a few weeks ago when I was housebound with shingles, and I found this blog where Jennifer had made the most gorgeous artwork out of paint chips, inspired by a $279 Ballard Designs item!!

I have a small area in the family room that needed a pop of color. Our family room is painted a deep, rich brown called Library Pewter from Sherwin Williams, and it's like a cave in there.  I'm about ready for a lighter wall color, but this is what we have to work with now!

I already had a tacky Dollar Tree picture on canvas that I bought to paint over and use for something.  I also had sponge paint brushes from the dollar store, mod podge, burnt umber and gold acrylic paints, I just needed the paint chips.  When I finally got to go out of the house without worry of exposing someone to chicken pox, I met a friend at IHOP in Buford, and ran into Home Depot next door to grab a handful of paint chip cards in blues, golds and browns.  BUT....these weren't squares, they were rectangles. DARN IT!

When I got home, this is what I had to start my project with:

Dontcha love that bird picture? Still, a buck for a canvas is a deal!! I have a few more of these stuck away for other projects!!  You have to look at things and imagine their potential when you are shopping, whether at Goodwill, a thrift store, or Dollar Tree.

So to begin my artwork, I cut out 1" squares of the colors I liked the best - I chose golds, chocolate browns and robin's egg blue for the most part.  I got 3 squares per color.

First I painted the canvas with the burnt umber, and dabbed some gold around the edges of the canvas.  After it dried, I played around with the paint chip squares to get them in a pattern I liked.  I didn't have spray adhesive, which is what the tutorial suggests, so I used glue.  Next time I will start at the edges and work my way into the center, but this time I just worked from one side to the other.  The way I did it, the paint chips aren't perfectly lined up, but hey, live and learn!

After they were glued on and dry, I added a coat of burnt umber paint (I used what I had on hand - in the tutorial Jennifer used stain).  I wiped it off with a paper towel, then added a little more to some of the lighter chips to distress them a little more.  I wanted it to be dark enough to look good on the wall, but still pretty and colorful.  Once that dried, I added two coats of matte mod podge.  They added some funky texture to this piece.  Finally, I added a coat of gold metallic paint, which I also wiped off with a paper towel.  Here's my finished artwork ~

It's not perfect, but I LOVE it!! It's just the pop of color and texture I was looking for.  It's hard to see all of the different colors in this photo because my flash just highlighted the gold paint!  But you can see the texture and that's my favorite part of it!

Here is a shot of it without the flash - the colors aren't the same in real life, but it gives you a better picture of the distressing and the colors....

 I will be making a few more of these - one for Katie's bathroom, and maybe one for the master bedroom.  They are really easy to make, it just takes time cutting out the squares and waiting for it to dry! 

Check out Jennifer's blog for her step by step tutorial!! She did such a great job and I'm so happy I found her blog!!

Dollar Store Decorating ~ Valentine's Day Dessert Stand

I was at Dollar Tree last week scoping out some Valentine's Day decor and getting my usual things: salt & pepper grinders, pop-up foil sheets, drink mixes to add to bottled water, and batteries for the Wii remote.  While I was there, a solid black plate caught my eye. (can y'all believe I forgot to take a pic of the plate before I wrote all over it?!)  I had just purchased a gold paint pen at Michael's, and I knew I could jazz this plate up!  A few minutes later, I spied this candlestick holder on the candle aisle and I knew they were meant to be together!  It's gold with black splatters - perfect for what I had in mind now!

At home I wrote one of my favorite quotes  "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much" around the plate with the gold metallic paint pen.  At the bottom I added a bunch of doodled flowers and hearts.  Then I grabbed the brush-on super glue and here's the final result!

Plate  $1
Candlestick Holder $1
Glue $1
Paint Pen $1.99 before 40% off coupon at Michaels
Total spent:  under $5 for a super-cute dessert stand! It's going to get a lot of use here!!

Linking up with:
 Made by You Monday

My Fall Mantle

I have finally gotten my mantle just the way I want it. (please excuse my crooked picture above it - fixing it now!) I am still on the look out for more of the beady floral garland, but it was on clearance at Michael's, so I doubt I will find more this year!

The two candles on each end were a gift from our realtor when we bought the house. I probably will get rid of them soon, but I like symmetry in my decorating, so they make it easy on the mantle! lol The vinyl clings (Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much) were from Dollar Tree a couple years ago. I'm going to be changing them out soon as well...

The hurricane on the left is a Goodwill project I put together.






Then there is the creepy door to the deck....I found this fab "creepy cloth" to hang over it, and a bag with bats, spider webs w/ spiders, and rats!! So the two spiders/webs are hanging out under the cloth, and the rats and a spider are in my candy corn hurricane on the mantle. The cloth & bag of gross stuff came from the Dollar store ~ gotta love that! The spiders on the mantle and in the candy corn hurricane are from Pier 1 ~ they are a bit expensive there, but these spiders are so realistic! I think it was 12 spiders for $4 there.



Here's the crazy thing about me. Now that my mantle is done, and all my fall stuff is out, I am ready for November 1st to get here so I can put all this stuff back in the attic, and bring out my Christmas stuff! I like to enjoy it for as long as I can!! Sick, huh?! : )

How I stock my Spooky Halloween Pantry...

With some gross preserved things, of course!

Here's what you will find in my Spooky Halloween Pantry:

Preserved Brittle Bones
Brains in Skulls
Pickled Finger Food





Here are the details for these super easy "treats"!

I saved jelly, mason & pasta jars with lids for these. I got a bag of bony skeleton hands, a bag of "severed" fingers, and a plastic skeleton at the dollar store. The fingers went in a jelly jar with water and several drops of red food color dye. The hands went in the pasta jar, and I cut up some of the longer bones from the skeleton and added them in. Then some water and lime green dye to finish it off. Finally, I found a bag of skulls at Michael's for $1.99 ~ they went in a large mason jar with water & teal food dye! (I need to get one more bag - these all float up to the top!)

Our dollar store is sold out of all of the things I bought there, but Michael's still has the severed fingers for $4.00 and the skulls. Next year, I'm hitting the dollar store EARLY for more!!

I made the labels on my computer, cut them with my scrapbooking scissors (deckle edge, I believe), and colored them a bit with David's pastels to add some interest. I had a funky, fall colored tie dye print fabric so that went on top. I'm not sure where they will end up in the house, but for now they are on my Ikea cube book shelf in the living room - but they look rather lost with all those cubes!!

Are you decorated for Halloween yet? What's your favorite decoration this year? I think this little grouping just may be my favorite!

I'm linking this craft up at:

Hookin up With HoH #20

and

Fun Follow Friday

and



and

Toot Your Horn Tuesday

Another super-easy Dollar Tree craft

I wanted a jar for the pumpkin candies I bought at CVS a few weeks ago, so I looked at Goodwill. Nothing! Then at Dollar Tree, I found a smaller vase, and grabbed a candle stick holder ~ voila! I wish I'd found something with a lid, but this works for now. We aren't eating the candies, they are just there for a pop of orange on the left side of the mantle.

I used Dollar Tree super glue to attach the vase to the center of the candle stick holder. It's a great shape, and I love how it looks with those candies. Already thinking of Christmas, when I can fill it with mini glass balls, or red and green skittles or m & m's!

When the dollar store is a deal...

I love the dollar store. Especially Dollar Tree. We have a great one nearby, and I go about once every two weeks. I used to go without a list - I'd have a few things in mind to pick up, but impulse buys were always picked up too! Now I make a list ~ I keep a running one between trips. Some of the best buys for us at the dollar store:

spices like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt grinders, pepper grinders, cinnamon sugar

drink mixes (like Crystal light - but different brands)

bottled water 6 & sometimes 12 packs

dishwasher powder detergent - works as well as what I spent $4 or more on at the grocery store!

rolls of blue painter's tape

packing tape

journals

ziploc style bags for lunches or the freezer

gift bags and tissue paper for gifts

party decorations - our store has at least 4-6 themed sets of plates, tablecloths, hats, favors, and more - including princess, army, cars, toy story, etc!

going the day after holidays for 50 cent giftwrap, ornaments, Halloween decor and more!

The biggest tip I can give you - make a list and stick with it - otherwise you'll go in for 3 or 4 items and come out having spent $20 or more!!

What's your favorite thing to buy at the Dollar Store?