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07/30/2010
Pizza and a Movie Night
It is a tradition around here that every Friday night is Pizza and a Movie Night. This has evolved over time, it started out as a going out event, we would catch an early show and grab some dinner (this was when we only had one child and lots of eager babysitters). Then as Maya got older and Wren came along it became a stay at home night where we would order a pizza and rent a DVD. Now that we are living on a one income budget, we either borrow a movie from the local library (they have a pretty decent selection, believe it or not) or we get something from Netflix and make our own homemade pizza. There is even the occasional blanket fort that is built in the living room and popcorn every once in a while.
Maya looks forward to this night all week long. I don't think it has much to do with the movie or the pizza, but for her, its more about the special family time that takes us out of the ordinary day to day. In fact, we all love this tradition and I love that it has evolved into something thrifty.
Our made from scratch, whole wheat pizzas are much healthier than the delivery pies we used to devour. And they cost a fraction of the price. Simplemom.net is a great resource for all kinds of thrifty advice, and their post on pizza making got me started in this money saving direction. These days I mostly use a whole wheat pizza crust recipe (follows) with Tsh's recommended homemade pizza sauce. So yummy!
This beloved family tradition now cost us less than $10 a week! Compare that to the roughly $50.00 spent going out for dinner and a movie or even $30.00 for ordering delivery and renting a flick. Oh, how I love thriftiness!
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
2/3 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Oil
1 1/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
Pre-heat oven at 425 degrees.
Mix Dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add milk and oil to dry ingredients. Stir with fork until mixture forms a ball. Mix with hands and then knead 10 times on a lightly floured surface. Press into a 14 inch pizza pan. Add toppings and back at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
07/28/2010
Place Mat Art
Here is another one of my favorite projects. I love that it is so thrifty and simple. I found the idea for this in a Better Homes and Gardens DIY magazine. I had the place mats lying around but it was about two years before I finally found the right spot in my house to hang them .
When I did finally put everything together it took my maybe 5 minutes. I used 3/4" binder rings, which I bought for about 25 cents a piece at a local print shop. To make the holes for the rings I used an antique leather punch, but you could probably find something around the house that would work. I measured in a few inches on each side and punched a hole, connected the mats with the binder rings, and voila instant thrifty wall deco.
I loved this project so much that I did it again in my daughter's room.
All in all, this entire project cost less than $15.00! I paid around $2.00 a piece for place mats and about $2.00 total for the rings. Oh, so thrifty!
07/27/2010
Maya's Bag
I made this little messenger bag as an Easter gift for my daughter, Maya. She digs it and now uses it to carry her library books. It took me a week or two to finish, but most of that was done in the evenings while I was watching television. That is what I really like about embroidery, I can do it while I'm watching television, relaxing on the porch, or just during some downtime. It doesn't take my full concentration.
I picked up embroidery as a hobby this past Winter after my mom showed me a very old Stitch Sampler that my Great Grandmother had made. This bag was my third or fourth embroidery project. I drew the design on by hand and then used my Embroidery Stitch Bible to figure out a few of the stitches. The Embroidery Stitch Bible was what I used to teach myself embroidery, I'd strongly recommend it if you are trying to learn.
I used a Satin Stitch for the name, which took the longest. It is kind of tedious, but I love the way it looks.
For the circles in the corner I used buttons, satin stitch and french knots. The French Knot still kicks my butt a bit. I am currently working on an embroidery project that has about a thousand of them in the design. I'm not sure why I did this to myself, maybe it was for the sake of practice, but I'm pretty sure it was just because I'm crazy.
The messenger bag itself (no, I did not sew it) cost about $1.00 (on clearance!) and the embroidery floss was free (a hand-me-down from my mom). All in all, it was pretty thrifty Easter gift that will hopefully be around longer than the plastic Easter toys that mostly have found their way to the trash.
07/26/2010
Thrifty Fabric
I really love fabric. I mean really, really love it. But it can set you back a few bucks if you aren't careful. To keep my love of fabric from sending me into bankruptcy, I do a few thrifty things.
- Don't pay full price for fabric unless it is a necessity (sometimes a really awesome print = necessity!)
- Use coupons. Several fabric chain stores (such as Jo Ann's) have weekly coupons, for up to 60% off a cut of fabric.
- Shop clearance. Try to stroll through the clearance section at the fabric store every time you go. And keep an open mind, just because you're shopping for fleece doesn't mean that the 75% off sheer fabric wouldn't be perfect for curtains.
- Shop thrift stores. I have found some great vintage prints at my local Salvation Army. I also keep a look out for sheets, curtains, and dresses that have prints I like.
- Utilize what you already have. Look through your fabric stash before buying something. You might have something you forgot about that would work perfectly for what you need.
- Re-purpose. This kimono dress was made from a halter dress that wasn't working for me. It now has a new life as an outfit for my one year old, Wren. Old curtains, dresses, shower curtains, blankets, etc. all can find a new use with a little creativity.
- Share. Just because you don't like that yellow polka dot fabric anymore, doesn't mean that someone else couldn't use it. Check with your crafty friends, family, and neighbors to see if you can do a fabric swap.
- And finally, always be on the look out. I can easily get tunnel vision when I'm working on a really inspiring project, but I try to keep my eye out for thrifty fabrics that be of use later. If you see something that inspires you or maybe just something that is on sale for a wildly low price, pick it up. Just be sure use at some point.
Thrifty
Mama of two little girls living a thrifty life.
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