Wardrobe Refashion

Has anyone reading here participated in this? I just signed up for two months because I need motivation to get crafting. Have a look here and tell me what you think.

ETA: I guess I didn't make the cut. :( Maybe next time.

Please Rethink Dollar Store Junk Collections.

Recently I've seen a lot of discussion of Easter (insert any holiday here) on a budget. The supposed 'miraculous' solution for those with limited funds is visiting a dollar store.

Folks, I'm not saying never go to a dollar store, but I am saying please don't go to one to load up on 'inexpensive' crap that will break in a short amount of time and add toxic chemicals to our landfills. In the name of honesty I will say that I do occasionally visit a dollar store for two things - hair accessories and cotton swabs.

You want to fill up a kid's Easter basket? Give them one quality toy, a good for you but fun snack such as fruit leather and indulge them with one chocolate bunny. Piling tons of crap in a plastic bucket is meaningless. Giving a kid a football to run around the yard with or a handmade wool playscape will be memorable. They'll also be getting exercise - of the imagination and the body, both of which seem to have fallen by the wayside in this electronic age. You'll also not be helping to maintain the poor labor conditions needed to produce that $1 flashlight or plastic ball and jacks. For some truly gorgeous stuff you can give with pride look up The Wool Food Market on Etsy.

We need to move away from the idea of quantity over quality.

Free Healthcare for the Unemployed.

I learned of this through a program I'll describe in another post; this seems so useful I wanted to pass the information along as soon as I learned of it.

For those who are already patients of Walgreen's Take Care Clinics, you can get some free services that certainly will come in handy if funds are tight, when you provide proof of job loss since March 31, 2009. Visit the site for full details of the Take Care Recovery Plan.

Frugal Eating on the Road.

When the family was young we used to take day trips often. We'd pile the kids in the car with a box of toys that only came out for car trips, a pillow and blanket for each, a bag with a change of clothes for everyone and...a cooler packed with food and drinks from home. Yes, part of the fun of travel is getting something to eat that you don't have at home, but doesn't eating travel food get old AND expensive fairly quickly? I think so.

As the kids grew we would travel more by air than car, making the cooler approach impractical. For short trips we'd pack some shelf stable supplies from home - most often meal bars and dried fruit which provided snacks and breakfast, reducing the need to eat out as much. For longer trips we'd plan in at least one visit to a local grocery store and always try to get lodgings with at least a mini fridge, if not an entire kitchen.

I feel the grocery store approach really cuts down on the expense of eating away from home. On a recent trip to Europe my spouse and I even managed to keep at this. I brought an insulated bag and we filled it at the grocers. Breakfast was included with all our lodgings but other than that we ate only two full meals out in five days, grabbing coffee or a snack here or there, but for the most part eating frugally from the groceries.

Whether you're on a day long car trip or a week long overseas getaway I encourage you to give it a try.

A Ringing Endorsement of IKEA Frozen Food Totes.

On a visit to IKEA a few weeks ago I purchased an insulated reusable grocery tote. The insulated grocery bags I had until now were mylar and foam and although they last a couple of years if you care for them well, they are still going to be in a landfill for ages. The top closes but the edges must be folded in when you close them or it doesn't completely seal. Sometimes the movement of the car is enough to open them up if you've stuffed them very full, too. They had only a hard plastic handle, no shoulder straps. So while they did serve a purpose, I wasn't all that impressed with them overall.

When I saw IKEA had a nice fabric version with a zipper I grabbed one. Now I'm sorry I didn't pick up more. IKEA isn't close to home so I don't go very often. I'll have to put the word out to family and friends to pick me up a few if they go before I do. As if the bag wasn't sturdy enough to get me excited, it also has interior pockets. I do love organization. It holds a good amount of food, zips securely shut and has two nice, wide straps that can be used for carrying by hand but also work over the shoulder, which makes my day.

But the point of today's ringing endorsement is to tell you that I stuffed the bag full from Trader Joe's this afternoon. When I got in the door, I pulled out the ice cream, put it in the freezer then zipped the bag back up again because I had to run to do something quickly. About ninety minutes later my daughter came in and noticed the bag still on the kitchen floor where I'd lost track of it. I thought she put everything away, but apparently there wasn't enough room in the freezer and I again got sidetracked when she told me I needed to come rearrange things so they would fit (I am known as the packing ninja here, I can make nearly anything fit anywhere) and the next thing I knew I was waking up on the couch where I'd fallen asleep unexpectedly. Wandering to the kitchen for some water I discovered the bag, still sitting there, half full and zipped shut, eight hours after I walked in the door with it.

You could knock someone unconscious with the burrito tray, it is still frozen so solid! I wish I could find a link to them on their site but I don't see the totes there and a search brings up no good results. I'm THRILLED with how well they work. If you're at IKEA you want to pick up at least one. And while you're there could you grab me another three?

Save Me From Voice Menu Hell.

You know what I mean, you've been trapped in it too. I found this today and although I haven't needed any of the numbers yet, I do hope that the directions work should I need them someday. Have a look for yourself, here.

Grocery Bag Trash Liners

Everyone is using their cloth grocery bags faithfully, right? I know I am, but somehow we still end up with some plastic store bags in the house. There are lots of uses for them, but here is what I'd say is the easiest and most common use.

Get yourself a small trash pail -

From Crunch Crunch Crunch

Add a bunch of bags -

From Crunch Crunch Crunch

You'll get one more use out of them -

From Crunch Crunch Crunch