Weekend Wonders Stockpiles the School Supplies

Sometimes you find a great bargain at your local department store! I love when I get new things at yard sale prices. This past weekend, I was at Wal-Mart getting a few odd and ends when I ran across this:

I bought a few of these last year around this same time. Evidently, they did not sell them all then, so they put the remainder of what they had out this time and marked them down extremely low!

I got each of these binders for .50 each and the packet of dividers were only .10 each! My daughter and I both are using these for school things. Hers are to hold papers and mine are for my household binder I am making with the neat printable forms I share in each Digest.

This is one of the best deals I have found! I sure hope they keep up bringing out things like this at Wal-Mart.

What about you? Do you stock pile school supplies when you find them this cheap?

Continue reading Weekend Wonders Stockpiles the School Supplies …

From Econobusters.

Re-evaluate your budget

photo by Briebeest

We all have budget busters. Maybe your budget is nickeled-and-dimed away by daily coffee, lunches with co-workers or movie rentals, to name a few. But sometimes you relax with your finances, and it’s bigger things that you haven’t kept track of in your budget. So if you haven’t taken a good look lately, now is a good time to start tracking your spending.

What types of things are your budget busters? How do you rein in spending?

Here are a few areas you want to watch.

GROCERY SHOPPING: It’s easy to fall into the habit of making frequent trips to the store to pick up foods and treats you want or think you need. Your monthly bill can increase significantly if you aren’t disciplined. Set an amount to spend on groceries, and aim to keep it within that amount.

BIRTHDAYS: Try to plan ahead for the upcoming year. Otherwise, you’re stuck with last-minute shopping, which leads to overspending. Shop sales and holiday clearance and secondhand sources to stock your gift closet, or regift when possible to keep costs down. In a nutshell, don’t buy lavish gifts you can’t afford.

CLOTHING: Even if you shop sales or buy secondhand clothes, it’s easy to overspend on clothing and accessories. Aim for home-washable garments that are solid-colored and classic clothing with clean lines, such as crews, turtlenecks, V-necks, tailored jackets and cardigans. You can pare down to 10 to 20 articles of clothing that are easy to layer and mix and match. Don’t overlook talking to friends and family members and putting out the word that you would love to take their castoffs, or have them keep an eye out for sales you might miss.

SCHOOL: It’s great to support the local school. But be mindful of how much you’re spending each month. Instead of buying at every fundraiser, why not volunteer some time? Find out what you already have at home for school supplies, too. If used items at home are still in good condition, your child doesn’t need brand-new replacements. If you do need to replace, invest in quality items that will last longer.

BAD HABITS: Don’t just look at what you’ve spent. Think about why you spent it, and try to break any bad habits, such as disorganization, boredom, junk food, smoking, drinking, gambling, etc. Work on eliminating these unhealthy habits.

CRAFT SUPPLIES: They can be hard to resist. If you have unfinished projects, work on those before buying more supplies for new projects.

TWO-INCOME TRAP: All is fine until one income is lowered or lost. Prepare for the worst. Make every effort not to rely on both incomes entirely.

SERVICES: Re-evaluate all the services you have, such as cable, phone, insurance, Internet, subscriptions, etc. Can you pare these down? Consider bundled service, canceling subscriptions, or comparing companies.

SINKING FUND: Do you have a sinking fund (savings account) for short-term planned expenses? If not, create one. This can include categories such as car repairs, medical bills, home repairs, vacations, etc. If you already have one, evaluate whether or not you need to increase savings in any categories.

Continue reading Re-evaluate your budget …

From Frugal Village.

Organizing the Kids’ stuff

Today I just want to share a couple of real-life solutions that have been working well for a Molly reader (my sister-in-law, actually!)

If you have daughters, you know how hair accessories can collect and multiply. I’d love to see ideas for how you organize and store them.

My sister-in-law has LOTS of daughters, and the system below has worked well for her for several years. Two sets of plastic drawers are stored under her bathroom sink, with a drawer for each type of hair accessory . . . one for headbands, one for barrettes and clips, one for scrunchies, one for elastic pony holders, etc.

By the way, I use two sets of drawers like this to hold school supplies. One is filled with markers, one with colored pencils, one with rulers, sharpeners, and hole punches, one with glues and tapes and binder-hole reinforcements, etc. It works like a charm as the kids just pull the entire drawer out and bring it to the table or their desk…and return it when finished. It’s kind of a one-step process to put away.

Another “hot spot” tends to be the entryway where kids come in and drop their backpacks. My sister-in-law has tamed this chaos by re-purposing a toy box into a catch-all for the kids school stuff. This way they have a designated place where everything school-related needs to be put away. This chest is tucked away just inside the garage entrance to the house. Again, it’s been working out very well for her. Love how the chest looks painted…and she is planning to write or stencil a favorite, inspiring verse on the lid (I think Ecclesiastes 9:10)

chest before…I don’t know what the blue tape is for…maybe an area to hang hooks or a chalkboard?

Here is the chest, painted, and at the bottom, a look inside.

After seeing her system, and hearing from her how well it works, I’m thinking of looking for a chest to put near my front door. We have a house rule that shoes come off at the door (makes life SO much easier) but the pile of shoes and boots that collect there is a real mess at times!

If you have any suggestions for organizing the entry area, or for storing accessories, I’d love to hear about them!

Continue reading Organizing the Kids’ stuff …

From Econobusters.

Hand sanitizer in short supply? Check your own supplies first

CNN is reporting Hand sanitizer in short supply as flu hits.

However, don’t waste your money on a panic buy situation. Look around your medicine chest, disaster supplies and school supplies before you go shopping – you may already have plenty for your family.

Those bottles do have expiration dates and even a little bottle will go a long way.

Continue reading Hand sanitizer in short supply? Check your own supplies first …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Inexpensive Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Kids

After all the gifts have been purchased and placed under the tree, that is the time that many remember in a panic that the stockings over the fireplace still need to be stuffed. Holiday budgets have most likely been spent and there isn’t a whole lot of extra money available. Even with a limited budget, there are a number of quality stocking stuffer ideas that are both practical and will bring a smile to to faces of the little ones.
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