How to decorate a bedroom on a small budget!

I see all these, post or TV shows about decorating on a budget, but realistically 10,000$ is not a budget for a bedroom, that is a budget for a car LOL! Now for some of you lucky enough, 10,000$ may very well be your budget, but until that day comes for the rest of us, I figured I would share my tips and tricks on decorating bedrooms for 200$ per room or less, so here we go! We will start with our daughters room. When we moved into our house, it was a MESS! This is what her room looked like the day we moved in,

For those of you who don't know, my husband and I bought our home from my parents, this is the house where my sister & I grew up in as kids, our parents then rented it out and then we purchased it. It was very sad to see our old child hood home so mistreated, but hubby & I new we could make it right again, it would just take, time, patience, and money! A lot of the rooms in our house had to wait a long time to be "made over" because we paid for everything in cash, but that's ok, sometimes waiting gives you time to find better deals and it certainly makes you appreciate it more! So when we found out we were pregnant we got to work painting,

this color is called So So Sweet by beauti~tone

So now on to present day, this is our daughters room now, and now I will explain what cost what. In my opinion she has a beautiful little girls bedroom, I would have been more than happy to have such a cute little girls room, she is 4 years old now and she loves her room so much, so here we go,

The theme in her room is mostly Disney Princess, but there are a lot of other things tied in there too, her bedroom door is decorated with a Disney Princess 3D poster that we bought at Dollar store for 1$

 This is the back of her door, Winnie the pooh wall art was a second hand gift from family, Jets banner, dollar store, Pooh picture bought used online for around 1$, 25 cent hook for dollar store to hang her house coat and monkey growth chart a gift from her God Mother!

 Here we see a few farm animals on the wall, these were also from the dollar store, we bought these when she was new born and they were a great investment and we used them to help teach her her animals, next a pretty Princess mirror, birthday gift, an awesome kitchen set that she loves and uses everyday, a second hand gift  from her cousins. We bought her some food and dishes to go inside.

 Now we see her Curtains, these were expensive (to me, i am thrifty lol) so when asked what she would like for her birthday we suggested these, a perfect gift from her God Mother, her "Mckenzie" letters were from Micheals, we got these for 50 cents each, her blind was again on the expensive side for me, but I wanted her to have a black out blind so it would be dark enough to nap in the afternoons. Her pink wall canvas was made by her, her tub filled stuffies was 10$, the stuffies are souvenirs and gifts, the tinkerbell wall tattoo was a gift and so were the letter's on her tub of stuffies, here you also see half of her huge closet which has Disney Princess wall stickers on it, also from a dollar store

 

 this is the greatest deal of all, her double bed, box spring and frame was FREE from a kind stranger! And on the wall here you see more little night time dollarama stickies, a clock given to her for her birthday along with the piggy bank on her bedside table, the little table was free from her Grandma and just needed a little paint, her comforter and pillow cases were only 19$!!! I loved that deal, we just used sheets we already had for her bedding, the bed set including the sheet was almost 100$ ( so glad we didn't cave and get the expensive one)

her beautiful Winnie the Pooh cross stitch art I won for her at a Chinese auction! the giraffe growth chart was another dollar store find and so was the light switch plate!

 and finally her new to us dresser, we recently bought this dresser for 20$ added 10$ worth of paint and voila! I love it, it is so perfect! her frame was a gift, the round night light was a garage sale find, the rectangle night light is a second hand gift from her cousin, the little shelf you see was a garage sale find with a little paint slapped on! Her Mickey ears are her souvenir from Disney on Ice, TV is borrowed from her Grandma who currently doesn't need it and DVD player we had extra kicking around the house!

So here is the total for you
Paint 60$ for all the walls and accessories
Dresser 20$
Dollar Store finds 15$
Garage sale finds, night light and shelf 2$
Bed Set 19$
Toy box 10$
Black out Blind 20$
Food and dishes for in the kitchen 5$
Totals 151$

A room like this does not happen over night, it takes time to do things the thrifty way lol! It takes time to find good deals and certainly patience! But in the end it is worth it, cause now you have a beautiful room, that you can actually afford and you don't have that knot in your stomach every time you look in the room cause you know you charged it to a credit card or paid more than you should have. Here's hoping this will help motivate you all to finish that room you have left unfinished cause you couldn't afford to, I plan to post all the bedrooms in our home step by step like this shortly :) Happy decorating!!

Money Saving Tips!

The Many Way's We Save Money

• We buy things out of season, in the winter we buy clothes for spring etc This way we have our pick of the best snow suits, mitts, rain coats, etc
• we buy things used whenever we can, used clothing for children is a great way to save money, most kids hardly wear their clothes so what you are getting is usually a barely used product, we shop at used clothing stores and on facebook sites, we also pass our hand-me-downs down to family and friends and receive some back as well!
• We hunt and fish to help fill our freezer, I realize this is not for everyone, but it is our way.
• We burn wood in the winter to save on our electric bill costs, again this is not an option for everyone, but thankfully it is an option for us
• we make our own laundry soap, foam hand soap and baby wipes.
• We buy things only when they are on sale, the only items we don't buy on sale are eggs and milk, because these rarely come on sale, if it isn't on sale, we do without, when it is on sale, we buy 2 or 3 of the item. The exception would be if there was something we really needed or wanted, but for the most part, we shop the sales.
• We use Norwex products to clean our home, and while yes it is expensive to get started, once you have the items you need you will never have to shop the “cleaning supplies” isle again! That saves us so much money! Because of Norwex we never have to buy, Windex, Mr Clean, Vim, Comet, toilet bowl or tub or shower cleaner, face wash, dryer sheets, the list goes on, it has also cut way back on the amount of paper towels we buy.
• Buying big tickets items, like a washer and dryer can be hard when you are on a budget, but do the research, yes it will take more time and effort, but you will end up saving yourself money in the long run, read all the reviews on the item, search everywhere for the best sale price, and don't be afraid to ask for a discount, the worst they can say is no.
• We plant a garden and have many wonderful friends and neighbours that share their gardens with us. So at Harvest time, we cut and dice and freeze everything thing and can all the rest, we take advantage of all the free fruit and vegetables this earth offers us and we harvest it to use all year! This is a great way to save money, plus you get delicious meals out of it!
• We wait.... sometimes we have to wait a looooong time and it is hard, but we wait, we wait for things to come on sale, we wait till we have the cash to pay for things, we wait.
• Nothing goes on credit, everything is paid for in cash, or we don't get it, sometimes this rule really hurts, but it is for the best, if you can't afford it now, how do you expect to afford it later, the only place this rule doesn't apply is with our house and our vehicle, cause I can't honestly ever see us having that kind of cash up front, but loans are good they build credit, so there is a plus side.
• We are insured, our home, our car, our lives, some may think 30 year olds don't need these types of insurances, but when my husband was hurt and unable to work for nearly a year, we were very grateful to be so well insured.
• We treat our illness naturally as often as we can, instead of Cough drops, try honey, instead or Neocitran try hot water honey and cinnamon, got an ache or pain, warm up a rice bad and when necessary, buy the medicine you need.
• We meal plan, every meal is planned in advance, I then purchase everything i need to make these 2 weeks worth of meals and then I have everything in the house ready to go, this makes life so much easier! And it saves us money because I plan my meals around the sales flyer and none of the food I buy goes bad before I can use it, because i have a plan for it. Sometimes I will stop at 3 stores to hit all the sales I want, but remember all of those stores need to be close enough that the gas you are burning is not loosing you money. Just think you will never again have to ask yourself, “what's for dinner?” once you get the hang of it, it only take around 10 minutes to plan out your 2 weeks worth of meals, so grab your favourite recipe book and start making a list!
• We shop at garage sales, in the summer it is peak garage sale season! You can find many great finds there! Search and find what you are looking for, sometimes it needs a bath or a scrub down, but think of the money you saved!
• If you are in search of an item, instead of searching the store shelves first ask your own family and friends if they have the item you are searching for, maybe they are willing to sell it to you, post it on your facebook that you are looking for this item, put up a poster, these are all great way to get the word out that you are looking for an item, then when all else fails, search several websites and find your item for the best price, sometimes this means waiting for a sale, but trust me, buying an item you know you can afford, feels much better than a another bill you can't afford.
• We keep our water bill low, we conserve water, we have water savers on all our faucets, sent to us for free from Manitoba Hydro, and also a free shower head, it was hard to get used to less water in the shower, but we are used to it now, we have water saver washing machine and toilet, our water bills are so low that our home was “looked into” because they believed our water bills were too low for how many people that live here. We don't let the water run while we brush our teeth.
• We keep our Electric bills low by, sealing windows with plastic in the winter if necessary, making sure our weather stripping is in good condition on our doors, we only run electric heaters when necessary, same with fans or air conditioning. We turn off the lights when we leave the room, we turn off the computer if we won't be using it for an hour or more. Learning to conserve energy is not an easy routine to get into, but once you start it becomes second nature.
• I bake all our snacks, we do not buy things like cookies, cakes, waffles, cup cakes, muffins or granola bars, we makes these things.
• We bake our own bread with a bread maker, I cost us 31 cents per loaf, you cannot beat that! It is hot easy and ready anytime you need it, plus no chemicals or preservatives in it, you know what is in your bread, cause you made it!
• We manage our money, we pay the bills first and everything else comes later, and sometimes this means we miss out on things and it sucks, but our bills are paid, I couldn't imagine going on a vacation on credit or borrowed money, I would never enjoy myself knowing that I could not afford it and was doing this anyway, you do what you can afford or you stay home, where their is a will there is a way, so if you want it bad enough, you will save for it.
• Every room in our home is decorated on a dime, we watched for sales, shopped at dollar stores, we were given used items from our family and friends, waited for items to come on sale, we bought things used and did what we could afford, and it is beautiful, we love our home and we are very blessed to have it! Sometimes waiting to decorate the house was hard, but we paid for it all with cash, no debt and that makes it worth it.
• We insure our vehicle through the person with the best driving record to keep our rates down.
• We bought a used vehicle, we didn't get what we wanted, we got what we could afford. That means making sacrifices and someone who wants to be debt free as much as they can be, knows all about sacrifices.
• We stock up on sale items, my pantry is an entire closet filled with canned goods and sale items, this was when I need the item and it isn't on sale I don't have to pay full price, cause I have extra in the pantry.
• I do surveys online and earn point for them, which I then turn in for gift cards, so the next time we are headed to the city, I have a gift card to help cover the cost of dinner, I earn disney points off of movies we have bought and games you play online and turn them in for free Disney items like movies, we have received 4 free movies in a little over a year!
• We don't have cable, out here our only option is satellite and at 50$ to 80$, no thank you, we do pay for our internet, which we got a monthly deal on, because I inquired about getting one, and I got it, so we use the internet to get our news and we have netflix to watch on tv, for only 7.99$ a month we have more tv shows then we will ever be able to watch, now that fits much better into my budget!
• We almost never buy our daughter toys, she has SO many and between her Grandparents and her birthday and Christmas she always has plenty, there are much better ways to spend money on her like, going bowling with her, or to a hockey game, or skating, camping, tubing, swimming, sledding, try spending money on activities as opposed to toys and I think you will be pleased!
• We buy craft supplies from the Dollar store, they go a long way and are much cheaper then anywhere else.
• When Christmas or a birthday hits and you feel like your kids have simply too many gifts, it is time to go through some of the old stuff and donate it to make room for the new stuff! We also take some of our daughters toys and store them in a closet for her to have at a later date, this way the joy is spread out a little.
• We buy decorations for holidays after the holiday has passed, ever been to Walmart the day after Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day? Everything it 75 to 90% off! It is a great time to stock up on some new decorations for the home.
• We buy gifts far in advance, we have certain people we buy gifts for nieces, nephews, parents etc, so when you see an item that would be perfect for them, buy it then, while it's on sale, so long as it will store well. You always know well in advance about a Wedding or Anniversary celebration, that is a great time to get a gift on sale. We have sometimes bought gifts over 6 months in advance and then when the time comes, you have the gift ready to go and it was on sale to boot!
• Budget your money, know where every dollar is spent, let nothing surprise you. When you sit down and look at your finances it may be over whelming but once you get the hang of it, it will be second nature to you, Every dollar we spend is planned, budgeted and counted for, every dollar. We don't buy items on a whim, if it is not in the budget we don't buy it, better luck next payday! 

I am sure there are more tips, but I am tired or typing and my brain hurts now lol! So best of luck to you in saving your money, I love to save money on everyday things so we can save it for things we really want, these are only a guide line and nothing is followed perfectly all the time, that's for sure. And of course not every tip that works for us will work for you, take from it what you like, something are important to some and not important to others, it is what makes us special! If you have any questions feel free to ask, Have a great day everyone!

Homemade Wreaths

Today we made a few homemade wreaths, they turned out so cute, I just had to share them with you all. So we started out with just a few supplies. You will need a small or large depending on the size you want make, cross stitch ring. 

As seen here:

And a bunch of cheap greenery or garland, I bought 5 rolls of greenery for 1$ per roll at Dollar tree. 5 rolls did 4 small wreaths and one large one.

Then we wrapped all the greenery around the cross stitching ring and hot glued the endings. Super simple. We then added whatever type of decorations we wanted, today we used bows and Christmas balls, which we applied with hot glue and fishing line. Now each of the bedrooms doors in the hall each have their own small wreath, they are so cute! This is another thing i wanted to get done last year and never got done, now I am so glad they are done and can be used for years to come! So cute, so simple! Here they are in the hall..

 Wreaths with bows

 Wreaths with Christmas balls

 Close up

 Close up

 I did this craft today with a 2 year old and a 4 year old and look how great they turned out. if you look at the picture of all of the wreaths hanging in the hall they appear to be floating, which I love. This is the technique i used. We used a large peice of fishing line wrapped around the wreath and then on the back of the door inserted a small tack. This way the hole is on the back of the door at the top, were you will probably never notice it. Then run your wreath to the front of the door, I love this trick!

I also did one large one with a old circle foam piece i had, It turned out so great and it feels so nice to know that we made this together!

Happy decorating!

Christmas Bucket List

We all have things we want to get accomplished around the Holiday Season, we end up laying in bed at night with these thought rolling around in our heads, hoping we don't forget anything, I say that is too much pressure, I say, sleep! Don't lose sleep at night over something that a simple list can solve! I love our Christmas Bucket list, while making it, it reminds me of all the wonderful traditions we love to take part in around this time of the year. It helps me keep track of things I want to do and when I get to check an item off my list it makes me feel great! I may not always accomplish everything on the list, but some are better than nothing! Your may list may look very different from mine, but that is not the point, just make a list, a list of whatever is important to you, whatever you want to make sure you get done this Christmas Season.  Having this list encourages you to get it completed, simply wanting to do these things doesn't have the same affect as having the list. Say you want to get a live tree this year, and you pass buy the perfect tree, but you are tired, busy, kids are screaming, whatever it may be. You may pass by this tree, but having it on your list will remind you that this is a priority to you and it may push you to go out and get that tree, and you may be surprised at how great it can make you feel! We can all feel overwhelmed at this time of year, putting everything on a list simplifies it all! In the end if your list is too long, take some items off, the point is to enjoy these events! And if you don't get it all done, that's okay too!! Here is our Christmas Bucket List, check it out, maybe there are some ideas you could take for your own list! Enjoy everyone, Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful time fulfilling your Christmas Bucket List's, I know we will!!

How to Decorate for Christmas on a budget!

Christmas is coming and between gifts, baking, traveling and cards, the expenses add up. The last thing we need is another expense to add to the list at this time of year, which is why we always try to decorate on a dime, if we can, certain things like lights, the tree and special ornaments we paid full price for, but if you don't have to then save the money, from more gifts,...for yourself! Come on you deserve it! So here are some of the ways I decorate the house and still save money at the same time: First of all, I buy used when i can, garage sales, dollar stores, online auctions, friends or family are all great places to look for used decorations, here are a few examples of things i have put together, a little buck, a lot of bang, (in my opinion lol!)

This is a picture of a tree branch my hubby cut for me and then painted a couple years back, it always sits in the corner of the living room, year round, but add a few bulbs that I got at the Boxing day sales and voila, this is a great alternative if you don't have a tree, or don't have room for a tree!

 This is a picture of our tv with "the fireplace" on, we have an actually electric fire place that heats up, but i like this DVD of the fire too. This was cheap at Walmart, like 9$ and it has Brad Paisley singing Christmas carols, I like putting it on when we are decorating or getting company, gives a nice ambiance to the room.

 Here are 3 dollar store vases that I empty and redecorate at every holiday, they are so handy, pretty and cheap, I filled them with some dollar store greenery, pine cones and Christmas bulbs that I bought for 25 cents at a garage sale. They look so cute, if i do say so myself, and i do! lol!

 Next is the tomato cage Christmas tree! I saw this on Pinterest last winter and never got around to doing it, now I regret it, cause I love it and wish I had it last year! We got a couple of used lights for free from my Aunty, wrapped them around an old tomato cage and tied on a few plastic Xmas balls from the dollar store! Too cute and looks pretty lit up outside!

 Our tree, Oh how i Love the Christmas tree, and so does my daughter! We always decorate early just so we can enjoy it longer! Our tree is made up of ornaments that are gifts from family and friends, homemade crafts, garage sale bulbs and dollar store snowflakes! Even the tree skirt is from the dollar store! It says "I believe in Santa!" we love it, the star was from my aunt, the tree we bought 50% off at Canadian tire! I love a good deal!

 Here is the picture of our "Mantle" while we do have a little fire place, we don't have a mantel cause the TV sits on it, but I have always wanted to be able to decorate a mantle and now I can, this is actually a large shelf for our daughters toys, but it works as my mantel and I love it!

 Next we have one of my baskets, I have a few of them scattered around the house, for my birthday I got a beautiful set of basket and I use them all the time to decorate with! I fill teh baskets with large pine cones, artificial apples, dollar store jewels, greenery and more garage sale bulbs, you can never have too many, these are the ones that had no string or they were missing the tops, but turn them around and you would never know!

 This is our table center piece year round, I always fill it with different things and I love it! Our table runner is from the dollar store and I love it too, a perfect touch to our table!

 Here are a couple more baskets I did up today, they look so pretty around the house, you can also put some cinnamon sticks in there and they will smell pretty too!

 I love this little arrangement, this is a pretty vase I got from my Grandmother in law and I added a few dollar store goodies to it, it sits on my desk and makes me happy!

Anyway I hope this blog gave you all some ideas on how to decorate your home without breaking the bank, take those garage sale and dollar store items and turn them into something to be proud of, happy decorating everyone!

Fall is coming!

Whether you like it or not, Fall is coming! I for one am excited but for many this means back to school, back to work, and no more hot summer days. I have had my fill of the heat and I am ready for fall! One week till September left so it is time to start preparing for fall, there are a lot of people out there who never have a chance to prepare for the coming season, now is the time. I always prepare for the next season while the current season is winding down. This way I am ready and I (hopefully) won`t miss any opportunities to enjoy the coming season! So to get ready for each new season I create a seasonal `Bucket List` each event we accomplish we check off our list and at the end of the season sometimes we have  most of them checked off, sometimes we missed quite a few, but there is something about having this list that motivates you to accomplish all your seasonal plans, so here we go, our families Fall Bucket List:

By the end of Fall we shall see how many things we get done, I have yet to complete a whole Bucket List, but there is always a first time!! All of these things are what make the season so great, and I can`t wait!

Are these Pizza`s not the cutest thing, this would be a great way to bring some seasonal cheer to your dinner table!

 I love this Movie and great way to enjoy a crisp Fall evening cuddled under a blanket with a big bowl of popcorn, mmm I can smell it now!

 We have gotten a little ahead of ourselves and got a few things off our list already such as growing our own pumpkins, this is our second attempt, last years drowned, this year they seem to be doing pretty well, but they are still pretty small.

 Mmm delicious fall treats, nothing tops homemade cinnamon buns!

 Our biggest pumpkin so far, hopefully all this heat we are having will help them get big and fast!

 We already enjoyed many bonfires this year, we are so lucky!

 My new favorite kind of s`more, combine a Celebrations cookie, made by Leclerc and top it with a roasted marshmallow and boom there you go, easy peasy, s`more!

 Our beautiful fire...

 Everything is still green here on our last Country drive, but it won`t be long and we will have all the beautiful fall leaves to look at!

 Beautiful wild flowers

 We have already begun harvesting and canning around here, beautiful green apples and crab apples ready to become, juice and apple sauce.

 all sliced up and ready to go,

 and voila you have delicious apple sauce and apple juice, we are blessed to live in an area where apples grow in abundance!

Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings

 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

 3/4 cup water

 1/4 cup white sugar

 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Can in the regular way leave ½ inch from the top

How to Make Homemade Apple Juice

Turn a mountain of apples into fresh, delicious juice! 

 Step One: Collect apples

Store apples in a cool dark place until ready to use.

 Step Two: Scrub Them Up

Wash apples thoroughly and pick through to ensure any bad ones are discarded.

Step Three: Cut

There is no need to peel or core the apples-- there is a ton of flavor and juice that can be extracted and besides, they will be removed later. Discard any blemished or bruised parts of the apple. Cut apples either in half or using an apple cutter (as in the picture above). This step helps to break the apples down faster while the cook.

Step Four: Cook

Place all the apples into a large stock pot or kettle and add about 2 inches of water. Cover the kettle and simmer on medium high until the apples break down and become soft. We learned that a slower simmer helps to draw out the juices more effectively. Every so often take off the lid and squish with a potato masher to help the apples along.

Step Five: Strain

Working in batches, pour apple mash into a sieve set up over a large bowl. Using a jelly fish spatula work the mash back and forth in the sieve to get as much juice through as possible. Alternatively you can use a food mill to do the job. You will obtain three separate end products: apple juice, mash and peels. Do not toss away the mash or peels! The mash can be spiced and turned into apple sauce and the peels can be used to make apple jelly.

Step Six: Filter

When all of your juice is collected you can filter it to produce a clearer liquid. There are several ways to filter juice, but you can easily do this by setting up a fine mesh colander with a few coffee filters set inside. You can filter your juice as many times as you would like. We prefer more "pulpy" unfiltered juice so we skipped this step.

Step Seven: Adjust Sweetness

Transfer juice to a clean pot and simmer on low. Now is the time to taste your juice. How is the sweetness? If too tart, add sugar to taste and whisk until dissolved. Otherwise leave it unsweetened as is.

 Step Eight: Preserve it

There are two tried and true methods for preserving your homemade juice: freezing or canning. If freezing, simply allow liquid to cool and store in air tight containers.  Use within 3-6 months for best flavor. To can, as we have done here, pour warm apple juice into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a hot water canner for 30 minutes.

Here is the website where i found this recipe!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-make-homemade-apple-juice.aspx#axzz2b7Y5JPBr

We baked up some delicious Jam Jam`s so soft and warm, they where gone in no time!

 This picture speaks to me, I know there are plenty of October lovers out there!

 During this beautiful season there can be a lot going on, festivals, fall suppers, Halloween, Thanks Giving, and in the midst of all of it, remember to be Thankful!

 Take the time and make your own Fall Bucket List, it does not have to have many items on it, just something to remind you of all the wonderful parts of the season and what it is you are looking forward too!

Have yourself a wonderful Fall/Autumn season, make a Bucket List and check those items off!! You can do it! I am off, to work on scratching a few items off my list, it is never too early!!