LEGO Birthday Party for Under $20

August 10, 2018August 10, 2018 sweetfrugallife2 Comments

We had an exciting birthday at our house recently! My son turned six years old!. It didn’t take him long to decide that he wanted a LEGO themed birthday party with all of his friends.. He loves all things LEGO and I was excited to make this party all come together.

I wanted to give him a special birthday, but I also wanted to spend the LEAST amount of money as possible. And, I DID it! The party was a huge success, and I spent LESS than $20! I’ll break down everything that I did and each of the expenses.

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The Invitations: $0

Sticking with the theme we (obviously) wanted LEGO themed invitations, and to save money I committed to only using supplies I already had at home.

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The invites were made out of red and orange card stock cut into a rectangle. I cut out six circles per card in matching colors to glue to the front. I had a little foam eraser that wasn’t being used so I cut a small circle from that and glued it under each circle. This helped the circles look a little more 3D and resemble a LEGO design.

Inside the LEGO invite was just a simple typed up paper with all of the party info. It only took me a few minutes to whip it up on my computer!

My son adored these invitations, and didn’t cost me any money Big win!

The Decorations: $4

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I tried to go fairly simple on the decorations (these are 6 year old boys we are talking about….I don’t think they even noticed much of the decor!).

First stop is ALWAYS The Dollar Tree! While there I bought a pack of balloons and a couple rolls of streamers. I tried to focus on the classic LEGO colors of red, yellow, green and blue. I used these items to decorate throughout the house.

For the table center piece I grabbed a few of our mason jars from our storage room and filled them with some LEGOs from our collections. These also ended up being so fun for the kids to build with while they were waiting for me to serve the cake.

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The total for decorations came to only $4!

The Food: $6

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To cut costs on food, I decided to have cake the only food served at the party. I made the cake from scratch, spent $2 on the frosting, and $3 for the Oreos used on top.

I had big goals of decorating the cake to look like a giant LEGO. Truthfully, it didn’t turn out great…..but, my son thought it was the coolest cake ever, and that’s all that matters!

The cake was so simple to make. I cooked the batter in a 9×13 pan and then frosted it with blue frosting. I also frosted the Oreos with the same frosting and placed them on top so that it would resemble a LEGO. My kids told me that the cake needed the word LEGO on the Oreos, so I used a toothpick to include write out the word.

These darling LEGO themed plates were also found at The Dollar Tree (of course!). I had plastic cups and forks already at home so I used them on the table as well. I decided instead of buying a plastic tablecloth (like I usually do), that I would just use a fabric tablecloth that I already owned! It worked out perfect!

Out of all the categories, I spent the most money on food. The total came to $6.

The Games: $2

Honestly, I don’t love planning birthday party games. It always feels so stressful to me. I decided to go a little more simple and stress free this year, and it seemed to work! A plus side is simple is that also usually means less money (and I always like spending less!)!

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We started with “Pin the Head on the LEGO Man.” It was a huge hit! The kids loved getting to choose from the variety of fun faces. I found the printable here.

Another fun game was “Don’t Eat Pete.” The favorite part was getting to be the one to go out of the room and try not to eat Pete. We made sure everyone had a turn (or two!) and it was so fun. I found this printable here.

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Another fun (and easy) game was the LEGO treasure hunt. I hid a bunch of our LEGOs around our yard. The kids all ran around trying to find as many as they could. (kindof like an easter egg LEGO hunt! 😉 )

Once we found all of the LEGOs I split the kids into two teams for a LEGO on the spoon relay race! Each team was given a bucket of LEGOs and a spoon. They had to walk with a LEGO on their spoon across the yard a little ways and drop their LEGO into another bucket. The first team to successfully bring all of their LEGOs across wins! It was so fun watching all those little boys trying to run fast AND balance their LEGO!

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Our last game was probably the favorite! I spray painted two boxes (I bought the spray paint for $2), and then cut two holes in each box. The kids had to stand at some tape I put on the ground and try to throw a ball into one of the holes. This was a little hard for most of the kids, which created a fun challenge. They wanted to play this game for a few rounds to try to get the ball in each of the holes.

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I have decided simple really is the best way to go! I was A LOT less stressed this time and I only spent a total of $2 for all of the games!

The Party Favors: $5

I really struggled trying to come up with a cute yet frugal LEGO themed party favor. I was THRILLED when I found these cute little LEGO boxes at The Dollar Tree. They came in a pack of 4 for $1, so I bought 2 packs. I also bought three packs of Starbursts for $1 each.

I filled each of the boxes with a few pieces of Starbursts candy and the kids LOVED them! I thought the candy would be the hit, but the favorite was definitely having their very own little box. It ended up being the PERFECT favor, and I only spent $5!

The Total: $17

In total I spent $17! I was so thrilled that I was able to pull this party off without having to spent a lot of money.

I’ve realized that kids REALLY don’t care how extravagant the party is….all my son wanted was to have a few friends over, blow out candles on his birthday cake, and open a few presents.

He didn’t notice that the party was all done on a very small budget. All he noticed was that his family and friends were taking the time to show him some love. And you know what….THAT is ALL that matters!

How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag

August 3, 2018August 3, 2018 sweetfrugallifeLeave a comment

Sweet Frugal Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I’ve always said that I was born in the wrong decade! I truly yearn for the simple life of the early 1900s. I think that’s partly why I love being frugal. I get so much satisfaction from growing and making my own food; and living a simpler, less materialistic life.

When we make our own ice cream it reminds me of simpler times. It’s a way for the entire family to make our very own ice cream, no need to go to an ice cream parlor or the grocery store. We can do it on our own!

We always have ice cream in a bag on our summer bucket list. It’s easy (the kids can do it themselves!). It’s cheap. It’s fun. I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand. And, who doesn’t love ice cream on a hot summers day???? I know we do!

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Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe

1 cup Half and Half (I usually just use plain milk and it works just as good!)

2 TBSP Sugar

Favorite Mix-Ins: any combination of the following

1 TBSP vanilla

1 TBSP cocoa

Chocolate Syrup

Fruit

Mix half and half, sugar and one or more mix ins (we used cocoa) in a quart size Ziploc freezer bag.

In a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag dump in a lot of ice and about 1/2 cup ice cream salt (I never measure this, I just kind of guess).

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Take the quart size bag with the ice cream ingredients and get out all the air and seal it shut. Make sure the bag is sealed tight so no salt will get inside. Place the quart size bag inside of the gallon size bag.

Now for the fun part. You shake it! This takes about 5-10 minutes of HARD shaking. It’s important to be shaking it constantly. I will usually help my little kids to make sure it gets nice and frozen.

Once the milk mixture looks frozen, take the quart size bag out and rinse it under cold water. This helps to wash off any excess salt.

Pour it into your bowl, top with sprinkles if you’d like, and ENJOY! I love the simplicity of this activity, and the excitement the kids get out of making their very own personal ice cream!

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! It’s fun to try to make different flavors! My daughter had the idea to use a little mint extract and chocolate chips in our next batch for our own chocolate mint flavor! There is really no right or wrong combo!

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Affiliate · Fabulous DEALS Friday · For the kids · Frugal Life

Fabulous DEALS Friday: Kids School Uniforms

August 3, 2018August 3, 2018 sweetfrugallifeLeave a comment

I am a member of online affiliate programs. I may receive compensation for purchases made through links on this post. All opinions are my own and I only share deals I truly believe are fabulous!

Have you been busy back to school shopping like I have???? It’s always a stressful time of year for me because I want to get my kids good quality clothes while also spending the least amount as possible! Check out last weeks post for all the best deals on school supplies!

My kids are required to wear uniforms at their school. I have been searching the internet all day trying to find the best DEALS on all things uniforms!

I wanted to share with everyone my findings, just in case you are also needing to buy uniforms for the upcoming school year!

Uniform Polo Shirts

Old Navy currently has the cheapest polo shirts I could find. Select styles are currently on sale for only $4 each. This is stock up price! Be sure to shop through ebates and you will receive 6% cashback on your Old Navy purchase. You can find the girl polo version here and the boy polo version here.

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Uniform Pants

The Childrens Place currently has the cheapest uniform pants. They are ONLY $8.00 AND Children’s Place gives FREE shipping on ALL orders! If you shop through the ebates app you will get 1.5% cashback from The Childrens Place. If you’re going to buy it anyways, you might as well get some cashback at the same time, am I right?!?!?! You can find the girls uniform pants here and the boys uniform pants here.

Girls Uniform Skinny Pants

Boys Skinny Chino Pants

Uniform Skirt

The Childrens Place ALSO has the cheapest uniform skirts. They are just $7.47 and again you will get it with FREE shipping and 1.5% cashback by shopping through ebates. You can find the uniform skirt here.

Girls Uniform Pleated Skort

Uniform Jumper

The cheapest uniform jumper is found at Old Navy for $9.50. This is a great deal and they have two color options available! Don’t forget to shop Old Navy through ebates for the extra 6% cashback. You can find the jumper here.

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Boys Uniform Sweater Vest

Crazy 8 has the cheapest boys sweater vest. I love dressing my boy up a little fancier than he probably would like! This sweater vest is perfect for that! It is only $8.44!! Shop Crazy 8 through ebates for 1% cashback. You can find the boys sweater vest here.

Where have you been finding the best back to school deals???? Leave me a comment below sharing all of YOUR great tips! Happy Frugal Shopping!

Bargain Buys · Family · Finances · Frugal Life · Frugal Living Challenge · Good Ideas · Money Educatioin · Money Helps · Parenting · Recipes · Walmart Grocery Pickup

What I Learned From the July Pantry Challenge

August 1, 2018August 1, 2018 sweetfrugallife2 Comments

I am a member of online affiliate programs. I may receive compensation for purchases made through links in this post. All opinions are my own and I only recommend things I truly use and love!

I just finished my month long pantry challenge!! If you’re not aware of the term, a pantry challenge is meant to encourage you to use up items you already have in your home, (pantry, fridge, freezer, shelves, etc.), instead of spending money at the store on groceries.

My goal was to save a little extra money during the month by spending less on groceries. To do this I decided to cut my regular grocery budget of $400 a month in half. This would mean I could only spend $200 for our family of five. This was no easy task and I was incredibly intimidated from the beginning, but I was determined to make it work.

The pantry challenge is now officially over (thank goodness) and I am proud of how the challenge went. I would LOVE to say that I was able to only spend $200 on groceries….but I didn’t quite accomplish that. I went over budget by $1.98. I spent $201.98 on groceries for our family of five….and you know what I am so PROUD of MYSELF!!!

I wanted to share all about how I was able to make it work and what I learned during the process.

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Make a Plan

The ONLY way I could be successful with this pantry challenge was to plan ahead. I’ve always been a meal planner, but I learned quickly I needed to be much more detailed about planning every snack and meal.

At the beginning of each week I looked through my pantry, made an inventory of all our food. I wrote down the meals and snacks we could make with what we ALREADY had in the house.

I was able to eat out of the pantry exclusively about 50% of the time. The other 50% of the meals I tried to only plan really frugal meals with only a few cheap ingredients I would need to buy. This meal planner that I use is available as a Free Printable in my Free Frugal Living Challenge.

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Successful Meal Plans

I listed out a few of the meals and snacks I found to be the most helpful in keeping the grocery costs low. A few of these recipes (starred) are also available for free in my Frugal Living Challenge.

Breakfasts

*Fluffy Eggs

Pancakes

Eggs and Toast

Oatmeal

*Breakfast Potato Casserole

*Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Lunch

Muffin Tin Lunch

Sandwiches

Salad from Garden

Leftovers

Dinner

*Freezer Burritos

Layered Zuchinni

Spaghetti

*Taco Soup

*Balsamic Chicken

Pasta Bake

*Taco Tortilla Soup

Grilled Chicken

*Korean Beef

*Baked Island Chicken

Snacks

Pretzels

Homemade Cookies

Energy Bites

Popcorn

Canned Fruit

Bananas

Homemade Pudding

Homemade Bread

Grocery Shopping

I am a little obsessed with grocery shopping using Walmart Grocery Pickup (hello, shopping in my PJs and groceries loaded in the car FOR ME! Sign me up!).

With my $200 monthly grocery budget, I was only allowed $50 a week. One of my favorite things about Walmart Grocery Pickup is the ability to watch my cart total while I’m shopping. (I know I COULD use a calculator at the store, but I’m just not great at it….) Being able to see how much I’m spending WHILE I’m shopping was crucial for me during this challenge.

If my cart ever went over the $50 amount I knew I needed to go back through the cart and delete a few items. This was MUCH harder to do than I had anticipated! My family all had to sacrifice a few items we were use to having regularly in order to make the month work.

Getting the Family Involved

I would LOVE to tell you that my family was totally on board and excited about my little July Pantry Challenge Experiment……but, they didn’t really love the idea. When they saw the amount of food I was bringing home with each grocery trip they started complaining about the lack of food.

I tried to get my kids excited about the goal and had them help me make a lot of our homemade snacks. They liked being able to help and were somewhat excited at the thought of having a challenge.

Unfortunately, this only lasted a couple of weeks. As the month went on they began to get a really tired of the challenge. The biggest problem was the snacks. They are use to having snacks in the pantry, and we just couldn’t have those this month. I decided to make a list of snacks we did have available and I hung it on the fridge. This helped them a lot! I think they had gotten so use to those convenience snacks (not awesome parenting, I know) that they had forgotten about all the other great options we had.

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Even though my family didn’t necessarily ENJOY the pantry challenge, I am really glad they were able to go through it with me. It was such a good life lesson for my kids to learn about stretching dollars and how much food really costs.

What I learned

My biggest takeaway from the July Pantry Challenge is that I CAN live on less than I usually do. Yes, it took A LOT more effort, (preparing a lot more food from scratch and a lot of time planning), but I CAN do it! We survived.

Moving forward I have a new sense of motivation to stay in budget, shop my pantry, and really spend with a purpose. I’ve always told myself the lie that I HAVE to spend money on this food because we NEED it……but, we don’t! We were just fine having less food around. I am excited to take this new knowledge and adjust my grocery shopping from here on out.

What’s Next

My pantry challenge is over! Does this mean I get to spend a lot of money next month restocking my shelves????? Absolutely NOT!

I will be going back to my regular grocery budget of $400 a month. I will slowly try to restock my pantry, but I will always stay within that $400 budget.

I honestly was terrified for this challenge! I really didn’t know if I would be able to meet my goal, $400 a month is usually a little bit of a challenge. But I did it, and I’m so glad I was willing to try! If you are wanting to find a way to save a little extra cash, try having your own personal Pantry Challenge. Be sure to come back and let me know if you did it and how it went!!

Finances · Frugal Life · Frugal Living Challenge · Good Ideas · Money Educatioin · Money Helps · Side Hustle

10 Items In Your House You Can Sell Quickly To Make Money

July 30, 2018July 27, 2018 sweetfrugallifeLeave a comment

Did you see my post 5 Places Online To Sell Your Clutter and Earn Cash? I am a HUGE fan of selling ALLLL of my house hold clutter (because let’s be honest, there’s a lot of clutter) and making some quick and easy money. I make the goal to sell a few items every month. It’s not a huge money maker for me, but it gives me a little extra spending money!

I’ve had a few people comment to me that they just have “nothing to sell.” I truly believe EVERYONE can find SOMETHING (probably even a few things) to sell. The more desperate you are to earn some money the more likely you’ll find something.

Today I am sharing a few household items that will usually sell quickly. I am hoping these ideas will inspire a few people and help you brainstorm what YOU have in YOUR house to sell.

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10 Household Items You Can Sell Easily

1. Children’s Clothes

Children’s clothes are ALWAYS a hot item to sell online. Clothes will need to be in good condition (no stains or rips) in order to have a good chance of selling. Brand names (think Gymboree, Gap, etc.) will sell best.

2. Furniture

Used furniture is a GREAT sell. There is always someone wanting to buy. The great thing about selling furniture is that it doesn’t matter if the furniture is older or newer, you will most likely be able to sell it. There is a different market for all types of furniture. The older items will usually be bought by someone looking for a DIY project and the newer by someone looking for a good deal.

3. Electronics

Do you have an old phone or ipad laying around? Or maybe a computer that doesn’t work anymore? Electronics is a popular item to buy/sell used. Phones are so expensive to buy new which makes for a lot of people jumping on the opportunity to buy a cheaper used phone. Try selling your non working electronics as well! There are a lot of people out there who will buy something that doesn’t work so they can use the parts out of it.

4. Baby Items

Baby items are some of my FAVORITE things to sell. High chairs, strollers, bumbo seats, cribs, bouncers, etc. These are all hot items to buy used. Use a magic eraser and washcloth to clean them up for an easier sell.

5. Kids Toys

If your kids are anything like mine, you probably have toys laying around that never get used. Clean those toys up and sell them! Popular items include plastic play toys (such as play kitchens and slides), barbies, hot wheels tracks, etc.

6. Tools

Do you have a garage full of tools like I do? Look through all those tools (or ask your husband to do this) and find a few that haven’t been used in months (or maybe years???). We have been able to sell MOST of the tools we have tried, but not all.

7. Decorations

Search your house and try to find a few household decorations you could part with. Maybe your style has changed or you just want to scale back a little bit on the decor. Either way, there is always someone looking to update their home and will love getting a good deal on used decor!

8. Clothing

Look through your closet (or your husbands closet) and find a few items that haven’t been worn for weeks. Sell them! If you’re not wearing something regularly, there’s no reason to save it in your closet. I’ve sold shirts, pants, shoes, etc. If the price is right, it will most likely sell. Be sure to get out all stains before trying to sell any clothing.

9. Holiday Decorations

I have WAY to many boxes of holiday decorations. I have found that all I really need are a few favorite pieces and the rest of the holiday decorations are just not necessary. List these items for sale about 3-5 weeks before the actual holiday. This will increase your chances of being able to make a sale.

10. Outdoor/Yard Items

Do you have a swing set that rarely gets used? Maybe a hose that just seems to sit around. I have always been successful in selling outdoor items. Things like bikes, slides, lawn mowers, sports equipment, etc. all sell really well. Look through all of your yard/outdoor items and if you find anything that seems to take up more space than necessary, sell it! Try doing this during the late spring months when everyone is anxious to get outside.

What did I miss? What are some of the items you sell that are always bought quickly? Share below in the comments so we have even more ideas!

Affiliate · Amazon · Bargain Buys · Fabulous DEALS Friday · For the kids · Frugal Life

Fabulous DEALS Friday: Back To School Supplies

July 20, 2018July 18, 2018 sweetfrugallife1 Comment

I am an affiliate through online stores. I may receive compensation from purchases made through my links.

I REALLY don’t like to think about it but, back to school is right around the corner. I just wish we could freeze time and keep summer for a little bit longer.

Back to school means back to school supplies. Crayons, glue, rulers, folders. It’s a fun time for my kids to gather up all of these new items…..but it can get expensive!

I have learned that the BEST way to save money on back to school supplies is to start shopping early! The minute you get the back to school supply list, start watching sale prices. It takes a little bit of effort, but the savings can really add up.

To save you a little bit of time, I searched a few of my favorite stores (Amazon, Walmart, and Target) comparing a few popular back to school supply items. I’m sharing a few of my best finds today!

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Crayola Crayons

I’ve been buying my kids crayons at Walmart for years. The little secret that I have learned is the 24 Crayola Crayon box is cheaper than both the 8 pack crayons AND the 16 pack crayons. The 24 Crayola Crayon pack is currently ONLY 50 cents. If you shop through the ebates app, you will get an 5% cashback which brings the crayons to only 48 cents!!

Elmers Glue

Target has the cheapest 4 oz. Elmers glue, right not it is priced at for only 50 cents. Be sure to buy it with your Target Red Card for an addition 5% off, bringing the price down to ONLY 48 cents!

Crayola Colored Pencils

You can currently find a 12 pack Crayola Colored Pencils at Walmart for just 97 cents! If you shop through ebates and after receiving your 5% cashback the total comes to 93 cents! This is a great deal on colored pencils!

Crayola Watercolor Paint

Between the three stores Walmart has the cheapest Crayola Watercolor Paint tray. This 8 count tray is just $1.97. Shop through the ebates app and the total drops to $1.88 after cashback.

Expo Dry Erase Markers

I found the best deal on dry erase markers at Walmart. A 4 pack of Black Expo Markers is $3.17. After receiving cashback for shopping through ebates the total comes to ONLY $3.02.

Crayola Markers

Walmart wins out again with the best deal on Crayola Markers. The Classic Colors broad tip markers are only 97 cents. Shop through ebates to receive 5% cashback and the total lowers to just 93 cents!!!

Kleenex Tissues

Target has the best deal currently on Kleenex Tissues. You can get a 4 box pack of Kleenex Tissues for $4.99. If you use your Target Red Card you will get an extra 5% off bringing the total to $4.75.

What great deals have you found???? Remember if you shop at Walmart to scan your receipt into the Walmart Savings Catcher. If their are any lower advertised deals in your area you will receive cashback on the difference. (This is SO easy to do!)

Amazon · Finances · Frugal Life · Frugal Living Challenge · Good Ideas · Money Educatioin · Money Helps · Side Hustle

5 Places Online To Sell Your Clutter and Earn Cash

July 9, 2018July 30, 2018 sweetfrugallife1 Comment

I am a member of online affiliate programs. I may receive compensation for purchases made through links on this post.

I try to sell a few things online every month. I don’t make a lot of money doing this, but I do make a little bit, and I am a firm believer that EVERY little cent matters. I’m sure if I spent more time doing it I could easily make even more money.

I’m convinced EVERYONE can find at least a few items to sell. Clean out your closets, look under the bed, search through your garage. Try to find something that hasn’t been used in years (or even months?). There is no use in hoarding something if it’s not getting much use.

I love clearing and the clutter AND getting to make a little extra cash on the side. Being able to do it ALL online makes it EVEN better (hello, not leaving your house and getting to stay in PJs!)!!!

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Here are a few of my favorite places to sell online:

Sell on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is my very VERY favorite place to sell. If I price my items right, they will sell immediately! I love to post large items on Facebook Marketplace; such as furniture, baby items, lawn care, etc. I have the most success with these.

Sell on ThredUP

Thredup is where I sell a lot of my clothes and my kids clothes. All you do is request a free bag to be sent to you, fill it full of clothes, and send it back. Thredup will do all the sorting, picture taking, selling and shipping your items for you. I really like selling with them because it requires VERY little effort on my part. I have found that they are a little picky about what they accept (which is really nice as a buyer). But, if you have clothes in good condition that you want to get rid of anyway, send them to thredup! You can sign up through this link for a free $10 credit to shop. It’s a great way to get a feel of the website before you start selling.

Sell on Poshmark

Poshmark is very similar to thredup. It’s a great place to sell and buy used clothing. I have found they aren’t quite as picky as thredup, making it easier to sell through them. I am still a little new to poshmark and learning the tricks, but so far I have been very pleased. Poshmark will give you a $5 shopping credit if you use my code sweetfrugallife when you sign up.

Sell on Ebay

I have had quite a bit of success selling on ebay. I don’t sell with them as much as I use to (thredup and poshmark are just MUCH less work), but they are a great resource. I’ve sold clothes and little trinkets and electronics stuff on ebay. Sometimes it takes a little adjusting with the price to find the right fit, but more often than not I have been able to make a sell. If you want to have a little more control over how your items are sold and for what price, ebay is a really good option for you.

Sell on Amazon

I have never personally tried selling anything on Amazon , but I do know others who have. The fees are a little more than ebay’s fees, but EVERYONE shops amazon now, so I’m betting it is a really great market. You will need to set up a free business account to start selling, but it is fairly straightforward from there.

Remember NOT to give up if an item doesn’t sell immediately. Usually that means you will need to make some changes; such as adjust the price, take different pictures or try a new selling website. Try a few different changes BEFORE giving up. Different websites tap into different markets. Be patient with it. Selling items online is a learning process. The more you do it however, the easier it becomes.

Where have you had success selling household items? Share in the comments your favorite place to sell!

Crafts · for free · For the kids · Free Fun · Frugal Life · Good Ideas · Homemade · Parenting

How to Make an Easy Nature Bookmark Tutorial

July 2, 2018August 3, 2018 sweetfrugallife1 Comment

I spent a wonderful week with my sister in the mountains. We took walks, watched movies, played games, and enjoyed getting out of our daily routines.

My sister planned such a fun simple nature craft for the kids to do. I loved it so much and felt like it would be perfect for camping or a nature study.

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Easy Nature Bookmark Tutorial Craft

First, you will need to collect flowers, leaves, and any other thing that catches your eye. this made for a really fun nature walk.

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Once you gather your flowers you will need to press them. We laid our flowers on a paper towel and put books on top to help press them. We kept them under the books for about 6-7 hours. I found that this wasn’t enough time for the flowers to dry fully. I would recommend at least 24 hours.

Once your leaves and flowers are dried it’s time to start designing your bookmark. My sister used Self Laminating Pouches to give the bookmarks a nice strong seal.

You will lay your flowers down on the non sticky part of the pouch. This is the fun part! The kids loved spending time getting their bookmarks to look just right! We were able to get 2 bookmarks out of one pouch.

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Once you have your flowers laid you will put the sticky part of the pouch on top. This part was tricky! It is hard to redo any mistakes, so you will want to take your time and be exact. Slowly peel off the backing as you place the sticky side on top of the flowers. Be sure to press and seal as you are peeling it off.

Once you have it all laminated and sealed just right you can cut your bookmarks in half, punch a hole through the top and thread some ribbon through for a nice top.

We learned a lot doing this craft and I am excited to try it again seeing if we can fix some of our mistakes. My kids have been so proud of these and excited to use them.

I hope that you and your littles will enjoy spending a little bit of time preserving nature.

Finances · Frugal Life · Money Educatioin · Money Helps

Overspending Triggers and Solutions

June 28, 2018 sweetfrugallife5 Comments

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my spending habits.

I sometimes have these really awesome moments when I am keeping to my budget, spending wisely, and stashing lots of money away into savings…….

But then, I have my moments where I S.T.R.U.G.G.L.E. I shop impulsively. I buy things without consulting the budget. I develop a “I need it so I get to have it” mindset.

Does ANYONE else have this happen????

I ALWAYS know this behavior is wrong. I ALWAYS know that I shouldn’t be buying “x,y, and z.” Yet, I ignore that small voice of reason and just keep on spending.

I have learned that these overspending urges are usually the result of a trigger. SOMETHING going on in my life (usually emotionally for me 😉 ) that causes us to want to overspend.

The other day I got an urge to SPEND. Like, really really spend. I wanted to buy decorations for my home and I wanted to buy myself a few new shirts and I wanted to go out to eat and I wanted to take my daughters on a back to school shopping spree and I just.wanted.to. SPEND MONEY!

I was fortunately able to stop myself in this moment and asked myself, “What brought on this urge to spend?”

I thought a lot about my emotions in that moment and I realized that I was feeling frustrated. I was frustrated by my budget. I was frustrated that I was so limited with the amount of money I am “allowed” to spend each month. I just wanted to throw the budget in the garbage and show that budget that I can spend what I want when I want!

Once I realized what I was feeling, I knew that I needed to change something in the budget. As a parent, I always ALWAYS choose to have money budgeted for the kids wants/needs instead of budgeting for my wants/needs. Which I am so HAPPY to do for them, but I was limiting myself so much that I became frustrated which resulted in me wanting to overspend!

So, I decided to change my budget. Next month I will be budgeting more money for my personal spending money. I am hoping that by doing this it will eliminate that trigger and help decrease those spending urges.

Everyones will have different triggers and you won’t experience the same trigger every time. I tried to brainstorm below a few possible overspending triggers and a suggested solution.

Overspending Triggers and Solutions

Trigger: Overspending because you are bored and shopping is a form of entertainment.

Solution: Develop a new (cheap) hobby. Ask a friend to join you in the hobby to help keep you accountable and active with it.

Trigger: You lack confidence and are trying to boost your self esteem with new purchases.

Solution: Read some self help books (from the library) about confidence. Learn to develop inner confidence without needing to spend money.

Trigger: You are upset or emotional and use shopping as therapy.

Solution: Find a new way to release your emotions. Go for a run or walk. Call up a friend or watch a favorite movie. Find a non-spend alternative to help you calm down.

Trigger: Feeling jealous when you hear how friends have been spending their money.

Solution: If your friends are a temptation to spend money you need to distance yourself from them. I have unfollowed friends on social media before because their posts trigger my urge to spend money. If you need to make some new frugal friends, do it! Just do whatever it takes to delete that temptation.

Trigger: A friend invites you to do something that will encourage you to overspend, maybe a day of shopping or a weekend trip.

Solution: Be up front with your friends. Tell them your spending limits and the activities that you will be able to or won’t be able to participate in. Kindly ask them to stop inviting you to the activities out of your budget.

What are your personal spending triggers? What are the solutions YOU have come up with to help overcome those triggers? Share with me in the comments so we can help each other out.

Crafts · Family · for free · For the kids · Free Fun · Frugal Life · Holidays · Parenting

Easy Fourth of July Craft: Fireworks Stamping

June 25, 2018 sweetfrugallifeLeave a comment

Is their really any holiday better than the 4th of July???? Sunshine. BBQS. Parades. Family. Friends. Fireworks. I love this holiday.

We have started celebrating a few weeks early with a couple of fun and easy Fourth of July crafts. A lot of our crafts revolve around toilet paper tubes….because you really can’t get any cheaper than toilet paper tubes, right?!?! This craft is one that we do every year. It is so simple and easy!

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You will need to collect a few toilet paper tubes. I used three toilet paper tubes so that I could have one for each color of paint: red, white and blue.

Once I ~~dug the toilet paper tubes out of the trash~~ collected three toilet paper tubes, we began to cut around the bottom. We cut thin strips, about half way up all around the tube. Once your strips are all cut, fan them out so the bottom is flat.

Dip each toilet paper tube in paint and begin stamping on your paper.

Once our sky was full of fireworks we decided to sprinkle glitter on the paint to give it a little extra sparkle. I used what I had at home, blue and gold. I really liked the way the glitter helped the firework stamps to stand out.

We have our firework stamps hung up on the fridge. It is a fun reminder of the Independence Day we get to celebrate soon!

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