Ask and you shall receive. Really.

I have a theory that if you wait long enough and you tell enough people, you can get almost anything you need. I've been wanting two bulletin boards for diy Christmas gifts. I found a large one almost right away for $2 at an estate auction (would have been at least $20 new), but I've been struggling to find a second board.

A few weeks ago I posted a "Wanted" ad for a bulletin board on Lawrence Freecycle (if you don't know about this, check it out!). I hadn't heard anything, and started feeling desperate because I want to start on the project. Last night when I was at Wal-Mart I was thisclose to buying a bulletin board. I actually put it in my cart and took it back out again a few seconds later, because it had a plastic frame and I really wanted one with a wooden frame. Plus I really did not want to fork over $10 to Wal-Mart if I didn't have to.

Then just a few minutes ago, I got a reply to my Freecycle post, and someone is offering me two bulletin boards that they no longer need after moving. Thanks fellow Freecyclers! This, my friends, is a WIN, and not the first time this type of thing has happened to me. Do you have any tales of finding the exact thing you need for free or super cheap?

Image from http://groups.freecycle.org/lawrencefreecycle

Meaningful (and frugal) gifts: photos!

My number one go-to most favorite best gift is a framed photograph. (How'd you like that sentence?) I find that close friends and family almost always love a framed photograph of you, them, you and them, or what have you. This year everyone in my family is getting framed wedding photos, and they're going to like it. (I hope!)

How do you do this frugally? Well, the main two things you need are photo prints and frames.

Step 1. For a great deal on photo prints, I almost always use snapfish.com.  I have gotten 4x6 prints here for as little as $0.01 each, or about $0.03 each with shipping. THAT IS SO CHEAP! We're talking 100 prints for as little as $3.00. Their regular price per 4x6 is $0.09 but I have found they are almost always offering some kind of special. I have signed up on their site, so they send me deals and coupons all the time. You can also get coupon codes from retailmenot.com . (Also if you do any other shopping online, you should really check there to see if there is a coupon available before you buy.)

Or, if you'd rather get your prints in-person somewhere, Walgreens does 4x6 photos for $0.19 each. (Not nearly so frugal... but still an inexpensive gift.)

Step 2. So now you've got your prints, and you need inexpensive frames. You could go to Michael's or Target or somewhere, and buy cheap $5.00 frames. However, these frames will look like cheap $5.00 frames.  My tactic is to buy used high quality frames for cheap at a local Lawrence thrift store. I don't believe I've ever paid more than $1.00 for a frame, and often much less. Also check for frames at rummage sales and the like- I frequently find brand-new frames at garage sales for $0.50. Sometimes used frames are perfect just the way they are, but sometimes they have chipped finish, or are generally banged-up.  So long as the glass is not damaged, and the frame is still structurally sound, it is easy to fix up an old frame. Just take out the glass and spray-paint it!  (That link goes to a really great tutorial, if you need guidance.)  I usually go with classic black or gold when I paint them, but you can  go wild and do any kind of crazy color you want.

Bonus Step. If you really want to get fancy, you could use a mat. Getting mats cut at a frame-shop or craft store is pretty expensive, so I would not recommend that. The best solutions I've found for mats (besides cutting my own mats... I'm not quite there yet) is to buy pre-cut mats in bulk online, or to do what I call a "modern mat" (best for smaller pictures/frames) and use a solid piece of matting or paper and tape the photo on top of it. The example I've included is a picture of my grandma and her dog, in a frame I bought at a thrift store and painted, and did a "modern mat" on light blue paper that I had in my paper scraps.

The mats have been the most tricky part for me. Anyone have a good source for inexpensive mats in Lawrence? Anyone else the "picture giver" in their family?

Weekend update: great deals!

Had a great weekend hunting down some awesome deals. Went to a rummage sale that was a fundraiser for the LHS marching band, and also to an estate auction. Got a lot of things for Christmas gifts, and a few other fun things too.

Rummage sale:
-Overhead projector - $1.00 - my friend Alena had been looking for one of these for a long time so I picked it up for her.
-Magna-doodle- $1.00 - looks brand new, going to give it to my little cousin.
-White ceramic picture frame - $0.75 - new with tags on it, going to put a wedding picture in it for a grandparent's Christmas gift.

Estate auction-
-Large bulletin board- $2.00 - going to paint & decorate it for a little cousin's Christmas gift.
-Box of 20 or so picture frames - $1.00 - going to use these for more wedding pictures for gifts.
-Old red wagon - $6.00 - thought this was too cute to pass up. Maybe I'll put plants in it.

-Wooden duck- $2.00. I don't know. I just love it.











-A thing that I think is an old-fashioned popcorn popper. $1.00. Can anyone verify this? I plan to give it to my Dad to use in his fireplace.

-Antique wall thermometer. $1.00 Already put it up in my kitchen.

- Two awesome granny-style crocheted blankets- $2.50 To use in my house.
- One other thing that I can't mention because its a gift for someone who reads this!

Did you hit up any garage sales or estate sales this weekend? What did you find?

What is your best ever treasure found at a garage sale or auction?

Save money on Christmas gifts by making your own-

This year I’m making most of the Christmas gifts I’m giving. I’m doing this for two reasons: to spend less money, and because I think homemade gifts can be better than store-bought (if done right).

For example, I think that Ugly Dolls are really cute, and I wanted to get one for my 2 year old cousin. Then I realized that even the “Little” dolls were $10 each. I did some searching and found this pattern for a DIY Monster Doll, and I am happy to report that the materials were less than $1, and I spent less than  4 hours on the project. (I am an abnormally slow sewer.)  For the body material I used part of a neon green sweatshirt from my fabric scrap box (free), and for the features I bought felt pieces at Michael’s for 5/$1, and I used only about ¼ of two of the sheets (about $0.05 worth). I also already had white thread, and the other sewing supplies I needed. For the stuffing I bought a (new with tags on it) ugly throw pillow at a Lawrence thrift store for $0.25 and cut it open and used maybe ¼ of the poly-fill. 

I am really pleased with how it came out, and I think it will be extra-special because I made it just for her (using colors she likes, etc.)

Obviously, a Monster Doll may not be the right gift for everyone on your list. I’m making some other gifts this year as well, but I’m hesitant to write about them here, lest I ruin the surprises! What I can offer is this list of my hand-picked favorite DIY gift ideas. 

A DIY Christmas: 34 Great Homemade Gifts You Can Make - from Get Rich Slowly (I like the Secret Hollow Book, Stationary Sets, and Teacup Candles. Also my family has done the Family Cookbook before and it was a lot of fun! These can all be made from things you already have, or cheap thrift-store treasures.)

16 Cheap Homemade Christmas Gift Giving [To-Make] from Tip Junkie (I like the Make Up Roll Up Bag, Hot/Cold Therapy Sacks, and the various Etched Glass items.)

DIY Christmas Gifts that Don't Suck from yes and yes (I like the Finger Puppets, Cat & Dog Treats, Silhouette Portraits, and Wool Mittens.)

And don't forget there are lots of books with DIY gift ideas at the Lawrence Public Library! For inexpensive materials, check out my list of Lawrence, KS thrift and bargain stores. And don't forget your frugal wrapping- ideas here. 

Remember the library!

The value of checking prices- Here is my real life example.

For some reason, I have had a very strong urge to watch Cool Runnings. Don't ask me why. John Candy? Reggae music? 

 It is not on Netflix On Demand, but I still want to see it, so I started checking around. This took me about 10 minutes.

To buy online:

Best price was Amazon: $8.17 with shipping, used.

To buy locally (my preference):

Walmart - not in stock locally (checked online)

Best Buy- $12.99 in stock (checked online)

Half Price Books - not in stock (called local store)

Game Nutt - not in stock (called local store)

Hastings- $10.40 in stock (checked online)

To borrow:

Asked friends on facebook, no one has it.

Miracle Video (rental) - don't have it (called local store)

Lawrence Public Library -  HAVE IT, for FREE. 

(It feels pretty silly calling places and asking for Cool Runnings, by the way.) The point here is, when you have a whim to buy something, think about it a few minutes before you do. Think about how quickly you need it, can you borrow it, can you buy it used?

P.S. I also posted a "Want to Buy" ad on cragislist a few days ago, but no bites. I can't believe no one wants to sell their copy of Cool Runnings, which I would just bet they haven't watched recently. 

Lawrence, KS- Thrift & Bargain Stores

Thrift and Secondhand stores in Lawrence, KS:

(Updated 5/19/14)

Not-for-Profit Thrift Stores:

Social Service League : Donated, used goods, money helps people in need get prescription glasses. Love the people here. Have moved to a new, larger location (temporarily while the original location is remodeled) - so less cluttered and more organized. Very low (think yardsale) prices. My favorite thrift store in Lawrence!

Goodwill : Donated, used goods. I think the prices are a bit high sometimes, but worth checking out occasionally. Good ol' Goody's.

Salvation Army Store: Donated, used goods. Good ol' Sally's.

St. John's Rummage House: Used, donated goods. Money benefits St. Johns School & community programs. Somewhat limited hours, but a goldmine, very low prices. Another one of my favorite places.

Habitat Re-Store: Used, donated goods. Money benefits Habitat for Humanity. Mostly building materials, fixtures, paint, etc. but also some furniture.

Other Bargain and/or Used Goods stores:

Arizona Trading Co. : affectionately called "ATC". Buy/sell/trade used clothes. Primarily young/trendy styles for about 1/2 or 1/4 of what they cost new.
Ditto: Buy/sell  used clothes.  Similar to ATC but I think skews a little older- more young professional than high school/ college age. 

Doodlebugs: Buy/sell secondhand baby and children's items. Lots of clothes/shoes, plus baby gear (strollers, bouncers, etc.), cloth diapering stuff, and pregnancy related items including maternity clothes. I love this shop, because you can get like-new baby/kid stuff for a quarter of retail price. However, it is usually pretty cluttered and somewhat disorganized, so make sure you have time to dig! Good place to sell baby/kid stuff you don't use anymore, too. You won't get a lot of $ but more than you would selling in a garage sale, plus you can get more store credit than cash.
Lasting Impressions Consignment: Consignment store- if you don't know how that works- people bring in items they want to sell, and if it sells the shop gets part of the profit. Their stuff changes all the time, though tends to be mostly apparel. 

Lawrence Flea: Monthly flea market, location varies (check their facebook page for up to date info). Items available vary widely.

Lawrence Antique Mall: If you can see past the expensive antiques, there are lots of flea market-type finds to be had here too. Besides, its fun to look through all the stuff.
Plato's Closet: Buy/sell/trade used clothes. Primarily young/trendy styles for about 1/2 or 1/4 of what they cost new.

Wild Man Vintage: Buy/sell/trade vintage used clothes. Almost didn't put it on here because prices are sometimes high, but sometimes a good deal can be had on cool old clothes.

Tell me what goldmines I missed! I'm always on the lookout for new thrift/bargain stores!

(photo credit)

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