Thrifty Mommy » DIY

33 Do-It-Yourself Costume Ideas

Karen Weideman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:13:16 +0000

For the first time ever, I have three kids this Halloween. If you’re like me, you don’t have $30-50 per kid to spend on a costume. I’ve been searching around the internet and have found some do-it-yourself ideas. Hopefully there will something that you like.

Black Knight Costume

Pocahontas

Parents has some cute costume ideas. You probably have many of the items needed already at home.

Scuba Diver – uses 2 liter soda bottles, tubing, and goggles
Beauty Queen
Basketball Player
Artist
Mad Scientist
Rock Star
Magician
Doctor
Chef
Zoo Keeper
Construction Worker

Handmade Costumes – Most of these costume ideas are for smaller children.

Little Lamb – This one is my favorite. It’s so adorable!
Dalmation Puppy
Crazy Caterpillar
Rooster
Goldfish

From Better Homes & Gardens

Were there any costumes that you liked?

image from sxc.hu

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Decorating on the Cheap, Part 2

Karen Weideman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:11:34 +0000

Last week, I discussed some ways to save on decorating your home. We learned that money could be saved from shopping for used items by using Craigslist, yard sales, and thrift stores and also how an inexpensive item like paint can transform a room. Today we’re going to see that there are more ways to decorate on the cheap.

4. Repurpose what you have. Paint that old lamp or picture frame. Change your night stand into a bookshelf. Recover your old pillows with fabric. Use a sheet for window treatments.

5. Get an outside opinion. It helps to ask someone else’s opinion for ways to help your decorating space. Many times others will see things you didn’t see and have ideas you had never thought about. They may suggest moving a piece of furniture or changing a wall hanging. Those small inexpensive tips can make a big impact.

6. Borrow furniture. When I first got married, I didn’t have any living room furniture. I ended up borrowing some things from my parent’s house. All you have to do is get the word out to friends and family that you need some items for your home. Some people have things in their basement that are just sitting around collecting dust. Some will let you borrow things and others will just let you have the stuff.

7. Be patient. You can’t expect your home to look perfect right away. It takes moving things around, searching for deals, and tweaking things a bit. It will all come together eventually.

What tips do you have for decorating on the cheap?

image sxc.hu

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Cost-Effective Summer Curb Appeal

Karen Weideman — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:32:51 +0000

Guest post from Lou Manfredini of Ace Hardware

Lou here, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and today I’m sharing some great budget-friendly tips on adding curb appeal to your home this summer.

The first step to having a home that looks great from the street is a healthy lawn. It is easier and cheaper than you might think. First you’ll want to clear away any leftover debris, including leaves, branches and your kids’ favorite summer toys. If your lawn is loaded with weeds, spray it with Ortho Weed and Feed – just attach to your garden hose and spray away. It costs about $10.00 and will kill the broadleaf weeds and also feed the healthy grass.

In about two weeks you can reseed the bare spots. First, scratch the soil a bit with a rake and sprinkle the seed over the area. Cover with peat moss and then water lightly. The peat moss will keep the seed moist and will prevent birds from eating it. Water just a bit every other day to help the seed take and try to keep the kids and animals off of these areas while the seeds germinate. After two weeks, the grass should be filled in and your lawn will look terrific!

Another budget-friendly secret to a great lawn is to run a rake across it to thin out any dead grass and promote healthy growth. This will keep your lawn looking thick and neat, and the only cost is a little bit of your time and some elbow grease.

Now that the grass is looking better, how about adding some perennial flowers along the walkway leading up to your home? While perennials cost a little more, they will come back each year, giving you more bang for your buck. Look for plants that bloom at different heights like Moon Beams, Hostas and even rose bushes. Make sure you give them room to grow to create a beautiful, full border leading up to your door. Most plants will come with a recommended spacing to allow for full growth. I always take two inches off the recommended spacing because I like the thick, bursting look of healthy plants. Each year you can add a few more plants to change up the look and keep the front of your home fresh.

What low cost ways have you used to boost your home’s curb appeal?

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Decorating on the Cheap, Part 1

Karen Weideman — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:55:55 +0000

Many of us think of our home as our castle. We want it to look warm, inviting, and relaxing, yet we don’t have a lot of money to spend on decorating. Today, I’ll begin to share with you some tips for decorating and furnishing your home on the cheap.

1. Shop yard sales and thrift stores. I’ve been doing this for years. Just a few months ago I was at a yard sale and found a really nice living room couch and oversized chair. The person I bought it from had only used it for a year. She paid $1200 for it and I got it for only $120. Sometimes you can find some really unique items by shopping this way.

2. Check Craigslist. You just never know what you’ll find on Craiglist. We’re getting ready to move into our house and the home inspector found some issues with the bathtub. My husband found a brand new tub with jets on Craiglist for 1/5 the price. It was one a contractor didn’t use.

3. Think paint. Paint is one of the least expensive ways to add warmth and color to your home. It really is amazing how $30 in paint can transform a room. I am not very fond of white walls and in our last house, all the walls were white. Once we painted the living room a taupe color, the whole look of the room changed and I could hardly wait to paint the rest of the house.

Stay tuned for more ideas and tips on inexpensive decorating. In the meantime, we’d love to hear the ways that you save.

image sxc.hu

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How to Make Your Own Maternity Jeans

Karen Weideman — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:36:48 +0000

I saw this tutorial this week and of course I thought of Kelly. Poor thing is small and petite and is having a hard time finding maternity jeans that fit. Kelly, maybe you and the other pregnant ladies can give this a try. This is a much more frugal choice for maternity clothes!

How to Make Maternity Jeans Using Regular Jeans and a T-shirt – More DIY How To Projects

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Costume Sale and Free Patterns at Baby Center

Karen Weideman — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:56:30 +0000

BabyCenter is having a 30-50% sale on costumes. In addition to the sale they are offering free standard shipping on orders of $25 or more. Enter the coupon code SHOPPING during checkout. Now is the time to shop and save before the selection gets slim. You can get an adorable costume, such as this cute oatmeal bear costume, for only $13.50.

BabyCenter also has a do-it-yourself section on their website. Get crafty and download simple and free patterns to construct a skeleton, leopard, kitten, pirate, jailbird, carrot, or strawberry.

Enjoy the savings!

image from BabyCenter

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Do-It-Yourself Projects Save Money

Karen Weideman — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:41:00 +0000

We rarely pay someone else to do work to our house. It’s not that we wouldn’t love someone else to be outside sweating for us, it’s just that we’re too ~~cheap~~ frugal to pay someone to do something that we can do ourselves. Doing projects yourself can save hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

My hubby was feeling very motivated Saturday night and he got some projects completed around the house. One of the projects was pressure washing the deck. Check out these pictures which show the before and after.

You can see the line where my husband stopped cleaning so that he could eat his dinner. I’m actually glad that I got to see the difference so that I could appreciate it much more. I can hardly believe our deck got that dirty within just a few years.

DIY projects can save your family a lot of money. Just make sure you know what you doing.

What kinds of projects are you tackling on your home?

images by Karen

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Busy, Busy, Busy!

Karen Weideman — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:45:44 +0000

Whew! I am tired! My husband and I have been working non-stop on our house. We’ve spent countless hours in Home Depot, Lowe’s, and at the mulch store. This week we have:

repaired the flower bed (previous owner’s mess up)
put down weed guard material
planted new shrubs
took down the old light post
put down new mulch
filled in holes in the yard
seeded the whole yard
took out toilet and sink from bathroom
tore out vinyl bathroom flooring
painted bathroom trim and walls
fixed some drywall mess ups in the kitchen and bathroom
hung up fixtures in bathroom
finished putting up moldings in the kitchen
touched up paint in the kitchen
repaired loose carpet squares in playroom

The good news is that we did all this stuff ourselves. While we may have spent a few hundred dollars on materials, we were able to save a few thousand dollars by not paying someone else to do these repairs.

What kind of projects are you working on?

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Do-It-Yourself Cat Toys and Furniture

Karen Weideman — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:29:22 +0000

I really have been wanting a cat playhouse for the cat we rescued. She’s only about 7 months old now and she really enjoys climbing, scratching, and playing.

This past weekend, our family made a trip to the newest pet store in town. I knew that cat houses were expensive, but I was almost entertained at how much money people will pay for these things. I thought it was even funnier when I saw what they were made of.

I found my husband and told him I knew what his new profession could be . . . making cat houses. Well, I don’t think my husband’s giving up his day job anytime soon (lol), but I thought I’d pass along some info on making your own cat toys and furniture. I’m sure many of you thrifty people out there could benefit from this.

How to Make Cat Jungle Gyms and Playgrounds
Build Your Own Cat Tree
Expert Village has a series of videos you can watch on building your own cat toys.
Do-It-Yourself Cat Tree
This idea involves using shelves and brackets. The downside is you have to mount them to the walls.
How to Build Cat Trees
How to Build a Quality Tree House (this one looks more complex)
Sloped Scratching Pad
In case you still need a bit of help, you can download six plans for $9.95.

Here’s a really cool play tower from Target that’s only $28. The problem is, it is made of PVC pipes that pop together. With a 2 and 4 year old in the house, I don’t think it would last for long.

Give us your thoughts. Have you made your own cat toys, perches, trees, etc? How did they turn out?

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50 Thrifty Links for Valentine Fun

Karen Weideman — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:26:47 +0000

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Since you’re here, you’re obviously looking to be a bit more frugal. I’ve been surfing around and I’ve found 50 links to help you with Valentine’s Day. All of these items are inexpensive and most of them are do-it-yourself.

Crafts

Printables and Other Fun Stuff

Recipes

Valentine Gifts

Please share any links you have found in the comments.

images from Karen

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