Frugal Friday

How I saved money this week:

-Made homemade Valentines made out of cardstock I never use. I cut them into heart shapes and Alex colored them. I hope to make it to Walgreens to see if they have any cute stickers to add... which will be free using my Wags GC.
-Started religiously re-folding clothes that haven't been worn, or have been worn but aren't dirty. I am making it a huge priority to reduce utilities and I am trying desperately to cut back on laundry. So far I have noticed a HUGE difference in the amount of laundry I'm doing. It's nice.
-Bought a pair of jeans on clearance at Kohls. My old jeans were starting to get holes. I REALLY wanted to get a pair of jeans that were full price (come on, I thought EVERYTHING at Kohls is on sale, apparently not) but opted against them. I don't regret my decision.
-Initially Mike and I thought we would need a tax-preparer this year so we contacted someone who had been recommended to us who said they would charge $200. We opted trying Turbo Tax instead and it worked just fine.
-I have been allowing Mike to pick up extra hours at work, which ofcourse, comes with a price that I pay at home... a more tired husband who is not around as much to help me out. As a mom of a toddler, sometimes I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I don't get a break at some point during the day.... but today I opted to let Mike sleep in because he's over tired from work. Hopefully I won't regret that decision tonight when Mike goes back to work.
-My parents took a trip to Vegas and my mom struck gold at a Dillards in AZ... she AND MY DAD (even he was super excited over all the great deals) bought lots of clothes for Alex, including 2 winter/fall jackets. The help they provide is a HUGE money saver for us. I certainly don't ever expect anything from them but am very grateful for all they do.

Frugalness

So, here is most of Alex's fall/winter wardrobe that was purchased for less than $70. Please note that there are a few things missing from the picture (two pairs of Kohl's pants and a long sleeve shirt - 5.00 a piece. And a winter coat - FREE!)

I had to pay more OOP for pants at Kohls because I couldn't find any cute ones at the thrift/resale. They were all very 80's-esque and acid-washy. Ick.

Most of it was purchased at a local 2nd hand shop, or thrift stores. The shoes are brand new (2 pairs!) that I got when Meijer was having their buy1get1-for-$1 sale. Even the fire truck onesie that Alex is modeling was a garage sale find for $0.50.

My favorite deals are the winter coat (not pictured) that I received WAY BACK when I was pregnant at one of my baby showers. And the doggy pajamas (on the left) that were also a shower gift. The khaki colored fall jacket was an AWESOME find... it's so adorable on him and it was only $6, it even has a removable red liner.

Best of all, this picture display's my many attempts at being frugal.

The past couple of weeks Target had a ton of comforters, sheet sets, curtains, etc on clearance and I scooped up the red comforter (king size) for only $20.

The curtains on the windows came with our house (it was part of the agreement that the seller would leave all window treatments). While at JoAnns, my mom and I found that cool dot patterned fabric (and used the 40% off coupon!) and she sewed the band onto the pre-existing curtains... making it a cheap alternative to buying all new ones. I love them! I'm not big on traditional baby/toddler themed rooms. I think the colors are often muted and boring. And especially when it comes to little boys, Alex LOVES cars and trucks but all the car/truck themed comforters were so BLAH.

Now, I'm not sure why he has a book on his head. But, at least he didn't make a mess of the clothes in the picture before I could take a shot.