September Acres

It's March 1st which means our no spend month is over.  How'd we do?  Well, to be honest, it wasn't our most successful one.  Not awful but we did spend on things like going out and some new clothes. The clothes were needed.  The dining out not so much.  The middle school basketball season ended so there was a bit of celebrating in the form of eating out but it was at a Mexican restaurant so it wasn't pricey at all. We had company one weekend and I made lasagna instead of going out. That's a win in my book.  We saved a little bit extra. We didn't go crazy or buy things we didn't need so I'd call it a moderate success. Now I need to go work on that March budget.  I started using Every Dollar last month and think I will like it. I'm still getting used to it, just like with any new budgeting system but I think I'll stick with it. I'm such a pen and paper person that it's taking some getting used to but you sure can't help ...

I can't believe that January is almost over!  And that means that February is almost here and our annual No Spend February.  It's our eighth year. I can't believe we've been doing it that long. I personally love it. Coming off the spending frenzy of the end of the year, it's a nice change for me. I am, quite frankly, done shopping. We have no birthdays, anniversaries, etc until June so I like the 'cold turkey' aspect of a no spend month. What, exactly, does 'no spend' mean @ September Acres? - No shopping  -that means we won't roam the aisles of Target buying stuff we don't need & sometimes don't even want. No trips to Costco. Grocery shopping is okay but limited as we will try eating from the pantry this month.  - No vacations  - Easy Peasy as school is in.  - No going out to eat  - If we are invited to go out as a treat we will go but otherwise we don't. I've also been really slack with meal planning since Christmas so...

I spent last weekend at a friend's house having a garage sale.  It's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.  It was fun hanging with friends and we each made a little money but I'm not sure it was really worth it financially.  We probably both ended up making way  less than minimum wage.  Are you thinking of doing a garage sale?  I'm no expert but if you're planning one soon let me pass on the things I've learned this time around. Books & DVD's aren't Huge Sellers.   I sold 3 DVD's and about 5 books.  I thought the kids' movies and books would sell but maybe with iPads and the like they just aren't relevant. I had a man offer me $5 for all of the books - there were probably 40-50 of them.  I declined but as I was loading them back into my car I was second guessing myself. I think you're better off donating them to a school or taking them to somewhere like Hastings for store credit. Furniture is a Big Draw . If I...

I have a confession:  I  loathe  'dollar stores'.  As luck would have it, I believe we live in the town with the most dollar stores per capita.  We have a Dollar Tree, Dollar General, TWO Family Dollar's and a 99 cents only (where everything is really $1) in a town of about 50,000.  That's 1 dollar store for every 10,000 residents if you're into statistics.  Dollar stores are big business.  In 2011 Family Dollar stores reported net sales of $8.55 billion.  Dollar General's 2011 FY sales were $14.81 billion.  That's  a lot  of stuff! Dollar General positions itself in rural areas, some of which are too small for a Walmart, which makes it the go-to store for all things bargain-y. Dollar stores have even made it into the blogosphere.  Blogs like  Dollar Store Crafts , &  Dollar Store Mom  feature really neat crafts using supplies from dollar stores.  Many are kid friendly which I know I like.  ...

Y our goal should be to pay off your credit card bills in full at the end of each month and set aside money toward your emergency savings . ~Suze Orman Save for a rainy day.  Pay yourself first.  Set aside 10% of your income.  Feed the pig(gy bank).  We all say it in a different way but the bottom line is that having an emergency fund is an important financial tool.  An emergency fund keeps us from pulling out the credit cards when the car breaks down, the roof leaks, an accident lands you in the emergency room or a job loss occurs.  Knowing you need an emergency fund (EF) is one thing, creating one is a little harder.  The financial experts have different ideas as to how much you need in your EF but generally 3-6 months of living expenses is a good start.  If you are in a stable job, three months is probably good.  If you are self-employed or in a less stable job, aiming for six months (or more) is a smart idea. If you are in...

We're on the downhill slide of our No Spend February .  Just a few more days and we'll be done.  Does this mean we'll go out and buy all those things we wanted to buy but said 'no' to during the last month?  Not hardly.  To be honest, I'll keep these frugal habits for a few more weeks since I'm kind of in the no spending mode. We've done fairly well this month and haven't spent on anything that was not really necessary, have used much of what's in the pantry and have saved a bit more than usual. It's really easy to put off purchases that are purely wants when you make an effort. And that's really the purpose of a no spend month, in my opinion.  When more thought is put into a purchase,  I usually come to the conclusion that while I may want something I certainly don't need it.  Sometimes I only want it for a little while. America Saves Week  starts on Monday and is the perfect ending to our no spend month.  I'll share some ...

   I was watching a local lifestyle show the other day and saw a segment about Valentine's Day gift giving.  The first gift shown was a diamond necklace for $100 - very pretty but a bit pricey for a Valentine's Day gift.  Next up was a Bose iPod docking station for the man in your life for - get this - $299.  ( note: my husband thought this sounded like a great gift for him! )  These are both lovely gifts but it got me thinking about Valentine's Day and how it's almost turned into a mini-Christmas. I've always thought of February 14 as a day to show those we love a little extra affection, not buy them another huge gift.  If you are young without a mortgage and college tuition to pay, it's one thing, but for the rest of us I think it's really easy to go overboard and try to keep up with the masses. So, what's a girl to do if she doesn't want to spend a king's ransom on the one she loves? I'm a fan of some good old 'lovi...

Valentine's Day is less than a week away so we are heading into the official 'last minute' phase.  It's high time to get any cards you need to mail to the post office.  Everyone loves a homemade card, right? If you've thought of making them but then realized that you're running out of time, this is the project for you. These are 'semi-homemade' valentines.  I picked up this set of chevron note cards at the Target $ spot (for $1, natch).  I thought they would make the perfect cards for valentines but they just needed a little something. I got out some ribbon, paper and stickers and went to work, creating four unique but similar cards to send to friends and family.  I made my cards fairly simple but the sky's the limit here.  It's the perfect way to use up extra paper and ribbon as well as leftover stickers. Happy creating! Linking up to Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.

Last night LM worked on Valentine's for her classmates while I worked on this little Valentine 'tree'.  I mentioned the project here , knowing my tree would be completely different from the original .  And it definitely is.  When I spotted the inspiration piece I thought the tree was made out of clothes pins (yeah, I don't know what I was thinking, but it was before I got my new glasses) and I had it stuck in my head that I would make a tree with clothes pins.  So that's what I did! I had the red glitter & pink clothes pins on hand.  The red and white ones are regular old clothes pins to which I mod podged scrapbook paper.  The hearts are made from some scrapbook paper scraps.  I attached the clothes pins to a lolly pop stick (the kind you buy to make your own pops).  I bought nothing new for this project - you have to love that - well at least I do! I think the thing I love the most about this project is that after the holiday...

Over the weekend I worked on my version of the 'XO' letters I saw at Tatortots and Jello .  I fell in love with the vintage looking Valentine paper at Hobby Lobby and knew that's what I would use for these letters - even though it was nothing like what I had in my head.  I painted the sides with red craft paint (Tuscan red, that is) instead of using a different paper as I originally had planned.  I mod podged the paper after painting the sides and added some ribbon & a glitter mini-clothespin (which I got at our now closed Michaels). This is a super easy project and one that the kids can be involved in as well.  It took me about 30 minutes to complete plus drying time (which wasn't more than another 20-30 minutes here in dry Arizona).  And the possibilities for colors, letters and accessories are endless.  It goes way beyond Valentine's Day. Initials for new babies or birthdays. 'Hop' or 'Egg' for Easter. 'Love' for a weddi...

It's that time of year again here at September Acres.  It's No Spend February!  I believe this is the fifth year we are doing this and I am more than ready.  The rest of the family is not quite as excited though - as with past years.  But they know it's coming... I call this a 'no spend' month but realistically it's more of a ' controlled spend ' month as I still buy some groceries (perishables, for example) and pay for LM's gymnastics lessons.  But other than that things get pretty frugal around here. Here's what no spend February means for us: No vacations . No extra-curricular shopping activities.   This is a big one and probably the one place that most unnecessary spending occurs.  Those trips to the Target dollar spot really add up and will be cut out this month (and maybe beyond).  We've also just come off Christmas and birthdays so no one needs anything. No eating out .  As in years past, we'll go  if we're being ...

One of the most popular new year's resolutions has got to be 'saving money'.  A noble resolution for sure, especially after the holiday spending frenzy many of us go on from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve.  While I didn't make any resolutions this year, I am always interested in tightening our belts after the holidays.   I kept hearing about this 52 Week Money Challenge.   The idea is to save $1 for the number of the week we are in during the year. $1 for week one, $2 for week two and so on.  If you are faithful in doing this you will have $1378.00 by week 52 of this year.  Pretty neat, isn't it?   The woman behind this challenge is a lot like many of us.   Meet her here.   I have seen ideas about reversing this challenge  by saving the $52 the first week, $51 the second week, etc.  The theory behind this is that during the last weeks of the year, we tend to have holiday expenses making it harder to set aside $40 plus...

 It's Day 16 of my 31 day challenge.  I decided to take a break and join Melissa today for her Under $10 Under 1 hour party.   A little break is always good although you could say this is a post on how to organize straws if you'd like. The idea of the party is to share something you created for under $10 that took you less than 1 hour.  My cute little paper straw holder (jar) took about 10 minutes and only cost $2. To make this I used: Jar - recycled jam jar - Free Paper - from my scrap paper supply -Already had Ribbon  - from my supply - Already had Spider -  I stamped this last year while at a friend's, thinking one day I might want to use it somewhere - Free Straws - $1.99 at Michaels. Grand total = $1.99 I love how it turned out.  It makes the perfect little Halloween decoration and it's useful to boot.  Although my husband said 'what good is a paper straw?  You can't actually drink out of it, can you?...

If you're anything like me you are always looking for ways to add seasonal touches to your home without spending much (or any) money.   Like many of you, I have oodles of scrapbook paper.  To be honest it's probably more than I could ever use.  So when I wanted to add a little more fall to the house without a trip to the store I headed straight to the scrapbook paper. I started with three little pumpkins I cut with my Cricut, a piece of 12 X 12 scrapbook paper and a frame I had (part of my 90% off haul from Michaels a few weeks ago). If you have a Cricut, the 'Stretch your Imagination' cartridge is fantastic for seasonal die cuts - it's filled with really cute images for every holiday and season. I glued the three little pumpkins to the scrapbook paper (cut to 5X7) and put it in the frame (which ended up costing me 69 cents!)  I love the way it turned out and am deciding where to put it - it will possibly go on the mantel  or in the kitchen...

As with so many other American families, we lead busy lives that sometimes mean we are out of the house during meal times.  I strive to have all of us home at dinner time each day but as LM gets older and we all get busier sometimes it doesn't work out that way.  When we are home (4-5 nights per week, usually) I like to know what I am preparing for dinner.  That's where the menu planning comes in.  Here's what I do: Make a monthly plan .  I used to make a weekly plan and I never quite got that right or really enjoyed it.  Once I switched to a monthly plan I saw more success and enjoyed the process much more.  Of course, we have changes here and there but it's a pretty good system. Write it down .  I use a calendar I print out from Printfree .  There are probably a million ways you could write down your menus but this works for me.  I print out the month I need and put them in a 3-prong folder (now's the time to get one, wi...

While my husband was out of town a while back I did some moving of furniture and other stuff in an effort to open things up in our house - specifically our bedroom on this mission.  I moved out a dresser and a love seat and moved my dresser to one of the open spots.  It's so nice to be able to move around better in this room.  When I was doing all of this I noticed that our mantel had become a hodge podge of all kinds of things.  All things I like and want to keep but didn't have a new home for.  I started here: With some editing I ended here: That waterfront print was in our room on a wall that housed the short dresser I moved into LM's room (are you still following me?)  When I moved my tall dresser to that wall, this print no longer worked there.  But I am loving it over the fireplace. I bought nothing new for this makeover.  I put away a lot and pulled a cute little frame out of the closet.  I love the transformation and...

One of the things we wanted to do this summer was to paint rocks.  Just for fun really.  And living in the desert we have lots of rocks right outside our door.  So today was the day.  LM headed out after lunch to pick out a few rocks and I gathered up the paint and brushes. Paint supplies & rocks.  And the rabbit from "Hop".  Wonder how he got there? I painted one rock for us to keep.  I used rubber stamps and ink to make a little design.  I kind of like it! LM painted a rock for her Grandma who just had open heart surgery in June.  Luckily she picked a small one so it won't cost an arm and leg to mail it. I packaged it up in a cellophane bag with some shredded paper.   I think Grandma will love it! This activity is really fun, creative and very frugal.  Here's what we used: Rocks from the yard Craft paint Paint brushes Rubber stamps  Stamp pad I keep old yogurt containers and the like to p...

I finally painted our guest bath over the weekend.  After much deliberation over which shade of grey to use  , I ended up with 'Silver Leaf' by Valspar.  It's a bit lighter than the 4 original shades I was considering but I really like how it turned out.  It's actually the same color my husband used for his work office.  There was quite a bit leftover from that so I decided to use it and hope for the best.  You know me, always looking for a chance to save $$$! It turned out to be a good decision. Here's a look at the finished room: I wasn't sure how this print, with it's green mat and frame, would look on the wall but it looks really nice.  Actually, it looks better in real life than in this picture.  The grey-ish white of the rocking chairs ties in with the wall color quite nicely. The galvanized, numbered pots work well with the grey walls. This little bath was the last room in the house to be painted.  No...

I finally got around to repainting this little table that sits by the door going out to the pool.  Affectionately called the 'pool table' due to the fact that it houses sunscreen and towels for the pool, the table sits within reach of the doorway so we can pick up our towels on the way out. Or reach in without making a mess if we forget them. My dad made this table many years ago when 'country' was a big design style.  I've had it in many rooms through the years but most recently in the garage because it didn't really have a 'spot' due to the style.  I knew I had to either use it or give it to someone that would so I decided to spruce it up a bit and bring it into the 21st century.  The biggest obstacle to an update was the heart cut out.  Cute in the 80's; not as much in 2012.  And while I'd like to say that I came up with the brilliant idea to cover the heart with the medallion, it really came from Wendy over at The Shabby Nest when she h...