Thrifty Basket Decor

Here’s something cute and simple.  I got these baskets at the thrift store.  They were a whopping 50 cents each!  Oddly enough I found these on two separate occasions, and both are in good condition and both appear to be hand painted. 
And I just happened to have some plastic eggs here at home to put inside them.  I’m currently displaying these in the kitchen for Easter.
In the future, I may decoupage these eggs for fun, but till then, they are fine for me as is. 
So if you’d like to decorate for Easter, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money and/or you’re not that crafy, just get you some plastic eggs at the dollar store and stuff them in a basket.  It works!

-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post at:
It’s So Very Creative & It’s So Very Thrifty hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Make it for Monday hosted by Cottage Instincts
Made it Mondays hosted by The Persimmon Perch
Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
Make Your Monday hosted by Twice Remembered
Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Market Yourself Monday is hosted by Sumos Sweet Stuff
Marketing Mondays and Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
What Your Working with Wednesday is hosted by Me and My Bucket
Show & Tell Wednesday is hosted by Blue Cricket Design
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Week End Review is hosted by Tator Tots & Jello
Star on Saturday is hosted by Craft-Werk
Penny Pinching Party is hosted by The Thrifty Home
Show & Tell Friday is hosted by Romantic Home

Lovely Valentine Gifts from Dayspring. Save 20% This Week.


DaySpring is the latest company I’ve become affiliated with. They are a Christian Company that sells an array of lovely gifts.

It’s a great place to shop for cards and stationary, as well as Christian art, Home Decor, Music, Jewelry, Books, Coffee Cups, Picture Frames, and More!

Today I’m featuring just a couple of items that you might be interested in for Valentine’s Day. And I’m happy to say that this week through February 14, all Simply Sweet Home readers will get 20% off your entire DaySpring purchase. To take advantage of this offer, just enter the coupon code VALNTN20 at check out!

Take Hope to Heart

Christian Love Charm Necklace


Be Still and Know – Sweet Bird – Christian Coffee Mug

By Grace Alone Necklace

Creative Decor and Jewelry by Show Offs Art

Christian Inspirational Jewelry – Necklaces, Bangles & Pendants

For these gifts and more, visit DaySpring. And don’t forget to use the coupon code VALNTN20 at check out to recieve 20% off.

-Jerri

O’Charley’s Kids Giveaway

Going out to eat can get expensive, particularly when you have a large family. So all month long, in honor of my blogiversary celebration, I’m having a special giveaway for some Ocharley’s Kids Eat Free Passes. Each pass is good for one free kid’s meal when you come in and purchase one adult entree. (No more than one kid’s coupon per adult guest.)

I will be doing 4 weekly drawings starting Sept 20 and ending October 11. Each weekly winner will recieve 5 of these coupons.

To win, just leave a comment telling me your favorite thing to order when you go out to eat or the name of your favorite place to eat.


Giveaway Closed. Winners to be announced.

Town Hall For Hope

I just found out about this free event that’s coming up next Thursday, April 23. The Town Hall for Hope is being hosted by Dave Ramsey, financial couselor and author of The Total Money Makeover. (If you’re interested in getting out of debt or managing your money better, you should check him out.)

The Town Hall for Hope is a nationwide event. It’s an opportunity for people to come together and listen to Dave Ramsey talk about the economy, the recession, foreclosures, and other topics. After the presention, Dave will be taking questions through email & Twitter and answering them live.

This event is FREE to the public and there are many host locations. Just go the website and type in your zipcode to find a location near you. (There are over a dozen locations within 15 miles of my house, and I live in a small town, so it looks like there’s a location for everyone.)

And if you can’t attend an event, then you can view the town hall from your living room via YouTube. For more information on this event, go to The Town Hall for Hope.


-Jerri



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I’m going to share this post for Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom.

Adventures in Shopping: I Love Ross! (Dress For Less, that is)

One of my favorite places to look for bargains is Ross Dress For Less. They have a vast selection of clothing of all sizes and styles, and they have a number of housewares, kitchen, and decor items. I’ve bought items from every single department in this store, but I’ve been most impressed with the deals I’ve gotten on jeans, shorts, and capris. I can usually find really cute stuff for $15 or less, which is awesome if you’re on a tight budget.

I also love their housewares stuff, and I enjoy looking through their picture frames and photo albums, and if you’re in to organizing, they have great deals on baskets and stuff.

My husband also likes this store. He loves athetic shorts and jerseys, and he especially loves Adidas and Nike stuff, and he’s found some good deals on these. Last trip he was looking for a pair of comfortable shoes to wear for work, and he was pleasantly surprised to find a very stylish and comfortable pair of Dr. Martens for $30. (They would have normally sold for over $100) Overall, I’d have to say that this is the best deal we’ve ever gotten. The cashier was even commenting on what a great deal we were getting and how great the shoes looked….but I think she thought we were a little crazy when my husband said he was going to wear the shoes for work.

Last trip I also bought something really cute for myself, which I think all my baking, homemaking, blogger friends will love! It’s this lovely Butterfly Apron:

I always have to check out the back of the store to see if they have any nice kitchen or household items, and this last trip, I was really surpised to find a stack of aprons. They’ve never had these before at any of the locations where I shop. It may be a new item that they’re going to carry regularly, or it may be a limited time thing. Whichever the case, I was really happy to find these.

Each apron is made of cotton, and is one size fits most. They all tie around the waist and around the neck, and they have a single pocket. And they had several colors and designs available at my location. (I remember seeing a couple of different flower patterns and also a polka dot one.)

I’ve looked around at aprons on the internet. The cheapest ones I have found are around $20, though many are $30, $40, or even $50. So I was very pleased to find the ones at Ross for only $7. If you’re in the market to purchase an apron, you may want to check them out.

-Jerri



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I’m sharing this post for Frugal Friday over at Life As Mom.

Review for List2Shop.com

We all know that having an organized shopping list is an important key to saving time and money at the grocery store. Today I’m going to tell you about a site where you can create multiple shopping lists. It’s called List2Shop.com.

With this free site you can easily and quickly create and print your shopping lists online, and if you sign up for a free account, you can save your shopping lists to use at a later time. This is a perfect tool for someone who wants to list a few items at a time and then come back later to add a few more or for anyone who wants to create a master shopping list to print out for each trip.

Also, consider this: How many times have you been at work and thought of something that you needed to add to your grocery list? And how times have you planned a shopping trip for after work and realized that you left your list at home? With this website you can access your list from anywhere.

A free account also gives you access to the Favorites Tab, where you can create a list of your favorite stores or a list of your favorite items. With this feature, you can make a list of a few items that you buy every week, or you can create a larger list of items that you buy when your stocking up.

I just signed up for a free account and began making my shopping lists. It was very easy to set up, and the features on the shopping list tab allow you to create a detailed and organized list. I’ll explain how it works.

On the page you have 3 columns. Under the first column, there’s a list of categories such as “baked goods,” “medicine” and “spices & herbs.” When you click on the category of your choice, a list of products that belong in the category pops up in the second column. You then click on the item that you want add to your list. (There’s also a place where you can manually type in an item that may not appear on the menu.)

Then there’s an optional third column, which allows you to pick a store that you’d like for the item to be listed under. I really liked this feature, because I always make one list for Aldi and one list for Wal-mart. And this feature will allow me to easily add an item under one store or the other. (And I think you will be impressed with the vast array of categories, products, and stores that are listed.) You can also minimize your lists on the page, so that you can easily or focus on a particular list.

Now as I said, the site allows you to create a detailed list. For each item that you place on your list, you have the option to enter a quantity, the price, and even a comment. This is perfect if you’re someone like me. I often write a quantity beside each item on my list, and in the past I’ve also used my old receipts to determine the price of each item so that I can have an idea of how much my grocery bill will be. And now that I have access to this website, I can enter the prices so I’ll be able to quickly estimate my grocery bill each week.

I also like the idea of the comments section. I think this would be a great place to type in the brand name and/or the portion size you want to buy, which will really save time when you’re in the grocery store, and it would also be helpful if you ever send somebody else to do the shopping.

And once you’ve created your list, you can easily edit your items and move them up or down on the list for perfect organization.

What I love about the site is that it is very easy to understand and navigate through. Your shopping lists and the menus used to add items to your list are all located on the same page, so you don’t have to go back and forth between webpages. You can add items to your list with just a few clicks. And most of all, I enjoyed being able to organize my list and add the extra details about each item.

If you’re a busy woman looking to get organized and save time and money, you should check out List2Shop.com.


-Jerri

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I’m going to share this post for Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom.

A Foreign Invasion of My Washing Machine

Today I’m sharing an article that was sent in by Michael Brown. It’s a story that a lot of you moms out there will surely relate to, and it’s a very relevant article to read during tough economic times.
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Washing machines are for washing clothes, not your children’s toys. Adults know this but sometimes kids have to find out for themselves. I have five year old twins and I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good parent, but my little angels occasionally get themselves into things that they’re not supposed to, like my washing machine. Here’s my story about appliance repair.

My boys like to play army when they’re stuck in the house on a rainy day. They take these little green men and hide them all over my house and then hunt them down with some jeeps and plastic tanks. It can be an annoyance when I’m cleaning up and finding army men everywhere but its fun to watch them strategize and have fun. They have been warned though about hiding their toys in appliances or under appliance parts of any kind. I guess they didn’t think that this meant the washing machine.

If you’re a parent, you can probably guess the rest of the story. The jeep and the tank somehow ended up in the washer and the washer got turned on mysteriously. Both boys came pelting up the stairs and Mom had to go down and shut her very loudly banging machine off before the damage got too extensive. The appliance itself was okay because the toys weren’t in there that long but the agitator had gouges in it. That plastic they make those trucks out of is tougher than it looks.

I did have a brief moment at this point where I feared that I would have to buy a brand new washer, but common sense took over. I could see that it was just the agitator that was damaged and it looked fairly simple to replace. As a single mom, you have to learn how to be handy with tools and raising two boys you need to be able to fix things that are broken without calling in professional help.

Taking a neighbor’s advice, instead of calling for an appliance repair guy I went online to http://www.appliancepartspros.com/ and ordered a new agitator for $29.07. They have Whirlpool parts for washers, dryers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and appliance parts for just about everything that you can’t find in a hardware store. All in all, there are over 1,000,000 appliance parts at Appliance Parts Pros and you can order them shipped the same day. It was a great option for someone like me who has more time than money. The installation was fairly easy and the washer works great now. The kids are still grounded.

Adventures In Shopping: Thrift Store Finds

Today I’m sharing with you a couple of my latest thrift store finds. When I was a kid my mom always used to take me to yard sales, and over the last several years she’s become a thrift store fanatic. So I’ve started going some too. Thrift stores are a great place to find good items for cheap. I collect a whole bunch of stuff, so I really like walking through and seeing what kind of collectibles and decor items I can find. And sometimes I find good books and toys too. Today I’m sharing a few collectibles and a desk organizer that I bought.

Bear & Snow Bear Figurine – 50 cents.
Fruit Pie Salt & Pepper Shakers – 50 cents.
Bride & Groom Bear – 75 cents.

I just loved the fruit pie salt shaker set. The crust is one shaker, and the fruit topping is the other shaker. Too cute!

And I’ve always liked bears, so I just had to get these. And there’s a special story that goes along with the bride & groom bear. When I was in the first grade, someone we went to church with had a home interiors party, and they were having drawings for prizes. My mom and dad won a bride & groom figurine just like the one pictured above. When I was a teenager my mom gave the figurine to me, and it’s been kept in my China cabinet ever since. I’ve never seen another one like it, until I was walking through the thrift store one day. I couldn’t believe my eyes, when I found it. It was so neat. I just had to purchase it.
Cute Desk Organizer with 6 compartments and a drawer. – $4

I saw this one from across the store. I love desk organizers, and this is one of the cutest I’ve seen. I keep most of my office supplies hidden in drawers and containers, but I’m using this to store some of the supplies that I’m using currently (and most often). There’s a notepad, post-it notes and flags, batteries (for the digital camera), a roll of tape, a drink coaster, an eraser, pencil lead, and a pocket calendar. And in the drawer at the bottom are some stamps, stickers for greeting cards, a checkbook, and a couple of envelopes.

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This post is being featured on WFMW at We Are THAT Family.


-Jerri


Spreading Christmas Cheer With Less Money


When money is tight, you have to adjust to those circumstances. A lot people find this difficult, especially around the holidays. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money to be happy this Christmas. Here’s a list of activities that you can do and your family can do for little or no money, along with some other ways that you can spread Christmas cheer without breaking the bank!

Fun Christmas Activities:
-Go to Christmas concerts, plays, and pageants at a local school or church.
-Decorate the tree or house as a family.
-Go look at Christmas lights. Usually you can find whole neighborhoods with great light displays, and some places hold large light displays that you can walk or drive through.
-A lot of people have a “Santa’s Village” set up where kids can participate in different Christmas games and activities.
-Read Christmas stories.
-Watch Christmas movies.
-As a family, sit around and tell stories about favorite Christmas memories.
-Make Christmas cookies, candy, or gingerbread houses with the kids.
-Make ornaments or crafts with the kids.
-Listen to Christmas music.
-Have a cookie exchange.
-Encourage you kids to put on their own Christmas show, either singing Christmas songs or putting on their own little play.

Save Money On Gifts
-Rather than buying gifts for each other, get together with friends for some kind of charitable activity, like making Christmas boxes, or adopt-a-family.
-Instead of exchanging gifts, agree that you’ll volunteer your time to each other. You could help each other out on specific task like baking Christmas candy or wrapping gifts or cleaning out the garage, or you could agree to go out and do something fun together, like go shopping or go out for lunch.
-Focus less on the amount of money spent and more on the thought behind the gift.
-Draw names or play some kind of gift swap game.

Saving on holiday food:
-Serve appetizers and desserts rather than a big meal.
-Have a potluck.
-Think of how much food you had left over last year, and try to downsize if you can.

Making your home look festive without spending a fortune:
-Wrap the front door in wrapping paper.
-Purchase an expensive one or make your own.
-Place a string of lights over the mantle, a buffet, entertainment center, or other furniture.
-Or dress up these same areas with a little garland.
-Make a simple flower arrangement with poinsetta & berry sprigs.
-Place Christmas balls in a bowl or basket.
-Display all of your Christmas cards.
-Dress up your table with some placemats or a festive table cloth.
-Place a small Christmas tree in the middle of your table or buffet.

For other great ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.


-Jerri


Saving Money This Christmas


In a time of economic uncertainty, everyone is looking for ways to save. In this post you’ll find a link to another article I wrote last year, which explains various ways that you can save money on Christmas gifts this year.

Here are just few key things to remember:

  • Create a shopping list & budget ahead of time and stick to your budget!
  • Pay with cash. This will help ensure that you stick to a budget, and you won’t have to worry about paying off those credit cards next year.
  • Use gift cards & shopping cards to buy your gifts.
  • Save money by making gifts yourself. Make your own crafts, jewelry, or Christmas candy and cookies.
  • Buy throughout the year when items are sale rather than splurging on everything at one time.

To read the entire, detailed article, follow the link below:
Tips to Avoid Spending Too Much This Holiday Season

Also, while I’m posting about saving money, here are few more points, which are not in the article, but are important to remember this holiday season.

  • Remember that it’s not the quantity of gifts or the amount of money spent that counts, but the thought behind the gift.
  • Sometimes good things do come in small packages.
  • Sometimes less is more.
  • No amount of money you can spend will ever replace or mean as much as the time that you spend with family and friends.
  • And don’t forget the reason for the season.


-Jerri