Pretty porch furniture fix up

 

These used wicker chairs were some of my favorite the preowned purchases from a few years ago. Just $100 for the set and added some inexpensive black/white Walmart outdoor cushions. They were already a tad worn when we got them and they’ve gotten some sun over the past few years so it was time to spruce them up. I bought black Rust-Oleum automotive semi-gloss acrylic enamel x2. I cleaned both chairs up as well as I could and then started spraying them. On the smoother areas and a couple of wicker areas I wiped shortly after spraying so that the brown would show through but there would still be enamel on the chair to protect it. Now they match each other in color when they didn’t before. I love them and the front porch looks amazing!

Keep an eye out for used but still good outdoor furniture. So worth it. 

#outdoordecoronabudget  #moneysavingtips #usedfurniture ##spruceyourporcb #rustoleumenamel

This is a mom’s love

 Moms never stop loving, worrying and celebrating their children. From the moment they arrive…..no matter how they arrive. #adoptionandbio #allmykidsmatter #momslove

New decor for Spring I’m ready

 

🌷🌼🌱It was a nice Saturday and it feels like Spring so it was time to get some things done.  I’ll post one of the projects in a few days but this was the other project. 

So easy to switch these out by the season. Two small totes hold everything including the grapevine pumpkins for Halloween. I can just grab a tote and switch out lights and flowers. The pots are just cheap plastic pots, spray painted black with rocks to weigh it down and hold the stems of decor. 

I threw the lights and Christmas decor into the tote and exchanged out with some red and white flowers for Spring. I get all of the decor from Amazon and it has worked quite well and way cheaper than flowers that I’m terrible about remembering to water on the porch. 

Check out the links ➡️➡️Red Flowers White Flowers and Tall Grass Greenery

Or check out my blog in my bio for more Pinterest links including these. 

#affiliate #Amazonfinds #moneysavingtips #inexpensiveoutdoordecor #springflowers #cheapoutdoordecor

The perfect placemats for your table

These woven placemats are really great. They were true to size and consistent enough in color to look really great on our table. We were using cheap fabric mats I’d gotten on clearance years ago but they were starting to show a lot of wear. 

I wanted our table to look a little nicer, now, and a little more finished. These were in various sizes to fit as a charger for any size plate.  I chose ones that would only extend past our plates by about 1” so that we’re less likely to get food on them and have to clean them. But big enough to see and protect my table from our ceramic plates. And best of all we use the extra placemats as mats or hot pads for our hot foods to also protect the table. Now the table looks nice, AND FUNCTIONAL, whether it’s just us or if we have guests.  

They do shed slightly in the cabinet we keep them in but it’s fairly minimal considering they’re natural fibers. 

Do yourself a favor and dress up your table a little bit. Find the link here ⬇️⬇️

Woven Placemats

Or in my Pinterest link

Changing seasons….in the kitchen

 

I love this centerpiece.  I have three seasons worth of flowers I can just easily switch out. Batteries in the fairy lights and I’m good to go. Once you turn them on they come on at the same time every day. And because I love the crispness of the white flowers I leave those in from now until fall!!

All of these items were TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby finds and if you know me anything Hobby Lobby was 40% off.  

#easydecor #minimalistdecor #inexpensivedecor #springcenterpiece

Fantastic over the shower caddy

 

I was able to get these in both black and stainless steel for two of our showers that didn’t have enough space for more than one persons personal cleaning items. These were even enough for two girls to share and have plenty of space for everything. Nothing had to be left on the shower surface itself. They do come with permanent adhesion pads to put the caddy on and give it extra support at the bottom of it, just down from the shower head. However I didn’t want to worry about gunk getting trapped so I didn’t use it. They seem to hold in place pretty well and they look nice and hold large bottles well. 

Get your shower caddy today

Or see ➡️ in my Pinterest link

Felt chair pads that rock!

 

Do you need to protect your floors from you chairs but don’t want them totally noticeable?  For black chairs, these are the answer. 

I had clear felt caps and they were fine enough for protecting the floor but I didn’t like that they were so noticeable. I found these square caps on Amazon and in black and they’re PERFECT. I’m so happy with this purchase. They fit great and don’t standout.  Now if I can eventually find the perfect square clear caps for my brown chairs. For now they’re round and clear. 

You won’t regret these. 

Link ⬇️ 

https://amzn.to/40fjVxq

Follow for more inexpensive ways to protect your investments (aka wood floors). 

Stellar new pantry organization

 Don’t get me wrong. I LOVED the vertical airtight containers I got from Amazon. But then I found these horizontal airtight storage containers that are 3.2L instead of 2.8 and they’re horizontal. Which means no pasta hiding behind pasta. And the great part was I took all of those vertical containers and repurposed them to store all of the coffee and koolaid we had in the same shelf making it look even neater. I love neat spaces. We don’t have a large house for the number of people living here so organized storage and space saving ideas are key. This makes me feel so good!  I love cleaning and organizing. 

Click on horizontal airtight containers  to purchase. 

#affiliate

Will the kids appreciate what they have?

 The short answer is they will. 

Eventually 

But until they learn how to work hard for something and to be responsible for taking care of things they won’t. But this can all be taught. 

We try to show them exactly how to behave and how to spend. They may not always listen but it’s always going to be with them and as they get older I see a lot of our teachings coming out. They know what’s right. For sure. They lived it for years, by example. 

Spending and saving is such a big lesson that, as parents, even if you don’t struggle you have to consistently teach kids what to do. What happens if their world falls apart and they have no coping or financial skills to fall back on?  I get off budget from time to time but I know how to reign myself in very quickly and where and how to save money.  And we talk openly about it at the dinner table as a family!

The kids in this house learn the same. It’s a skill that’s so valuable.  No pun intended. So we don’t spend a lot on their first car. You can spend $2k or $10k and still have it break down, hit in the school parking lot etc. We attempt to find a car that seems taken care of mechanically and then clean it up. Then they have something to take care of. Something to appreciate the day they save their own money and buy their first nice car. And they pay their own insurance so they DON’T want an expensive car. 

And then maintenance is yet another thing we teach them. How to change your own tire, your own oil.  Our 23 year old replaced the window motor to his car the other day. Our 26 year can fix almost anything. They learned by watching us fix and do things on our own and knowing what their limits are. They both extremely handy!

Don’t be afraid to teach your kids everyday skills. It’s not the schools job. They can only do so much in the time they’re given. If you don’t know these things maybe find someone who needs some help but is willing to teach your kid a new skill. 

#teachakidtofish #moneysavingtips #parentingishardwork #teachbyexample #stopoverspending #teachkidsselfsufficiency #teachkidsresponsibility #teachkidsrespect #teachkidsmoney

New containers to love and organize

 

THESE!!  Right here. 

I still love the 2.8L vertical airtight containers for drink mixes but the horizontal 3.2L are the 💣!

They fit 4 packages (a box) of saltines, multiple packages of spaghetti and lasagna and perfect for boxes of Mac and Cheese for a large family. 

I LOVE that I can stack them up by type and not have to try to see what’s behind what. These make my organizational heart happy and make me less anxious when I open the pantry door.  And I’m not wasting the ones I emptied because I have been repurposing them for storage of others items and the kids who don’t live here (or move out) will take some. There aren’t many left. 

Seriously. What are you waiting for?  If you see your food, you don’t waste your food. Money saved right there! 

All Amazon items that I love are in my Pinterest or here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1ZVLDT6/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_6MHD6P5ZWQ38FFJVQE79?linkCode=ml1&tag=mindfulfrugal-20

#affiliate

Love these roman shades

 https://amzn.to/41Kyk6l

 AMAZON…..when you can’t find an item for the price you want to pay.  I checked a local store for these same Radiance cordless blinds in the color I wanted and they were $15 more!

We got them from Amazon and had them up quickly. We originally didn’t have a trim piece dividing up the two windows so we decided that would look better with a set of shades so my husband quickly added that the night before Amazon delivered the shades. 

I was hesitant for cordless to roll up smoothly or evenly but I love these. And no more morning sun glaring in your face but yet we maintained some of the natural wood look we love.  

Now, should we get rid of the curtains and rod or change the curtains and soften a bit??

#affiliate

Motor vehicle sales tax refund

 

In talking to my husbands coworker tonight I thought of something a lot of people don’t realize or may not know. For states like Missouri where you continuously pay sales tax on motor vehicles you can get a refund of sales tax if you buy first and sell later. Most people probably trade in.  But sometimes people have cash (as you should aspire to) to buy vehicles. And when you do you may find your new vehicle first and sell your other vehicle after. If you sell your other vehicle within 180 days of selling the other vehicle you are entitled to a refund of taxes paid on the other vehicle.  For example, if you paid $10k for your new car and sold your old one for $3k you would pay approximately $800 in areas of Missouri.  With the refund form you would get approximately $240 of that $800 back.   It’s a simple process and worth it.  

Bring the refund form plus the bill of sale that is attached to the title and you’re ready to go. 

https://dor.mo.gov/forms/426.pdf    

#vehicletaxrefund #keepyourmoney #moneysavingtips #motorvehicletaxes 

In the room where it happened/prom on a dime

 

 Random pics from the weekend of getting to see Hamilton that happened to be in the college town where my oldest daughter is. So of course we made a weekend of it staying in her dorm for free, eating in the dining hall for free the next morning (parents eat free) and prom dress shopping at a reduced price dress store while we were in town and able to include big sister in little sisters first prom moments. 

First off Hamilton was AWESOME!  So happy we planned for the tickets and bought them. But then I won two more so my son and his girlfriend got to go. She was super excited. He admitted it was good but generally doesn’t even watch tv. Great Korean dinner for oldest daughters Gotcha Day but that’s a splurge we do every year. 

Youngest daughter is learning the art of enjoying life with careful spending.  She spent (yes she did we don’t pay for prom) less than $130 for a beautiful dress, jewelry and shoes. We will do her hair and make up as always and she’s good to go. So proud!

You would never know we got off so cheap for the whole weekend but it’s one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time.