Where Does The Time Go?

Miss Baby and I have been thoroughly enjoying our maternity leave, so much that i've forgotten to post our fantastic finds! Today we spent a whopping $1.00. We are watching our finances as usual, (especially after just investing in a sleep number bed).

2 Everyday Food Magazines $.25. Compared at $2.95 a piece

1 new Monopoly card game for $.50. My kids at school love card games as rewards so I'm always trying to pick up new fun ones. I'm going to try this one on hubby first!

We also have been bringing Miss Baby's clothes to the baby thrift store in Plymouth for store credit. We got $42.00 in store credit and some extremely cute outfits in the next size up.

It is a rainy yucky day, and I can smell spring in the air. Think SPRING!

This is what $3.25 can get ya

Miss Baby and I spent a whooping $3.25 at the doggie thrift store on Tuesday. We dropped off a big bag of stuff to clear out of our house and couldn't help taking a peak.

• Earrings $1.50. These earrings called to me for some reason they are heavy and turquoise with irises on them.
• A piece of heavy upholstery fabric for $.25. It would be great for a chair seat.
• February 2011 Marie Claire $.50
• PJs for Miss Baby $1.00. I couldn't pass them up they, they had a zipper instead of snaps. I'm obsessed with zip PJs, it makes my life 500 times easier at 2 am. I know they are a tad boyish but Miss Baby told me she could get in touch with her masculine side.

Miss Baby is getting her first shots today, wish the poor dear luck!

I bet you've never seen one of these before....

Everyone in our family has been on vacation lately except for us! My inlaws just got back from Florida and my family is currently down there. Miss Baby and I are extremely jealous especially since we are on leave from work right now too! My in laws brought home this gift for me they found in Florida. When I received it it was holding my favorite bottle of wine. It can hold a vase in it or you can wear it as a hat. A very ingenius idea. Miss Baby forbid me from wearing it as a hat on our walks, but I think it willbe a cute vase.

Useful Yard Sale Finds

My last few posts have been about how I overbuy good deals, I never use what I buy blah blah blah. I want to show you the items i've bought second hand or at yard sales or dragged home from the dump that I use EVERYDAY!

Here are my top ten finds

1.We got Bailey when we were living in our apartment in North Conway. Our sweet land lords said we could get a dog as long as he came from the humane society. They were kind enough to give us their old dog crate ( I think they did this in their best interest). Bailey uses it everyday and we crate him when we're at work so he stays out of the trash and it saved us from buying one for $100 +

2. This cat feeder is for the T.C.F.H. and it is a lifesaver. I paid $1.00 for it and it was brand new. Our 15lb. cat eats A TON and was always out of food and attacking me for more food constantly. This cat feeder has allowed my scratches on my ankles to heal and T.C.F.H is happier.

3. I paid $20.00 for this brand new in the box never opened digital picture frame. I love it because you dont need to keep your memory stick in it and can download pictures right off your computer. It came with a remote and is an HP that goes for over $120.00 on the internet. I was going to give it as a Christmas gift but kept it for myself. Sorry i was fighting with blogger so no photo.

4. This brand new queen size electric blanket in the packaging with dual controls was purchased for $5.00. Is it an ugly blue, yes but brand new for $5.00 and it has dual controls I couldn't pass it up. I love having an electric blanket on the bed to make it warm and toasty before I get in there. Sunbeam electric blankets can go for $50.00 + so this was a steal.

5. From the same yardsale I purchased a brand new scrabble game still in the wrapper for a quarter. Hubby refused to play for a while, but then realized that he was better at scrabble then I was so we play all the time. .25 for hours of entertainment not bad! Sorry no picture!

6. This diaper genie came from the dump. It was in the dump store and was in fabulous condition no smell no stains with the booklets attached. I dragged it home and bleached the hell out of it. It works fabulous and miss baby enjoys her room not smelling like poo.

7. The Keurig machine I got for $3.00 at a thrift store in Maine. I'm still becoming accustom to the coffee, but I use it a few times a week. So for a machine that costs over $100 for $3.00 also a good deal and I do use it with my Green Mountain Coffee Cups.

8. Sorry this picture is not that great this is a 2 for 1 picture. I got the lamp at the dump with a working light bulb last summer. (I haven't had to replace the bulb yet!). I got the bear table at a yard sale for $10.00 I thought it was adorable and goes perfect in our basement! The woman was also selling a hearse, I couldn't convince hubby that I needed a hearse to go yard saleing in (imagine the furniture you could get in that baby!)

9. This bowl sits on my coffee table. The bowl is hand carved and I got it for $5.00. The candle is a three wick candle and I got it for $1.00. The wicker balls came from xmas tree shop for .10. They were originally on a broken string of lights but I took them off and filled the bowl with them.

10. This is my favorite find and we use it at least 5 times a day. Miss Baby's rocker. We found this at a yard sale for $35.00. It still had cheerios and stains on it but I took off all the covers washed it down, and it came out fabulous. I didn't know we were pregant at the time we bought this we were going to clean it up and give it to our friends as a baby shower gift. But we found out we were having Miss Baby before we gave it up. By far my favorite deal! These can be close to $200.00 at Babies R Us with the footstool. Of course T.C.F.H had to get in the picture. The basket with the stuffed animals was also a dump find that I spray painted white.

What is your favorite yard sale find?

Cheap Vs. Frugal

Hubby, Miss Baby, and I spent some wonderful time with friends yesterday. We did some early cocktails at our favorite watering hole and then went back to their house for some delicious pizza, and wine. We had a conversation what is the difference between being cheap and being frugal. Cheap just sounds like such a negative word. Cheap to me is something made of poor quality or a person who is not willing to pay their share. Now frugal to me is someone who watches their money wisely and buys things on sale, and lives well below their means. If someone called me cheap I would be horrified, but if they called me frugal I would be pleased.

Hubby and I have really been evaluating how we live lately. We want to pay off some student loans, and in the next few years consider buying our dream home (which we'll find somewhere around here). We've often talked about how we could live more simply. This morning Miss Baby took a nice nap so we decided to do some early spring cleaning. It was interesting spring cleaning out closets together, because Hubby would say "oh I remember you had to have that at the yard sale we went to last summer" or "oh was that the thing that was on sale that you got because it was a "good deal" and now it is going to the thrift store." It really put things into perspective for me. We also looked around at the things we got from yard sales that we use everyday, and could not live without (but that's a whole other blog). This morning really showed me that even though I had been "frugal" with my purchases at the time, in the end it was a waste of money because many of the things I bought were never used and stored in a closet for a "someday project". Maybe it was times like that I should have been cheap and not bought the item because it was a good deal :) Maybe being cheap in some cases is not such a bad thing!

The World's Worst Cook Is Getting Better??

So i've heard all about these Ziploc omelets. I've been a little hesitant to try them I mean boiling water and plastic seems like a recipe for disaster at my house. I was getting sick of oatmeal so I figured what the hell, it's snowing out and I was craving a broccoli and cheese omelet. *Side note i've never had a broccoli and cheese omelet which scared the hell out of me that I was craving one.

I will say it was the best omelet i've ever made. Super easy clean up and it was delicious. I had 3 eggs, shredded cheese, broccoli, parmesan cheese, and fresh garlic. Yum Yum. I boiled my bag for 15 minutes and it came out perfectly. Please excuse the yellow plastic college plate that I refuse to throw away for some reason....

Stocking Up For The Big Storm With.. Chocolate

So Miss Baby and I decided to head out yesterday and run our errands because we knew today we would be getting snow.

My first stop:


I had a sweater I bought during pregnancy that I had planned on loving after pregnancy. Well I didn't love it after pregancy. One of my goals this year is to not let brand new clothes sit in my closet without being worn, and then a year from now hauled off to the thrift store. So I dragged the sweater back to Eddie Bauer and returned it for a useful long sleeve shirt and socks. I only had to pay $.78 overage, but a much better deal for something I will definitely get use out of. I never buy red, but I thought it would be a nice change.

Second Stop:

Walgreens. I love walgreens. The store is fairly new to our town, and I think i've been there more than any other drug store in town. Yesterday Walgreens had a deal that you could get an 8X10 collage for free. I made one and picked it up at the store, it is adorable! I also got free dove deoderant, hair elastics for $.75. My favorite buy was the lindt heart box of truffles. 48 truffles per box they were on clearence from $14.99 to $3.74. BUT WAIT I also had a $1.00 off coupon so that made them $2.74 a box. That is even cheaper than the Lindt outlet in town!

All these goodies for a total of $7.00 not bad at all!