Browsing Category

No-Spend Month Series

July & August 2018 No-Spend Update

Summer is almost in the books, my friends! Which means we are now officially three-quarters of the through our my 2018 No-Spend Challenge Year. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t believe it in a good way. Because let’s face it, not spending can be as tough as overspending! With that said, let’s dig into my last sixty days of this challenge.

July:

Costs and expenses:

During the month of July, there were several large-ticket purchases that had to be made for the month. From certification fees for my husband to several small car repairs, our family accrued nearly $700.00 in costs.

We also needed to fix three small outdoor home repairs which cost approximately $200.00. While we used savings to pay these expenses, these funds are on the books to be refunded this season.
And in terms of groceries, I spent a total of $212.14 on groceries and zero-waste toiletries.

How I saved:

  • $46.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books.
  • Used earned Amazon gift cards to purchase $100.00 in household goods
  • Sold unused household items on Facebook local groups and made $125.00.
  • Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
  • Donated unused household items to charity for tax receipts in deductions totaling $175.00 in appraised value.
  • Ate from our pantry and freezer for one week (mostly deep freezer veggie dishes) saving $40.00.
  • Cut my husband’s hair at home. Saved $25.00.
  • Sold used books on eBay. Earned $64.01 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.

Total saved: $583.00

Total Spent: $2,002.18

August:

This month there were fewer expenses at home. We decided to take on several DIY building projects. We sourced free, heat-treated palette wood but did need to purchase wood screw, glue, and sanding materials which totaled $21.00.

And in terms of groceries, I spent a total of $162.14 on groceries and zero-waste toiletries. The remaining $97.86 was used to pay for the above-mentioned expenses.

How we saved:

  • We saved $54.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books.
  • Sold unused small appliances on Facebook local groups and made $50.00.
  • Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
  • Donated unused household items to charity and received tax receipts for those deductions totaling $60.00 in appraised value.
  • We ate from our pantry and freezer for one week saving $25.00.
  • Cut my husband’s hair at home. Saved $25.00.
  • Sold used books on eBay. Earned $78.81 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.
  • Burning candles we already had on hand at home; $21.00 savings in total.

Total saved: $321.80

Total Spent: $253.12

Net gain: 63.82

So, friends, I want to ask, did you participate in our no-spend challenge or your own frugal spending freeze? Be sure to leave your comments about what you learned! If you didn’t participate, I’d still love to hear how and where you saved the most this month! Share your stories below!

May & June No-Spend Year Updates

May & June No-Spend Year Updates

May and June are now in the books. Which means we are now officially halfway through my 2018 No-Spend Challenge Year. It’s hard for me to believe that half of this year’s challenge is finished.

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t believe it in a good way. Because let’s face it, not spending can be as tough as overspending! With that said, let’s dig into my last sixty days of this challenge.

May:

Costs and expenses:

  • During the month of May, there were several large-ticket purchases that had to be made for the month. From certification fees for my husband to several small car repairs, our family accrued nearly $700.00 in costs.
  • We also needed to fix three small outdoor home repairs which cost approximately $200.00. While we used savings to pay these expenses, these funds are on the books to be refunded this season.
  • And in terms of groceries, I spent a total of $212.14 on groceries and zero-waste toiletries.

How I saved:

  • $76.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books.
  • Used earned Amazon gift cards to purchase $100.00 in household goods (Angel Eyes, stainless steel pot, handkerchiefs, shea butter, African black soap, and scrub brush).
  • Groomed pets at home and saved $70.00.
  • Sold unused household items on Facebook local groups and made $125.00.
  • Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
  • Donated unused household items (clothing, bathroom racks, and bookshelves) to charity for tax receipts in deductions totaling $175.00 in appraised value.
  • Ate from our pantry and freezer for one week saving $40.00.
  • Cut my husband’s hair at home. Saved $25.00.
  • Sold used books on eBay. Earned $64.35 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.

Total saved: $683.34

Total Spent: $1,112.14

Around the house:

May & June No-Spend Year Updates

While I spend more than double of what I saved, all purchases were needed and necessary. Which I am at peace with spending.

Aside from spending in May, our family was able to get some much-needed gardening time in. Including adding thinned herbs from our backyard flower beds to our front flower beds. Afterall, why not use empty bed space for helpful, healthful perennials, bulbs, and herbs?

I was also able to source several ornamental panes of grass from my backyard to edge my unused front flower bed was also a major victory, in terms of my no-spend budget. As each grass retails for close to $5.00 per grass at our local garden nursery, and having sourced over 30 grass clumps, saved my family $150.00 in landscaping costs.

Funds that can be used to fund Fall ornamental gardening features next season.

May also saw new side hustle opportunities for my family from Fiverr and an upcoming secondary Etsy shop. Which will hopefully reap dividends this Fall!

All-in-all, May was a quiet, expensive little month. A month that helped me family dig deeper and truly reevaluate our finances, our gardening practices, and zero-waste methods at home. For which I am beyond grateful.

June:

Costs and Expenses: 

  • During the month of June, there were very few expenses accrued at home. We decided to take on several DIY building projects. We sourced free, heat-treated palette wood but did need to purchase wood screw, glue, and sanding materials which totaled $21.00.
  • We also found a side-of-the-road gem, a 55″ plasma tv. While the tv works flawlessly, it came sans a remote and stand. I purchased both on Amazon for under $30.00.
  • I also needed to purchase several pieces of new workout clothing (my previous shorts and tanks were too large, yay!) which totaled nearly $40.00.
  • And in terms of groceries, I spent a total of $162.14 on groceries and zero-waste toiletries. The remaining $97.86 was used to pay for the above-mentioned expenses.

How I saved:

  • We saved $54.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books.
  • Sold unused small appliances on Facebook local groups and made $50.00.
  • Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
  • Donated unused household items to charity and received tax receipts for those deductions totaling $60.00 in appraised value.
  • Ate from our pantry and freezer for one week saving $25.00.
  • Cut my husband’s hair at home. Saved $25.00.
  • Sold used books on eBay. Earned $78.81 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.

Total saved: $300.80

Total Spent: $253.12

June was a busy time at home. With time spent building furniture, filming YouTube videos for my minimalism and plant-based cooking channels, working on my podcast, shuttling my family to summer camp activities, and starting new side hustles at home.

May & June No-Spend Year Updates

I was particularly proud of my husband’s handiwork in constructing our new tv console table for under $3.00! Its beautiful, sturdy, and put me in mind to see if my husband is up for tackling other zero-waste projects at home! It was a busy, practical, low-spend month. And again, like in May, I am grateful for the experiences I was provided!

Speaking of zero-waste home projects, you can check out both the television and the DIY tv console in our how-to on YouTube below!

So, friends, I want to ask, did you participate in our no-spend, or your own frugal April, be sure to leave your comments about what you learned! If you didn’t participate, I’d still love to hear how and where you saved the most this month! Share your stories below!

May & June No-Spend Year Updates

April 2018 No-Spend Update

April 2018 No-Spend Update

It’s hard to believe that today marks the last day of April in my 2018 No-Spend Year! 

Unlike other months, April was a relatively easy-going month in terms of our no-spend progress. This past month I didn’t need to make any large repairs at home, replace any items, or seasonally prepare anything at home. Overall I spent a total of $212.14 on groceries and toiletries while saving our family $881.62. 

How I saved:

  • $116.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books for of my reading club selections.
  • Used earned Amazon gift cards to purchase $100.00 in household goods for my ETSY shop.
  • Groomed pets at home which saved us $70.00.
  • Sold unused household items on Facebook local groups and made $125.00.
  • Reviewed a phone case and saved $20.99 off the cost of buying a new case.
  • Was gifted a care package of Lush Soaps and saved $40.00 by not buying toiletries.
  • Used free Redbox codes twice for family movie nights and saved $3.00.
  • Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
  • Traded crochet handtowels for homemade preserves, nut butter, and produce; saved $50.00.
  • Donated to charity for tax receipts in deductions totaling $150.00.
  • Ate from our pantry and freezer for one week saving $64.00.
  • Cut my family’s hair at home. Saved $70.00.
  • Sold used books on eBay. Earned $64.64 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.

I was very encouraged by my savings this past month. Especially with what I was able to put back from selling things around the house. It still surprises me how small things still seem to creep into our home. This was due largely to having participated in a YouTube minimalist collab this month really helped me reprioritize my decluttering habits at home. 

Around the house:

April 2018 No-Spend Update

This month also saw the end of this year’s robotics team at my husband’s school. To end the year with a bang, my husband and our local robotics team were able to try out a STEM learning kit I received from Circuit Cubes. They had a ball with this kit. If you’re in the market for affordable STEM learning kits, check them out here

April 2018 No-Spend Update

Spring has also found its way into my garden. I’ve spent a lot of time germinating seeds, weeding flower beds, pruning crepe myrtles, mending the trellises for our climbing roses, planning to build additional compost bins, and turning the last of fall’s leaves into mulch for the warmer months ahead.

I also made a batch of my DIY rose food. It’s my go-to for keeping my climbing roses looking their best year after year. As you can see, the results speak for themselves!

April 2018 No-Spend Update

This past month also saw the creation of a small venture on this site, Anchor app mini-podcasts. Each Thursday I post a 5-7 minute mini musing over my week, home, and ideas rattling around the noggin. I’d love for you to check them out each week! I’m also working on my upcoming regular podcast and two ebooks set to be published later this coming season.

5 Tips For Zero-Waste Cleaning at Home

I’ve also gotten back into the habit of prepping my household cleaning caddy each Monday. Making batches of all-natural bleach, wood polish, and countertop cleaner. I’ve also been experimenting with a DIY black soap cleaner, so stay tuned for an upcoming recipe as well!

Needless to It has been a busy time at home. A time of progress and enjoying more of the simple life at home. 

So, friends, I want to ask, did you participate in our no-spend, or your own frugal April, be sure to leave your comments about what you learned! If you didn’t participate, I’d still love to hear how and where you saved the most this month! Share your stories below!

April 2018 No-Spend Update

February 2018 No-Spend Challenge Update

February No-Spend Challenge Update

It’s hard to believe that today marks the first day of March in my 2018 No-Spend Year! While this past month was very trying for me personally, financially is was a boon.

This past month I spent a total of $362.34 and saved our family $2,081.99.

What I spend on:

  • $246.98 in groceries (including tax) for the month
  • $35.00 on a new bookbag
  • $80.36 charge to have our gas line and heating system serviced

How I saved:

  • $416.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books for all 12 of my reading club and Facebook group reading selections for the month of March
  • Used earned Amazon gift cards to purchase $175.00 in household goods for my ETSY and Art business. 
  • Earned $1,400.00 on sponsored blog posts in a 2-week span that was used to fund a personal savings account.
  • Groomed pets  at home which saved us $70.00
  • Reviewed a microphone filter product for my upcoming podcast saving me $20.99

I was very encouraged by my savings this past month. Especially with what I was able to put back from blogging.

Keep in mind, I’m only counting a third of what I earned. As those were the funds went directly towards our savings goals. With the remainder of the funds paying for yearly blogging fees and pre-paying the myriad of taxes we pay at home each year.

Anyone who has been a professional blogger for some time will know that quarter one drives are often slow, and I’m over the moon that blogging is starting to pick up for me this season!

How I’m not spending at home

You may also be curious to know what I personally do during a no-spend month at home? Luckily I find it easy to amuse myself without spending any money.

February No-Spend Challenge Update

Early Spring is generally a busy time of year for my family. As we are in the throws of Seaperch aquatic robotics competition season for my husband as well as preparing for regional science and history fairs and modern dance team finals for others.

February No-Spend Challenge Update

Spring has also found its way into my garden. With the sprouting of hyacinths and the blooming of magnolia trees and dogwoods, my time to start landscaping and gardening also begun.

I’ve spent a lot of time germinating seeds, weeding flower beds, pruning crepe myrtles, mending the trellises for our climbing roses, planning to build additional compost bins, and turning the last of fall’s leaves into mulch for the warmer months ahead.

There’s also been the cultivating and creating of new videos for my YouTube channel, including a new YouTube venture, The Lady Prefers Plants. I’m also still pre-recording and editing podcasts for my upcoming Spring podcast. As if that wasn’t enough, I’m working on not one but two ebooks set to be published later this coming season.

Additionally, I’ve been spending more time focuses on my personal health. Despite a few setbacks, I’ve lost an additional 16 pounds and have been making an intentional effort to utilize my at-home gym.

Needless to It has been a busy time at The Lady Prefers 2 Save, so I haven’t had time to worry about things to buy. With one exception.

Budget DIY

February No-Spend Challenge Update

We have finally started the process of repainting the interior of our home. We started with using the leftover paint we had on hand from several art projects. We then repurchased that same brand from our local hardware store. Our paint color of choice? A good, solid white! 

Speaking of hardware stores, our little bitty hometown recently opened a new mom and pops shop. In this shop, besides the usual and obvious, were trendy items like milk and chalk paint, an entire aisle of French-themed wallpaper selections, eCloth, Mrs. Meyers, Method, and an entire section of zero-waste all metal, stone, or wooden household, yard, and children’s items. Bestill my heart. And the kicker? The shop is within walking distance of our home. Shopping small has never felt so good! 

For the foreseeable future whenever the need to nest strikes, you already know where I’ll be. For which I’ve already started a slush fund to take care of. Thank you very much! 

There is also plenty going on at home that doesn’t cost anything. Including trips to the library, date-nights-in, listening to my husband’s immense vinyl collection, and taking long walks as a family by our local lake. All things that give me all the feels while costing none of the dimes. Perfect for this challenge!  

Meal Prepping and Planning

February’s food bills were pretty low. While we still can’t see the bottom of our deep freezers, which are often very full, we are grateful that food is getting used rather than hanging around going stale.

Obviously, we have also been purchasing food. Just not nearly as much as we would have several years ago. We purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, almond, soy, and coconut milk, and staples we go through often like lentils and pasta. Overall we are just trying to minimize our spending by using up what we have.

Meal prepping and meal planning have been a blessing for us this month. As I plan meals for the week and prep meals only twice a week, on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons. Then for the rest of the week, I either throw pre-packed meals into my Instapot or Crockpot for dinners, use jarred salads or pre-made spreads for lunch, and enjoy smoothies or tofu scrambles for breakfast. 

This saves me hours at home each week. As a family, we plan to continue this trend long after our no-spend season is over.

Where I’m not saving

One area of my life that needs some help is my personal self-care routine. Specifically my hair! I really need a haircut. Every day is a bad hair day at the moment. 

Because I didn’t want to spend much I have been putting this chore off. But in March I do have an appointment and have already set aside funds for this purpose.

I am also setting aside funds for purchasing new cruelty-free makeup because after becoming vegan my stash was decimated after purging any and all brands that weren’t cruelty-free, including 3rd party overseas, testing, fair tread, and came in post-recycled packaging.

And if you have any suggestions for affordable, low-plastic, cruelty-free makeup, skin, nail, or haircare products, let me know below!

Besides, it’s truly an investment. Proper skin acre in your 20’s and 30’s can save you on costly plastic surgery procedures in your 50’s and 60’s, am I right?

Overall, I want to feel better about myself each day and so I’m giving myself permission to bend the rules a little and indulge in these two areas this Spring. Afterall, I’m worth it. 

Lessons learned

Friends, those are the savings and situations that went down during the second month of our 2018 No-Spend Year Challenge. A month full of both great lessons, both learned and garnered, on living a more savvy savings season at home.

There are so many ways to save money that are worth trying. Maybe they will work for your family and maybe they won’t – but you never know until you try!

This past month of not spending reminded me that the little things do add up. With my biggest lesson being: When you want your savings to start adding up quickly, stay home and eat from the pantry! Solid sage advice! 

For those who are thinking of starting a no-spend challenge this month or for anyone interested in learning more about a no spend challenge, check out my past no-spend challenge series.

And if you participated in our no-spend, or your own frugal February, be sure to leave your comments about what you learned! If you didn’t participate, I’d still love to hear how and where you saved the most this month! Share your stories below!

 

February No-Spend Challenge Update

We’re doing the 2018 No-Spend Year Challenge

2018 No-Spend Challenge

 

Having been a frugal lifestyle blogger for the past four years you would think I would be an expert on all things financial. But you would be wrong. Despite living as a debt-free family for the past several years has afforded us numerous benefits, including the ability to afford to be zero-waste minimalists, there have been plenty of challenges as well. Namely, the way in which my family has bent several financial rules in our personal frugality. Such as eating at home, buying trendy clothing, and splurging on digital media. Which, wouldn’t you know, has equated to spending thousands of dollars on completely unnecessary things?

Costs our family have been able to easily absorb into our monthly budget, but these expenditures they are anything but necessary. With these expenses essentially amounting to the difference in savings, we have long since hoped to have been put back by the start of this current year. Which is why our family has decided to commit to not spending for an entire year — having started off New Year’s day 2018.

Now despite semantics, we will still have to spend money. Of course, we will still be paying bills, dues, anticipated medical and veterinary expenses, school expenditures and uniforms, vehicle maintenance, communication and blogging expenses, and tithing, to name a few. We’ve even limited our charitable contributions and political donations this year as well. With volunteering in lieu of monetary donations being the name of the game for 2018. Because beyond the basics, that’s it.

In fact, we’ve laid out a comprehensive guideline of what we know we will have to spend on. We’re also limiting the costs we normally accrue to basic toiletries such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, and the like and will swap out commercial blends will all DIY products this year. Same for detergents, cleaners, and solvents too!

We’re also setting a weekly family grocery budget of $50.00 or less per week, including fresh produce, bulk shopping, and staple goods. We will also not be gardening this year but will instead be utilizing local bartering groups on Facebook, where services, such as tutoring, piano lessons, and yard clearing services can be exchanged for huge amounts of produce, canned goods, and bulk staples in my neck of the woods. 

We will, of course, still be meal prepping and weeknight meal planning. We will continue using our cash envelop system for grocery shopping and have started trying out 1-ingredient meals too!

Then comes extras. Because there’s no budget for luxuries — no cinema tickets, no date nights out, no takeaway or restaurant meals, no new clothes, no holiday trips, no gym memberships, not even a KitKat bar on Valentine’s Day, we will be thinking outside the box when it comes to the extras.

For clothing, anything needed will have to be purchased second hand. All meals are eaten at home. Coffee and teas brought in to work. Working out will be done at home in our gym room in the colder months and walks on our local high school track or a hike by our local lake when the temperatures warm up.

Some of the other workarounds for everything else will include: Utilizing minimalist experience gifts in lieu of presents. Allotting iBotta savings to pay for our 4-gift Christmas, neighborhood Halloween candy, a communal family Easter basket, and Thanksgiving spread.

For personal nights, we have scheduled free activities at home on our Google Family Calendar. Date nights will be a movie night at home or an evening around the firepit on our patio. Family nights will include board games, DIY cocoa, and Hulu at home.

We’ll continue our hobbies, too! Reading and requesting free books from the library, utilizing the OverDrive app, and utilizing free educational apps. I will also use Swagbucks and earned blogging gift cards to pay for extras around the house and will be looking to review zero-waste, ethically sources games, toys, and products this year too! 

Though our family has done monthly no-spend challenges in the past, such as our every other month no-spend challenges in 2015, my husband was initially worried the challenge was too extreme. you see, he’s a spender with a big heart. If his students need someone, knows a neighbor is without, or simply wants to lavish his family with a little bit of happiness from the store, he feels less than successful not being able to do so. Which is why this challenge will hopefully prove mentally and financially beneficial for my husband this year.

As a family, I think the hurt feelings of the littles and fuzzies will be minimal. They have always adjusted quite well to every challenge our family has taken on.

As for me, I’ll be using this year as a way to push my minimalism and health goals to the next level. With biking and walking everywhere as my main mode of transit, when possible. Minimizing the use of our shared vehicle. Utilizing my capsule wardrobe staples. Relying on freebies and digital finds to carry me through. 

I’ve also made a rule to unsubscribe to services, influencer, stores, and shops that promote fast fashion, overspending, and excessive for-purchases coaching, classes, and ebooks. While I support all my digital sisters and brothers, I know where my financial triggers lie. I see great sales or ebook offers from fellow bloggers and want to buy them all. Which is contradictory to this challenge.

I also would love to limit the amount of time I spend in front of a screen. So if you see me unliking or unfollowing a page, please don’t be offended. Over the past few months, I have been unfollowing all groups, podcasts, and that weren’t devoted to minimalism, zero-waste living, finances, or my businesses. With more cuts likely to come. As I can’t logically follow thousands of people. Now give their outlets the respect and time they would deserve for me to consider myself a loyal follower.

Instead, I want to devote more time to finding a tribe of folks this year and plugging into those precious few in the months to come. I’m hoping this will not only help us meet our savings goals for the year but help my disposable income as a blogger and digital influencer grow too!

I’m also hoping this year will help me to make extra contributions to my personal retirement account because as an independent woman in your 30’s you need one. To add more services to my self-funded health plans. To have time to price evaluate the existing communication services in my home. Then make switches as needed. Because there’s nothing like a spending freeze to help one to reconsider their spending patterns!

While I should have pre-posted this change in our family styling, I just wasn’t ready. I still needed a few extra days to mull over what needs and wants were for the coming year. 

I know this year will prove to be a valuable lesson, especially considering how many Americans live woefully beyond their means and are in no financial position to seriously consider retiring at 65. Or ever. But I believe this smart cookie will be able to figure out how to live a fabulous, intentional life in 2018 without resorting to taking orders and joining a nunnery. With a Shih-Tzu in tow. 

While this challenge will at times seem tedious and kind of austere, I’m confident we’ll be able to find a route to a little extra happiness, or dare I say, enlightenment as a result. This challenge is not a personal indictment on spending or luxury. It’s just what’s right for our family in this current season of life. And it may be for you too!

If you would like to join along with our current challenge, you can do as well too! In fact, I encourage you all to come along for the ride, even if you can only commit to a few days of non-spending every now and again. I’ll be posting several times each month about my journey and savings.

I’ll also be posting on my Instagram Stories and have created a playlist on my YouTube chronicling this year’s frugal adventures. Finally, I’ve created a Facebook 2018 No-Spend Year Challenge Accountability Group. We would love to have you join in the fun there too! 

So, friends, that’s what I’ve been up to the past week and a half. Preparing. Figuring things out. Living a life of much, much less. Finding ways to ensure you won’t be seeing me slipping this year. Financial and otherwise! And I hope to find you’ll be doing the same!

Now I want to ask you, do you have any financial goals you’re working to meet this year or do you have any plans to participate in any no-spend challenges in 2018? I’d love to hear all about them below!

2018 No-Spend Challenge

December No-Spend Month Challenge Day 16: Cinnamon Stick Candle Tutorial!

Countdown to Christmas- (5)

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you are all well rested and ready for a new daily December No-spend Challenge!

Continuing with this weeks DIY gift giving theme, I want to share with you one of my favorite fun, frugal gift ideas, cinnamon stick candles!

So, why cinnamon stick candles? Well, if you are anything like me than you love the scent of a good beeswax candle this time of year. Moreover, what’s more quintessentially Christmas than a home that smells of fresh, spicy, earthy cinnamon? 

For me, the smell of fresh ground cinnamon make my home smell so good and feel so very cozy. So, this year several of my friends and family will be receiving cinnamon stick wrapped candles this holiday season.

12336181_10100255851603641_290697568_n

Here’s How To Make a Cinnamon Stick Candles:

Supplies Needed: 

  • large pillar candle, 6-9 inches in length (mine was 8″ from the Dollar Tree)
  • bundle of large cinnamon sticks ($0.50 per bag at the Dollar Tree)
  • burlap ribbon (1.99 per roll at JoAnn Fabrics after 50% coupon; 1 roll makes six candles)
  • jute twine (3-pack of spools for $1.00 at the Dollar Tree)
  • scissors
  • hot glue gun
  • hot glue sticks

Cost per candle: $2.30

How to make the candle:

  1. To assemble the candle, start by putting a small dab of hot glue on a cinnamon stick and place each stick on the candle; if using smaller sticks you will need to have two rolls of sticks, or a single layer for taller sticks on the candle.

  2. Please note, the hot glue is not a permanent adhesive, its just going to hold the cinnamon stick to the candle temporarily so that you can adhere the embellishment to the candle itself. Once the candle is burning, the hot glue will melt. I recommend using a high temp hot glue gun for this project, and giving a glass candle dish (also available at the Dollar Tree for $0.50 each) as well. 

  3. Continue gluing the cinnamon sticks to the candle; they will vary in height and width.

  4. Please note, one package of cinnamon sticks went around my 4″ diameter candle, but depending on your cinnamon sticks and your candle’s diameter, you may need a second bundle.

  5. Next, cut a strip of burlap to 1.5″ wide by 12″ long, and hot glue the burlap in place so that it holds cinnamon sticks together tightly. 

  6. If you like a fringed edge to your ribbon pull one strand out of each end of the ribbon before gluing to the candle; you can also remove a center strand of burlap is you need help in creating a straight edge line to cut your ribbon too!

  7. If you want to add any embellishments to your candle, now is the time to do so.

  8. After all embellishments have been added, glue a strand of cut jute to tie around your candle. 

12395099_10100255851588671_58132025_n

And that’s it! This is such a fun, frugal gift and can easily be mailed too! The neatest part about this project is that most of the materials you may already have on hand. So, today I challenge you to see what you may have on hand in your pantry, craft room, and art stash to turn into affordable holiday gifts!

Here’s to saving,

niki-name-design

 

December No-Spend Month Challenge Day 15: Reusable Wax Gift Ideas!

Countdown to Christmas- (3)

Hello, savvy savers! This morning, I wanted to blog share one of the many ways I have found to save a few dollars here and there one on the things I love most in my home this holiday season, and that is with wax candle melts!

Moreover, wax candle melts you have on hand can be revamped into holiday DIY gifts too!

So, you may be asking how can used wax be turned into holiday gifts. Well, if you are anything like me, you have probably tried a variety of wax melts and tarts! I have tried them all including Yankee Candle, Scentsy, and the like! Sadly, the smell of these melts dissipates rather quickly, and within days you are left with a small pool of wax! Most would throw this puddle of goo out, but for me, I seek to re-invent!

Some of the ways I do this is by:

waxmeltspicy

1) Re-constituting the wax.  As you know, pure beeswax, does not dissipate, but rather only loses its smell and can last for years. One rather economic and green way to re-constitute your wax melts, is to reconstitute the wax with essential oils.  I save my wax by carefully placing the leftover wax into a double-bagged zip-lock bag, and then storing the bag in a dry, cool place.

When I have accumulated several blocks of wax, say six or seven packs of wax, I will then reconstitute them by lining a crock-pot with a crock-pot liner, place the blocks on the low setting, and once they are liquefied, add several drops of essential oil; you can also use a neat trick by creating a double boiler out of glass candle jars, water, and sauce pans. Be sure to also save the original wax melt containers, and when my wax melts are no longer fragranced, I often put them carefully back into their original containers, rest the containers on trivets, and let them cool, before storing.

I even try to save on my essential oils, as I often accumulate survey points, turn them into Amazon.com gift cards, and use these gift cards to buy extras for around my home. Some of these extras are essential oils, such as the Now Foods Lavender Oil. I find that the essential oils often smell better, and cleaner, than that of my original waxes and melts as well; using this method drops the cost of each wax melt pack to $0.15 a pack, a nearly 98% savings.

You can also cool wax by placing the wax into ice trays and freezing, for more rapid results. Please note, I designate a silicone spatula for this project and store it as such, and do not use it for other food preparations.

nov1

2) Make potpourri. Collect small pine cones or spruce cones, acorns, walnuts, or the like. Melt your wax very slowly in a double boiler, or in a crockpot lined with crockpot liners, set on low. Take turns dipping your items in the wax. Be sure to use these outdoors, as the  or simply drizzle the wax over certain items. This same idea can be used to make fire starters, with the addition of placing the items in cardboard egg cartons, and then drizzling wax over the items and sections of the carton. Be sure to use these outdoors, as the wax may catch fire.

3) Make holiday gifts. You can acquire cheap candy molds in various seasonal shapes, at your local arts and craft stores, and even at some larger stores from time to time after holidays; I generally buy silicone molds. Use the same method listed above for wax reconstitution, and then pour the wax into your candy molds, which should be placed on trivets, and let harden.

When the molds have hardened, you have cute wax chips which an be placed in tissue papers, sachet bags, or inexpensive holiday jars; these make great holiday hostess, teacher, and church-friends gifts as well! Also, be on the lookout for inexpensive holiday themed wax warmers at your local retailers, which often o as low as 90% off, and can be paired nicely with this cheap gift idea! This same idea can be used to make candles tarts or crayons as well! This is a staple in my gift closet arsenal!

4) Make candles. Using the same model as example one, you can reconstitute your wax, place it in inexpensive candle molds, and then drop wicks into your candle molds, and attach clothespins to the tops of the wicks to prevent wicks from falling into your cooling wax; note that candle molds are often cheaply obtainable at your local craft stores.  Beautiful older tins and tea cups also work well for this project as well!

So, today I challenge you all to see what wax you have available at home to make into fun, frugal holiday gifts too!

Here’s to saving,

niki-name-design