Square Mesh Flat to Cover VegetablesDo your vegetables get eaten before they've grown? It's happened to me so many times! Now, I use these square mesh flats over my vegetables after seeding so the birds don't get to them. After my vegetables are bigger and stronger I will remove the flats. Chances are they'll make it and no longer vulnerable.
Buy Grab Bags of Craft SuppliesThere are over 1,200 Michaels Stores '- art supplies, crafts, framing around the world. At the end of each season - items that are unable to be sold may be offered in grab bags (stores may vary). Seasonal items will be stuffed in a bag and sold for only $4!
Jot Down Expected DeliveriesI recently experienced a couple of lost deliveries which was extremely disappointing and frustrating not to mention lots of time wasted! I had to be on the phone with the company I purchased from, delivery service as well as my credit card company. All together I spent over 5 hours of my time being placed on hold, switched to different departments and finally was able to dispute the charges. Not only did it take a big chunk of my time, but over a weeks course to resolve everything!
Halloween Pumpkin PlanterYou can easily decorate your indoor planters with a Halloween theme using felt or construction paper, scissors, and some tape! Afterwards, save the felt pieces in an envelope or Ziploc bag to reuse next year! Such a simple and easy project, but you can see the difference completely from plain planter to this Halloween themed planter!
3D Initial Floral Decoration BoxI was able to transform a sunglasses box that I was just about to toss out into this 3D initial greenery/floral box. This makes a nice decor piece and works great (easier) if your initial is a T or L. For other letters, you can freehand and make your own 3D initial with cardboard.
Plan a Lunchtime Wedding ReceptionIf you are on a budget or want more bang for your buck, I would highly look into having a lunch wedding reception versus a dinner reception. Chances are you will be paying less per person during lunch and I was even able to upgrade to a dual plate for less than one plate during dinner.
Dividing Potted PlantsWhen your plant is getting tight in the pot (or when you purchase a plant like this one), you can easily get more plants by separating into more pots. This will allow room for your plants to grow, or is a great way to give some plants away as gifts.
Repurpose Free Sample Holiday CardsI received a Vista Print Holiday Catalog and they are advertising their holiday cards as well as other services they sell. Included was a sample holiday card. I turned the holiday card into my own and added a magnet to hang the card on the fridge!
Clean Hair from Vacuum Brush RollHave you ever looked underneath your vacuum brush? Or notice your vacuum isn't functioning at full capacity/strength. Or perhaps the roller is stuck and not suctioning well. If so, see if there is hair stuck like mine. Easy to fix.
Hanging School Bus Picture FrameBack to school season is coming up! This is a cute craft you can make to decorate your fridge and fill up with your child's pictures throughout the year.
Adding Fresh Flowers to Cake DecorationHere is a tutorial on how to add fresh flowers to a cake while also making the cake food safe.
Fried Sweet Potato Shrimp CakesWith a few ingredients you can make these tasty fried sweet potato shrimp cakes! You can serve this with fresh vegetables and your choice of sauce: chili sauce, hot sauce, mixed fish sauce, etc. Or you can eat alone as an appetizer, snack or pair with rice of course too!
Butterfly Graduation Gum Wrapped LeiMake a personalized lei for someone special graduating! Use their favorite candy, gum, snacks, and add some cute butterfly accents.
Frozen Yogurt BarkThis is an enjoyable and healthy dessert for all ages! You can customize your yogurt bark with any toppings you have at home, or a great way to use up any last ingredients you have.
Mummy Decorative PillowOn a budget? Here's how you can transform your existing pillows into this mummy pillow as an accent piece. This will work if you have a lighter set of pillows.
Heart Shaped LeisI am helping my niece prep for her Valentine's Day class party next month. She wanted to make heart shaped leis for the girls in her class. We made these inexpensive heart shaped leis with items we already had at home and they turned out really nice and cute!
Check Produce Labels For DateAnyone having issues with produce spoiling much quicker than they should? I have made a few Costco trips and each visit I'm always left with something spoiling much sooner than they should (especially oranges).
Cashew Basil PestoYou can make fresh basil pesto without expensive pine nuts, cashews work just as great! Easy to whip up and pesto has many uses.
Wedding Countdown FrameAdd a cute touch of decor to your home with this countdown frame. This countdown frame is designed for a "wedding", but the concept could be applied to other special events like an engagement party, birthday, concert, etc.
Protect Ripening Fruit with NewspaperIn our yard, we have been experiencing more wild animals lately (i.e.: birds, rats, rabbits, etc.) especially since our yard is near a canyon. These animals are eating our fruit! It is quite frustrating watering these fruit trees, watching the fruit grow, and then finding them eaten/ruined.
Bring Cooler on Grocery Shopping TripsEvery time we restock our weekly groceries, we make sure to bring our cooler. We place the cooler in the trunk with ice packs.
Toddler Girl's Dragon Halloween CostumeInspired by my kids' favorite book, they both decided they wanted to be dragons for Halloween. Here is my take and twist on a toddler girl version of a dragon.
Save Ribbon from Shopping Bag for CraftingBefore tossing out shopping bags, see if you can salvage any pieces. This Victoria's Secret bag has had it's fair share of being recycled/reused. I was able to salvage the ribbon and it will be perfect to use for crafting!
Yellow Sticky Traps for Flying InsectsI have many household plants throughout my home. I used indoor soil for these plants and didn't think there would be any flying insects. My friend introduced me to these yellow sticky traps (she actually gave me a handful). They are rather large double sided sticky traps so I cut them down in smaller pieces and placed them into my potted plants. A few hours later, the traps are already working!
Baked Crispy TofuThis is a 3 ingredient recipe. It is a healthier alternative to frying tofu while still achieving the nice crispy texture!
Blooming Air PlantThis is the first time this air plant (Tillandsia) has bloomed. I love the beautiful purple flower. Afterwards, I believe I should be expecting baby pups. Snapped some photos to share with you all!
Turmeric Morning ShotThis is my morning turmeric shot I have every morning. I make little batch and store in the fridge. This lasts 1 week for 2 people. Turmeric is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been used for thousands of years - even as medicine.
Handmade Pinwheel MobileThis style handmade pinwheel mobile is going for $55+ and I was able to make this for only $10 with supplies I already had at home. It does take a couple of hours. I would recommend fun patterns and colors for baby to enjoy looking up at for diaper changes.
Save Your Wedding ReceiptsEverything that you purchased for your wedding, do save your receipts. Just toss all of those receipts in a shoe box and label it "Wedding" or the event/celebration you are hosting. Add all the receipts in the box as you purchase and it makes budgeting easier (by documenting the receipts in a spreadsheet if you'd like).
Thrifty Vertical Planter WallI was inspired by the beautiful succulent decor walls at my local malls and stores. I wanted my own mini version in my backyard. However, upon research I found that vertical planters are so expensive!
Online Grocery Delivery ServicesIn our household, we have not gone grocery shopping physically in stores in over 5 weeks. I have tried 4 new food services since then and I would like to share with you my first impressions, thoughts and reviews.
Birthday Number PiñataI made this birthday number "1" piñata by recycling shipping boxes I received from my Target orders. The only item I needed to purchase was the metallic gold tissue paper, 8 count, at Target for $1.49.
Turn Data Off When Using Wi-Fi to Avoid OverchargesOur family plan is unlimited talk, text and shared 10GB of data among four phone lines. I remind everyone on the plan to turn off cellular data when they're using WI-FI (free internet) so we know for sure we are not using cellular data and that will prevent from overcharges on our bill.
Use a Plastic Plate Instead of Flower Pot SaucersAre your looking for a budget friendly alternative to pot saucers? Think plastic kid's plate! I recently was gifted this Castanospermum australe "Lucky Bean Plant". The cheapest saucers from Home Depot were 80 cents (very thin plastic) to $2.68 (still somewhat thin plastic) so I held off on purchasing a saucer.
Simple Tomato SoupWe have an abundance of tomatoes growing in our backyard. A great way to use up most of the tomatoes is to make tomato soup! I paired tomato soup with with grilled cheese sandwiches, yum!
Rubbing Alcohol for Mealy Bugs in a Succulent GardenKeeping a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol is convenient and can be used to get rid of mealy bugs on succulent plants! Rubbing alcohol is inexpensive and succulent safe while also getting the job done by getting rid of mealy bugs!
Heart Succulent WreathI purchased this iron heart chicken wire wall decor at my local Michael's Arts & Crafts for 70% off. I will show you all how to create this heart shaped succulent wreath to use as outdoor decor.
Prevent Squirrels and Rats from Climbing Up Fruit TreesAre squirrels or rats bothering your garden especially your fruit trees? Try this free solution out. It has been working for us!
Frugal Wedding Location SuggestionsI had the honors of attending my cousin's wedding ceremony at Calumet Park in La Jolla, California. Calumet Park is a small neighborhood park overlooking the beautiful beach view, quietly located in a residential area. The great thing about this park was that it wasn't crowded (in fact, sort-of hidden) so there was hardly any traffic. There is no beach access, no restrooms, no tables, just a couple of benches so less foot traffic, better for a wedding ceremony.
Succulent Planter with DIY Wood StainThis trendy and modern succulent art piece can be hung up (saves space) or displayed as a centerpiece on a table, coffee stand, end table, or desk.
Plant Shop for the Best ValueWhile shopping for a fiddle leaf fig plant, we discovered some pots had only one trunk = 1 plant and some had two trunks = essentially that'll be two plants and they were the same price.
Free Expired ItemsI went to Sprouts today and an item on my grocery list was parmesan cheese for a baked chicken dinner. I came across this brand called BelGioioso on sale for $2.99. Sounds great because there's parmesan cheese as well as 3 other cheeses so I could make pizza too, but when I checked the expiration "best by" date, it had already passed, 7 days ago!
Christmas Tea TreeThis is a cute Christmas tea tree to make and gift to a tea lover, or as decor for the holidays. You could pair this gift with a mug filled with chocolates.
Candy Flower BouquetI made this candy flower bouquet for my friend featuring her favorite dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's. This is perfect to gift for any occasion like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, a birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, just because, and so forth. It makes a thoughtful gift made with love.
Vietnamese Shrimp, Pork and Egg Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)Typically authentic bun rieu contains crab but it is optional. This is a delicious and healthy meal.
Receipt StorageI store all my receipts for the month in this long magnetic box that I bought from Michaels for $3.49, originally $6.99 (with a 50% coupon).
Propagating Plants Inside a Christmas Ornament BulbMake these cute and inexpensive ornament bulb propagation planters to give as gifts or simply to decorate your desk, bathroom, or home.
