Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 22, 2013

Make this a special trip, just for teaching – not your usual grocery run. Here are a few suggestions on ‘lesson plans’ on your money trip to the store. Prepare ahead of time for extra fun by having the kids make up a few questions they want to ask workers. Point out any overhead TVs that are showing store ads.

Money 229

Money Kids Storing Kids and Family 229

Family Balance Sheet

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Follow these three action steps and the list of ideas below to find the cash for your fund. Now it’s time to FIND THE MONEY! 30 Ways to Find Money for your Emergency Fund. Look for money within your budget and find creative ways to earn extra money. For ideas, read: 5 Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas.

Emergency Fund 100

Emergency Fund Money Finds Friends And Family Sale 100

The Frugal Girl

JANUARY 9, 2024

My husband and I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon with our three kids, ages 4-6. My cute kids when they were little I used to be a Spanish teacher until I stopped working to stay home with my kids. Additionally, it’s really important to us to have money to give to our kids so we save for that reason too.

Oregon 190

Oregon Home and Garden Kids and Family Money 190

Family Balance Sheet

JUNE 4, 2021

Finding extra money is a game for me. Ok, so May wasn’t my greatest month for finding extra money. I calculate the per-hour rate from my plasma donations to make sure it’s a good use of my time. There was a tearpad display so I bought the soup for my kids. Where did you find extra money in May?

Money 130

Money May Donation 2020 130

Couponing 101

AUGUST 6, 2019

Making sure your child has everything he or she needs to excel at game time can drain your budget. These savvy methods can help you save money on kids’ sport gear. You can find secondhand sports gear at thrift stores, garage sales, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and sports resale shops, like Play It Again Sports.

Sports 40

Sports Kids Craigslist Kids and Family 40

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

OCTOBER 6, 2013

Sometimes we need to find extra funds when big bills are due but often it is needed just to make ends meet. You probably will find clothes that you had forgotten you even had; I certainly did! You’ll need to be able to sort clothing into piles according to what you find. De- cluttering your wardrobe has several benefits.

Saving Money 249

Saving Money Green Money Clothing and Accessories 249

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 8, 2014

Take your smartphone with you on your next shopping venture so you can google discounts and search price comparisons in the store. If you can’t find the deal you want, snap a picture of the tag and the item so you can find it later on at the right price point. Check the Kids Section. Shop the Discount Chains. Go Frugal'

Clothing and Accessories 220

Clothing and Accessories Swap Thrifting Consignment Shops 220

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 16, 2013

I bought a roll in 2011 and have been using it for everything from Christmas wrap to kid crafts to posters to mailing packages every since. For small packages, find interesting magazine pages to use in wrapping. Dig out that box of material you thought you might use and pick out some pieces to use for wrapping, or to make bows.

Thrifty 174

Thrifty Christmas Gifts Thrift Stores 174

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 17, 2012

You can often find these bags at your local grocery store for 99 cents or a dollar or two. Lunch Bags Plastic grocery bags also make great lunch bags for your kids or for you. Clothing Bags If you donate clothing to your local thrift stores , then these bags can help you out.

Reuse 272

Reuse Groceries Grocery Recycle 272

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 13, 2013

It’s made up of several cities and towns to make the region. I have lived in three different cities/towns and every time I notice the same pattern: we move, we get settled into our living quarters, and then we have a hard time finding things to do for fun because we don’t know what the new city or town has to offer, or where anything is.

Golf 200

Golf Thrift Stores Green And Frugal Budgeting 200

Couponing 101

JUNE 11, 2019

And while no new parent wants to skimp on their newborn, that doesn’t mean you can’t find some clever ways to save. Babies grow quickly, so you might find perfectly good baby clothes that were barely used at a thrift shop. Plus, some recalled car seats might slip through into thrift stores.

Saving Money 67

Saving Money Car Seats Money Mom 67

Saving With Shellie

AUGUST 8, 2012

The days of summer are waning and to parents of school-age kids, that can mean only one thing — School Shopping! I get a high from putting together an outfit that makes me feel cute. I also love dressing my kids well. Would the store be yucky? Would it take an hour to find one thing? The store was not yucky.

Thrifting 76

Thrifting Thrift Stores Clothes Clothing 76

Teresa's Deals

OCTOBER 2, 2015

As I mention in another post, I did struggle when my kids were little but we made it through it. If I had know about all of the ways to save, I would have taught my kids at a young age to help them save later in life. Shop Thrift Stores. I love shopping at Thrift Shops and Discount Stores. Use Coupons.

Frugal 100

Frugal Saving Money Thrifting Money 100

Teresa's Deals

OCTOBER 2, 2015

As I mention in another post, I did struggle when my kids were little but we made it through it. If I had know about all of the ways to save, I would have taught my kids at a young age to help them save later in life. Shop Thrift Stores. I love shopping at Thrift Shops and Discount Stores. Use Coupons.

Frugal 100

Frugal Saving Money Thrifting Money 100

Saving Cents With Sense

OCTOBER 1, 2013

Instead, why not consider making some of your own Halloween décor? Make a dollar store fallscape. Find fun Halloween print outs. You can then frame the arrangement in a simple orange or black frame (spray paint a dollar store or thrift store frame to get this look) and you have instant art!

Halloween 93

Halloween DIY Frugal Dollar Store 93

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Garage sales are a great way to make some extra money, and they are a great activity for kids during the summer break. With the proper amount of planning, you can have an easy, stress free garage sale where you make a profit. You can easily find tags or stickers at a local store that will help make the prices more visible.

Garage Sale 202

Garage Sale Garage Sale Canning 202

Saving Cents With Sense

OCTOBER 30, 2013

Make some leaf rubbings. Remember those leaf rubbings you use to make in grade school? Just find some leaves of various shapes, textures, and sizes. Make some instant fall art. Find some fall themed scrapbook paper and some colorful leaves. You can find plenty of frames at your local dollar store or thrift store.

Crafts 75

Crafts Craft Thrift Stores Art 75

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 26, 2012

Participate in local food drives and donations and involve your kids in your actions. You can make it fun for you kids by running a household scavenger hunt in which you reward you children for finding household items to donate, such as clothes, toys, books, old appliances, and canned goods.

Thrifty 189

Thrifty Recycle Recycled Recycling 189

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

All my life, others have tried to make me feel guilty about stuff – guilty about not having enough stuff, guilty about not having the right stuff, guilty about having too much stuff, guilty about spending too much money on stuff or not spending enough on stuff, and guilty about throwing stuff away. You want stuff. Leaving the nest.

Cycle 113

Cycle Kids and Family Friends And Family Sale Garage Sale 113

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 3, 2014

For me, going to sales is not just a means to find things I need at rock bottom prices, it is also entertainment. Here is a short list of some of my favorite finds at garage, estate and thrift store sales. I’ll keep it until the grand-kids outgrow it and then try to sell it for the same amount.

Buy 178

Buy Buying Garage Sale Garage 178

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 13, 2012

These make nice gifts too. Thrift stores are also a great place to shop. I find lots of Christmas ribbon and bows at these sales as well – the 3 or 4 inch wide gold trimmed fabric kind of stuff for prices like 75 cents for the entire roll (which will cost you at least $10 a roll brand new). Save On Gifts And Wrapping.

Holiday 202

Holiday Friends And Family Sale Kids and Family Christmas 202

Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 26, 2016

SO THIS WILL BE THE YEAR…YAY… WOOHOO… BUT……in order to reach our goal by the end of the year, we need to find/earn more money than we currently are able to come up with each month. Make it a Necessities Only Year. Choose Thrift First. In other words, I’m coming up short.

Financial Goals 100

Financial Goals Goals 2016 Debt 100

Saving Cents With Sense

MARCH 8, 2013

If you have kids, purchasing used or discounted clothing and toys is a great way to save money. Kids grow out of them so fast that buying them new really is a waste. So find out where your local beauty school, massage school and mechanics school is and become a regular. You can even negotiate your cable bill. No matter what.

Frugal 75

Frugal Family Student Thrift Stores 75

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 3, 2013

The Women in World History website reported the following as Evidence Taken by Children’s Employment Commission February 1841: “Miss — has been for several years in the dress-making business…The common hours of business are from 8 a.m. I could work and make many times more than I could ever save by sewing.

Sewing 201

Sewing Sewing Machines Machines Saving Money 201

Saving Cents With Sense

JULY 10, 2013

If your kids wear uniforms to school, you know that they can be pricey, especially if you buy everything from the uniform shops. Find out what items, if any, need to be purchased from a specific uniform shop. Or you may find that you can buy shirts at other locations and then pay to have the patch added at the shop later.

Clothing and Accessories 99

Clothing and Accessories JC Penneys Saving Clothes 99

Saving Everyday

DECEMBER 13, 2016

I often find myself saying “I wish I had that when my kids were little” OR “you’d use that once and never use it again” I understand you want the best for your baby and shopping for them is very exciting. STOCKUP when you find great deals! I know I was, and that was over 20 years ago!

Baby 40

Baby Kroger 2016 Saving 40

The Frugal Girl

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

As an adult, I can see it was likely a mixture of not enough income, high cost of living area, mismanagement of money, and kids just being expensive for single mothers particularly. I became an immediate saver and always looked for ways to make due. Also, social media makes it feel like everyone is eating five-star meals all the time.

Virginia 185

Virginia Kids and Family Library Frugal 185

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 7, 2014

We got our clothes as hand me down from older cousins or from thrift stores. Through it all, I learned how to budget my money and how to find bargains. Now that I have kids, I want them to learn the value of a dollar. I’m not one of those parents who feels like I have to give my kids everything.

Daughter 242

Daughter Kids Kids and Family Parenting 242

Penny Pinchin' Mom

MARCH 11, 2024

“It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.” Go build a treehouse in the backyard or teach your kids how to bake. Hiking, camping, picnicking—these are all things I do with my kids on a regular basis.

Saving Money 52

Saving Money Money Mom Used 52

Family Balance Sheet

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

We made one big financial goal for 2019 and are striving and working hard to make progress. Our goal for 2019 is NOT to feel deprived, but rather find creative ways to get through the year without unnecessary spending. You might find some interesting habits. I want to find some snack ideas for active and growing athletes.

March 100

March Financial Goals Budgeting Budget 100

Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 17, 2018

Did you make 2018 financial goals ? We even bought an online package years ago, but have since decided that we will have a lawyer draw up our will, medical directive, and power of attorney documents to make sure everything is in place legally. Our 2 Main Financial Goals for 2018: 1 – Finish the will. Be Exceptionally Frugal.

Financial Goals 113

Financial Goals Goals 2018 Debt 113

For the Mommas

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

Plenty of people can save money if they just make little changes that barely even alter the way that they live their lives. While those purchases can and do put a dent in our savings, they are so infrequent that they barely make much of a difference overall. You aren’t limited to just thrift stores.

Money 40

Money Goals Kids and Family Saving Money 40

Family Balance Sheet

JULY 9, 2015

The idea of becoming debt free makes me downright giddy. How did they make it happen? When you have tracked, analyzed, and cut your budget to bare bones, there is only one other way to find extra money to put towards debt and that is to make more money. ACTION STEP: How can you make some extra cash?

Debt Free 100

Debt Free Debt Budgeting Budget 100