Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Have you heard the old saying: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”? We were poor, Mom and Dad lived every day showing us what it meant to ‘make it do’ and we often ‘did without’ Here are my thoughts on frugal ways to make things do. Buy good clothing, used.

Making Do 219

Making Do Making Green And Frugal Friends And Family Sale 219

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 11, 2016

Whether you are just starting out; wanting to freshen up your own older items; or furnishing a second home, furniture buying can make a big dent in your budget. But there are ways to save – consider used furniture. Garage sale and thrift store furniture bargains abound. How to make used furniture usable.

Re-use 100

Re-use Used Furniture Furniture Recycle 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 29, 2011

Back before the internet was invented, I used to write short fiction stories and try to get them published. It kept me busy and out of trouble, used up a lot of stamp money, but never yielded a dime. Hubby used to be way into contests and giveaways. What less than satisfactory part time jobs have you done to try to make a buck?

Money 173

Money Making Garage Sale Contest 173

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 25, 2014

I’m in good company with my love of all things used. Just look at the many people scouring garage sales in the summer. If you think buying used is just for people who are on a tight budget, think again. The most famous large family, the Duggars, routinely buy as much as they can used. Kitchen Appliances.

Buying Second-Hand 177

Buying Second-Hand Saving Money Money Garage Sale 177

Couponing 101

JANUARY 20, 2019

The other thing you can do once you’ve finished the whole process is have a garage sale! Use shoeboxes for storage. Rather than buying Marie’s $89 box sets, you can use the random shoeboxes you just found in the bottom of your closet! Make your own keepsake boxes. Please read our disclosure policy here.

Money 60

Money Making Consignment Shops Garage Sale 60

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 23, 2013

We wanted to make conversation piece centerpieces for each of the 10 tables, utilizing some of the many spring flowering daffodils we usually have at this time of year on our acreage. We decided to re-label 10 empty wine bottles using a picture of an historical event for each decade of her life. How I made centerpieces for $2.70

Making 187

Making Paper Wine Friends And Family Sale 187

Couponing 101

JUNE 12, 2019

The other thing you can do once you’ve finished the whole process is have a garage sale! Use shoeboxes for storage. Rather than buying Marie’s $89 box sets, you can use the random shoeboxes you just found in the bottom of your closet! Make your own keepsake boxes. Please read our disclosure policy here.

Money 55

Money Making Consignment Shops Garage Sale 55

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 6, 2011

A buyer who could easily make the loan payments is often unable to afford the large down payment lenders currently demand. Rent-to-own is a way to make a property transaction work without a lender involved at the start. The buyer gets the unique opportunity to thoroughly use and investigate the home before actually buying.

Rent 183

Rent Home Real Estate Work 183

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 5, 2012

There is duct tape all over my garage, so this wouldn’t look out of place. I don’t like the idea of using fake safes inside the house, since they look kind of obvious, especially in an incorrect location. A fake safe designed like an engine degreaser wouldn’t even be seen by a burglar walking through your garage. A fake safe.

Garage 188

Garage Home Garage Sale Painting 188

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

We do put up decorations (ones I buy at garage sales or thrift stores and reuse each year). Bring in your slightly used, but in good shape costume and pick one from those others brought in – as a swap. Don’t buy, make. Re-purpose the used costume. Tip # 3 Use up your pumpkins.

Halloween 138

Halloween Green Reuse Garage 138

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 16, 2013

She also scarfed up any other gift wrap that looked usable, and she stored it carefully away for use the next year. Use paper drop cloth to wrap. 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. Use paper from other sources.

Thrifty 174

Thrifty Christmas Gifts Thrift Stores 174

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JUNE 10, 2013

Make Musical Instruments From Household Items. Spoonful.com can show you how to make all of the below for (or better yet, with) your pre-schooler: Drums from large oatmeal cylinders and no-rip mailer envelopes. Busy Bee Kids Crafts has a bunch of ideas, one of which is making paper plate tambourines. Find A Used Instrument.

Music 185

Music Musical Instruments Budgeting Budget 185

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 30, 2012

Do you think of sleazy used car salesmen or high pressure tactics used on you by a door to door saleswoman? Why in the world would a sane parent want to teach their child sales techniques? Do You Know a Millionaire Garage Sale-er? lot of us frequent garage sales. Why Teach Your Child To Sell?

Garage Sale 234

Garage Sale Building Garage Money 234

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 3, 2014

Are you a ‘buy it new’ snob – one of those people who shudder at the thought of using someone else’s cast off stuff? I swore I’d never buy used junk again… but now I’ve changed my mind. Here is a short list of some of my favorite finds at garage, estate and thrift store sales.

Buy 178

Buy Buying Garage Sale Garage 178

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 3, 2014

throwing them in the garbage) as she makes new creations. My husband and I both want our kids to be creative and to use their imaginations. While I appreciate the thought, those toys don’t get used often, and I feel bad donating them or giving them away. I enjoy these but believe in rotating them out (i.e.

Garage Sale 180

Garage Sale Garage Daughter Friends And Family Sale 180

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 4, 2013

I love going to garage sales. I took it apart (which took about an hour) and am stripping the paint off the iron (think at least one can of paint stripper) and then will spray with Rust-oleum – and I just found out that the cans I thought I had had been used on lamps! Free is good, right? Maybe, maybe not. The antique lamp.

Garage 200

Garage Lamps Garage Sale Free 200

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

OCTOBER 3, 2012

Here are some tips to help it along: Get to Know the People Around You I am a firm believer that the people that you live near and work with can make or break a home or work experience. Change Things Around One of the most frustrating things when I changed sites at my job was coming to a new desk where nothing is where I was used to it being.

Garage Sale 202

Garage Sale Garage Work Office Supplies 202

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 12, 2011

Making some decisions now about what you will and won’t do during the holidays will allow you to set up a budget as well as talk to any affected family members or friends (and even business contacts) so that you can set their expectations. Make a list of those for whom you need to buy gifts and decide how much you want to spend on each.

July 162

July Christmas Friends And Family Sale Garage Sale 162

Koupon Karen

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Be ruthless in your decision-making process; if you haven’t used an item in the last year or it doesn’t hold significant sentimental value, it’s probably time to let it go. Consider hosting a garage sale or listing items online to sell.

Home 52

Home Tucson Furniture Friends And Family Sale 52

Couponing 101

MARCH 28, 2019

Be sure to buy your crates first so you know what dimensions to make the cutouts. So this door turned entryway bench will require that you either have an old door lying around or can find one at a local garage sale or hardware store. Or you can use this as a great excuse to get yourself a new one!

DIY 65

DIY Garage Sale Shoes Garage 65

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 15, 2012

Many of you have specifically asked where to find used equipment. When you can, it is imperative that you use jars that are specially made for canning. Never try to use non-canning jars to preserve your food – doing so could lead to dangerous (invisible) bacteria growing in your food. Canning Jars. Accessories.

Canning 185

Canning Cheap Garage Sale Garage 185

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 28, 2014

You don’t have to go back to the days of living in a log cabin without electricity to make an environmental impact. Make your own laundry soap. We have recently started making our own powdered laundry soap with three simple ingredients– Fels Naptha , washing soda, and borax. Use mason jar containers.

Saving Money 191

Saving Money Simple Money Friends And Family Sale 191

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JUNE 13, 2016

Last summer, in my annual ‘Grandma Rie’s Money Camp’ (the week long camp I have with my Grandchildren to help them learn about finances); we had a segment on selling and how companies sell to us. Here are some of the many tools used to convince consumers to buy. Presentation isn’t just used on kids.

Buy 100

Buy Buying Coke Garage Sale 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 17, 2013

Many of us throw the broken or outdated item out. I used to darn my family’s socks, but now don’t. Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”. At garage sales, are you attracted to those still usable but slightly defective items that no one else wants? I’m guilty as well.

Repairs 214

Repairs San Francisco Radios Garage 214

Couponing 101

APRIL 14, 2019

If you’ve already gone through gallons of water playing in the sprinklers and filling up the pool, this is a great way of spending time outdoors and using your inflatable pool. This is a great way to use up those old tires, especially if you already have a tire swing! So this is a great way of using up old hula hoops and sheer sheets.

Backyard 74

Backyard Kids Pottery Barn Outdoors 74

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 19, 2014

All those items got plenty of use as all three of my kids used them. Many of the other items I needed like cloth diapers and clothes for the baby in bigger sizes I bought from garage sales. Then, my friends pay for baby and me exercise classes so they can get out of the house, make friends, and get some exercises.

Friends And Family Sale 176

Friends And Family Sale Clothing and Accessories Kids and Family Clothes 176

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 donate to suitable charities.

Cycle 113

Cycle Kids and Family Friends And Family Sale Garage Sale 113

For the Mommas

JUNE 25, 2015

If your house is like ours, you can always use extra table space, whether it is for having extra guests at dinner, having a garage sale or even doing crafts! Make sure you choose For the Mommas (Alecia Brown) as your personal shopper so we can continue to bring you all the great deals! with FREE Store Pickup!

Garage Sale 40

Garage Sale Sears Garage Storing 40

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 22, 2014

I took at least three trunks full of “stuff” to Goodwill, I had a garage sale, and I sold things online. However, I wasn’t able to complete the job before moving day arrived, so some of our “stuff” we didn’t need came with us. Boy, did I declutter. Embrace minimalist principles.

Home 189

Home Re-use Painting Garage Sale 189

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 3, 2011

Make a list of all “big ticket items&# you will need to purchase–include couches, tables, and floor lamps. Here are five ways to stretch your decorating dollars: 1) Buy used furniture. You can visit garage sales, local flea markets and scratch and dent stores to locate used furniture that needs to be refurbished.

Budgeting 255

Budgeting Budget Friends And Family Sale Furniture 255

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JUNE 15, 2014

Make a video documentary on a topic that interests the grand-kids. Get some free video editing software, use a cell phone or camera to record and see what happens! Hold a garage sale together. Bake a cake together and use it as the prize for the winner of this event. Hit the beach at a local lake. A cake walk.

Grandchildren 191

Grandchildren Building Backyard Inexpensive 191

Saving Cents With Sense

JUNE 6, 2012

This is a great way for our community to help each other get the stuff we need, and get rid of stuff we no longer use, all at great prices. Think of Ubokia as being an online garage sale where you are encouraged to share exactly what it is you are looking for. It’s free to sign up and use , so head on over and check it out!

Fair-Trade 86

Fair-Trade Buy Buying Garage Sale 86

Couponing 101

JANUARY 20, 2019

The other thing you can do once you’ve finished the whole process is have a garage sale! Use shoeboxes for storage. Rather than buying Marie’s $89 box sets, you can use the random shoeboxes you just found in the bottom of your closet! Make your own keepsake boxes.

Money 40

Money Consignment Shops Garage Sale Office Supplies 40

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 2, 2011

Not many – but by planning ahead now you might find ways to lessen the expenses you will face next month and use the annual experience as a teachable moment in your child’s personal finance education. using what they already have. using what they already have. I love to shop garage sales. Get Social.

College 192

College Money Personal Finance Student 192

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 11, 2014

At the time, she thought she would be making big bucks off of her collections. If you collect to make a profit, you are most likely going to be disappointed. Like anything else, you make your money when you buy, not when you sell. If you try to sell it, your buyer is most likely going to be a dealer, needing to make a profit.

Collectibles 170

Collectibles Repairs Aunt Garage 170

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JANUARY 24, 2012

When I redid ours, I used that spray meant to re enamel tubs to re-finish the vanity tops. Garage or estate sales. Make it yourself items. Talk to people you know to find who they may have used for their work. Join a local real estate investor’s club and attend some meetings to see who these guys use.

Renovation 189

Renovation Home Real Estate Re-use 189

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 got 160,000,000 results today using Google Chrome. til 11 P.M To decorate.

Sewing 201

Sewing Sewing Machines Machines Saving Money 201