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. My children love to draw and paint, and I love seeing their work. Three years ago, before we moved to our current home, I decluttered. Boy, did I declutter. Now, we save only their best or favorite pieces.

Home 189

Home Re-use Painting Garage Sale 189

Family Balance Sheet

MAY 24, 2011

I painted it and added some fun baskets to it for organizing as well. The picnic basket in the middle was an estate sale find and the little one on top.came from a garage sale. Do you see the Baker's Rack in the picture too? The picnic basket on the bottom was passed on from my Mom, and I treasure it.

Swap 138

Swap Organic Organization Homemade 138

Couponing 101

APRIL 14, 2019

Think of all the other animals you can paint on it! You can check out garage sales as well if you don’t have any old pots and pans. 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. Ladybug Tire Swing.

Backyard 74

Backyard Kids Pottery Barn Outdoors 74

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Have you ever shopped at neighborhood garage sales? Well, I had to research this one as I’ve lived in the same home for 26 years now and have only changed out the paint once (repairing all those holes the kids put in the walls with their dart boards!) How often do people redo their rooms? ” What is the cost?

Home 100

Home Money Home and Garden Painting 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 11, 2016

Garage sale and thrift store furniture bargains abound. The toy ice cream table and chairs from my Mom’s childhood have an iron frame, which I stripped and spray painted. It had way too many coats of paint on it to ever be pretty again otherwise. But there are ways to save – consider used furniture.

Re-use 100

Re-use Used Furniture Furniture Recycle 100

Couponing 101

DECEMBER 6, 2011

Just find a cute printable, pop it in a cheap frame (check Goodwill, garage sales, your attic, etc. and spray paint the frame to match!), What I especially love about it is that it can be a very inexpensive way to decorate your home for the seasons! maybe add a little embellishment, and voila! Cheap home decor!

Subway 70

Subway Art DIY Christmas 70

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 3, 2011

While we understand that many property owners do not allow tenants to paint with the latest trending colors, it is still possible to add some spice and texture to your home. 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

MAY 23, 2015

I keep a roll of heavy paper (which I buy at Home Depot for about $11 for a roll about 2 inches thick and 2 feet wide) to use in wrapping packages, protecting floors during home projects, making garage sale signs and etc. I will probably use an old garage sale board game as the base, and just glue the printed game mat to it.

Games 100

Games Making Garage Sale Kids and Family 100

Saving Cents With Sense

MARCH 30, 2015

Whether you are browsing at a local thrift shop, flea market, garage sale, or just perusing your own garage or basement, we all seem to have an abundance of them! This is a cool trick and all you need is some chalkboard paint. Paint your frame the color of your choice or leave plain. Allow to dry and reassemble.

Painting 40

Painting Garage Inexpensive Frugal Lives 40

Saving Cents With Sense

JANUARY 19, 2013

Buy a dated, smooth-gliding rocker at a garage sale for next to nothing and customize it with several yards of fabric and a staple gun. Give that set of sturdy, bright orange bookshelves new life with several coats of white paint. The woodwork doesn’t need to match exactly, instead choose pieces based on price and function.

Budgeting 94

Budgeting Budget Painting Hardware 94

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 11, 2014

For awhile, there was a trend called ‘Shabby Chic’ Old wooden furniture, painted white – with crackled or chipped finishes – were highly regarded by collectors and decorators. Paintings, as we all know from watching the Road Show, sometimes gain value when properly cleaned and brightened. Enjoy your collections.

Collectibles 170

Collectibles Repairs Aunt Garage 170

Saving Cents With Sense

JUNE 13, 2013

Check out some thrift stores, vintage stores, flea markets, and garage sales. One project that almost anyone can do with just a few of the right tools is painting. Pick out your desired paint color at the hardware store and ask the sales person what you will need to paint a room. But there is good news.

Saving Money 89

Saving Money Money Home Furniture 89

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JANUARY 24, 2012

Do you need to replace the doors or would a fresh coat of paint suit you? I scouted for tiles as I went to garage sales for other items and was lucky enough to find not only a big lot of beautiful travertine tiles, but also two very usable Kohler bath faucets – for which we bought one replacement part off the Kohler repair site.

Renovation 189

Renovation Home Real Estate Re-use 189

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 9, 2011

Garage sales – need I say more? Paint a clear and simple picture of how to bridge the gap – make it easy for them to do what you want. Find solutions that give something to both of you (the sale, a better price, more stuff for the same price, referrals, publicity, whatever it is). off the price.

Haggle 202

Haggle Haggling Price Discount 202

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

We shopped at garage sales, turned down the heat, combined errands to use less gas, didn’t buy a lot of prepared food, cooked at home and the like. I even made the kid’s play dough and finger paint. Me: What kinds of frugality did you practice while you were earning your millions? I cut the family’s hair.

Thrifty 213

Thrifty Garage Spendthrift Fair-Trade 213

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

As a child and teen, I painted (inside and out), mowed and trimmed, punched holes in concrete to install decorate iron railings, worked with hand and power tools and helped my parents do everything from putting up a garage to putting up storm windows. I thought I knew all about keeping a house.

Home 100

Home Washer and Dryer Do It Yourself Garage 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 4, 2016

Buying personal finance books at garage sales and reading them one after another to make sure you have a basis of knowledge on money management. When I wanted to redo the paint in a large bedroom that had been ‘splatter’ painted by the prior owner, I had to work on it in half hour increments. Break it down.

Goals 100

Goals Friends And Family Sale Money Activism 100