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

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Candy alone can be a big bite if you get lots of trick or treaters and give out chocolate. 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. Re-purpose the used costume.

Halloween 138

Halloween Green Reuse Garage 138

The Frugal Girl

JANUARY 29, 2024

We use the eggs, harvest meat & if I can’t get out to hunt venison we’ve had friends give us meat. I seriously overextended on planting and underestimated how much work my dad used to do so hopefully I’ve learned from my mistakes & will not kill myself in the garden this year!

Arkansas 177

Arkansas Frugal College Kids and Family 177

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 4, 2013

I love going to garage sales. This past weekend, I went out garage sailing just for fun. 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!

Garage 200

Garage Lamps Garage Sale Free 200

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 3, 2014

Another source of clutter with kids is gifts that well-meaning friends and relatives give. 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. What do I have to lose?

Garage Sale 180

Garage Sale Garage Daughter Friends And Family Sale 180

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 12, 2011

I’m not advocating that you add yet another gift giving celebration to your already expensive holiday traditions, but I do want to encourage you to think about Christmas in the month of July. I have an Aunt that loves to give small gifts to many of her neighbors. If you garage sale, look for those decorations!

July 162

July Christmas Friends And Family Sale Garage Sale 162

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JUNE 10, 2013

Here are a few thoughts on giving your child access to music on a budget. She gives a step by step on her site. Alex Duncan shows you how to make a one note balloon bassoon using 40 mm pvc pipe, garden hose, duck tape and a balloon in a You Tube video. Find A Used Instrument. Garage sales – I found a guitar for $5.00

Music 185

Music Musical Instruments Budget Budgeting 185

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

Family Balance Sheet

DECEMBER 9, 2015

This series is proof that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on the people you gift to if you use your time, resources, and creativity. Give a Photo Session. Give your Gift of Organization. If so, give the gift of organizing a closet (or 2), kitchen cupboards, a basement, garage, etc. Are you a gardener?

Christmas 100

Christmas Gifts Wall Art Home and Garden 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. I give away perfectly good electronics because they are ‘out of date’ – they don’t work with new software. Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”. He built his own garage.

Repairs 214

Repairs San Francisco Radios Garage 214

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

MAY 14, 2019

Whether it be a garage, a shed, or even a specially constructed structure, you have to consider the fact that you are trying to keep and use your assortment of preserved foods for years to come. Steel buildings have traditionally been used by disaster preppers, couponers, and others who need space to store large collections of items.

Expiration Date 113

Expiration Date Growing Building Canning 113

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

OCTOBER 3, 2012

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. You can change it around once you get used to your surroundings in other ways, but this helps with the adjustment period right off the bat. Sometimes, time is all that will help.

Garage Sale 202

Garage Sale Garage Work Office Supplies 202

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JANUARY 29, 2014

For Life is just an employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. Give yourself permission to ask for what you want. Margie Warrell, whom I have just discovered, gives us 7 Keys to Asking for What Your Really Want So You Get It. 25 (1918). “I Sometimes I wonder.

IBM 172

IBM Life Insurance Giving Airfare 172

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

But, we also need stuff for emotional support – stuff to remind us that we are part of a generations old family, that we have accomplished significant tasks, seen impressive places and conquered difficult situations. So, it’s OK to want stuff, to get stuff, to give stuff, to use stuff, and to get rid of stuff.

Cycle 113

Cycle Kids and Family Friends And Family Sale Garage Sale 113

Penny Pinchin' Mom

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Give a realistic assessment of how often those spaces need cleaning (both regular and deep cleaning). Organizing various storage spaces such as your kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, and garage. Here’s one trick I use with my family: The 10-minute Tidy-Up Rule. So start by assessing your unique family cleaning needs.

Cleaning 52

Cleaning Mom Work Kids and Family 52

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JUNE 17, 2012

Others have re-learned canning skills our grandmother’s used. A traditional root cellar is an underground pit or room, typically covered or surrounded by earth used to store food. Benefits of using root cellars. It is healthier to use whole foods, than it is to use foods processed by freezing or canning.

Advantage 210

Advantage Home and Garden Canning Gardening 210

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

APRIL 7, 2013

Even re-organizing the garage can leave you with a chill. There are a lot of things that you can start on in the late winter to give yourself a kick-start, and make the big task easier. Removing all of the ingredients from your pantry to clean it out and give it a wipe down can be very time consuming. Wipe Down the Walls.

Cleaning 221

Cleaning Appliances Donation Green And Frugal 221

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MARCH 27, 2012

If all Americans who currently do not use a clothesline started to use one for ten months of the year, we could avoid 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, annually. How to mitigate: Buy a clothes rack or two, or string a line in your basement or unused garage. Hang shirts upside down.

Clothes 264

Clothes Clothing Washer and Dryer Dryers 264

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Tell us about you and your family. Include anything that you’d like to add to give the reader an idea about your personality. We sold extra items that we weren’t using through Craigslist and garage sales. If you are married, the best advice we can give is to dream with your spouse. Where are you from?

Debt 245

Debt Debt Free Finance Friends And Family Sale 245

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

For so long, we plodded along with next to nothing while our neighbors were running up their charge cards and using home equity loans to take vacations. 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. Peggy: Oh yes!

Thrifty 213

Thrifty Garage Spendthrift Fair-Trade 213

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

MAY 23, 2017

In the book, “Young Bucks – How to raise a future millionaire” author Troy Dunn claims that the greatest gift you can ever give your child is the ‘gift of want’ Unless a child wants something badly enough, they won’t spend the time and energy to try to figure out a way to go get it. Time of life.

Making 124

Making Recession College 401K 124

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Here are six things we do in the fall that help us save money by using what we have, being energy efficient or maintaining our stuff so it lasts longer. Not only does mulch save money on watering, but it comes for the price of labor for us. Each fall as they fall, we scoop them and grind them using the lawn tractor.

Money 210

Money Plants Home and Garden Painting 210

Couponing 101

APRIL 14, 2019

Plus, if you have older kids, you can get them to help put these together, giving you more activities for them to do! 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. Outdoor Lounge. Via Ideas 2 Live 4.

Backyard 74

Backyard Kids Pottery Barn Outdoors 74

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

JULY 4, 2013

One of them kept it at their house in the garage, but each time there was a snow storm they each got their chance to use it, taking turns doing both of their driveways. Snowblowers were very expensive back then (they aren’t that cheap now, either) and were not used all that often – so it was the perfect “sharing” appliance.

Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions 212

Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions Kids and Family Camping Equipment Television 212

Teresa's Deals

APRIL 27, 2015

It was the perfect time to finally give this fan a try. Very Durable – This is probably one of the most durable (best ) fans that I have ever used. You can use this fan with or without the water, we used it in our garage while cleaning (with out water) and it really kept us cool and worked great.

Fans 100

Fans Outdoors Backyard Home Depot 100

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

FEBRUARY 9, 2012

You know you shouldn’t be using credit cards all the time. But there is no way you are going to give up cable, the cell phone, eating out or your gym membership. What is the one thing you are refusing to give up that would help you pay off your debt? You go weekend e-baying, garage-saling or to the flea markets.

Money 203

Money Debt Finance Credit Cards 203

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

AUGUST 3, 2011

Savvy decorators can give a living room or bedroom a makeover with a budget as small as $500. 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.

Budget 255

Budget Budgeting Friends And Family Sale Furniture 255

Couponing 101

JANUARY 20, 2019

Once you get through sorting, it’s time for giving away (or selling) and storing. The other thing you can do once you’ve finished the whole process is have a garage sale! Use shoeboxes for storage. It’s definitely a hard process to go through especially if you’re like me and tend to keep EVERYTHING!

Money 60

Money Making Consignment Shops Garage Sale 60

Couponing 101

JUNE 12, 2019

Once you get through sorting, it’s time for giving away (or selling) and storing. The other thing you can do once you’ve finished the whole process is have a garage sale! Use shoeboxes for storage. It’s definitely a hard process to go through especially if you’re like me and tend to keep EVERYTHING!

Money 55

Money Making Consignment Shops Garage Sale 55

Saving Cents With Sense

AUGUST 28, 2013

Use coupons and coupon codes ! Use coupons and pair them with sales to help you save. Hit up fall garage sales. Even in the fall months, garage sales can still be found. Give these couple of tricks a try and see how easy it can be to find quality back to school clothing for less. This site uses affiliate links.

Clothes 90

Clothes Clothing Finds Swap 90

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. My children get so many gifts from their grandparents and godparents that we’ve been able to scale back how many gifts we give them.

Friends And Family Sale 176

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

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

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Have you noticed that no two activities seem to use the same equipment? Find a clean dry spot to store what is no longer being used, making sure it is clean and in good condition before you put it away, so it’s ready to be passed on to another child. Offer to pay but many people are happy that someone can use what they no longer need.

Sports 184

Sports Kids Kids and Family Musical Instruments 184

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

DECEMBER 22, 2013

Sure I knew about the ‘White sales’ – the ones stores used to have in January on sheets and towels and such, but I really hadn’t a clue that there is a best time to buy many other things! However, I wait until spring and summer to buy decorations – and get them at garage sales. Winter clothes. Cosmetics and jewelry.

Buy 223

Buy Buying Consignment Shops TVs 223

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

NOVEMBER 6, 2011

A seller who wants to advertise a potential rent-to-own deal can still use many traditional realty advertising methods, such as a local paper and real estate websites, to showcase their properties. The buyer gets the unique opportunity to thoroughly use and investigate the home before actually buying. Passive Income With Real Estate.

Rent 183

Rent Home Real Estate Work 183

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. Most garage sales don’t have many antiques – or even collectibles.

Money 173

Money Making Garage Sale Contest 173