Recipes in four sentences

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Insourcing #34....Look where a little bit of DIY and Thrifting gets you...

 
Each month I like to do a tally of the many ways in which I've saved my family money. I draw up a three columns, and in one, I list what I've made or found at the thrift store or DIY'd, in the second, I list a value, and in the third, I note ways in which we've been able to then reward ourselves.
 
This month I'm really proud as we not only saved ourselves a lot of money by Insourcing, but we managed a little getaway for ourselves, a ski trip for our daughter, and some bling for me as rewards! This would not be possible, if we were out wildly flinging money around on swanky gifts for friends or ourselves on a week in-week out basis.
 
So first of all, I made all meals. And when I say all meals, I mean ALL meals. This alone saves us an enormous amount of money as opposed to eating out, and I'll confidently call that a saving of at least $600 for the month as for the 3 of us to even have a nice lunch at a café` once a week would easily cost $150 each time.  But thankfully, that didn't mean we were in some sort of culinary purgatory. We enjoyed fresh lush salads as seen at the top of my post, café style breakfasts...

 
...a lavish brunch with family...
 
 
...and interesting and tasty gluten free lunches...
 
 
Shopping at our lovely local thrift stores yielded a 60s/70s inspired costume for my daughters upcoming Dance Night for under $30, saving over $100...
 
 
...and some pretties for me that rival the designer stuff I'd been eyeing off on Net-A-Porter, saved me literally a bare minimum of $600...
 

...these two pure linen blouses were brand new, still with tags, and set me back just $22 each. I've since returned and bought a third, in a different style again, and it was reduced from the $22 to just $10. These were all originally almost $200. Lucky me!
 
 
My daughter and I trimmed each others hair with our CreaClip (available on eBay) and that investment of $35 has saved us thousands in the last three years. We both have long hair, all one length, so trimming it with this little tool is a simple task, but you can engineer quite complex haircuts with this if you are brave enough to try! We were actually going to 'treat' ourselves to a visit to the hairdresser, just for fun, but when we discovered it was going to set us back $45 EACH for a trim, we very quickly changed our minds! I put a toner through my silver grey hair and conditioned it too, saving a further $55.
 
 
I finally got around to making some Annabel (The Bluebirds are Nesting Blog) inspired gift ribbon. This is just a thrifted vintage floral sheet, torn into lengths about 7-8cms (2-3 inches) wide. It's then stamped with a black ink pad and a cute stamp (Annabel uses a chandelier but I couldn't find one...I've since found a bird cage though, and will share photos of that result soon), and the image is coated in glitter paint/glue. I will wrap some parcels with it later in the week, to give you an idea of just how cute and adorable this actually looks when used with butchers paper and a bit of panache`.
 
I now have...well, I don't know, but it must be at least 35 metres of this, rolled around cardboard shapes to use and gift.
 
That's a saving on gift ribbon alone, of $70, minimum.
 
 
I made these cute Dancing Ribbons for my granddaughters out of nothing, saving probably $20 on colouring or other activity books for their recent visit..
 
 
 ...and my daughter and I did our own manicures with Jamberry vinyl wraps, saving at least $210 over the course of a month, on salon manicures.
 
 
Now just so you know, all this insourcing is not completely thankless or bereft of fun.
 
This month I got in a mind to have myself an Art Deco inspired Insect Brooch. I found this one on Etsy, and it's on it's way to me now. I think it's very cute with it's Moonstone and Pearl body, garnet eyes, and Plique a Jour wings.
 
 
As mentioned, the teen woman-child flitted off on a school supervised ski trip in another state, and while she was away, husband and I were able to escape to this view, five hours drive from home...
 
 
Now that's what I call a successful month of insourcing!
 
What about you? How did you save money? And how did you reward yourself? Tell me all...

...Mimi...

16 comments:

  1. Dear Mimi, Happy last day of winter! I have to look into these nail wraps you mention.... they look good!
    Your op shop finds were straight out of a magazine! Gorgeous.
    Well each day I am jotting down some key points to remember when I do my adding up. I have been painting a lot! Today I did our bedside tables, bedhead and the biggest wall of skirting boards in the bedroom. Yesterday I did two tall book cases in the bedroom. I was so thrilled with how good it all looked! I know all this has saved me hundreds this week, in painting alone. Plus Im spring cleaning as I go along and the paint is like the finishing touch.
    It sure adds up. As tomorrow is the first day of Spring I have a slight head start!
    I hope your post encourages people to think of how much they can save. It is just enormous. With love Annabel.xxx

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    1. Hi Annabel and happy first day of Spring! You will love the nail wraps. No waiting for your nails to dry! You have been busy with painting for so long. It will be beautiful when it's all done. And little things like repainting the skirt boards and cornices even, can make such a difference and make everything look fresh and new. I love the idea of your 100 Day Challenge but can't see myself getting started on one just yet. Perhaps a 30 day or 45 day challenge will have to do for me. It's sure a great motivator! Thanks Annabel. Love, Mimi xxx

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  2. Hello, my sweet Mimi! How are you, dear friend? As always, it was a joy to visit your lovely blog {it's been far too long since I dropped in}. I always enjoy your wisdom and advice :)

    Much love to you!

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    1. Dear Stephanie, a long time for me between visits to you too. Things have been a little crazy here. It's always a joy to see your sweet face and a note from you. Thankyou for visiting lovely one. Mimi xxx

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  3. I love that you write down all the ways you save! I am pretty thrifty, but need to write about it! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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    1. Marci, it's such a great motivator to see how you've saved, how much you've saved, and what you've been rewarded with for doing so. Try it! I think you'll like it ;0) Mimi xxx

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  4. Wonderful ideas! I hopefully will never say woe is me ever again, but say WOW is me for using what I have available and using creativity! Thanks for this great post! Have a wonderful thrift filled week!

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    1. Lynn, we never ever have a 'woe is me' moment. Every saving is a thrill, and every extra dollar towards something meaningful is a joy. Happy first day of Fall there! Love, Mimi xxx

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  5. Great post. And some great tips. I like the idea of making a list of savings for the month. I'll have to try that. And tomorrow is the 1st. A great time to start.

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    1. Thankyou! It's like anything. If you keep a record, you can pat yourself on the back a bit when done! Mimi xxx

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  6. Love the ribbon you make! Will have to save that idea!!!! Thanks! Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy....yes it's a very sweet idea, isn't it. I'm glad you like it. Annabel has lots of gorgeous ideas. Love, Mimi xxx

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  7. Well done, Mimi. Glad you had a break too. I am sure you will love your brooch.

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  8. Hi Mimi,
    What a wonderful savings you have made! My biggest savings are made from cooking from scratch. This week I made my son's birthday cake,special birthday dinner and tasty treats for fathers day too. This alone has saved hundreds of dollars. I will have to get one of those cutting guides for hair. A few years ago I bought a set of hair scissors from ebay for under $3 and they are great! Luckily my teens both have short hair which is easy to cut using clippers too. Again, hundreds of dollars saved there! xx

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  9. Love all your thrifty ideas, Mimi! The meals look delicious and that ribbon is a wonderful idea that I am going to try - thank you for that! I cut and color my own hair, too - I love that little gadget - I'll have to get one. Very nice 'rewards' for being thrifty - cute pin. The linen blouses are wonderful. xx K

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  10. I was walking my dog past a house that had a garage sale and popped in for a look. It was close to finishing and I got a trench coat and a dress for $2 each both in excellent condition. I think garage sales are great value. Your food looks lovely Mimi. The heart shaped bowl is so cute.
    Janiebabe

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I love hearing from you! I always respond to comments, so don't be shy! Mimi xxx