Penny pinching tip #1

Reuse! How much packaging does your family throw away? Bread bags, bottles, empty containers of any kind can be reused. Don't throw it out if you can think of a second use for it *be sure you have a use in mind because if you start saving things without a purpose, you are just stockpiling junk* One thing that I do save unconditionally is bread bags. Ziplock bags can get to be pretty expensive if you use them for everything, especially if you make lots of goodies from scratch and need a packaging. I use bread bags for leftover rolls, cookies, bread (what a novel idea! Haha) cheese, tortillas, etc. Anything that isn't runny or messy (that's what I save my ziplocks for). You can even use them as freezer bags, just double bag it! I also use baby food jars for lots of things like hairpins, paper clips, etc. Start paying attention to what you throw away and ask yourself what else it could be used for. Get creative!

A penny saved...

As a stay at home mom, I feel that it is my responsibility to earn money by saving it wherever I can. Sewing is a great way to save money on clothes and projects- if you can avoid spending too much on fabric which can happen all too easily! Today I want to share a sewing project that I didn't spend a cent on! Everyone has a stack of t shirts that they don't wear but they're not willing to get rid of, myself included, so I was pretty excited when I found this pattern for baby shortalls made from adult t shirts.

I won't go into detail since you can already find an awesome tutorial as well as the pattern on Feathers Flights. I also altered the pattern for some of my smaller, more feminine cut t shirts that didn't yield enough fabric for the whole pattern and got an adorable little t shirt!

This was a really fun project and what a great way to recycle those t shirts that I didn't want to part with, and the more I add to the dresser, the less we spend on baby clothes.  I used to roll my eyes at my mom  when she recited this age old saying, but she was right, a penny saved really is a penny earned!

I would also recommend exploring Feathers Flights for more awesome sewing projects, tips, and tutorials! 

Allow me to introduce myself

This is no ordinary "crafty mom" blog. Everything I show and write about will be the "how to's" for surviving on an extremely tight budget (and enjoying life while we're at it) My name is Mandy and my husband is a full time student with a full time job. We have a stretch of road ahead of us marked COLLEGE. There's the age old joke about college students being poor and slightly starving, then add a kid. Oh, and the only work I do outside the home is freelance and rather unpredictable. So, to recap, we live on one hourly wage, with an occasional second income and a LOT of school ahead of us with a baby which I stay with all day, and I LOVE it! Oh, and we're not starving. Not quite. Check back with me as I share my tips and views on how we manage. (oh, and I'm really only exaggerating a tiny bit)