Saturday, October 2, 2010

Crafty or Thrifty?

Either way, I'm going to tell you how I saved myself $105 in about two hours.

Last night I was working on my latest knitting project and I hit a wall. Not a knitting wall, but a tolerance-for-my-cheap-plastic-ring-markers kind of wall. I had just sent one of them flying, again. This time right down through the cushions and all the way to the floor. While I was rummaging around for another I decided right then and there I was going to get myself some of those fancy beaded blingy type markers that have a little weight to them. I went on Etsy and looked around. Saw quite a few that I almost bought, too. Instead, when I was out getting some essentials, I got myself the materials to make my own. So here are my new $3.00 stitch markers that took me all of 30 minutes to make, and I couldn't be happier with them. (And there are tons more beads, so if I make more then they would become even cheaper!) Money saved? I'm figuring about $10.00.

Yesterday I was at the thrift store. I'd been keeping an eye open for winter boots for Kidster #1 since the summer. Because you know, it's October up here in New England, which means the snow is imminent. This trip I found a pair of L.L. Bean kids boots that look like they have never been worn. Normal retail $49.50, I paid $5. Add another $44.50 to the tally.

During the same trip my eye was drawn to this green handbag. I was not in the hunting for a new bag, but you know when you see something you like...? Ya, you do. As you may remember I am a fan of green. And I like the idea of a green handbag that can go with tan, brown, black, or just about any other color of shoe! See, I have this problem that I inherited from my mother. It is the black shoes must have a black purse, brown shoes must have a brown purse, and heaven forbid, never ever wear white shoes after Labor Day syndrome!
But I digress...my "new" bag $6. Estimated savings? Hard to tell, but I'll say $34 only because I wouldn't spend more than $40 on a purse. Which I don't because I can get them for $6. Ha!

While I love this new purse, it does have one problem that needed addressing. The interior is one large compartment with only a tiny zipper on the side for keys. I had to figure out how to adjust from my current bag that has a nice big zipper divider in the middle that makes a nice compartment on either side. I remembered seeing those purse inserts online and dug a little deeper. Found a great tutorial here on how to make your own. I made mine a little smaller, at 20" instead of 26" because I only want to fold mine in half instead of rolling it all up. I also added a loop to attach my keys. Start to finish, including waiting for the iron to heat up it took an hour. Cost $3.50, online (Etsy) it would cost about $20. Savings of $16.50.

Isn't she so cute?

There it is. I managed to save myself $105 in less than two hours. If only that money would appear in my wallet like magic.


Oh well. The kidsters are finally quiet and I'm headed downstairs to fill my new organizer! Yeah, with a beer. Happy Saturday!

3 comments:

Heather at Mad Rose Creations said...

holy cow what a savings! you did fantastic. i doff my thrifty finding cap to you. i believe this should definitely qualify you for thriftiness diva status. woo hooo!

Nina said...

Well wow, you've been both thrifty and crafty! Well done! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, you did good! Love the stitch markers you made, you've got a good eye. In fact, I love everything. Looks like I need to go save myself some money in the near future too :)