I've been a frugal sort for as long as I can remember. I've gone to many lengths to stretch my dollar as far as I can and when I find things I'd love to have but can't quite fit into my budget, I improvise!
I've been a crafty type for awhile now - I'm one of those moms who does crafts with the kids for Christmas break, invites neighbor kids over for craft time, and loves to spend quiet time with a craft in hand. I was sitting in my living room the other day and realized that my frugality has trickled into almost every part of my life, and I have used my crafti-ness to my frugal advantage!
I am not a pro by any means (far from it if we want to be honest here!), but I've made a few things that just might pass as "okay" I saw these cute little hair bows one day on a little girl and went on a hunt for them. I was absolutely stunned to discover that they cost $6-12 EACH! Well, I sat and figured I could make them myself for much less, so I went to Hobby Lobby, bought my ribbon (on sale of course!), and sat down to make some bows:
These are the few I have left that my daughters haven't lost yet, but the little clippies only cost $.29 to make, and the bow itself only cost about $.40! I was able to customize the colors to their outfits, and even my 12 year old loves them! I think it's quite a bargain myself and it feeds my crafty hunger, if only for a little while.
My next project was crystal earrings. My sister Melissa was just in town for my son's 16th birthday so we went shopping at our local outlet mall. I had gotten a visa gift card for Christmas and I had yet to spend it, so we went on a hunt for earrings. I found some gorgeous crystal and sterling silver dangle earrings, but the price was a little much at $79.99.
Back to the craft room I went, and I made these:
I used sterling silver findings and Swarovski crystals for a net cost of less than $3.00 per pair! They don't look exactly like the store-bought earrings, but they're really pretty close (the picture quality is horrible - they ae much prettier in person). These earrings don't take long to make and they don't take alot of skill either, so they're a perfect project for a beginner!
My next project is to make a skirt with this fabric I found on clearance for only $3.00 per yard:
My point in all this is that with a little bit of creativity, you can make some beautiful things for much less than it would cost to buy them! Hobby Lobby and Michaels run sales all the time, so you can pick up your materials on sale and many instructions can be found on the internet.
Frugality doesn't simply mean clipping coupons and scraping the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube: it can lead you on a wondrous journey into your own creativity!
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