Cheap and Proud of It | We're Not to Proud to Save

April 17, 2012
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FREE Quotes Wall Art {Nursery/Kid’s Room}

I had so much fun creating the wall art that I profiled last week, I stayed up until almost all night and created more! Here’s a sampling of what I have for you. I think these are great for a nursery, play room or anyplace you want to lighten up.

For the printables, I used a few of my favorite quotes from Anne Frank, Dr. Seuss and the Dalai Lama. A diverse group, but they embody some of the traits I hope to pass on to my children.

You are free to use these and share.

To download, click on the link under the picture.

Click here to download the Dalai Lama quote.

Click here to download the Dr. Seuss printable.

Click here to download the Anne Frank quote.

These are all 8 by 10, however most copy paper is slightly larger, so you will need to trim and frame.

April 13, 2012
by admin
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Free Printable Wall Art: Be Happy Anyway

Drifting around Pinterest, I found a quote I absolutely loved. I liked the print, but the Etsy store linked to in the post was empty. I also wanted to cut off the religious part near the bottom to make it something that aligned with my views.

I decided to try to make my own printable. I have a post coming soon about some of the places I’ve found the free printables that are scattered among my house, but hadn’t really made anything myself.

A little playing around in a photo editing program and I came up with this:

You can download the 8 x 10 free printable art by following this link.

I really liked it, and so did my husband. It printed well.

I found out that the original quote is sometimes attributed to Mother Theresa, and sometimes others. Here’s the entire quote: “People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.”

My friend later commented that she found the artist with the original printable, which was in a Subway Art theme and at a reasonable price. It’s gorgeous, so I suggest you check it out! While you’re on her site, check out this newspaper print. I’m in love with the idea.

I’m offering my take on it for free because a. it’s my first printable and I’m no pro and b. I don’t want to profit from something that I drew inspiration from another artist for.

You can download the 8 x 10 free printable art by following this link.

April 12, 2012
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Orange Peel and Pumpkin Pie Spice Air Freshner

I have two dogs and live in a 900 square foot home. Things can get, well, rather stinky around here.

My husband is in the habit of lighting a few cheap candles a day, pointing out that they only cost under $1 a day. I quickly shot back that $1 day means $365 a year–in candles! My frugal self could not bear the thought of burning up that much money.

I once read that orange peels with some cinnamon set on low on the stove smell amazing. I’m on a huge mandarin orange kick, so I threw some of my old mandarin oranges in a pot and reached for the cinnamon, except we were out. Instead I found some pumpkin pie spice and threw that in. The result was amazing! My husband walked in the next day and said the house smelled like a baking pie. I don’t even remember why I bought the pumpkin pie spice. I think it was more expensive than cinnamon, but can’t imagine myself using it for anything else. I will try some cinnamon when we buy some more.

Orange Peel Air Freshner

Combine orange peels and a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon) in a sauce pan. Cover with water. You can put on low all day–I do!

November 15, 2011
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NoMoreRack Insanity Deals: Apply iPad for Under $50? Wow!

NoMoreRack is a saving’s site. The site is having insanity deals. These are deals that pop up for a limited time, first come, first serve. Check out some of the prices:

Here’s how you can possibly snag one of these deals:

1. Sign up for NoMoreRack NOW. If you see the deal, most likely by the time you sign up, it will be gone.

2. Refresh the NoMoreRack home page to check for insanity deals.

Good luck! If you score one of these deals, let me know.

November 15, 2011
by admin
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FREE $10 in Amazon Credit, Just Sign Up for Stumble Upon

Stumble Upon is a social media site to find sites based on your interests. Right now, sign up for Stumble Upon, get five of your friends to sign up and you get free $10 in Amazon.com credit to spend however you want. EZPZ.

Here are the details:

First, head over to StumbleUpon and sign yourself up.
After doing that, visit this StumbleUpon promo page and enter your name and address.
Check the link portion to get your personalized link.
Invite your friends and if 5 join, you get a free $10 Amazon gift card!

There does not appear to be any limit to this deal, so the more friends who join, the more Amazon credit for you!

By joining in on this promotion you’ll also be entered to win an iPad 2. Both promotions end 12/4 at 11:59PM PDT.

November 11, 2011
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Travel on the Cheap: How I Traveled to Washington D.C. with $40

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to fly to Washington for a meeting I was excited about. Flight and hotel were paid. Everything else was on me. It was a tight month, and we only had $40 to spare for the three day trip. It’s totally possible.

Transportation

Luckily, my husband took me to the airport and picked me up, so that was free. Before I left, I routed out my trip. Washington has a great metro system that goes right to my airport. I hoped on it for like $2 and hoped off at a station just a few blocks from my hotel. I walked the rest of the way there.

Because I had two layovers and a long day of flying, I relaxed in the room that night. I was able to walk to my meeting and everywhere else. When it came time to go home, I walked back to the metro and rode it to the airport.

Entertainment

This one is easy. I was exhausted and entertained in the hotel by a bath and television. In the airport, I was really bored, so I splurged on a book for $8 because I could return it and get half my money back. I planned on reading it and returning it on my way home, but didn’t find the time. All in all, the book was a bad idea, and I should have skipped it and brought my own book from home.

Food

Meal bars were my good friend. I packed a box with me and they were gone by the time I got home. I also filled up on free food whenever it was offered, like on the plane and snacks at the meeting. When I did eat out, I skipped fast food and found small deli restaurants. Whenever I eat fast food, not only do I feel like crap for it, but I’m also hungry again 20 minutes after I eat. I picked feeling stuff with protein and carbs to keep me full.

There you have it, use public transportation, pack some snacks with you and don’t make the mistake of buying something unneeded like me, and you can survive for three days in Washington D.C. like me.