Saving Money

Wow. That's a generic title if I ever saw one.

Over here at Casa de Chapin we are trying to save money for a variety of reasons. The main reason we want to save cash is to pay extra on loans to get them over and done with in a reasonable time frame. Here's what I did today:

1. Loss leaders. You know those annoying ads you get in the mail from Save Mart and other grocery stores? Those "deals" they advertise are called loss leaders it's what they use to get you in the door. Once you're there you'll buy a bunch of overpriced stuff that will negate your savings, at least that's what they are hoping. Loss leaders only work if you stick to a list. I got my ad yesterday in the mail and this morning I spent about $28 and saved $20 and some change. Had I stuck to my list and not bought a bottle of extra virgin olive oil I would have saved more than I spent. Good stuff. Oh, and always remember that if it's a really good deal and can store well buy multiples. I bought five loaves of bread because they were around $2 off. They'll all go in the freezer until I need one.
2. Bibs. Back before I had a child (actually before I was even pregnant) I saw these spiffy bibs that pulled over the head instead of being velcroed (is that a word?) at the neck. Now that Jack is eating some food on his own I decided that I needed one. At Target they are $6.99 each. Ummmmm, no thanks. Instead I bought some shirts at Goodwill for a $2 each, cut the arms and back off and there you have it. Jack is wearing one in the picture above. If you want super absorbent bibs you could also sew old washcloths or a cut up old towel to the back. I didn't do that but it's an idea.

3. Repurposing. You know that suitcase full of old bedsheets, pillowcases and scraps that I buy at the thrift store? I actually use that stuff. I had made quite a few pull over bibs for Jack but I had nowhere convenient to store them so I made a simple bag that hangs off the back of the high chair. The straps velcro so if I ever need to take the bag off I can.
When I was done I still had a lot of fabric left over so I decided to make something I had seen a while back but never got around to. Obviously it's on the left since it matches the bag. It hangs on the inside of the pantry door and it's for storing plastic bags. Yes, we still get plastic bags every once and a while, I'm a slacker sometimes. Besides, what else am I gonna use to clean up cat and dog poo?

Anyway, it's a tube open on both ends. You shove bags in the top and pull bags out the bottom. Simple concept really. The multi colored thing next to it is a reasonably priced closet shoe rack (I didn't get the cheapest because it was flimsy plastic) and hung it on the back of my pantry door. From top to bottom we have: 1) bottle liners 2) bottles and straws (random) 3) nipples, rings, lids, pacifiers that my son never uses 4) long pasta (angel hair, ect), small and large Ziploc bags 5) aluminum foil, wax paper, stuff like that.