Halloween On A Shoe String - Decoration

From fancy dress to decorations, Halloween can end up costing a small fortune. But follow my five decoration top tips and have yourself some thrifty thrills.

1.  A bit of fake cobweb goes a long way....

Hang in your windows or drape around pictures on your walls. This simple decoration costs around £1 per packet, or you can even use cotton wool for a similar effect. To finish the look just add a handful of creepy critters.

2.  Create spooky lighting in your home. Cluster chunky candles together, use jam jars to hold tea lights or place tall candles in wine bottles, leaving the wax to melt down the bottle.

3.  Pumpkins are one of the most iconic images of Halloween. And the good news is, they're really cheap! Get creative carving faces or words. Or why not save on all that mess and try a non-carve pumpkin design? I like kindredspiritmommy's fantastic ideas, including a decoupaged pumpkin. All you need is some Halloween paper and some pva glue. Simple!

4.  One of the easiest ways to add some Halloween horror to your home is with card. Cut out pictures of ghosts or owls and stick to the walls. Try out this free bat garland from brasspaperclip - a beautiful batty addition to your decor.

5. For those who prefer to be a little more chic than freak, stick to a simple colour scheme throughout your home - black and silver or black and purple are popular choices.

Handmade 2012: Father's Day Present Ideas

With Father's Day just around the corner, I've been thinking of present ideas that my little one and I can make for the various dad figures in our lives. In my experience, a handmade present is always more gratefully received on such occasions as it shows more thought has gone into personalising the day. So if you're stuck for thrifty inspiration, look no further!

Earlier this year I made several superhero outfits for some of my son's friends. Why not adapt this idea and sew a cape on a tee shirt for your dad.

Simply cut your chosen fabric to size, pin on to the tee shirt, and then sew into place. You could even use fabric pens/paints to design a Superdad motif on the front. He'll love running around the garden pretending to be a superhero. You could even buy him a new pair of pants and make him wear them over his trousers!

Or why not upcycle some cufflinks? For my friend Jim's birthday recently I bought a pair of basic cufflinks fastenings and personalised them. I used a glue gun to attach scrabble tiles of his initials to each cufflink. But Lego pieces, buttons or old coins would work equally well. Poundland are currently selling cufflinks for £1 so this would be a very cheap but lovely gift for the dad in your life.

Another easy present idea would be to make them a cork notice board, using cork's from wine bottles. When I made mine a few years ago I collected corks over about two months, but I've now realised you can buy the corks from home brewing shops and online.

All that is needed is to buy a large-ish photo frame and a piece of card to fit in it. Then glue the corks onto the card. Maybe attach a photo of the two of you with a pin, as a nice finishing touch.

For a lovely handmade present from the little ones, get arty. My son has just made some Jackson Pollock inspired photo frames for friends of his. Using plain wooden photo frames, he splattered different coloured paints over them. I think the frames cost £1.20 for a pack of three from Ikea. This technique would also work well to decorate a 'man box' for dad's, to keep their odds and ends in. S.C.R.A.P blog has some useful tips for this.

Photo taken from S.C.R.AP. blog

I would love to hear about any more 'man' present ideas you've had. Drop me an email at Thrift-Queen@hotmail.co.uk or Tweet me @QueenThrift and have fun making!

Summer Poundland Bargains

 After the success of the Thrift-Queen's 2011 post 'Winter Poundland Bargains', a summer version seems a must. My favourite seasonal products include:

• Union Flag decorations - for the Queen's jubilee and the olympics
• Kids outdoor summer toys - waterguns, frisbee's etc
• Disoposable BBQ's - *mega bargain*

Thrifty Holidays - Barn Hopping

Looking for a fun yet thrifty holiday? Bored of camping but need a cheap get-away? Look no further. I've stumbled across a holiday concept that will provide a roof over your head in a stuning setting, but for mere tuppence.

In my family, we try to get away for mini weekend breaks as much as possible, but hotels can end up costing a small fortune. Over the past year or so we've opted to camp instead, but this year we've been looking for an alternative. Then I stumbled across Barn Hopping.

Based in the Lake District and Cumbria, Lakeland Camping Barns provides budget busting accomodation, amid beautiful scenery "in buildings all situated on farms and with a distinct, individual character." Winning! Plus it only costs £8.50 per person per night. I know where we will be holidaying this summer...

Petrol Wars

Let the petrol wars commence! This week the UK supermarket giants seem to have gone to war to offer the best price for petrol following the reduction in wholesale prices.

But where should you fill up?

Sainsbury's and Tesco do not publish an average of maximum price, claiming they price locally, but Tesco's are offering their common promotion of spend £50, get 5p off per litre of fuel. This ends Sunday 20th May.

Asda have slashed the cost of their petrol and diesel. With the price of petrol now at 132.7p and diesel at 137.7p.

Not to be outdone Morrisons have also dropped the price of fuel to 132.9p.

R.I.P Tesco Value

Hurray! No longer will our cupboards be stocked with the obvious cheapness of Tesco's blue and white stripped Value range. Instead, a new modern range of Everyday Value has been brought in, rebranded and repackaged.

The new packaging looks so much better on my shelves, I am defiantly a fan. Plus, this innovative change has upgraded the products as well as the packaging. The orange squash now contains 10% more fruit juice and the fish fingers contain 100% fillet of fish. Winning!
So long Tesco Value range, you have reached your sell by date.

Handmade 2012: Kids Detective Box

WANTED: An easy, cheap and fun handmade kids present.

Why not make a detective kit. All young children love to play spy, so help fuel their imagination with this simple and thrifty box of goodies.

ideas of items to include

Here are some photo's of the contents of the detective box:

outline Chalks, cotton bud [swab sticks], finger print ink pads and binoculars

I made a secret storage book by carving out the inside of an old boring history book. 

finger print lifting kit - corn flour in a travel size make-up pot, a make-up  'dusting' brush and some sellotape for lifting the prints.

all good detective's must carry a notepad

Apt Apple's

Before we moved from Derbyshire to Surrey, my son and I made a teacher's apple inspired thank you hankie present.

I bought some cheap plain men's handkerchief's and turned them into a lovely thrifty teacher's gift using a simple stamp technique. It would also work well with tablecloths, or tea towels.

• Slice an apple in half and blot away excess moisture with a paper towel. 
• Use a paint brush to apply red fabric paint to one apple half and firmly press onto fabric. 
• For the stem, we dipped the wooden end of a thin paintbrush in green paint and made a small dash above the print. 
• To finish, lay newspaper over the top of your hankie and iron to seal the fabric paint.

This thrifty project got me thinking about other crafts I could use apples for.

Making budget busting apple tea light holders couldn't be easier:

• Center a tea candle on top of an apple. 
• Trace around the candle with a utility knife, inserting the knife only as deep as the candle is tall. Cut the circle into sections and scoop out the pieces using a metal spoon. 
• Insert a tea candle and light. 

(NB: It is best to use firm apples like Red Delicious, Granny Smith or Fuji.)

But my personal favourite? Home made apple cider. Perfect for those long winter evenings or hot summer days.

The Ingredients
1 litre of apple juice (I have been known to use apple cider as a boozey replacement!)
60ml rum
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
3 tsp brown sugar
1 apple (for garnish)

The Method
Heat the apple juice, rum, sugar and spices over a medium heat, stirring often. Once it's hot, pour into glasses of mugs and garnish with a sliced up apple.

Moving House Doesn't Have To Cost The Earth

It's no secret that we're finally moving house this weekend, so I just wanted to share with you the money saving tips I have learnt along the way.

Cut the Middleman or Barter
Selling your property yourself can take a lot of hard work and energy, but if the price is right and you market it like mad, it will sell. However, if like me, you are not so brave, shop around before choosing an estate agent. Lowest isn't always best, get a couple of quotes to compare. But always barter on fees with a high street agent to save on selling costs.

Money Matters
Let your finances, not property lust, dictate the process of buying a new home. Ensure to remember all the hidden costs including estate agent fees, surveys, mortgage arrangement fees, valuation fees and stamp duty. Make sure you keep some cash aside from your deposit to cover them.

Haggle
Get thrifty and start haggling over everything from your estate agent fees and removal costs to the property price and any extra fixtures and fittings. Don't forget, if the survey finds any major problems you should ask the vendor to either fix it before completion or knock the repair cost off the price.

Shed The Weight
Moving house is the ideal time to sort through your belongings and decide what you want/need and what you don't. I try to stick by William Morris' words of wisdom:

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful"

Getting rid of excess belongings, whether you donate them to charity or raise some extra pennies by selling them, is the best way to save money. The more things you have, the bigger the removal van you'll need -  professional movers charge by weight and distance. My fella and I found a local indoor car boot sale to flog our unwanted belongings. I can highly recommend!

D.I.Y
Do the removals yourself. Get a group of friends around for a weekend, hire a big van (a very very big van) and pack and move your possessions yourself.

Time Your Move
If opting to use a removals company, timing is everything. It would seem we've accidentally timed our move well. During the winter months removal companies are quieter (everyone wants to move in the summer because of the weather apparently) so you're in a better position to negotiate. Consider a mid-week move because they have much less demand than on the weekends. I found that pushing my move to the beginning of a month saved hundreds, as solicitor's prefer to finish associated paperwork as a month draws to a close. Remember to get a few quotes from different removal companies.

Keep Expensive Items with you
If you are using a removal firm, let them move the big and bulky stuff while you keep all your important documents and expensive items such as laptops, cameras and MP3 players with you.  These items can travel in the car with you where it is more secure.

Handmade 2012: Playdough

 

A friend of mine (well he's my very good friend's hubby) has been really poorly of late. In and out of hospital (over Christmas and new year), with problem after problem, and now bored at home in recovery. So what better present to make for him but playdough? Thrifty and fun!

I followed a very simple budget busting recipe that was handed down from my mum:

Mix a cup of boiling water with half a cup of salt and 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Give in a good stir then add 2 cups of plain flour, a drop of food colouring. Knead and then leave to cool.

For presentation purposes, I sprayed an empty cat food box black. I also decided to decorate the empty jam jars. Since I had made three different colours of playdough, (blue, yellow and red) I figured I'd stick to this theme and attached three of my son's old plastic cookie cutters to the jam jar lids, in corresponding colours. The result? A lovely (yet inexpensive) present to help pass the time on the road to recovery.

Have Yourself A Very Thrifty Christmas: Stockings

PANIC NOT! It's not too late for a few cheap stocking fillers to be purchased. I personally think no stocking is complete without a bag of chocolate coins and a satsuma. But for those of you who are looking for more adventurous, yet thrifty inspiration, there are some great websites who are still accepting guaranteed Christmas delivery.

 
Stocking-fillers.co.uk sell an amazing variety of cheap Christmas gifts and Christmas essentials. They have price brackets as low as £1 and under, perfect if you have kids, or even for the 'big kids' in your life! Their last order date is 4pm on Thursday 22nd December.

For those of you looking for more class, less tack, a couple of years ago, The Guardian compiled a list of the best Christmas gifts for less than £5. I would also recommend Find Me A Gift who have a very good 'Secret Santa' section. They also are accepting orders until 4pm on Thursday 22nd December.

Or why not get truely thrifty and make your own stockings? This step by step Guide is even suitable for sewing novices.

Lemon Heaven

We all know lemons and pancakes go hand in hand, but since watching an episode of How Clean Is Your House recently, I was reminded of just how useful lemon's can be around the house. Lemons cost around 20p each so it makes perfect thrifting sense. They not only smell lovely and fresh, but are acidic and can provide some antibacterial and antiseptic properties for cleaning. Below are my five favourite Kim and Aggie lemony tips:

1. Limescale Removal: Lemons are the perfect ingredient when de-limescaling taps and kettles. Squeeze on a generous amount and leave on for about 10 minutes. Then wipe clean.
2. Bleaching: Stubborn stain? Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent. Put lemon juice onto white linens and clothing and allow them to dry in the sun. Stains will be bleached away. For particularly stubborn stains dab lemon juice with salt onto the mark. Leave for a while, then rinse well and wash as normal
3. Polishing Windows: Make your own window cleaner. Fill a spray bottle with a litre of water, 2 cups of vinegar and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Then shake and spray. 
4. Restore Wooden Floors: To make your floors really sparkle, use this purse friendly solution. Mix equal amounts of lemon juice and olive oil then rub the liquid in with a soft rag. Simple!
5. Microwave Cleaning: Put half a lemon in a bowl of cold water and cook in the microwave for five minutes. The fresh citrus smell gets rid of cooking odours and the condensation from the steam loosens dirt. Simply wipe clean with a damp cloth afterwards.

Have Yourself A Very Thrifty Christmas: Decorations

Looking to save money this Christmas? Look no further thanks to the Thrift-Queen's thrifty Christmas tips, starting with decorating.

When decorating your house, it's important to remember less is more. It is easy to get caught up in the spirit of Christmas and end up having to live in a glitter-tastic, sparkling frenzied house. But equally, decorating doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive to look fabulous. Some people like to decorate the whole house - inside and out - whilst others decorate one room or only the tree. Whatever your preference, avoid the wrath of the recession and get thrifty. Below are my top three thrifty tips to achieve a beautiful, yet inexpensive, festive home.

• Be Natural: Add some free natural cheer to your home. Use ivy to wind round your banisters or drape over the mantelpiece. Pine cones make excellent Christmas tree decorations. For a more elegant look, they can be sprayed silver or gold. Or why not fill a bowl with them as a simple table centre piece. Tree branches arranged in a tall vase can look stunning as a decoration or as a Christmas tree alternative. Add colour and hang some pretty baubles on them.
• Get Kid Creative: If you have young children in your family, encourage them to help with decorating the house. Make paper-chains, use empty toilet rolls to make fairies and cut snowflakes out of paper. You could even let them loose with a can of fake snow to spray window. Disney's Family Craft website is an excellent source for cheap and easy Christmas decoration ideas. My favourite is Santa's list, with a twist; using a painted thread spool (see below.)

•  Make Existing Decor Seasonal: At Christmas I like to make other things in my house look festive. I decorate candles and mirrors with tartan ribbon, and add candy canes to fruit bowls or scatter them on my dressing table. Instead of a table runner, I alternate candles and either pine cones or nuts in a line. It makes the table look festive yet elegant. When I bake, I make Christmas shaped cookies and display them on a cake stand in the kitchen. The key aspect of this thrifty method of decorating is to use what you have and dress it up with either garland, ribbon, pretty beads or some other Christmassy items.

Budget Cath Kidston Wallpaper

 I LOVE all things Cath Kidston, but I find a lot of her products to be quite expensive. But panic not! A British wallpaper company, Eden, make a range of purse friendly wallpapers called Millie which have a charming likeness to some of Cath Kidston's most sought after designs, but for over half the price!

There are several websites that stock these style-savvy designs. One of my favourites, wallpapersandborders.co.uk sell the above featured Red/Cream Rose Millie Flower for an amazingly thrifty £10.99 per roll. It would make a beautiful vintage feature in any room. For fans of the floral look, I've found that Focus DIY sell a variety Millie wallpapers, including Millie Blue, which features small red roses on a sky blue background.

The Thrift-Queen also recommends the website wallpaperdirect, which sell a few varieties of Millie wallpaper. Specifically, they do an exact copy of Cath Kidston's now discontinued blue polka dot wallpaper, Blue Spot for £15.99 per roll. So now there is no excuse not to have beautiful rooms on a budget.