Recycling onesies/baby clothes

I've been trying to figure out what to do with old onesies/outfits that Jackson can't wear anymore.  Some of them I didn't want to put up.  Some I didn't want to part with.  And yes, some I've already stored away in case we decide to add to the brood. 

Realistically I didn't want to save all of the clothes for a potential "second" anyway because:

1.  We didn't even really use all of the ones we had not anyway.
2.  Even if we have another, we are kidding ourselves to think that we wouldn't end up buying more clothes anyway.  As frugal as I love to be, clothes can be pretty cheap, plus people like to give them.

Hence my researching different recycling projects.  I now have two projects at hand.  One that I have completed (see below) and one that I am going to collect items for.

The latter is a small blanket/quilt made out of onesies.  Specifically, since Jackson has a good bit of Gamecock apparel, I would love to make a small quilt out of all of his Gamecock stuff as he grows out of it.  I've already put aside several onesies that either fit this bill directly or match it (like black ones where I could use just a plain black square to fill in).  I'm collecting those as he outgrows them and putting them to the side until I have enough to satisfy my needs.

The first project though is my "onesie crinkle blanket" project.  Here is the link to the site where I got the idea:  http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/04/recycle-stained-clothes-into-baby-toy/  Her's are nicer than mine.  I did this and didn't think to go get some more ribbon to use.  Not to mention that the jersey fabric onesies that I used were not easy to sew with.  The fabric of course was worn and so it made it harder to work with and get straight lines.

I took these items of clothing (two onesies, one gown, one shirt and a hat/cap):

And turned it into this:

And since you can't actually hear it through the pics, when you play with them they crinkle!

Crock Pot Monday: Reuben Dip

I have not actually made this yet, but this is next on my list.  I do love a good reuben anyway, so having it in dip form is exciting!

Ingredients


1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cooked corned beef
1/4 cup thousand island dressing

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing. Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you're in a hurry, low for longer if you're not, or just until hot and cheese is melted. Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve with cocktail rye or crackers.

Cool new buttons

I'm adding these cool new buttons to the side of the page!

It pays to be frugal...

Just wanted to share a nice little frugal tid bit:

I purchase diapers for Jackson at Babies R Us most of the time.  I am brand loyal to Pampers (it's a preference).  I usually wait until I get coupons for $5 off of the boxes and stock up. 

I have a Rewards card with Babies R Us. 

After you purchase several boxes, you get a nice little voucher in the mail for a FREE value box of pampers. 

That's a $40 deal right there.  I just got mine in the mail yesterday and I am giddy.  And I'm running over there to pick up my box at lunch!

Deal alert: Dairy Queen has BOGO for $.25!

In honor of DQ's 25th birthday, blizzards are BOGO for only $.25 tomorrow (check your local store).  That's a great deal!

Crock Pot Monday: Italian Sandwich Beef

This is from Allrecipes.com, which is an excellent site for recipes:

Ingredients


3 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon onion salt 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 bay leaf 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix 1 (5 pound) rump roast

Directions

Combine water with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil.

Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat.

Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork.

Piggly Wiggly Greenbax Deal

I probably should have posted earlier, but there is an awesome deal going on with Piggly Wiggly right now.  If you use 10 coupons (up to 10) per visit there, you will get an extra Greenbax per coupon used! 

This goes through the end of April. 

I'm SOOO close to getting a free car seat (convertible).  It's one of the ones I've been looking at anyway, so that's kind of cool.

Crock Pot Monday this week: epic fail

Didn't get in my crock pot post this week.  Boo on me. 

Hopefully I'll get one (maybe two) in next week.

Tales of Negotiation

My husband and I recently decided to do a few home improvements to make way for baby!  We needed a new storage shed to keep all of the odds and ends Jackson is ultimately going to outgrow (that we want to hold on to just in case we decide to have another munchkin).  Since we're starting to outgrow things now and we are running out of indoor storage space, this jumped up on our priority list. 

I went and got a quote on a new shed.  It was kind of expensive, but not as bad as I thought.

While we were brainstorming, we thought "hey - we really need a new fence too."  Ours is very  old and has old wood and nails and it screams TETANUS.

I called up the place that quoted us for the shed.  I explained what we wanted and they sent out an estimator.  The guy told us how much the fence would cost.

It was actually MORE than I thought (I had no idea how much a fence would cost). 

Fast forward - I called and told them we were thinking about doing both and wanted to see if, in doing both, they'd give us a price break. 

Several conversations later, basically for a little more than the price of the fence we're also getting the shed.  And they are going to tear out our existing stuff and haul away the old.

That's going to save us about $1000.

Vera Bradley Deal Alert

The Vera Bradley Stephanie bag is on sale today for only $29!  I own this style bag already and use it as my every day purse.  Only when I bought it, it was "on sale" for $45.  It is very roomy and has lots of pockets.  I am tempted to buy a new one at this price.  If you are looking for a new bag, this one is cute and $29 is an excellent price for this.  Now if only Vera Bradley came out with more free shipping coupon codes...

Crock Pot Monday: Grape Jelly Meatballs

Grape jelly meatballs are an excellent snack, appetizer, etc. that you can prepare in your crock pot.  They are easy to do.  Make them healthier by using turkey meatballs - no one will know the difference.

1 package frozen prepared meatballs (usually a package has around 60).
1 bottle Heinz 57 chili sauce
1 jar grape jelly

Heat grape jelly and sauce in crock pot first and stir every few minutes till the jelly is more liquidy.

Once it is liquidy, add frozen meatballs and cook on low for 4 hours. 

I also usually keep an extra bag of meatballs handy because I can usually add more to the sauce afterwards for a second round.