I love books. In the past, I found great pleasure in browsing used book stores; however, I also spent a lot of money on books that I just didn't get around to reading. Now, I can get the pleasure from shopping for books without spending a penny.
Amazon has a free PC version of Kindle. I downloaded it. Now as I browse through the collection, I sort by price. There are many free ebooks. I download a few of these ebooks daily. I have learned a great deal from reading these books, but even if I don't get a chance to, I am not wasting any money.
Originally published in The Dollar Stretcher Tips.
Showing posts with label hobbies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hobbies. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Friday, April 20, 2012
Family Gatherings that Save Money
Getting together with friends or family almost always costs quite a lot for a day's entertainment. When I want to spend time with Trucker, my parents and three sisters, if we are going a traditional entertainment route, it is going to cost $100 or more for a single day. We avoid the traditional and found some great alternatives. We have just as much fun, sometimes much more, save money on the costs of entertainment and often find ways to save money as well.
Fishing is a great way to spend the day. It's relaxing and quite pleasurable. A family friend allows us to fish in his two ponds for free. If we are ever unable to fish there, we will buy fishing licenses. They cost around $15 apiece for a year. Spread out over the warm months, it is a very cheap method of entertainment. An added bonus is that we take our meager catch home, where my dad and I clean the fish. We usually only have enough for a fish fry. Perhaps eventually we will bring home enough to freeze some for later.
Mushroom hunting is great exercise and great fun. Several friends throughout the state allow us to wander through their woods searching desperately for morels and puffballs. Sometimes we find none, other times we bring home enough for a few meals and some extras to dry.
Wild-crafting is a favorite pastime for my sister and I. We go for walks , talking and picking wild berries, acorns, wild onions, chickweed, chicory, red clover blossoms and digging up dandelion roots. Then we'll sit in the kitchen to clean it all up and preserve it, often by drying.
My mother has a few apple trees on her property. During the harvest season, I go over to her house for processing day. My grandparents come over, my sisters stop by after or before work and the seven of us preserve it all. Mum is known for her apple pie, so most of the apples are chopped and frozen in batch-sized portions. Seconds are peeled and chopped for applesauce. The peels and cores are made into cider (see here for instructions on making cider without special equipment). The seven of us can get through more than two wheelbarrows full in a day. We split the cost of cinnamon, sugar and freezer bags and share all of the proceeds.
Preserving food is a great way to spend time with a couple friends. Split up the costs between everyone for produce, ingredients, equipment and supplies. You can plan to can tomato sauce or jam/jelly. You can chop up vegetable blends to freeze for stir-fries or casseroles. You can dig up dandelions to dry and roast for dandelion "coffee".
Pick-Your-Own-Farms are great fun for an afternoon. Go to a strawberry field or a cherry or apple orchard. Split the cost and the harvest. If you'd like, you can then go home and make jam.
Other ideas are quilting bees, knit-ins, chopping firewood, planting a garden, and cooking dinner together.
Shared on:
Fishing is a great way to spend the day. It's relaxing and quite pleasurable. A family friend allows us to fish in his two ponds for free. If we are ever unable to fish there, we will buy fishing licenses. They cost around $15 apiece for a year. Spread out over the warm months, it is a very cheap method of entertainment. An added bonus is that we take our meager catch home, where my dad and I clean the fish. We usually only have enough for a fish fry. Perhaps eventually we will bring home enough to freeze some for later.
Mushroom hunting is great exercise and great fun. Several friends throughout the state allow us to wander through their woods searching desperately for morels and puffballs. Sometimes we find none, other times we bring home enough for a few meals and some extras to dry.
Wild-crafting is a favorite pastime for my sister and I. We go for walks , talking and picking wild berries, acorns, wild onions, chickweed, chicory, red clover blossoms and digging up dandelion roots. Then we'll sit in the kitchen to clean it all up and preserve it, often by drying.
My mother has a few apple trees on her property. During the harvest season, I go over to her house for processing day. My grandparents come over, my sisters stop by after or before work and the seven of us preserve it all. Mum is known for her apple pie, so most of the apples are chopped and frozen in batch-sized portions. Seconds are peeled and chopped for applesauce. The peels and cores are made into cider (see here for instructions on making cider without special equipment). The seven of us can get through more than two wheelbarrows full in a day. We split the cost of cinnamon, sugar and freezer bags and share all of the proceeds.
Preserving food is a great way to spend time with a couple friends. Split up the costs between everyone for produce, ingredients, equipment and supplies. You can plan to can tomato sauce or jam/jelly. You can chop up vegetable blends to freeze for stir-fries or casseroles. You can dig up dandelions to dry and roast for dandelion "coffee".
Pick-Your-Own-Farms are great fun for an afternoon. Go to a strawberry field or a cherry or apple orchard. Split the cost and the harvest. If you'd like, you can then go home and make jam.
Other ideas are quilting bees, knit-ins, chopping firewood, planting a garden, and cooking dinner together.
Shared on:
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Library Book Sales: Bag Day!
Today was the last day of my local library's quarterly book sale. That means: bag sale! You fill a bag with anything you want for $3. I always wait until the last day to go and I am never disappointed.
I first go through the entire sale looking for books that I definitely want to read and each time I find an item that is on my wish list. Once I have found these items, I carefully start packing my bags. I make sure to use every available square inch of space. I put big books in first, then slide thin books or mass markets into the sides. Once I have fit them all in, I look again for more books, this time picking up books that sound interesting, but might not necessarily want to keep. I fill the bag to the brim.
By careful packing, I can fit 40 books into a bag, for a price of $.075 per book. At that rate, I can risk not liking a book. Worst case scenario, I can always list it on PaperBackSwap or resell it.I also find great deals on Audio Visual items. The first day of the sale there are lots of DVDs, but those are usually gone by the time the end of the sale comes around. Fortunately, I still have a working VCR (don't judge me), so I can scoop up those VHS that are still piled high. I can fit 25 VHS in a bag, for a price of $.12 each. If I don't like it, I can donate it and still be ahead compared to renting the movie. I'll also buy CDs that look interesting ever if I've never heard of the artist. Since I work alone, I listen to a lot of audio books and always pick up several titles. Once I'm done, I list them on PaperBackSwap (audio books earn 2 credits).
By shopping at the library book sales, I am helping to support one of my favorite public services. I am also supplying myself with lots of entertainment for a few dollars.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Cheaper Crafting
Crafting is typically a costly hobby, at least, if you get your supplies by running to the nearest chain crafting store to buy full-price supplies and tools. Fortunately for all you crafty folk out there, there you don't have pay full price.
* Shop the sales. Most items will go on sale at some point. Buy then; and, in fact, stock up! If your favorite type of yarn goes on sale for half price, buy enough for the next few projects. If card stock is on sale for 25% off, buy a little extra.
* Shop secondhand. At my favorite thrift store, I frequently find bags of yarn for $2 with three skeins in each bag. I don't have choice of color, but it forces me to be more creative in finding ways to use it up. I also find tools, cross-stitch patterns and rubber stamps.
* Use coupons. In the Sunday paper, the major hobby/craft stores offer a coupon for 40% off of one item. Use that coupon wisely and you can save significantly.
* Re-purpose thrift store items. Look at clothing, curtains and sheets as materials rather than items. Perhaps that hideous shirt has amazing buttons. Those curtains are too obnoxious to hang at the windows, but could make vibrant ties, scarves or skirts. Any knit sweater with yarn that hasn't felted can be unraveled and used to knit or crochet new items.
* Scavenge. Using trash for craft is a great way to save money while making some pretty cool stuff. Make beads out of magazine pages, earrings out of floppy disks and wall art from computer parts. You can create unique crafts while reducing the amount of material going to the landfill.
* Check out books from the library. I love leafing through crochet pattern books for inspiration, but never go back a second time. I stopped buying books and now check them out of the library. Most libraries have extensive crafting sections, and you can request on inter-library loan any book you can't find on the shelf.
* Create items that you would usually buy. Crochet washcloths instead of buying and you'll have a few extra dollars for yarn. Make your own beaded earrings and you won't have to spend a lot to accessorize, which leaves plenty of extra money for bead shopping. Knit warm fuzzy socks and not only will you save money by not buying socks, you can turn down the heat in winter for savings on your gas bill.
* Buy bulk lots online. Ebay is a great source of bulk lots of yarn and other crafting supplies at steep discounts. Buying pound skeins of yarn usually yields a lower price per yard than smaller skeins. Buying a package of a dozen crochet hooks will usually mean a lower price each than purchasing individually.
* Venture into nature. Pine cones, stones, shells and wild grasses can all be used in various crafts and can be acquired for free.
Happy living!
Shared on:
Homesteader's Hop
* Shop the sales. Most items will go on sale at some point. Buy then; and, in fact, stock up! If your favorite type of yarn goes on sale for half price, buy enough for the next few projects. If card stock is on sale for 25% off, buy a little extra.
* Shop secondhand. At my favorite thrift store, I frequently find bags of yarn for $2 with three skeins in each bag. I don't have choice of color, but it forces me to be more creative in finding ways to use it up. I also find tools, cross-stitch patterns and rubber stamps.
* Use coupons. In the Sunday paper, the major hobby/craft stores offer a coupon for 40% off of one item. Use that coupon wisely and you can save significantly.
* Re-purpose thrift store items. Look at clothing, curtains and sheets as materials rather than items. Perhaps that hideous shirt has amazing buttons. Those curtains are too obnoxious to hang at the windows, but could make vibrant ties, scarves or skirts. Any knit sweater with yarn that hasn't felted can be unraveled and used to knit or crochet new items.
* Scavenge. Using trash for craft is a great way to save money while making some pretty cool stuff. Make beads out of magazine pages, earrings out of floppy disks and wall art from computer parts. You can create unique crafts while reducing the amount of material going to the landfill.
* Check out books from the library. I love leafing through crochet pattern books for inspiration, but never go back a second time. I stopped buying books and now check them out of the library. Most libraries have extensive crafting sections, and you can request on inter-library loan any book you can't find on the shelf.
* Create items that you would usually buy. Crochet washcloths instead of buying and you'll have a few extra dollars for yarn. Make your own beaded earrings and you won't have to spend a lot to accessorize, which leaves plenty of extra money for bead shopping. Knit warm fuzzy socks and not only will you save money by not buying socks, you can turn down the heat in winter for savings on your gas bill.
* Buy bulk lots online. Ebay is a great source of bulk lots of yarn and other crafting supplies at steep discounts. Buying pound skeins of yarn usually yields a lower price per yard than smaller skeins. Buying a package of a dozen crochet hooks will usually mean a lower price each than purchasing individually.
* Venture into nature. Pine cones, stones, shells and wild grasses can all be used in various crafts and can be acquired for free.
Happy living!
Shared on:
Homesteader's Hop
Monday, August 22, 2011
Use It Up: Scrapghans
Many things are tossed into the garbage can when they still have lots of good life left in them. Use It Up will be a section on how to use this "trash" to make new, useful items for your home. I'll try to give a variety of projects so that you'll find some that are useful for you.
My first Use It Up project will be the Scrapghan. This is an afghan that is made of scraps of yarn that are left from other projects. Any avid crocheter or knitter undoubtedly has bags full of little pieces of yarn, you know, just in case you need 3 feet of mustard yarn for...something.
Well, here is your something.
For several years I had been saving bits of yarn just in case I needed them. Some scraps were a foot long, others were just shy of a skein. All of it was beyond use for a traditional project, but I couldn't bare to throw it away.
So I decided to make an ugly afghan. All of the yarn for this project is medium weight worsted acrylic yarn. I have other projects going with the scraps of wool and cotton. I kept the length around 1-3'. I threw in in some longer and some shorter pieces for variety. All of the scraps went into a box as I cut.
I reached in and grabbed random pieces without looking. As long as it was a different color than the last piece, I would work it into my ball of yarn. I tied the ends together with a double knot and then wound the yarn into balls.
Then I started crocheting. I used a size G hook. I crocheted in a single crochet stitch which seems to work very well, although it is a slow process. If anyone else tries this with a different stitch, post a comment and let me know how it goes!
For the first foot of the scrapghan, I thought it was ugly and it made me kind of happy to be working in public on such an obnoxious piece. As it grew, the colors came together and it is very fun. It is a bold material that adds a great splash to my decor.
Once I am done crocheting, I will pull all of the knot ends onto one side, so one side will be smooth and the other fuzzy. I can hide the ends, or if it looks good, put the fuzzy side up.
You can make this any size and shape you want. Make a lapghan for an elderly family member, a throw blanket for your couch, a baby blanket, or a full-sized bed cover. You could also use this to make scarves, shopping bags, washcloths (in this case, the knot ends are great for scrubbing plates), or throw pillows.
2/4/2013 Update: Kristin on facebook shared this video on how to join yarn without knots.
Russian Join
Shared with:
Penny Pinching Party
My first Use It Up project will be the Scrapghan. This is an afghan that is made of scraps of yarn that are left from other projects. Any avid crocheter or knitter undoubtedly has bags full of little pieces of yarn, you know, just in case you need 3 feet of mustard yarn for...something.
Well, here is your something.
So I decided to make an ugly afghan. All of the yarn for this project is medium weight worsted acrylic yarn. I have other projects going with the scraps of wool and cotton. I kept the length around 1-3'. I threw in in some longer and some shorter pieces for variety. All of the scraps went into a box as I cut.
Then I started crocheting. I used a size G hook. I crocheted in a single crochet stitch which seems to work very well, although it is a slow process. If anyone else tries this with a different stitch, post a comment and let me know how it goes!
For the first foot of the scrapghan, I thought it was ugly and it made me kind of happy to be working in public on such an obnoxious piece. As it grew, the colors came together and it is very fun. It is a bold material that adds a great splash to my decor.
You can make this any size and shape you want. Make a lapghan for an elderly family member, a throw blanket for your couch, a baby blanket, or a full-sized bed cover. You could also use this to make scarves, shopping bags, washcloths (in this case, the knot ends are great for scrubbing plates), or throw pillows.
2/4/2013 Update: Kristin on facebook shared this video on how to join yarn without knots.
Russian Join
Penny Pinching Party
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