Blog - Page 7 of 18 - Frugal Thumb

Never pay a late fee for overdue library books again

July 27, 2018

If you like to read and spend money on books, you’re going to want to read this post about the Overdrive app. I’ve been on a reading kick lately. It’s something I enjoy doing to relax and de-stress. I usually try to read self-improvement books. However, I’ve recently been reading a whole lot of books from my favorite genre: fantasy. I’m hooked on the fantasy series The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. I’m currently on book 6- and that’s not…

11 Facts that will make you want a cordless electric lawn mower

11 Reasons You Should Switch to a Cordless Electric Mower

July 2, 2018

Joni Smith

Saving on Shopping, Yardwork

Buying a cordless electric mower ten years ago has been one of the best purchases we’ve ever made!!! In fact, I feel that way about a lot of the electric items that we’ve switched to using over the years, like our electric car and robot vacuum cleaner. But back to the electric mower. Did you know that the average lifespan of a lawn mower is 8-10 years? If you have a traditional push mower, you’ll have all those years of…

32 Frugal and Fantastic Fourth of July Party Ideas

32 Ways to Save on Your Fourth of July Party

June 25, 2018

Joni Smith

Holidays

It’s almost Independence Day. That means it’s time for your Fourth of July party! Celebrating the independence day of our country brings to mind fireworks, food, fun in the sun, and red-white-and-blue everything! And you’re reading this post because you care about sticking to your budget for this holiday. Big thumbs up to you, fellow frugal thumb! Good on you for doing what it takes to get and keep your family out of debt! So how do you have an awesome…

DIY easy outdoor pillows for free

June 19, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

I made a bench for our outdoor space and decided it needed some pillows. But outdoor pillows can cost anywhere from $10-$20 or more each at the store. These outdoor pillows cost me zero dollars to make. “How,” you ask?

Make a bench for less than $10 and transform your porch space into a reading nook

June 12, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

Is your porch space underutilized? Would a bench transform it into an area where family could sit and enjoy the scenery or read a book-or even just make it nicer on the eyes? But you don’t want to spend the upwards of $100 for a new bench (that may or may not even fit the space perfectly)? Well, I have a solution for you! In this post, I am going to show you how you can make your own bench-…

Skip the straw blankets and use your ornamental grass to spread over grass seed

June 7, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Yardwork

I left my ornamental grass tall and uncut all winter for these 7 beneficial reasons. If I’m being totally honest, the main reason was there was plenty of other yard work to do in the fall without adding this to the list! So when we hit spring, and I couldn’t put off cutting down that huge mound of ornamental grass any longer, I seized the opportunity to use it as straw to protect the grass seed that I needed to plant…

Save Thousands By Fixing Existing Patio Pavers Yourself

Save Thousands and Fix Your Patio Pavers Yourself

June 4, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

Do you have patio pavers that are sinking and becoming uneven?

Maybe you’ve checked with a few landscaping companies and realized that they cost thousands of dollars to fix it for you?

If that sounds like you, I’m here to tell you that this is a project that you can take on yourself. Save that money and give it a try first. I decided to do just that because I figured, if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll hire the experts. And if it does work out, #winning!

Save Your Sensitive Skin – and Wallet – with Homemade Deodorant

May 25, 2018

Joni Smith

Health & Fitness

Here’s my little secret that I don’t often share with people- I’ve been making my own deodorant for years. I’m not sure why that doesn’t come up in everyday conversations. LOL, homemade deodorant discussions are exciting! But the truth is, I have very sensitive skin and I’m allergic to many store-bought deodorants. They make my armpits itchy! Yeah, that’s not a fun feeling when you’re going about your day in public places around people. In my adolescent years, I didn’t…

Just Add Curtains for DIY Patio Oasis

May 22, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

I love the look of gazebos and pergolas. In all those home and garden magazines, they always make the outdoor space something special. And I wanted that for my backyard! For me, it turns out that patio curtains are a viable and waaay more affordable alternative. I’d stare out the window at our patio and daydream about how it would look with some kind of wall or roof. Our patio overlooks the backyards of about 5 of our neighbors’ backyards,…

Make your own tall planters and save over $100 on each

May 15, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Outdoor DIY, Saving on Shopping

Since moving into our home nearly four years ago, I had a plan to put some nice tall planters on our front stoop. But I just never got around to it. Whenever I saw them for sale in the store or online, the tall planters (nearly 3 feet high) would go for more than $150 EACH! So I resolved to figure out how to make my own. Luckily, Pinterest came to my rescue and I found this wonderful tutorial on…