This week’s weekend wonder has to do with cheese! I got two kitchen gadgets that I have always wanted–and they only cost me $1.00 for the two! Check out my bargain!

I got a fabulous marble cheese slicer and this handy dandy table cheese grater.  I was so excited when I left this yard sale! My kids thought I had lost my mind.

Anyway. . .

Since we are talking about cheese, how would you like a homemade cheese recipe? I know, cool right? Here ya go!

Homemade Farmer’s Cheese

(recipe courtesy of All Recipes)

This past weekend, I went on a field trip with my kids. Imagine my surprise when one of the other homeschool families showed up with a HUGE tub of FREE crochet items! My daughter and I were ecstatic because we have been learning how to crochet for a few months now.

Just look at all the goodies I got! And did I mention they were FREE!

TONS of crochet yarn. . . the cotton kind!

Various sizes of crochet needles. . .from the smallest to the biggest!

Books, Needlepoint, ribbon, and canvas!

I still cannot believe that I got all of this for free! My daughter has been crafting non-stop since we came home on Friday with our stash!

What about you? What have you found recently for a great bargain? Share with us in the comments!

This weekend, I ran upon one of the best bargains in the world! A neighbor of mine was throwing away a wheel barrow. It wasn’t rusted out or anything! The only problem was the wheel would not stay inflated, so instead of messing with it, he threw it out. Well, you know my saying, “Another man’s junk is another man’s treasure”!

I brought it home, my husband did something to it and the wheel inflated! He said it has some kind of mechanism on it to make them inflate. Anyway, I got it for FREE! How awesome is that?

Later that evening, I went to our local home improvement store to get some garden seeds to plant and came up with a brilliant idea. They had a stack of the black trays where people had left them behind when they purchased their plants. I asked what they were going to do with them, and they said throw them away! ACK! What is our motto? “Re-use and re-purpose”! So I asked if I could have them and they said sure!

I brought them home and planted my seeds in them and then in about four weeks I will plant them right into my garden. I can save these for next year and do it all over again!

So far, this is the best Weekend Wonder I have had! I always love when I can find a free bargain!

I am SO excited about my find at the garage sales this weekend. My niece has several formal dinners and a prom she needs to attend in the next couple of months. Her mother and father are both out of work and was worried about how they were going to afford a beautiful and elegant gown for their daughters’ dinners.

Well, guess what I found for $35? Yep! The most beautiful dress you have ever seen. And the best part? It comes with matching shoes!

I found this gorgeous set on Craigslist, which by the way can have some really awesome deals if you just take the time to look! Anyway, the people that had this item for sale was having a garage sale the next day and emailed me and told me they were going to put this item in the garage sale and on Craiglist. I practically ran there myself!

I also got a great deal on some dishes for my camper and some brand new sheets for inside of our house, but the item above is my favorite purchase so far!

I was able to take the item to my niece who was completely stunned and not expecting such an extravagant gift. She thought I spent over $100 on her. I let her go on and on for a few minutes and then I shared with her about the frugal price I was given for this item. Needless to say, Aunt Molly came to the rescue with my frugality! My niece will be the highlight of any formal dinner and  dance that she has to attend!

This weekend, the weather was not cooperative at all! It rained nearly every day which made the yard sales impossible! But not to worry! I got a super deal at Sears that I cannot wait to share with you.

I am not one for “in-season” clothes unless I can get them at a great bargain. What I have learned is that most stores will put out last season’s clothes during the current season and mark them down to 50-75% off the sale prices just to get rid of them.

Yesterday afternoon, my husband needed to go to Sears to pick up a new tool. I usually like to browse the clothing racks to see if they have anything on sale. Yesterday, I lucked up!

I got both of these shirts on sale for $3.00 each! The regular price was $22.00 each so this was a great surprise!

So the next time you go shopping with your spouse, don’t be afraid to dig through the clearance racks. In the past I have found pants for as low as $2.00 and last year, I got my daughter a bathing suit for only $1.00 from Wal-Mart. Take your chances and dig, dig, dig!

I love thrift shopping serendipity! Dictionary.com defines serendipity as “The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. 2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries. 3. An instance of making such a discovery.

Bad weather made yard sales a washout this weekend, but I did hit the local thrift store for an hour, and came away with a big bag of clothes. This fun, springy top was $1.99, and then look how nicely these cute little $1.99 shoes match! That’s what I’d call serendipitous shopping! I could have spent all day at the mall looking for a match like this, and paid at least 10 times more.

If you can’t quite imagine dressing from a thrift store, you might want to check out my July 2009 Digest for a great article (including lots of photos) about putting together great fashion looks for pennies on the dollar. It CAN be done, and it is FUN!

Sometimes you find a great bargain at your local department store! I love when I get new things at yard sale prices. This past weekend, I was at Wal-Mart getting a few odd and ends when I ran across this:

I bought a few of these last year around this same time. Evidently, they did not sell them all then, so they put the remainder of what they had out this time and marked them down extremely low!

I got each of these binders for .50 each and the packet of dividers were only .10 each! My daughter and I both are using these for school things. Hers are to hold papers and mine are for my household binder I am making with the neat printable forms I share in each Digest.

This is one of the best deals I have found! I sure hope they keep up bringing out things like this at Wal-Mart.

What about you? Do you stock pile school supplies when you find them this cheap?

This weekend I was very excited about the one and only good find I came across. Since it was colder this weekend, there was only a couple of garage sales in the local newspaper. Not much chance on finding anything, but I did find something!

We are in the midst of remodeling our camper (you will read more about this in an upcoming camping E-Book I am working on), so I have been on the lookout for things to stock our camper with.

I found a couple of space savers for both paper plates and napkins that install right under the counter! I got them for only $1.00! If I purchased these at full retail, I would have had to pay $3.99 each, so that was a savings of $8.00!

Did you find anything great this weekend?

This weekend I was out and about with my family, and guess what I saw? The first sign of yard sale season! Yes, I saw a yard sale sign. No, I didn’t stop because I was on my way to an event with my husband and kids, but it got me all excited!

I decided that next Monday, we will officially kick off Weekend Wonders again! Every Monday, I will be posting about my great finds from the weekend at the garage sales that I visit. Last year, I got some really great bargains and I thought I would share them with you today!

Weekend Wonders Finds a Treasure Map

Weekend Wonders Compares Clothing and Finds Great Prices

Weekend Wonders You Can’t Be Too Proud

Weekend Wonders New In the Box

Weekend Wonders A Makeover

Weekend Wonders Names That Tune

You can read more Weekend Wonders posts by going to the Yard Sale Tips category in the right hand side bar. Also, on Monday, March 1st, when I share my first Weekend Wonder post of the yard sale season, feel free to send in any great deals or bargains that you have found (pictures also if you have them–if not that is fine). We will then possibly feature your find on a Weekend Wonder!

With the garage sale season coming to a close in most parts of the country, we are putting a hold on the Weekend Wonders posts until later on in the spring when everyone begins to open up their garages after all those long months of colder weather.

So, when the spring arrives and the itch to get out and find the great yard sale deals comes back, Weekend Wonders will resume. Thank you for your loyalty and interest!

p.s. When Weekend Wonders does start up again, send in your favorite finds, and you just might find them posted here!