Since I homeschool, my kids don’t generally need much back-to-school wise, but we’ve made a tradition of taking an annual shopping day, anyway. Lasts Friday we went to town and visited the library, got the boys haircuts, ate lunch, made a stop at Goodwill and then each child was allowed to choose one new item/outfit (depending on price) from Walmart or Shopko. This is a real treat for them since we very rarely purchase new clothing.

We always make a point to stop at Goodwill first and  made out pretty well this time. My son got two pair of Nike’s in good condition and my daughter found several brand name (Hollister, American Eagle Outfitters, etc.) T-shirts for under $3 each. I even found a skirt and top that I really like.

In addition to the two pairs of tennies, my son found a pair of  “real” Crocs. I say “real” because earlier this summer he bought a knock-off pair at the Dollar Store. Sadly, the only color they had was bright red. In all honesty, I figured they would fall apart in short order, so let him go ahead and get them. Would you believe they are still going strong? And he LOVES them.

I had him try on this “real” pair at Goodwill and he admitted that they were, indeed, more comfortable than the pair he’d been wearing. But just take a guess as to what color they were. Go ahead, guess!

Yup! Bright orange. Figures.

Still, he loves his old pair and these were only $2.50 so I went ahead and bought them. Then, while we were at Walmart, I grabbed a can of Krylon Fusion spray paint, intended for use on plastics. In a nice dark, blue!

Back home I set to work. I first scrubbed the shoes down with a brush and then used a Magic Eraser on them before placing them in the sun to dry. I then sprayed them down with three coats of the Fusion paint.

The verdict? Not too bad at all! For a total investment of $7.50 my boy got a pair of Crocs that I actually won’t be embarassed to have him wear! lol

I’m hoping the paint job holds up well, but it seems pretty good so far. I’ll keep you updated.

Spray paint for plastic works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

Here is another site to add to your growing list of review and giveaway sites. Cookies and Clogs always has some great giveaway going on!

Terri Ann is the owner of Cookies and Clogs. She has only been blogging for about three months. She features deals, reviews, and giveaways, and especially highlights good deals in the San Francisco Bay area. She also writes homeschool articles and shares about activities that you might find helpful in your own homeschool.

Be sure and stop by Cookies and Clogs and tell Terri Ann that Molly sent you over! While you are there, here are a few giveaways you can enter if you are interested:

Nature Valley Granola Thins

$25 Safeway Gift Certificate

Partylite Lantern

I have run across a new site that I wanted to make you aware of. If you are looking for hot coupons, great freebies, and cool giveaways and reviews, you will most definitely want to check out this website!

http://iamwickedcheap.com/

Here is what Alicia shares about her website. Be sure and visit her and check out all the cool stuff she has going on over there!

_____

Hi and welcome!

If this is your first time to the site, it may seem overwhelming and you probably do not know where to start.

On the right hand side of the screen you will see a bar labeled Search the Site.  Use this to look up a favorite product…maybe there is some sort of coupon or freebie waiting for you.

Below that is a bar labeled Archives.  Use the drop down menu to navigate the site.  While some of the coupons and store deals have expired since I posted them, some of the Free Samples, and most all of the Become a Member Deals and Rewards Programs are still valid.

If you are new to coupon-ing, take a second to read the Getting Started section where you will learn how to build and organize your very own Coupon Stash!

Also, take a minute to check out my special sections entitled The Wicked Cheap Handbook, and The Wicked Cheap Mom.  Those two sections have some general ideas and tips on how to save money in everyday life. I will be adding to those sections on a regular basis, so check them out once in a while!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions on how I can improve the site.  I often wonder how this site presents itself to a newbie!

–Alicia

NEW FEATURES!!

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve gotten all tech savvy and have figured out a few other ways for us to keep in touch:

* Click here to become a  fan of I am wicked cheap! on facebook.

* Click here to follow I am wicked cheap! on twitter.

* Click here to subscribe to the I am wicked cheap! RSS feed via your web based news reader (including My Yahoo,    Newsgator, Google, Netvibes, pageflakes, myAOL…and more!) .

* Click here to sign up for the I am wicked cheap! email subscription.

See you in cyberspace…somewhere!

Here are a few fun links I found this week:

First, I found and fell in LOVE with The Mother Huddle blog. So many cute things here.

For instance, check out this apron (made with one yard of fabric!) with built in hotpads in the hem! Love that!

An then there’s this super-simple solution for turning baby rompers into shirts once they are outgrown. I honestly can’t believe I’d never thought of that before.

And if this frugal and easy solution for storing ribbons isn’t a keeper, I don’t know what is. I might actually head upstairs and do this today instead of continuing to wait to install the wall mounted version I have in my head (that I never actually get to). I could put this together in a matter of minutes!

FeelsLikeHomeBlog.com shares  10 Things to Cook in a Bundt Cake pan. Great ideas here, and truly creative! I’m definitely going to use some of these if I can remember.

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

For those of us on extremely tight budgets but would love to have a program like Weight Watchers to help us lose weight or track meals and exercises but cannot afford the cost of the program–FEAR NO MORE!

Let me introduce you to Spark People. This is a FREE online weight loss site exactly like Weight Watchers! I have been using it for three months now and I love it! It helps to keep me motivated and there are some great recipes on here. In fact, I got an email this morning about a new recipe for Whole Wheat Waffles. It looks scrumptious!

Sign up is easy and the encouragement from the others on the website is truly amazing! Why not go check it out? If you have been wanting to do Weight Watchers but cannot afford the price, THIS is the answer to your dilemma!

Many years ago we purchased a set of high quality (and very expensive) Cutco Knives. Though it was a big stretch to our budget, I have never regretted that purchase. These are excellent knives and now, over ten years later, have yet to be sent in for sharpening!

However, over the years the tips have been broken off the paring  and chef knife. And then, recently, the whole end was broken off my carving knife! I’m not naming names, but let’s just say I didn’t do any of the breaking (nor did I handle the breaking particularly well).

The company does guarantee it’s knives for life and will refurbish and sharpen them for free. However, in cases of  “abuse” (our case) they will replace a knife at half price. To give you an idea of prices, the chef’s knife retails for $117. The paring knife is $45.

Several times I’ve scoured eBay for deals and nearly ordered. I’ve also printed out the paperwork to send in for replacement knives. But even getting my three replaced would be over $100, so I’ve held off. I’m SO glad I did!

Would you believe that, while casually scouring our community yard sales this weekend I came across a set of SIX Cutco knives!!?? And would you believe they were marked at $3.00!?

That’s right! Every knife I needed replaced was in the set as well as some I already have. I’m going to send them all in for “refurbishing” and they should look like new. This was probably $300-$400 worth of knives. Amazing!

I also got some goodies for our new popup camper as seen in Molly Goes Camping. We prefer the older cloth sleeping bags to the nylon ones because they make less noise, don’t slip all over and just feel better. I found two, in great shape, for $1 each. I also got a nice two-cup coffee maker, a thin cutting board, a small spatula and two adjustable measuring spoons. Lots of goodies for a total of $6. I can’t wait to go camping again to put them to use!

I have no clue what it is with me and baby stuff this week. Maybe it’s because my neighbor just had a baby and I am in total baby love right now!

Anyway, I was reading a few of my favorite blogs and came across this!

(Photo courtesy of Household 6 Diva)

This diaper cake is adorable! Not only would it make a wonderful centerpiece for a baby shower, but it is simple and easy to put together. I am thinking of making one myself for the next baby shower I attend.

You can find complete tutorial instructions over at Household 6 Diva by clicking HERE.

What are some of your favorite baby shower gifts?

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)

My friend Heidi, who works for TOS, posted about a website she reviewed recently that has intrigued me. I thought you might be interested too!

Heidi wrote:

My Job Chart is a FREE online chore chart.  You may be thinking “whoever heard of such a thing?!”  Well, I hadn’t either, which is why I wanted to look into it a bit further.  Here’s what the website has to say: “Helping our children understand the benefit of consistent work and the value of a dollar is increasingly difficult in today’s world. Parents have tried everything from printable chore charts, stickers, reward cards, and posters but none seem to engage the interest of today’s children. My Job Chart has found the solution. It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s ONLINE, and best of all it’s FREE! Our online chore chart system inspires and motivates kids to do their chores on time every time. Kids get excited when they see their points adding up and want to do more. The chore chart is completely customizable. Your kids will finally be excited to do their chores. Give My Job Chart a try today!”

You can read her full review and check out the site for yourself HERE.

When you decorate with yard sale decor, patience is required. For instance, we really needed some kind of side table next to a chair in the living room, but I didn’t really want an traditional end table. I found a couple of old suitcases I had, put a tray on top and it served the purpose. Still, it was definitely a bit too low. That’s where the patience came in. We just lived with it this way.

Unfortunately, I’ve had minimal time to hit any yard sales this year. However, some neighbors were holding one just down the street and I decided to make a quick stop on my way to town. Yay! I found this.

It was kind of funny, because I just stuck it in the house until I had time to mess with it. Several family members asked who the suitcase was for. (I think they were worried it was for them!) lol

Now my end table is the perfect height. Not only that, I can store stuff inside! Good deal for $5.00, right?

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Kristen at We Are That Family!