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One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

A Free Gift for the HH, No More Body Butter, More Scarves for Pinky and a Primitive Whale Rug

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jcpenny coupon

As you know, I am trying to make all my gifts this year or acquire them for free. So when JCPenney sent out a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon a few weeks ago I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to find an item that was EXACTLY $10. But I did, and now I have something store bought to stick under the tree this year for the HH.

Kohl’s usually sends out a few $10 off a $10 purchase coupons throughout the year as well, so if all goes well, I should be able to find a few more treasures for the HH. 😉

Maybe I’m weird, but I am truly HAVING A BLAST figuring out ways to come up with gifts without spending any money this year. So far I’ve made a set of bird potholders for The Girl, a candle for my mom, and fire starters for my brother’s woodstove. Do I miss not shopping? Honestly, no. Being resourceful is kind of fun and I have a HUGE list of ideas for more gifts too. I haven’t been this excited about gift giving in a long time.

coconut body butter

It’s a sad day when you run out of your favorite coconut body butter. It’s a luxury item {not a necessity!} so I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to get another tub.

primitive hooked rug whale nantucketHot off the hook! I just finished this whale rug this morning and I’m hoping someone who lives on Nantucket Island or Cape Cod buys it to hang on one of their walls. Is that weird? Have you ever been there? I haven’t, but both places are on my travel wish list.

knitted scarvesAnd last but not least, a big thank you to Wendy, Jeri {the repurposed gardener} and Deanna for sending in scarves for Pinky and the Girls. They are adorable!! All our large flamingos are now outfitted with cozy scarves to keep them warm this winter. Thank you.

lucy the puggle dog

How is YOUR Thursday going so far? Tell me what you’ve been up to.

~Mavis

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Comments

  1. Do you cook with the solid coconut oil (sold in large jars at CostCo)? I scoop a few chunks of it into a smaller jar (like a body butter container) to be kept in the bathroom. Just a small dab of it melts quickly in the palm of your hand and works like a charm for “body butter”.

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  2. I have read your blog for a few years now, but this year has been great! We have many of the same goals this year! Some other coincidences are the flamingos! I have two out by our mailbox. We live in a somewhat hoity toity neighborhood, which I love, but I just cannot keep up with the Jones and I have no interest to. I decided this past year, I will be THAT neighbor. Yup, gnomes, zombie gnomes, and flamingos outfit my yard in a tasteful manner of course! I also have a doorman! Eddie arrived at Christmas. He is our resident mannequin and greets people as they enter our home! Thanks for helping me stay motivated on our money saving year too!

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  3. I bet the body butter lasts you a long time and if you enjoy it daily, maybe you should treat yourself, $14.95 on ebay.

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  4. It’s day 5 & I’ve still got my cold today so that’s not fun. I did start taking some cold pills last night when it became hard to breathe. I’m not a fan of grabbing drugs right off the bat but now that I have them I’m able to function quite a bit better. I actually left the house today.

    I make homemade body butter every year for Christmas now. It’s my most requested item. You just melt down 1 part coconut oil, 1 part shea (or other solid) butter, & 1 part olive (or other liquid) oil. Then you add your scent and let it solidify again. After that you use your electric mixer to whip it until it’s fluffy. It’s super easy. This year I didn’t have any shea butter so I just used coconut oil & lavender EO. You might try making your own. I like it more than the store bought ones now. Whipping it is the key.

    I like to make homemade gifts as well though I usually don’t start until the summer. That’s when I get Christmas in July fever.

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  5. I am glad to see you enjoy your no-spending year. It does feel good to get something for nothing (or a great deal).

    I apologize for doubting you last week. Your challenges are just that – challenging.

    I enjoy seeing what you do each day. Thank you for your time in sharing your life.

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  7. I’ve mentioned it before but it bears repeating: Lucy, aka Gladys, needs her own calendar. She is adorable! (Could be gifts. . .!)

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  9. I love the vintage whale rug! Was that a kit that you purchased? If so, where did you get it? If not, do you have a pattern and instructions for making one?

    Thanks,
    Kelly in Alaska

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  10. Go Mavis!
    I too am making a majority of my x-mas, birthday gifts this year, A couple of years ago my daughter brought me around 100 skeins of miss-matched yarns and threads. I am on scarf #3 since Christmas. I sit and knit while watching television. I’m not good at it but I can make a pretty decent scarf. I have 6 staff members that work for me so they are all getting a scarf next year. For work birthdays, I find out what color their kitchens are and make pot holders for gifts. I use denim (old jeans) for the backing and quilt scraps for the tops. Leftover quilt batting in the center. Make me feel good to use up stuff that I have cluttering my sewing room.

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  11. I too like the Body Baths Butter. I make my own to save $$$. I mix equal (ish) parts of coconut oil and Shea butter. I don’t scent mine, nor do I whip it. Although I once added aloe Vera to it and whipped that mixture. I had bought aloe Vera and was looking for ways to use it up.
    I also saved money by washing my hair with baking soda. I use a water bottle which holds two cups of water. I add 2T of baking soda to that. I get 4-6 Washington from that. It’s so nice on my skin that I’ve been able to stop using face scrub as well. It’s been a lean two years.

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  12. thanks to Chrystal Rose for the “how-to” to make the whipped body cream. I see some homemade gifts for next Christmas!!!

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  15. Another recipe for Coconut Body Butter is to put however much solid coconut oil you want to use in a bowl-Beat on high for 2-4 minutes- scraping bowl a few times. At this point you can add vanilla extract, mint extract or my favorite vitamin E oil- (Cut a vitamin E capsule and pour it in) Vitamin E is soothing and healing for the skin.

    Mix for 4-5 more minutes- scraping bowl occasionally.When complete, it has a fluffy lotion consistency.

    Transfer to containers. The little squatty 4 oz. mason jars make a nice container for a gift.

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  16. Mavis: My mother was always working on a hook rug when I was a little girl. The ones she made (I still have) were all patterned rugs and the yarn came with the package. It looks like you are freestyling (sort of like counted cross-stitch). The rugs my mother made also ended with the loose ends sticking up but it looks like your’s are not. Am I correct in any of these assumptions?

    Thank you. I really enjoy your blog.

    Ann

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  17. So Mavis, once again, you have me chuckling. You go girl with that coupon, why not, they send them, I use them! I love your whale. I can definitely see that in a Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket home. My in-laws live on MV. It’s beautiful. You would absolutely love it! It’s a tad on the expensive side but most islands are. Let me know when you come I’ll give you a tour:) anyone in this region Cape Cod, southeastern Massachusetts would love that rug! I hope it finds a deserving home! Asfor the body butter, I’m a huge fan of their products. I do subscribe to their loyalty program and get a lot of coupons and emails from them. They often have a buy three get three free sale! You could splurge and stock up, heh all that rug hooking work is hard on the hands. Go for it, you certainly deserve it! However, you’ve got me on the no spend challenge as well! As always, love your blog and your daily dose of wit, humor, and information.

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  18. if the HH is looking for the perfect Valentine’s or Birthday Gift (or perhaps The Girl or your mom would take the hint) they could gift you some of the Body Butter.

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  19. I’ve been to Cape Cod in the fall and I LOVED it. The beaches were empty except for seagulls, the fresh seafood was amazing, and I spent a lot of time walking and looking at stuff. I have not been to Martha’s Vineayrd or Nantucket yet, but I want to go! I love that rug, Mavis!

    Reply

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Mavis Butterfield Etsy