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Today is a double dose of money saving tips because I have this one on my mind today - replacing household items. In a 3600 square foot home with 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms where 9 people are living, I spend every weekend with a trip to Wal-Mart to replace some item that is worn out. From rugs, to sheets, to dish towels, to wash cloths, to cloth napkins, to blankets, to - just name it - I am replacing items on a weekly basis. The biggest challenge to replacing these items is the time it takes to make them at home. I need a new bathroom rug right now. It can maybe hold off a little while, but I've had it for over ten years and it is starting to unravel. I can wait until it is totally out of service and see if I can pick up a cheap replacement, or I can plan now for a homemade replacement. I have been thinking and reading articles for awhile on making rag rugs. Now is the time for me to do it and avoide the trip to Wal-Mart. I'll be looking in the old clothes bin today to see if there are any scraps to use. I am working on a quilt for my bed. My comforter could stand to be replaced but will hold up for a little longer. I am making a hand sewn quilt with a variety of star patterns. I have one more block to sew and then I have to quilt it. I think it will take more at least 18 more month to finish sewing and quilting it. It is not a quick process, but with a little pre-planning I can avoid those costly purchases. My daughters and I are beginning to plan for the next set of quilts they will need for their beds, for dish towels, and wash cloths. I save all my scraps from sewing and we will be turning these into quilts for the children's beds. I am crocheting wash rags for the kitchen. I have some fabric I plan on sewing kitchen towels out of. The hardest part of avoiding these purchases is the planning and diligent work it takes prior to needing the item. Most of the materials I already have around the house so this is a very cost effective way to replace items. This concept is related to the hope chest of days past. When young women prepared to be married they made up items ahead of time so that they would have everything they needed to furnish their own homes one day. I discuss this with my daugthers and we already are planning for the items that will one day fill their chests. I give them projects to work on and teach them skills that will help them one day fill those chests. |
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