One way to SAVE a good deal of money is to DIY (Do It Yourself). This year my family saved money buy doing alot of things ourselves. My husband and Sister-in-Law painted one of our bedrooms and our kitchen. My husband installed our new kitchen sink and faucet. These types of things helped us save money by not having to hire someone to do these things for us.
I also save money on certain things by making them Home-Made! I love to sew and thankfully so cause I was able to save money on curtains this year by making the curtains for the kids bedroom myself. I also saved by making our own Christmas Tree Skirt this year. I wanted a Disney-Themed one, but did not want to pay the price for it. So for a FRACTION of the cost I made my own.
My love of sewing and our DIY way of life came in handy when it was time to get Miss K the Doll Bed she wants for Christmas. This year Miss K asked for a doll. It is a "big" deal in this house cause Miss K doesn't normally ask for anything all that "girly", so when she asks for a doll she is gonna get a doll and all that goes with the doll.
I searched and priced out Doll Beds..from American Girl Brand to Our Generation Brand to your no-name brand. But I was just not comfortable spending that kind of money..seriously over $50.00 for a Doll Bed???? Then a friend of mine pointed out to me that we could go to the Mills Store, which is an unfinished wood store in our area. I was able to find an unfinished Sleigh Style Doll Bed for 17.99. WOW! To my surprise when I got to the store to buy it, it was 20% off so I only paid $15.29 for this:
Hubby is gonna stain it with a clear stain. This will match the style of Miss K's own bed.
Next was making the bedding for it. I have been designing children's clothing for a few years now and I have a very large collection of fabrics. So I went into my fabric stash and picked out some fabrics and made the bedding.
Cost for bedding: FREE *just my time*
I made a white featherbed style mattress. Cupcake down comforter with hot pink ruffle. 1 Hot Pink Pillow. 2 Light Pink and White Striped Pillows and a smaller Light Pink and White Stripe Blanket.
I saved so much money by doing most of this ourselves. But the BEST part will be seeing her face Christmas Morning!
