Inside the Studio: Fabric Storage

I have had a few people ask me about how I store things in my studio room to make my life easier. So, I'm going to do a mini series on it, including what I paid and how I saved money.

Today, we are going to look at my fabric storage area:

Look at that beauty! I scored this bookshelf from Craigslist for only $20! You can hardly beat that deal. It keeps all of my fabric nice and pretty, easy to see, but also keeps the dust off. So many amazing things all in one. I have my cotton solids, cotton prints, and my fusible fabric on the top; flannels and fleece on the second shelf; knits, special occasion, and home decor on the third shelf; and PUL, felt, and miscellaneous fabric on the bottom shelf.

I must admit, having all of my fabric in view like that shows me how much I have really accumulated over the last year or so. Well, technically this isn't all of my fabric, but it is about 90% of it. I have some upstairs still - much to my husband's dismay.

There's a look at the top of my pretty bookshelf. I paid $1 for each of the clear containers, from Dollar Tree. Sometimes I have seen the clear shoe boxes at Mernards or Walmart for 11/$10. I spray painted the outside of mine to give them more color and wrote in dry erase marker on the outside of them. I love the ease of the boxes and being able to get them down. I really need to buy more to put the rest of my holiday prints in.

I try to keep it all really simple, so that it's easy for me. I'm afraid to get too fancy with it or else I'll get confused and have to go through a hundred things to get one thing. No way - I'm too lazy for that crap. And that is why I have my fabric set up the way it is. How do you organize your fabric? Does it work well for you or do you hate it? I had mine in drawers for a long time and hated it with a passion. It was so difficult to find anything. Glad to be done with that! NEVER. AGIAN.

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #10

Yay! The final day in this series. We made it! As much as I'd love to say I'm sad it's over, I'm really just not. I'm ready to move on to discussions, tutorials, and projects. You know: the fun stuff.

10.) Coupons: Again, not a place. However, almost every store has coupons that you can use to help you save money. I do not do the whole extreme couponing thing, but I do use coupons whenever possible. Here are a few ways to get coupons:
-Go to the brand's or store's webpage and sign up for email alerts.
-Check the newspaper inserts
-Google it!
-Send the brand an email (you can also get free samples by doing this from some brands)

Some stores send out weekly newsletters with 20-50% off coupons, some offer free shipping coupons, some give you buy one get one free or half price, etc. There's tons of coupons out there if you look around. When I go to a store with a printable % off one item coupon, I always print two out - one for me and one for The Husband. Then we go in and get the product and save money at the register. Win-win situation.

Of course, if you are wanting to try out extreme couponing, there are several webpages out there with help and instructions to help you get started. Honestly, I would probably do it, but we don't have the room to stock-pile. Oh well.

Thanks for reading these last couple of weeks. I really hope I've helped some of you out in saving money. How do some of you save money? Are there certain places you shop to help out? Leave a comment and let the rest of us know! I'd love advice.

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #8

Day eight. Today is another personal favorite among The Husband and I:

8.) Thrift Stores: Almost every town - big or small - has one of these. Even our small town with a population of under 300 has one. It's not a huge one, but it's big enough to walk into (the building was a small ice-cream shop in the 1950's, if that tells you anything). However,the larger towns around here have big-time thrift stores, which get a bit of business from me and the rest of my family.

The Husband is a little opposed to buying things used by people he doesn't know, but is usually okay after I remind him three things:
1. The amazing concept of washing and sanitizing.
2. The fact that we can buy a new part if it's just one thing he's worried about.
3. The price we would pay if we had to buy the item brand new.

Ah, yes, the power of persuasion. I consider it one of my super powers, personally. My mother would swear I get it from her, which is probably true.

Anyway, when most people think of thrift stores, they think of raggedy clothes, stinky pairs of shoes, mismatched plates, and "old" or "poor" people in a stuffy shop. Why? Because that's the way they are portrayed in movies. I'm not sure why, though. I've never been in one similar to that description. Besides, thrift stores sell a LOT more than just clothes and dishes. Here are some of my favorite thrift stores finds:
-Breast Pump: bottles and shields were still in plastic, had a home and car outlet plug-ins, even had the manual (which proved to be handy when I got home and made sure it worked)-$5.00
-Little Tykes Art Easel: had a chalk board on one side and a dry erease board on the other - $5.00
-Mini Trampoline: $10.00
-VHS/DVD Movies: $1.00 each
-Rolls of Tulle: $0.50 each
-Lots of Wedding Decor Items: $0.50-$3.00 each

Again, I could go on and on about the deals of thrift stores, but I won't. You're welcome. Thanks for reading today's post - look forward to day nine tomorrow!

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #7

Day seven. Only three more days to go after today. Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen, we are officially on the downhill slope! No words - today's post is a short one.

7.) Newspapers - More especially: the Classifieds section. You never really know what will be listed. Anything from pets to musical instruments to houses are for sale. In fact, we bought a large, black dog kennel for $25.00 from a listing in our local classified section. We, also, bought our couch and loveseat from an older couple for $500.00. It was kind of expensive, but had no stains or rips, was the exact color/size we wanted, came with extra throw pillows, and has some beautiful, intricate carvings in the wood along the bottom and arms. I would guess they paid at least a grand per piece.

In all honesty, we usually only check the Classified section when we are in need of a bigger item and don't want tov pay full retail price. For example: The Husband and I would LOVE to have a side-by-side refrigerator instead of the top freezer one because there is more space. We have budgeted aside $250.00 for one, but don't really want to pay over $150.00-$200.00. In stores, they cost over a thousand. No way, José, are we paying that!  So, we arepatiently watching the local classified ads for one in our price range. Luckily, since it's a want and not a need, we don't have to be in any hurry to buy one and have the option to wait for a cheap one. Good reason to pre-plan, hint hint.

See? Not so bad today. Tomorrow won't be so bad, either; so, look forward to it!  Thanks for
reading.

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #4

Welcome to day four of my ten places to shop to help you save money. Today is another online place. I don't use this one as often as I should, but there are always great things at great prices here.

4.) Craigslist - We live in a Tri-State area, which is awesome when it comes to Craigslist because we get to look through THREE different regional pages. Hooray! Here's a few great things about this site:

-Free: Yes, they have a "Free" page under the "For Sale" category. I've seen changing tables, cribs, beds, clothes, appliances, couches, tables, and animals go under this page. You have to check often, though, because a lot of the posts will say something like "will be on the curb for two days, then I'm throwing it out." If possible, message the poster to see if they still have the item available before wasting your gas.

-Arts & Crafts: This page is geared more towards scrapbookers and artists than anything.  However, you can usually find sewing machines for great prices on here. Currently there is a New In Box (NIB) fabric cutter for $75.00 and a NIB Cricut Diecut machine for $100.00 posted on one of our local pages. Both are great deals considering what you'd pay in-store.

-Baby/Kids: As an expecting mother and mother to a 5 year old who is trying to save as much money as possible, I follow this page quite a bit. I recently bought a "Baby Boy Clothing Lot" (20+ outfits) for only $7.00. Can't beat that! I will admit that finding clothes for The Diva is getting harder the older she gets. But, there's also a "Clothing & Accessories" page I have some success with for her on occasion.

Of course, there are many other categories and pages to look through.  Also, if you want something specific, you can search for it or post an ad under the "Wanted" page.
Note: Beware of scams! Craigslist has tips to help you avoid them. You'll find them more in the "Services" category than the ones I listed, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. 

Thanks for reading today's post;  look forward to the fifth place tomorrow!

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #3

Hello again! We are on day three out of ten of different places to bargain shop.  Today's post is dedicated specifically to one store: Wally World.

3.) Wal-Mart: This superstore needs a number and post all by itself! For starters, they are one of the cheapest stores around and most of their items are of pretty good value; not to mention they sell just about everything! Here are some of the great things about Wal-Mart:

-Free site-to-store shipping: you can go online to their clearance section and get things like clothes (like, full outfits for babies and kids) for less than $5.00; 2 pack crib sheets (which can be cut and used for other things) for $4.00; and so many other things that aren't clearanced in-stores and not pay shipping. Great deal, isn't it?

-Price match: I LOVE that Wal-Mart does this. The other day, I gathered all of the local back-to-school sales ads and took them to Wal-Mart with me. I bought all (except her backpack, nap mat, and Ziploc baggies because we already had those things) of The Diva's school supplies PLUS some extra supplies for my office/craft area for... $8.72! And it was all name brand - Crayola, Elmer's, Bic, etc. My husband was amazed! Just make sure to get the specified brand that is in the ad.

-Clearance Aisles: OMG! We have a smaller Wal-Mart, but there are 5 aisles dedicated just to clearanced items. Plus, there are always sales racks located throughout the entire store. It's like Heaven for cheap people like me! AND when you visit Wal-Marts in other cities, you will be amazed at some of their clearance items because they (usually) have different items than you do in your home store. I know we're going out of town on a family vacation and all of us girls have already decided we're going to spend a day raiding the Wal-Mart in that town!

Wal-Mart has a lot of other great options to help you save, but that list could go on and on forever (I'm a big fan of this store and website). If you've ever been to a Wal-Mart, you understand my obsession.

Thank you for reading; look forward to the next post in the series tomorrow!

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #2

Welcome to day two of my ten places to bargain shop and why.  I can't wait to get these done so everybody else can save in some of the same ways I do. [Not to mention I started two new projects last night and am excited to be able to share those with you as well!] Today's place to bargain shop is...

2.) Clearance Racks - Probably one of my more favored places, but also one of the most 'expensive' on the list. When shopping, I always make sure to look at the clearance racks first.  EVERY store has them (some have racks, aisles, and baskets located throughout the entire store) and you would be surprised what you could find at an amazingly low price. Here are some of my most recent scores:

-Old Navy: Clothes for The Diva at $1.49-$2.00 each; shoes for Baby Boy at only $2.79; Steelers shirt for The Hubby at $4.49; maternity shirt for me at... $1.99! I love Old Navy!

-Sears: Summer shirts and shorts for The Diva for next year at $2.00-$3.00 each; onesie for Baby Boy for $1.59 (We have a very small Sears that consists mainly of tools, so I usually don't even enter the place, but I had Baby Boy on my bladder and it was a long walk to the main bathroom, so I went in and was surprised by their prices. I'll have to make sure to check them out more often.)

-Jo-Ann's Fabric: Flannel for $2.99/yard; knit fabric I'll use for a shirt for The Diva at $1.25/yard; Returned 100% wool yarn for only $2.75; 100% polyester thread (500 yards) for $0.99 each.

-Hobby Lobby: This store always gets me and my checkbook in trouble. I recently bought some Tulle in all colors for $0.25-$0.49 from their remnants basket;  some ruffle bottom diaper covers I'll use for photography at $2.75 each; and even scored a lime green 1950's style suitcase for $7.99 (baby portraits will look great with that! )

There are several other stores I have recently saved money at by buying from the clearance racks, but I'll stop my list here. Look forward to another post tomorrow, which will be day three in the series. Thanks for reading!

10 Places to Bargain Shop, #1

Over the next ten days, I'm going to tell you 10 different places to bargain shop and why. They would all be in one post, but I just kept coming up with good reasons and knew it would be too much to type our read at one time. Ready to save money? Let's get started!

1.) Garage/Yard/Rummage Sales - Whatever you call them, they are great places to save money. My mom and I usually go yard sale-ing once a month, and always make sure to look them up in our local paper to get a route mapped out of the ones we wanted to hit first and would be most disappointed if we missed.  That way we aren't just blind driving and we don't waste money, gas, and time.
Note: If you don't want to spend the money on a news paper for just the garage sales, you can usually just look them up online at your local paper's website. 

Here are a few things I have gotten this season:
-Disney VHS movies - $0.25-$1.00 each
-Baby Onesies - $0.10-$1.00 each
-Carseat with 2 Bases - $1.00 (expires in 2015)
-White Bassinet - $ 10.00
-Girl's Clothes - $0.10-$0.50
-Burp Cloths - free (had some light staining I was able to get out easily)

I have found many more items, but wanted to share these because they are my favorites. Tomorrow I'll post #2. Hope you enjoy!