#tbt Hippie Chic

April 14, 2013

Found this gorgeous, vintage leather tooled bag sitting on a shelf all alone last weekend. I knew if I took it home, it would be fast friends with my other purses. It clearly wanted to go home with me with a price of $15. :)

Holla!

The caftan I'm wearing is from Ross and was $10. I get all my caftans/ coverups from Ross. :)

#tbt Vintage Boots

February 26, 2013

I've been hunting for a pair of burgundy leather boots with a heel for three years. Last month, I finally found a pair. They are totally straight from the '70's and I am in love with them. They are everything I was looking for, all for $20. Patience pays off ladies. Oh, and being blessed with a small foot doesn't hurt either. :)

#tbt More Vintage Coach

November 16, 2013

Found more vintage Coach while antiquing here in Florida.  Really good shape for $40.  This might become a thing...

Bump Style: Budget 202

Here's my second round of maternity clothes deals.  This time I tried to find non-maternity pieces that fit my 20 week bump but that I could wear long after the pregnancy.  The key to this trick?  Flowy and stretchy.  My style has always leaned toward the boho/hippie vibe so flowy wasn't a big leap for me.  Most of the "maternity" clothes I packed away last year fit this description.  The stretchy part was really fun because I am now unmistakably pregnant but not huge.  I'm in the cute bump phase now.  I can get away with wearing fitted pieces that show it off.  And I stocked up on leggings.

It's also getting hotter which means lots of skirts and dresses for me.  One trick I have is going to the swimsuit cover-up section.  Those are usually loose and pretty.  With a cami underneath and a pair of leggings, it's a cheap and cute outfit.  And since we live by the beach, I can use the top later!

Cheers!

Ross
Navy tunic (non-maternity) $20
Sheer cover-up (non-maternity) $13
Striped tank maxi dress (non-maternity) $9
Striped tee maxi dress (non-maternity) $9

Burlington 
2 pairs black leggings - $16
Grey leggings - $8
Black/white striped maxi dress (non-maternity) - $17

*haven't received this order yet, so the grey leggings and the dress might not be keepers...

Target

Liz Lange maternity tank - $13

Pants (non-maternity) - $20

*not sure yet if I'm keeping the pants...

Walmart
 

Dress (non-maternity) - $15

Total:  $140

Bump Style: Budget 101

One of my big goals when I got pregnant was to look cute with what I already had and only add a few pieces for when I got bigger...for cheap.  :)

I starting doing research before I really needed maternity clothes to get an idea of what was out there.  I was quickly disappointed.  Clothes that were cute and stylish were too expensive and the ones that were reasonably priced were ugly.  I got discouraged pretty fast, but I couldn't give up.  My pants were quickly becoming too small.  

So, here's what I was able to find so far and where I got it.  Most of the things I picked are very basic and good for layering.  And I'm pretty sure that I can get away with wearing a lot of the tops after the baby is here, which will be important since my body won't be bouncing back in a month.  The jeans and leggings I will be saving for baby #2.  I will probably splurge on a cute dress for the baby shower and professional bump pics, but we'll see.  I hope you other mamas-to-be find things that make you feel fabulous, without breaking the bank!  Stay tuned for more deals I find as I continue to grow!

Cheers!

Old Navy

$12

$6.50

$9.75

$7.80

$12.35

$11.01

Burlington

Belly band - $10

2 pairs jeans - $19 & $25 (because of shipping)

White cami - $4

Leggings - $8

JC Penney

White jeans - $28

White tank - $11

Zulily.com
Jeans & Top $44


Total: $208.41

Lent 2014 Update

We're about 4 weeks into Lent and I'd thought I'd give an update on our progress.  The financial fast didn't go very well.  With a baby on the way, my belly expanding and with both of us just generally being exhausted, there were a lot of expenses that creep up, mainly eating out.  But its ok.  I'm not going to beat my self up over it.  We have cut back a lot, so for that I am happy.  When we need to spend money, like on maternity clothes for me, I try to find the cheapest ones I can.  And I try to only get pieces that will work with what I already have.

As for donating and cleaning out the house, that we are doing well on.  We've stuck to at least one item per person per day.  We tackled a good chunk of the garage and moved it to Goodwill.  We still have one room to clean out so I definitely think that we'll hit our goal of 80 items out of the house by the end of Lent.  We may have already hit that number...

Cheers!

Here's two weeks worth of stuff.  Forgot to take a picture of the second car load we took to Goodwill...

DIY Fabric Softener

I'm really excited about this one.  I waited MONTHS for my Sam's Club sized container of fabric softener to run out so I could make my own.  I found the recipe via Pinterest (where all awesome things are found...) and finally made my own version a couple weeks ago.  It was super easy and super cheap, I had all but one ingredient.  I've been using it for a little over a week now and it seems to be fine.  Can't really smell it, but I never smelled the store bought stuff either.  Looks like this ones a keeper!


Here's what you'll need to make your own batch:

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner (I used Suave because its cheap and good)

First, I measured out the conditioner.  Then I microwaved the six cups of water to make it REALLY hot.  I wanted to make sure that all the conditioner was dissolved.  Then I added the vinegar.  I mixed it all up in an empty water jug. 

Shake it!

Then you just shake, shake, shake!  That's it.  Once the bubbles settle, it's ready to use.  I use it in a Downy ball.  Never buying fabric softener again!

Cheers!

Thrifty Tips #8 and #9

These Thrifty Tips come directly from my mom, the master of money saving.

Cheers!

#8.  Christmas Gift Tags - Keep all the Christmas cards you get.  If there is no writing on the cover, cut it off, punch a hole and tie it to a gift.  Write the recipients name on the blank side.  Makes presents look super cute!

 

 #9.  Beauty Spoons - tired of leaving some of your favorite (or expensive) lotion, shampoo, make-up in the container because you can't get it out?  Me too. I can't think a more annoying waster of money.  Well, my mom likes to practically lick her containers clean to get every last drop.  To help her with this, she bought Beauty Spoons!  They are spatulas designed to go into your bottles and scoop out your product when you can't get to it.  Um, love!

Thrifty Tip #6 and 7 (Vinegar Edition)

If you have spent some time on Pinterest, you probably learned that there is pretty much nothing that plain old vinegar can't do.  It cleans, it cooks, it dissolves rust...the list is endless.  Here are my two favorite uses that have saved us the most money.

#6.  You can use white vinegar to get rid of toe fungus.  I did a lot of research when I got a weird looking big toe a year and a half ago.  There is a prescription drug that's supposed to clear it up, but the side effect is a possible damaged liver.  And from what people said, it didn't even work.  So, save your liver and your wallet and go get a $0.99 bottle of white vinegar from the grocery store, apply to the effected toe twice a day WITHOUT FAIL, until the toe nail grows out (about a year).  Its a long process, but it really works.  I promise.  You just need patience and determination.


#7.  If you ever get Pantry Moths, vinegar is going to be one of many weapons of choice to eliminate the little buggers.  I recommend going to your local hardware store and buying the traps (be warned, they are pricey).  These will kill the moths that are flying around.  But to get rid of the invisible eggs and the cocoons, wipe your whole pantry down with some diluted vinegar, let it sit for a couple minutes, then follow up with some water.  This should kill anything that might be wanting to show up in the coming months.

Cheers! 

Thrifty Tips #4 and 5 (Dog Edition)

Hey there dog lovers!  Our furry babies are part of the family, and when a family goes on a budget, they don't have to be excluded.  Everyone needs to pitch in, right?  :)

I was recently told that there are a lot of things that we buy for our pets that we can make ourselves.  My mom told me about a DIY flea spray and itchy skin bath that she learned about watching her favorite PBS show, Deals.  I haven't tried them yet, but they are on my radar...

Here are some of the things that work with our dogs.  Try them out and see if they work for yours.  Cheers!

#4.  Milkbones can be pricey.  Everyone likes a treat now and then and dogs are no different.  But since it IS a cookie, stretch the box even farther (and healthier for your dog) by breaking a milkbone in half.  Chances are, your dogs will just be happy with the treat, regardless of size.

#5.  We've recently discovered that "treat" has many meanings to a dog.  For training, you can use a piece of dog food as a treat.  Our dogs really like ice cubes.  Ices cubes have now become a inexhaustible treat source that is practically free and they can have as many as they want.  Ice cubes also help them get some water when they are too tired to go their bowl after a walk.

Thrifty Tips #1-3

New segment on Kendi Haus:  money-saving tips we have figured out, heard about, like, don't like, etc.  Hope this will be enlightening to all of you that work hard for your money, and hate to throw it away.

#1.  Most of the time, block cheese is cheaper than shredded cheese.  So, we just buy the block cheese and shred it ourselves.  It's visually more appealing than the shredded because it doesn't have that anti-caking chemical they add (WTH is that anyway?!).  Because of this, it clumps together.  But that's easy to work around.

#2.  When milk is close to its expiration date and we aren't going to use it all, we freeze it in an ice cube try.  Each cube is equivalent to one ounce.  This is really handy for buttermilk, which is pricey (we have a great pancake recipe that uses buttermilk).

#3.  We make great chicken noodle soup over here in the Haus of Kendi.  Recently, we did the math and found out that if you buy the jar of bouillon, it is significantly cheaper than buying the cans of chicken broth.  The jar makes about 10 cups for half the price.  And you can get it in the low sodium version (which we prefer) which really saves you moola.

Cheers!

be thrifty.

My mom sent us this book yesterday.  My mom has spent my entire life teaching me how to be thrifty, economical and most of all resourceful and creative.  I mean, this is the women who used to make her own Barbie clothes when she was a kid.  For the past few years, I have forgotten (or ignored) most of her teachings.  But times change, and situations happen that force us to go back to our roots and my roots are deeply planted in survival.  And survival these days goes hand-in-hand with economics.  So I give you this great resource, courtesy of my mom.

Cheers!