SAVY SHOPPING

War and tribulation seems to be everywhere. These and other economic factors equals stress on the pocket book as rising costs of fuel and general merchandise continue. It's depressing some times but on the flip side, I'm grateful for my frugal living skills, creativity and ingenuity.

My girlfriends and I attended a quilt show this past weekend. We were able to get in for free (got VIP tickets good for all three days from local sewing center) and we all rode together to conserve fuel and parking costs. As we roamed the rows of booths it was evident that 'deals' were going to be few and far. I brought my camera and took advantage by grabbing some pictures of items to perk my memory for ideas of my own along with pictures of wanted items that I could research pricing once I was home. The resounding theme we kept hearing was "Cotton prices are going up" - yuck!

Cotton fabric is a staple for most quilters - if you quilt, you know what I'm talking about - you can never have enough fabric!! So I began to put on my thinking cap on how to save money on my hobby aside from the obvious "sale" and "coupon" techniques.

I went to my local thrift store in search of fabric - and also cotton sheets. Yes, cotton sheets!! I picked up several pieces of large quantity fabric and sheets (along with some sewing patterns and brand new never used items) all for $20.00 (which was my budget). That included local sales tax. One piece will be a perfect backing for a quilt I'm making now for my grand-niece's birthday!

Before tossing out unwanted clothing - think "repurpose" - have a hobby (like quilting) that can benefit from those clothes? Often skirts and blouses (cotton ones) have plenty of material to lend themselves to a 'second life' as a quilt. What about those buttons? Can you reuse them? If you're using the fabric from your unwanted clothing consider snipping the buttons and storing in a mason jar. Once the jar is full - put it on Craigslist or eBay - many people use buttons for numerous projects.

Waste not, want not. Hobbies are fun, but they don't have to be expensive.