Penny Pinching Patio Project – An Update – Here Comes The Rain Again May 29, 2013

Well I have gotten next to nothing done on the patio because it WILL NOT STOP RAINING!!!!!!!! (the fact that are basement floods makes this even worse…ugggggg).  I did move the flower pots out to the patio and then had to move them back up to the house because the rain un-potted some of the plants. Yep, pushed them out of the pots roots and all. I did take some photos!

Not much yet but it is getting there. I moved the kids bench from the deck but I still need big people seating. My middle child just turned 4 so I asked for a swimming pool for his birthday. If it EVER stops raining we will get it put up.

For mothers day I got a nice little pot with my babies feet on it. I think it is a sweet little touch.

Penny Pinching Patio Project – Flower up date May 20, 2013

Just thought I would give you a quick update on some of the flowers that I posted about that I got for cheep.

They look wonderful. This weekend I am going to move them over to the patio now that Missouri has decided it is spring.

Behind the big pots there are some small containers of flowers that I need to plant. We got pansies for teacher apperception week at school and the red flowers are from Mother’s Day. I also got a cute pot with my babies’ foot prints on it.

I also planted so pole beans that I though would be fun for the kids. I need to add a trellis still.

They have come in even better then this the last few days. I am starting to get excited to see things start to come together.

Penny Pinching Patio Project – Outside toy storage May 19, 2013

One of my goals was some outside toy storage so the kids can get to a few toys with out me having to let them into the garage. This way I can send them out if I am working on something in the house or doing something with the baby that will not let me go out. They can stay in the back yard and be far from the street and I can still see them from every room. We had been using a Step 2 plastic toy box in the garage for years  but it was not working well for us any more. I had my husband drill several holes in the bottom and then he attached three pieces of 2×4 so it was off the ground so it would drain and would be heavy enough to not blow away.

This solution is by no meas water tight. It did rain some last night and when I checked it today it was nice and dry. The real test will be tonight. We are on the edge of a massive thunderstorm right now and then there is another one about 30 min behind it. Everything we have in it will be fine if it gets wet so I am not that worried.

I got the toy chest used about 6 years ago for $25 but for the sake of this project it was FREE because we had all of the things already. You just have to think outside of the toy box and get a bit creative with the things you have.  Any other good ideas for outside toy storage??

Gearing up for summer saving May 17, 2013

Well as I sit here waiting for the morning bell to ring on the last Friday of the school year I am reflecting on what I need to do to save this summer.

I am looking for a new job and I know I have a paycheck until August so the need to build my stockpile now is very important. I have not had time to coupon the last few months due to work and family but now I am ready to go.

To go along with my savings plans I will start a new series called Summer Saving.

Well the kids are here so I should start class.

Penny Pinching Patio Project – Frugal Flowers May 5, 2013

I posted a bit back about how I got the kids flower bulbs for their Easter baskets. A few weeks a go I hit a good deal on some plants for the yard and the patio.

Bushes at Aldi –

 

Yep I got bushes at Aldi and they where $2.99 each. Now I do understand that it will take a few years for these to be the big full bushes that I want but they will help hid the shed! They have been in the ground for about a moth now and they are looking good and have new growth!

Lows clearance –

Missouri can not decided if it is spring or winter. We keep getting snow and flooding and all kids of crazy weather. There where lots of plants that got damaged in a snow storm. This is what we got.

I got these three min roses bushes for $2 each. There is one for each kid and they have named them. I can’t remember what they named them and the big kids fight about what the babies bush is called…it is kind of cute. They have done fantastic even with the crazy weather. All but one of them has bloomed. I did plant these in the front of the front porch so they are not really part of the Patio Project.

 

These 6 packs of Pansies where 75 cents each! I potted them and will put them on the patio when it gets a bit warmer. Right now I have them up by the house on the deck just so they stay warm at night. They are stating to fill out the planters nicely and are getting ready to bloom big time. I will try and remember to take a photo.

Penny Pinching Patio Project – 5 min project that cost a $1 April 2, 2013

Home with a sick kid today but I thought we needed to get out for a bit. After playing on the trampoline for a bit we went over to check out the project patio. I had some potting soil left from last season and an empty flower pot. We plated the harlequin flowers that I had gotten the baby for Easter at the Dollar Tree.

 

It does not look like much now but in a few weeks should add some color and softness to the patio. The green pot helps add some color too! This project used soil and a pot that I had from last year so the only cost I had was the cost of the flowers – $1! The flowers say they attract birds and butterflies so that should be an added bonus.

Homemade sports drink – 2 quarts for less then a $1

I am on my last day of Spring Brake and home with a sick kid. We do not drink sports drinks often but when the kids or I get sick we like to have them around. (I crave the red kind when I am sick). I have been wanting to try this for several months because I know it is so much cheaper.

I looked online and found LOTS of recipes for sports drinks. This one was simple so I went with it. The recipe is from the post Homemade Gatorade on the blog Living on a Dime.

Homemade Gatorade

2 quarts water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 teaspoons salt
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 packet Sugar-Free Kool-Aid

NOTE: We like it better with 1 teaspoon of salt. I also made some without the baking soda and it was fine too (I had two things of corn starch and no baking soda – that is just plane crazy!)

 

After voting today my son and I went to Dollar General and got some Wyler’s dink mix for $.13 a pack (Kool Aid cost more and I like Wyler’s better anyway). The cost of the salt, sugar, and baking soda could not be much so we got 2 quarts of Sports Drink for way less then what one single serving would cost at the store!

Thinking this would be fun to make into ice cubes to put in the kids water in the summer as a treat on HOT HOT Missouri days. Also would be a treat to put in the kids water cooler I put outside for them when we stay out all day. Most they time it will be good old H2O but this would be fun to make it the night before and drink it the next day.

 

 

Penny Pinching Patio Project – Sidewalk Chalk Organization

This is the mess of sidewalk chalk we had. The kids love the stuff (so do I it is cheep fun) but it is hard to keep track of. In an effort to get the outside toys in order I wanted to get it under control. In comes the baby wipe container…….

You can’t tell but the big pieces are in two nice piles with the little leftover bits on the top!  All in one nice place that both big kids and hold easy and open with out help. Easy and FREE!

 

Penny Pinching Patio Project – First day of hands on workings!!

Last Friday was a wonderful day! It was 62 outside and sunny.  Hard to think that we had 6 in of snow on the ground on Monday and my husband and daughter had a snow day.  We got a lot started today.

THE SHED!

I said something about how ugly the shed was and my husband got up and left the deck where we where sitting watching the kids play. When he came back he had some white spray paint and started painting the side of the shed.  He used one can and it made a HUGE difference. He just did the rusty part and it looks sooooo much better!

He only did the top left corner but it looks so good.  We are only going to do the side you can see from out house and the road and see how far we get with the spray paint we have. So far this project is Free but we will see what it costs in the end.

THE TRAMP!

So we moved the tramp so you can’t see it from the road. It is now just about the only think I can see when I look out my back door but that is ok. (I think this means that the kids have won and are now going to take over EVERYTHING).

The best part about this is the kids can get in from the deck. My 4 year old does not need help and I don’t have to be outside to see them. I can see them from the family room and the kitchen so if I need to get something done they can still play! Another wonderful thing about this is if the yard is muddy they can get to the tramp and stay clean!

 

The kids and I also swept all the leaves off of our patio so it is ready to be worked on! I can feel the excitement! Now to get the pallets from my step dad.

 

Penny Pinching Patio Project – The beginning March 28, 2013

 

This lovey photo is of the side of my house. We have a extra slab next to the one car garage. We spend a lot of time here when the weather is nice. Because we are in the country we don’t have a side walk and it is the only flat place we have to do anything. I have a love hate relationship about this space. We use it a lot but is so bland. My goal is to make this a patio that we can use. I have no real budget for this so I need to do it as cheep as possible. My husband is gone for a month during the summer and works half days in July (I love that we teach but still end up working a good portion of the summer).  I can tell you right now the trampoline is not staying there. My husband and I can’t stand the way it looks there. It was a Christmas gift so we are still trying to find the right spot.  We will also put up a pool for the kids that will not come out of my budget.

GOAL: To make a family friendly patio for free or super cheep. 

MUST HAVES:

1. Some shade! This is on the East side of the house and is in FULL sun for most of the day.

2. Seating. I need something that will not blow away in the crazy wind storms we have in Missouri. It needs to be cheep and not take up a lot of room. (would like to still be able to pull a car part way into the space)

3. Flowers. We use the small flat space to the right of the patio for our garden but would like to add some flowers in planters to add some color and soften things some.

4. Table. I have to have some place for the kids to eat and drink that will not blow away. We have a little plastic picnic table on the deck but if it gets windy it takes off from time to time.

WANTS:

1. Hiding the shed. Love that we have that rusty old thing but man it is ugly.

2. Some outside toy storage. Having to take things in and out of the garage is hard with the three kids. I would like to have something that the kids can get in and out of if I am inside with the baby. (thinking something like a deck box but they cost A LOT of money)

3. Better inside storage for toys.

4. Movable, but sturdy, privacy fence. I know it will not be a fence but would like something that we could use to get some privacy from the street.

 

I have spent some time on Pinterst getting ideas and I am very excited. Now if all the snow would melt and it would warm up!

Have any tips that might help a girl out? Leave a comment!