What can you buy for $100?

Apparently a lot, when you are frugal! I took out $100 cash from the ATM. Ryan and I have been living very frugal lately and we boast by how much we have been saving by using coupons and other tricks. Here's what I got:

-3 shirts and 1 skirt at Burlington Coat Factory (they're more than great coats!)
-1 mama makeover including haircut, highlights, and my makeup done (courtesy of the fine gals at Merle Norman on West Anderson Lane and Shoal Creek)
-1 chicken finger kids meal at Sonic (this was for me)
-dinner for two at TGI Fridays (including tip)
-1 blessing outfit for a cute baby boy (including shoes)
-2 Father's Day gifts (one for my dad and one for Ryan)
-1 birthday gift for my dad
-2 packs of cards

I got all that for less than $100! How, you say... Well, first of all I have to say that sacrifice brings blessing. We have been trying really hard to spend less and we have been blessed in ways that help us succeed. But here's the real break down:

-Burlington Coat Factory is my new favorite store. Besides the HUGE selection, their prices are great and they always have a ton of things on sale. The shoes for Cannon's blessing outfit were under $2.
-My mama makeover was a surprise. I had scheduled to have my hair cut (not highlighted) with Kathy at Ryan's mom's store (Merle Norman). When I got there she asked if I wanted to be one of her models to help promote her services. She said she would not charge me for the hair cut and highlights! I said great and that she could do whatever she wanted to with my hair. She took before and after pictures. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, but I will get a copy of the pics and post them later. Dana, the aesthetician, wanted to do my makeup so she could practice. She did a smokey eye on me and even gave me false eyelashes (Kylene, you would love it!). Although it was free, I did leave Kathy a tip. It was very nice of them and so much fun for me! I love my new haircut! I can wear it curly by just letting it dry on its own. It's perfect for a new mom and perfect for the summer.
-After my mama makeover, Ryan and I went on a hot date. Well, it was just to TGI Fridays and we used our coupon for the buy one get one free entree. Apparently you can use it as many times as you want until it expires.
-For Cannon's blessing outfit, I made it. Let me back up before you get so excited. I am not a seamstress. I know the basics of sewing, but I can't follow a pattern. I usually just invent some way that makes sense to me. I couldn't find a cute blessing outfit for Cannon and I didn't want to spend beaucoup bucks on something he would only wear once, even if it is a special occasion. So I had an idea in my head. I used a short sleeved, white collared shirt that someone gave me and I sewed it together with the bottom half of a little girls white romper that I found at the Goodwill for $1. I cut the romper in half and took off the elastic around the leg holes. It's not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well.
-For the gifts, I did pictures. I printed off some pictures at the photo store. The first time I went, I spend about $2. Later on in the day, I came up with another idea that required me to print out more pictures. I went back and the cost would have been about $3, but I had accumulated money on my expired membership card that covered the cost. Too bad I didn't realize that earlier in the day. Oh well. I framed the pictures in frames and photo mats I already had (I have tons of photo stuff, some of it never used). The other Father's Day gift for my dad is a stepping stone molding with Cannon's feet prints. I found this at Michael's on sale. I also found the cards at Michael's for $1 for each package. I used my 50% off coupon making it 50 cents.
-The kids meal at Sonic was full price, but I saved money and calories by not buying an adult meal.

So that's how I did it.


This was the day after I got my hair done (this was at the end of the day, so it's a little messy). I let my hair dry by itself, which is a miracle! I am not wearing any makeup, but if you look closely you can see the false eyelashes. I will post some good pictures soon.


This is the end result. Not bad for a crazy idea. I think Ryan was a bit concerned when I initially told him that I was going to make Cannon's blessing outfit.


Here's my cutie boy being cute.


Claudine gave us a lot of her baby stuff that they don't need anymore. Cannon is still a little small for this seat, but he'll be big enough soon.


He loves to look at the mirror thing I have above his changing table. It's his favorite toy to look at. He smiles and coos at the baby in the mirror (although I'm not actually sure he can see himself, maybe he just likes the colors and patterns).