Monday, May 12, 2008

I Can Be Frugal....I Can Be Frugal.....

I am trying to stay on budget for the first time in...... well ever. In the last few months, I have managed it by the skin of my teeth. Of course the price of everything, coincidentally, is going way up just to spite me ;)



And thanks to Susan I am more conscious of what we throw away.
So the story goes, dear daughter's booster seat is a hand-me-down, 5 year old thing. In perfectly good functional state, but the fabric is irreversibly nastified. Honestly, no one stain is too horrible. But her seat pales in comparison to dear daughter's friend's booster seats. New. Pink cheetah. Pink sheepskin. Pink Moo Cow. Dear daughter wanted a new booster seat. It would be ~$90 and she will probably need a booster seat for about 2 more years. (Side note: her poor brother is almost seven and only weighs 47 pounds. I think he will be in junior high before he hits the 60-pound booster-free zone since he has been gaining only one or two pounds a year.)



Now I was considering.............peer pressure at four years old........but the seat is kinda gross..........but we don't NEED a new one..........but she hasn't whined about it, just asked nicely a couple of times.............but I NEED to stay on budget........



then, brace yourselves, I had a fabulous idea. It was spur of the moment and cost exactly $14.99 (plus tax).



Here is my solution






Solution=Recycled Booster Seat

So I am happy to save $75, happy to not give or throw away a booster seat. Dear daughter is thrilled that she got to pick out the shiniest, hot pinkiest fabric in the store. I just tied back the stretchy veloury fabric (does anyone know the proper term?) with some silver ribbon. No sewing required. We are good to go. I think I can even wash it as needed.

So I tell dear husband the story of how I saved us $75 and all he had to say was "If you saved us any money, just put it on my dresser."

3 comments:

Hayley Townley, Jack of Many Trades said...

I think stretchy veloury fabric IS the technical term.

I love this solution. If you ever looked close enough at the purple chair in my living room, you would know that I did something very similar. Except I didn't have any stretchy veloury fabric, nor anybody to help me pick out the pinkiest. That is why it is purple.

Susan said...

I agree with Hayley that stretchy veloury fabric is the correct term, especially when you're describing the pinkiest.

You're making me feel almost influential. Kinda scary, really.

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Say it with me. FRUGAL is NOT the F word. :)

THAT is an AWESOME idea in all sorts of ways. And very lovely too I might add.