2013 Frugal Living Challenge

LolaLemon

I have loads of great ideas, just don't have the time to get them done cheaply :-( I called the college n they said no :-( I've seen a tutorial to make wands, but it sounds like a lot of papermache , drying n varnishing, which time n space wize I don't have any :-(

Sort of forgot my car insuance was due, knew it was coming but march came along too quick. Its up tomorrow.. got a price down to £285 from £488ish... just checking if I can get any cash back from any sites.I've never used them before...

LolaLemon

ohh look what i just found? http://imgur.com/gallery/Kn8IN no more panic over not having any wands to give out at the party.
I'm not doing party bags, hoping eack kid will have a wand and a potion book (that i need to make, just going to be a couple of pages of paper stapled together with a few kids science experiments on them). they will get cake at the party and any sweets left over i will tell them to fill their pockets. haha.. if it didnt cost soo much i would have bought little cauldrens...

lbnblbnb

LolaLemon wrote: »

frugal living coming along nicely, could do better, but march is always a really spendorific month. Its my son and my brothers birthday at the start of April.
This year we are having a Harry Potter themed party. Everyone has to come dressed as a witch/wizard. no muggles allowed. I'm trying to get intouch with the local college to get 40odd wands made (cheaply) we are having a herbology class (they get to take home their own cress pots), a Potions class - diet coke and mentos type things... decorate tehir oen fairy cakes, and a game of quiddich all after being sorted into one of the 4 houses. Quiddich will be 2 hula hoops that they have to get a balloon through... not thought about rules or how they are going to do it without killing each other, but im sure we will get there hahaha

so far i have bought son a telescope (£45 down to £10) crystal growing (£35-£55 down to £10) a guitar (£45 down to £10) (mr t was great last night!) 2 board games under a fiver each! all thats left toget him is a skylander pack and im on track for under £100 on gifts. me and his dad are splitting the party. just having trouble on finding a suitable venue.
Im painting an old sheetto look like a brick wall, making a sign for platform 9 and 3/4, painting a forbidden forrest so they dont go near the kitchen, need black covers for the tables... buying a box of the nasty flavoured jelly beans to mix in with ordinary jelly beans... going to make a lot of cakes, fruit dipped in chocolate and on lolly sticks and just rename them all something from the books.

Wow! My son has just got into Harry Potter, I may steal your great ideas for his next party!

gallygirl

LolaLemon wrote: »

ohh look what i just found? http://imgur.com/gallery/Kn8IN no more panic over not having any wands to give out at the party.

They look great - but the comments are even better :rotfl:.

debbiedeejay

Sorry to all for being MIL lately - problems with computer & life in general - in fact this is the third time I have tried to post a reply this morning
This party sounds fantastic LolaLemon- I used to do themed parties for my DDs when they were younger and they were the ones everyone remembered!

LolaLemon wrote: »

ohh look what i just found? http://imgur.com/gallery/Kn8IN no more panic over not having any wands to give out at the party.
..

Oh yes the comments on this idea made me giggle too, so much! :rotfl:

The idea is brilliant too - maybe you could paint the wands before doing the glue and bead thing (the colour of the 4 houses?) - or at least a band of the house colour round them - then leave a flat part in the glue with no beads.

Make a bucket or something similar into a "sorting hat" -tip wands into it with a cover over it - kids can pick out a wands that sort them into houses - another adult could then write their initials on the flat bit or a sticker with name on it, hate to think of squabbling wizards over whose wand was whose.You might have to be careful over enthusiastic wand waving too! I suppose it depends on age of kids at party.

Anyway hopefully this time my computer might work and let me post - if not ad there end up several versions of this post I apologise now.

HtH

This muggle is now off to make a brew:)

LolaLemon

lbnblbnb wrote: »

Wow! My son has just got into Harry Potter, I may steal your great ideas for his next party!

Mine just got into it too, watched the 1st four and currenty I am reading the chamber of secrets for him. Steal away, I searched google loads for ideas and I have taken the ones that I can do.

gallygirl wrote: »

They look great - but the comments are even better :rotfl:.

Haha yes they sure are! I supose, in a way, if we are ever desperate, we should add it to the links on page one!

:rotfl:

debbiedeejay wrote: »

Sorry to all for being MIL lately - problems with computer & life in general - in fact this is the third time I have tried to post a reply this morning
This party sounds fantastic LolaLemon- I used to do themed parties for my DDs when they were younger and they were the ones everyone remembered!



Oh yes the comments on this idea made me giggle too, so much! :rotfl:

The idea is brilliant too - maybe you could paint the wands before doing the glue and bead thing (the colour of the 4 houses?) - or at least a band of the house colour round them - then leave a flat part in the glue with no beads.

Make a bucket or something similar into a "sorting hat" -tip wands into it with a cover over it - kids can pick out a wands that sort them into houses - another adult could then write their initials on the flat bit or a sticker with name on it, hate to think of squabbling wizards over whose wand was whose.You might have to be careful over enthusiastic wand waving too! I suppose it depends on age of kids at party.

Anyway hopefully this time my computer might work and let me post - if not ad there end up several versions of this post I apologise now.

HtH

This muggle is now off to make a brew:)

Loving the ideas, thank you! I was going to do a sorting hat at the start for getting them all into a house each. , seen an idea of gettin one of those cups that light up at the bottom, and get them to select a wand, but if it doesn't light up, they have to put it back , thinking that might be very time consuming,
so will probably use your idea of painting them first. They are mostly 5 6 & 7 years old, so hopefully they will all leave with both eyes attached to their own body lol


I'm heading to the chinese supermarket later today or tomorrow to get chopsticks, and now on the look out for a gle gun and glue sticks. I've asked on fb, just about to post on freegle and gumtree to see if I can get one free or to borrow first.

Eliza_2

Sorry to take this off the Harry Potter theme, but I was scraping burnt toast today over the sink and just wondered if anyone else does this? Maybe this is a question for the old style thread more, but I remember my dad always scraping burnt toast and I do it now - less so when I had a toaster, but am more likely to burn it now under the grill. He did it more from habit and the fact that he always did it, I do it now as I don't see any reason to waste a slice of toast just cos it's a bit burnt.

The other thing is cutting the black bits off bananas, my grandaughter helped herself to one from the fruit bowl but then asked for another as it had bruises on it. I cut those bits off and she and I ate the rest between us - she wasn't sure but copied me as she trusts me and was fine. She's a frugaller in the making, I always remember her bringing the liquid soap bottle to me and telling me it was time to top them up with water a bit more!

Does anyone else scrape toast?

[Deleted User]

Yes, I scrape burnt toast too. I actually quite like burnt toast but if it gets too bad I will scrape the black bit off.
Frugal plans for this week are:
1. To spend as close to zero pounds as possible
2. To start using my budget book again. this is a book where I keep all my receipts and keep a record of what's been spent and how much of my budget I have left. It takes a little bit of work and makes me focus on what I am spending. I have got out of the habit of using it so time to get disciplined again.
3. Get organised for Easter - going to make my Easter cards as I already have the stuff I would need. Not sure about making choc treats for family though. I think it could be cheaper to just buy eggs for my nieces by the time I buy all the ingredients for making cakes. I may have a go at pricing these up this afternoon.

LolaLemon

I don't like toast burnt so I scrape I off if if isn't too bad, or else I throw t ou for the birds.

We are off out to go get some cheap paint n sponges for making the wall at platform 9 3/4, that I will put up at the door to the party.
Also now on the look out for a glue gun, any recommendations on what to get or what features to look out for?

[Deleted User]

Well that is the Easter cards made. I had an enjoyable afternoon sitting in my craft room making them. Also practiced my knitting - I am very slow but getting there. I suppose I can get faster once I work on accuracy. I am having a go at a basket weave type pattern; fence post I think the book calls it.