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Chick-fil-A App: Earn Points Towards Food

Chick-fil-A is one of our go to restaurants. The kids love the nuggets and the indoor playground and I love all of the free rewards. That’s right, Chick-fil-A provides reward points towards every purchased item. Once you reach a certain number of reward points you can redeem them for FREE FOOD!

www.chickfila.com

Chick-fil-A Rewards Program

Never heard of the Chick-fil-A rewards program? No need to worry, I will provide you with all the information you need to get started so you can start earning points towards free food.

The first thing you need to do is download the Chick-fil-A app onto your smartphone. Once the app has been downloaded, the app will prompt you to complete your registration by providing some personal information including your email. Make sure you use your primary email to register for this app because Chick-fil-A will send you special bonuses and incentive notifications.

The rewards program offers 10 points for every $1 spent in store. You can start redeeming your points for free food items once you reach 150 points. Food items on the app range in point value from 150-1500 points. I generally cash in my points for lower point foods such as ice cream (150pts), medium fries (200pts), or fountain drinks (250pts).

Chick-fil-A App Features

Once the app is activated it is time to get started. The app can be used in several different ways. Any time you order in store, whether its walk -in or drive-thru, present the app at the time of purchase and have the Chick-fil-A employee scan your QR code in the app to earn points towards your next visit. The QR code is located within the scan icon at the bottom of your app.

The app allows you to order food ahead of time for pick up. Simply enter your order on the app with the desired Chick-fil-A pick up location. Pay via credit card through the app allowing for a fast and easy food pick up without having to wait in line!

All rewards are redeemed through the app itself. Once you have enough rewards points to redeem an item, head over to the rewards icon at the bottom of the app. Click on the picture of the food item you want to redeem using your points. The app will confirm you want to redeem that item. Once the item is redeemed it will be placed in the My Rewards section of the app located in the top right corner. Once you place your order with the cashier tell them you have a reward to redeem. You will click on the reward in the My Rewards section, hit the redeem in store button, and a QR code will pop up. Present the QR code to the cashier so they can scan it. The cost of the item you ordered will promptly be removed from your current order total.

QR Code in App

You can redeem multiple rewards at one time! If you are redeeming multiple rewards you will have to present individual QR codes for each item that is being redeemed. Each of these QR codes will be found in the My Rewards section of your app.

Bonus Rewards

Chick-fil-A offers bonus rewards and incentives for using the app! When I initially signed up for the app, I received a free 8 piece chicken nugget.

I occasionally receive email notifications with rewards incentives. I have received emails saying if I order online through the app for in store pick-up on a specific Monday evening I will get a free food item in my rewards section. My local Chick-fil-A often gives out rewards through the app as well. I recently received a free Chick-fil-A sandwich from my local Chick-fil-A as a gift, these rewards often have a date of expiration so make sure you pick up your free item before it expires!

Chick-fil-A will provide a free food item to you on your birthday as well! Make sure you enter your birthday into the app when you register to take advantage of that reward!

All in all this app is definitely worth a download! Get out there and “Eat Mor Chikin.”

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Vegas on a Budget: How to live large without breaking the bank!

My friend from out of state had a comped hotel room in Vegas and asked if I would like to meet her there for a girls trip. Kid free girls trip to Vegas, sign me up! Originally, we planned on seeing Britney Spears in concert (hello, the early 2000’s are my jam) so we booked our trip around the concert date. The concert was scheduled mid week, which worked well with budget friendly airfare pricing.

Airfare and Hotel

There are tons of great hotel and airfare deals for Vegas year round. I have a Chase Sapphire rewards credit card that allows me to earn points towards airfare; for more details on the Chase Sapphire rewards credit card refer to my previous blog post Tropical Vacation on a Budget.

I used my Chase travel reward points to purchase my airfare to Vegas for this trip through Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is my go to airline for budget friendly vacations. [I can’t wait to check out Southwest Airlines newly released airfare deals to Hawaii!]

www.southwest.com

This trip I did not have to pay for a hotel room; however, when I do have to pay for a hotel room I generally find great hotel deals to Vegas through Groupon or Booking.com. Don’t be afraid to shop around, sometimes the hotels main website offers great deals as well.

Want to live the suite life but don’t have the budget? We were upgraded to a large suite simply by tipping the person checking us into the hotel room. While being checked into the hotel, the front desk clerk will ask for an identification card and credit card to be placed on file for your room. Place a $20 bill in between your credit card and your identification card and ask “Are there are any complimentary upgrades at this time?” This $20 trick is worth the gamble! Even if you don’t get upgraded to a suite, they might give you a room with a better view, or offer you comps at the hotel.

Preparing for Vegas/Reservations

I scheduled my trip to Vegas several months in advance, which means I had time to plan and prepare. I started setting aside cash each month for my trip to help keep me accountable and avoid racking up bills on my credit card. By the time I was ready to leave for my trip I had saved $300 in cash. While $300 doesn’t seem like a lot, it alleviated some of the money stress I have when I go on vacations.

Making dinner reservations ahead of time is important. I love watching cooking shows on television and am familiar with a lot of the celebrity Chef’s. Vegas has a ton of celebrity Chef restaurants catering to a wide price range [do not rule these locations out if you are on a budget]! After looking over several of the restaurants, I decided to make reservations at Giada’s restaurant at the Cromwell Hotel. Giada’s had a variety of food items at a reasonable price for a celebrity Chef restaurant. Make sure you make reservations online before you go! I highly recommend planning out your meals and making reservations online for restaurants to make your life easier!

Rent The Runway

Getting dressed up and going out for a night on the town is the thing to do in Vegas. So what do you do if you are on a budget and don’t have any appropriate outfits? Rent the Runway is the answer to all of your clothing needs!

Lets be real, as a Mom of two I do not find myself getting dressed up and going out to bars and clubs anymore. I eliminated my go to party dresses from my closet many years ago (and if we are being honest after two kids they probably don’t fit anymore!).

www.renttherunway.com

I discovered Rent the Runway several years ago while I was looking for a dress to attend a wedding. Rent the Runway offers people the ability to rent designer dresses for a small fee.

After you select your outfit, you pick two dress sizes you want shipped to you at no additional cost. That is right, they will send you the same outfit in two sizes at no additional cost to you to ensure the outfit fits you correctly. The item is shipped to you in a sealed garment back. You get to pick a four day block in which you have the outfit (you can rent the outfit for longer but it will cost you more money). Once you are finished with the outfit you seal the garment bag up, attach the pre paid return shipping label, which is included in the garment bag, and you drop the garment bag off at a Fed-Ex location.

Rent the Runway is a great budget friendly place to get high end clothing for special events without having to pay the high end price tags that go along with them (AND NOOO laundry, Rent the Runway handles that for you!)!

Getting Around in Vegas

Ground transportation is unavoidable in Vegas. There are buses and shuttles you can find from the Airport to your hotel but those can take a long time and are generally crowded.

Uber is the best bang for your buck. Uber has one flat rate fee for your ride as opposed to a Taxi. The average cost for an Uber ride on the strip was $8.68; you can opt to do a shared Uber ride which will lower the cost of your trip as well. The cost of an Uber from the airport to and from my hotel was approximately $16 each way.

Spa on a Budget

Since Britney Spears canceled her Vegas shows (bummer), I splurged and bought myself a massage at the Wynn Resort and Spa which allowed me access to all of their spa amenities. The next day I found myself wanting to relax and it was too cold to sit by the pool, so I found a budget friendly spa experience I will be utilizing EVERY time I visit Vegas.

If you are staying at a big name hotel in Vegas more than likely they have a Spa. This trip we stayed at the Palms Resort and Casino. Most Spa’s allow you to purchase a day pass, which allows you all day access to all of the Spa amenities without purchasing a Spa treatment. In Vegas the average cost of a spa day pass is $50.

I don’t know about the other big name hotels, but the Palms Resort offered a discounted spa day pass rate of $25 to guests staying at the hotel. I purchased the Palms Resort spa day pass and spent 5 hours relaxing in the steam room, hot tubs, plunge pool, and sauna. The Spa offered juice, water, and light snacks at no additional cost. This experience was well worth the $25; make sure you check the Spa day pass rates at the hotel you choose to stay at, you will not regret it!

Unavoidable Costs

Unfortunately alcohol in Vegas is expensive. I suggest buying alcohol at a convenience store near your hotel and make your own drinks in the room prior to going out to save some money.

Gambling is something I am not too interested in. Since I was in Vegas, I dedicated $5 to a slot machine….I am still on a budget so you can guess how that went.

All in all I had a great girls weekend in Vegas and managed to stay on budget. I can’t wait for our next budget friendly getaway!

 

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Easy DIY Blanket Ladder

Finished Easy DIY Blanket Ladder

I love my farmhouse and love filling it with great farmhouse inspired decor. I fell in love with a blanket ladder at Target, but sadly it was outside of the budget. As I stood there staring at it longingly, I thought I could probably make a version of it myself for a lot less money. Follow me on my journey to make the best DIY Blanket Ladder!

Getting the Perfect Wood

I went home and took an inventory of my wood supply. I find tons of free lumber and scrap wood through my neighborhood Facebook groups. A few months ago, I acquired 6 intact wood shutters from the exterior of an old house for free. The shutters were brown on one side and green on the other side. I went back and forth over whether to keep the paint on the wood shutters or strip the paint completely and add a stain to the wood. I decided to leave the paint on the shutters and sand it down in places to give it a rustic farmhouse look. However, if you don’t have any scrap wood you can buy your wood of choice from Home Depot, I would recommend buying furring strips because they are the best bang for your buck, but any wood will do.

Shutter I used to create the blanket ladder-I had to remove some exposed nails prior to cutting!

Materials/Supplies:

  • scrap wood or furring strips (I used three 6 ft long boards)
  • miter saw
  • nail gun
  • hand sander/sand paper
  • wood stain of your choice
  • measuring tape
  • pencil

Cutting and Preparing the Wood

Before you begin, decide on the height you want your ladder to be. I chose to make my ladder 50 inches tall. Using the pencil and measuring tape, I took two pieces of wood from one of my shutters and marked off 50 inches on each piece.

I chose to add 4 ladder rungs to my ladder; you can add as many or as little ladder rungs as you like depending on the height of your ladder. I took a third piece of wood from my shutter and marked off 4 separate 1 foot long pieces with my pencil and measuring tape, these would become my rungs.

After I had all of my wood pieces marked I proceeded to make my cuts. I wanted the bottom of my ladder to sit nearly flush with the floor while the top half rested against the wall. I set my miter saw to a 15 degree angle. I cut the marked ends of both of my wood pieces using the 15 degree angle cut on the miter saw. I set my two base pieces to the side.

I set my miter saw angle back to zero so I could cut all of my ladder rungs. I cut the 4 ladder rungs along the lines I had marked earlier, each rung should be 1 foot in length.

Sanding and Staining

I chose to sand down the existing paint on my repurposed wood using a corded hand sander. The corded hand sander made the project go a lot faster, however, if you don’t have a corded hand sander you can use regular sand paper. If you are using wood without paint no sanding is needed.

I added a layer of gray wood stain to my sanded wood to give it a rustic aged look. There are a variety of wood stains and colors, pick the stain that is right for your style.

Assembling the Ladder

After the stain dried completely on my ladder bases and rungs, I began the assembly process. I measured and marked the location I wanted each rung to be placed on the ladder on both ladder bases. The markings on the ladder bases should be exactly the same.

I placed the ladder bases on the ground parallel to each other. I placed each ladder rung in between the ladder bases in the pre-marked locations. I angled the first ladder rung towards the ground. Using my nail gun, I placed four nails on the outside of each ladder base into the ladder rung (eight nails per ladder rung). I continued angling the remaining ladder rungs towards the ground and attached them to the ladder base as indicated above.

Finished Blanket Ladder

Finishing Touches

I did not patch the nail holes on my ladder. I went with a rustic farmhouse ladder and thought the nail holes gave it some character. However, if you want to patch the nail holes you can always fill the holes with wood filler and sand it down prior to staining.

I added a thick felt adhesive to the back of the ladder that would be resting against the wall to prevent the wall from becoming damaged. Buy the felt adhesive I used for this project using the link below.

 

Everbilt Heavy Duty Felt I used for the back of the ladder.

I placed the ladder directly into my living room and added various blankets. That is it! This is a super simple budget friendly DIY project that only took a couple of hours to complete. Time to get out there and start building!

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Buying and Selling with Poshmark

Like any woman I LOVE to shop! Clothes shopping on a budget is hard. I generally put myself last in line for new clothes. The kids need clothes because they are constantly growing and my husband always needs something for work so my needs generally get pushed to the back burner.

After moving, I realized I had tons of designer clothes and bags I did not want or use anymore since having children. I could donate the clothes but I would not be able to replace them anytime soon with our current budget. I decided to sell my old designer clothes, bags, and shoes online to make money to buy new clothes for myself. 

I saw several advertisements online for the website Poshmark, Poshmark is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell new or used clothes, shoes, and accessories online. I decided to give Poshmark a try. The first step in the process is signing up for Poshmark and creating a profile.

www.poshmark.com

Getting Started with Poshmark

Poshmark is a very easy to use straight forward application. Once you create your profile, Poshmark will link you up with people selling brands you indicated you liked during your profile application. As a seller, you will gain followers based on the item brands you post for sale.

Before you start selling you should familiarize yourself with the companies guidelines and expectations. For every item you sell under $15 Poshmark takes a flat rate of $2.95 from your purchase earnings. For every item you sell over $15 Poshmark takes 20 percent of your purchase earnings. Poshmark covers the cost of shipping for all items 5lbs and under. Poshmark provides the seller with a pre-paid pre-addressed shipping label for every item sold. If the item you are selling is over 5lbs you will have to pay for the price difference at the post office.

Poshmark does not provide you with shipping boxes. Do not pay for boxes to ship! I am a huge Amazon shopper. I save all of my Amazon boxes and reuse them as shipping boxes for my Poshmark sales. If you do not have any shipping boxes sitting around your house, you can pick up free Priority Mail boxes from the post office at any time.

Listing Items on Poshmark

Now that we know how Poshmark works lets talk about listing your first item. Once you have the item picked out you are going to sell, it is time to photograph it. Getting a great photograph for your item is very important, you want to catch someones attention and stand out. Photograph your item with a visually appealing background and take as many detailed photographs as possible in good lighting.

Example of one of my sales photos

Once you are happy with your photographs, you will upload them into the Poshmark application where you will be asked several questions about the item. Poshmark has you list information about the item you are selling including brand, size, and color. It is important when you price the item for sale you are not overpricing it. Be reasonable and be prepared to drop the price of your item if it is not selling to generate views and new buyers. After you complete all the prompted questions you will post the item for sale and wait for buyers to contact you.

Be aware that most people will offer you a lower price for your item than what you originally listed it for. Poshmark allows you to counter offer, decline, or accept buyers offers. I have declined several offers from buyers on Poshmark because their offers were so far below my original list price.

What to Do After you Make a Sale

After you make a sale, Poshmark will notify you by email and send you a pre-paid shipping label. Download and print the shipping label.

Make sure your item is clean and folded nicely; I generally wrap my sale items in tissue paper to make it look more presentable. Place your item into your shipping box and tape it up. Attach your pre-paid shipping label to the shipping box with tape. Drop your shipping box off at the post office within two days of the sale of your item if possible (obviously there are holidays and weekends that can cause delays).

Once the item is shipped, you can track your package through the Poshmark app. The buyer has three days to review the purchased item and decide if they will accept the item. If they decline to accept the item it will be shipped back to you. If they accept the item the money from your sale will show up in the My Balance section of your Poshmark profile. Once the money is in your Poshmark account, you can request a check, request a direct deposit into your bank account, or use your Poshmark balance to purchase other items on Poshmark.

Buying Items on Poshmark

If there is certain item you are looking to purchase, you can use the search bar to try and locate that item.

If you find something to purchase on Poshmark, don’t feel like you have to buy it for the price they are listing it for. Try and get the best deal you can and make them a reasonable offer for their item. Be aware you will be required to pay for shipping. Poshmark does offer several deals throughout the year that include free or discounted shipping, so keep your eye out!

My Poshmark Experience

Eight months ago I listed my first item for sale on Poshmark. Since then, I have made $535 in cash off of items that were taking up space in my closet.

Although I have made a decent amount of money these last eight months, my sales did not happen overnight. I have some things that have been listed for sale that sit waiting for the right buyer while others fly off the shelf.

Poshmark allows me to make money with minimal effort. If you have a bunch of clothes sitting around collecting dust and you are wanting to make a little extra money, give Poshmark a try you will not be disappointed.

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Tropical Vacation on a Budget

Dominican Republic

Travel Rewards Credit Cards

When we transitioned to a single income family I knew we had to maximize our savings. These days almost every credit card company offers a rewards credit card; anything from a cash back card to airfare rewards cards, the possibilities are overwhelming and endless. I did a lot of online research to find a rewards credit card that supplied the best reward advantages for our families lifestyle.

Chase Sapphire Rewards Credit Card

I ultimately applied for the Chase Sapphire Rewards credit card. Chase offered 50,000 bonus points for signing up for the card and spending $4,000 on the card within the first 3 months. So basically if you spend $4,000 within the first three months Chase is giving you $625 back in travel credits. Money back on travel, now that is something I can get behind. Airfare for a family of four or more is expensive. The Chase Sapphire Rewards credit card allows us to obtain airfare for our entire family while maintaining our budget.

Deciding on the Location

After receiving our $625 dollars in travel points from Chase, my husband and I began discussing our yearly family vacation. We were torn between going to Disneyland or going somewhere more tropical. I priced out vacations to Disneyland and Hawaii for our family online. After pricing out airfare, hotels, and food and drinks for the week both of those locations were ruled out for this years budget.

To maximize our budget we thought it might be best to look into all inclusive hotel resorts. After some online research we settled on our vacation destination; Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic!

Punta Cana 2012 at Zoetry Resort

Several years ago (pre-kids) my husband and I went on a family vacation to the Dominican Republic and we loved it. The ocean was the warmest water we had ever been in. We couldn’t wait to book our trip, we just needed to find the ideal hotel for our kids and our budget.

Finding Great Deals Online

As a Costco member I love utilizing their travel website to help get ideas for hotels. Usually we end up booking our stay through Costco Travel because they offer great incentives and usually offer the lowest price when compared to other sites online. After reading several online reviews, we decided on our hotel, The Majestic Colonial Hotel in Punta Cana. Costco Travel offered an all inclusive 4 night package at The Majestic Colonial Hotel that included round trip airport transportation for $1,800 for a family of 4.

While $1,800 seemed like a great deal, I decided to check other online websites to see if there were any lower prices for The Majestic Colonial Hotel during the dates we wanted to travel. Surprisingly, I found a great hotel deal through Chase Travel. As a Chase Sapphire Rewards credit card holder, I have access to Chase Travel where I can cash in points, use my credit card, or use a combination of the two for travel. Chase Travel offered the Majestic Colonial Hotel for the same dates without the airport transportation for $1,200. No way is transport to and from the airport worth $600. I booked the hotel using a combination of points and my credit card. The total out of pocket expense for our all inclusive hotel for a family of four was $1,100 after cashing in $100 of our reward points. Why did I only use $100 of my rewards points? Airfare! I wanted to pay for our families entire airfare to Punta Cana with rewards points.

Finding the Best Airfare

Finding the best airfare generally depends on what type of travel rewards credit card you have. The Chase Sapphire Rewards credit card allows me to choose from a large variety of airline carriers. After I determine the airline I want to book with, Chase Travel transfers my rewards points directly to the chosen airline and allows me to book with them.

Southwest Airlines

To get the most bang for my buck, I ultimately chose to book our airfare through Southwest Airlines. I generally fly Southwest and have been a member of Southwest’s Rewards program for several years. Southwest’s Rewards program is free to join and allows you to earn points from the flights you book with them directly. I used a combination of my Southwest Rewards points and my Chase Sapphire Rewards points to book airfare for 2 adults and 2 children from Austin to Punta Cana. Although I used points to book my airfare there were still International Fees I had to pay that were not included in the price of my ticket. Unfortunately the airline does not allow you to use points towards the International fees. The International fees for our trip were $400 ($100 per person).

Enjoying the Benefits

Did my trip take a lot of planning? Yes, but it is worth a little online research to save a ton of money! Our total trip cost me $1,500 out of pocket which includes airfare, hotel, and unlimited food and drinks (including adult beverages). A tropical beach vacation for $375 a person, maybe it’s time to start planning our next vacation! What adventure will your budget take you on?

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Making Spending Money by Buying Groceries

As a stay at home mom of two, budget maximization is key. One of the biggest ticket items each month for our family is our grocery bill.

Prior to staying home, I would go to the grocery store and buy whatever I fancied without a lot of planning. I noticed I was tossing a lot of refrigerated items that were expiring before I had a chance to use them (mostly fruits and veggies). After staying at home, I realized I needed to plan ahead to help save money, I couldn’t in good conscious buy food only to have it end up in my garbage can.

Meal Planning/Coupons

Meal planning is key to eliminating waste. I plan out each meal for the week and write a grocery list based off of what we will be having. After I have my meals planned, I hunt for coupons!

Coupons are key to reducing your grocery bill. I am by no means a crazy couponer that goes to the store and leaves paying ten cents for their hundred dollar grocery bill. On average, I save $20-$30 per grocery trip with coupons that I find primarily online. I go to the grocery store once a week, which means I am saving on average $80-$120 a month. Think of what you could buy with $80-$120, the possibilities are endless.

Most Grocery chains have Coupon Rewards Programs!

My local grocery store is H-E-B. Like most grocery stores, H-E-B has a coupon rewards program. I signed up for the H-E-B coupon rewards program online and downloaded the H-E-B app onto my phone. Each week, I check the available coupons on the H-E-B app and select the ones applicable to my upcoming shopping trip. Each week I receive an H-E-B coupon pamphlet in the mail. The coupon pamphlet shows the in store deals they will be having that week. Some of the deals in the H-E-B coupon pamphlet are different than the online coupons so make sure you check both to maximize your savings. Don’t live near an H-E-B? Don’t worry, most grocery stores have an online coupon program. Check with your local grocery chain to see what coupons are waiting for you!

The other type of coupons I use are manufacturers coupons. Manufacturers coupons are coupons released by the manufacturer of the food item listed on the coupon. Manufacturers coupons can be used at ANY store. Luckily, there are several online websites that allow you to browse and clip all of the currently available manufacturers coupons. My favorite website to find manufacturers coupons is www.coupons.com. All you have to do is print the coupons and present them in store.

Making Money From Your Receipt

You’ve done your meal planning, clipped your coupons, completed your shopping and received your savings but the savings do not end at the register. Make sure you save ALL of your receipts (H-E-B, Target, Costco, Walgreens etc..). Based on what you purchased, your receipts can end up making you money! That’s right, cash money back in your pocket.

My favorite cash back app.

Ibotta is my favorite app for earning money back from your grocery bills. While there are several apps on the market who offer similar incentives as Ibotta, I have found Ibotta is the easiest to navigate and offers money back on items I generally buy.

Ibotta features several brand specific items that generally change throughout the month. There is a listed price below each item on Ibotta. If you purchase one of the items from the store listed on the Ibotta app, the amount listed below the item will be added into your Ibotta account. Once you reach $20 in your Ibotta account you can cash out your account for money or giftcards.

I tend to cash in my Ibotta credits for Amazon giftcards to use throughout the year. Another good savings plan is to save your Ibotta credits and cash them out around the holidays to limit your out of pocket expenses. Not an Ibotta member? Sign up now to start earning savings by clicking the link below.

https://ibotta.com/r/qsbqlve

Ibotta is currently offering a $20 sign up bonus. Free money….what are you waiting for? Happy Shopping!

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Valentines on a Dime

Valentines Day Gifts on the Cheap

While looking for Valentine’s Day cards for my husband and kids, I thought why are we paying $5-$8 a card? That is a Starbucks run, morning donuts for the kids, or a solo chick-fil-a run. I can’t waste money on a piece of paper I am just going to toss in the garbage in a week. So where can you find an affordable card these days? Look no further than my favorite holiday decoration and small gifts location, the one and only Dollar Tree.

That’s right, the Dollar Tree is one of my favorite locations for holiday decorations and kids activities. Everything at the store is a dollar or less (hence the name the DOLLAR Tree). Before every holiday I find myself at the Dollar Tree scoping out the decorations and this Valentines Day was no different.

The Dollar Tree had an amazing selection of Valentine’s Day cards. They had fancy cards for $1 (I got one of those for my husband) and they had cute kids cards with less glitter for $0.50 each (I got two of these, one for each child).

While there, I got the kids each a Valentine’s Day themed Mickey and Minnie chocolate box and a coloring activity set. Total price of each child’s Valentine’s Day present including card was $2.50 each.

My oldest son is in preschool and like any school aged kid it is common to bring Valentines to each child in their class. While at the store I found a 3 pack of bubbles for $1, I picked those up as this years class Valentine. They also had a wide selection of traditional character themed Valentines cards if you would rather go that route.

After I got all of the goodies home, I decided to make custom Valentines cards to accompany the bubbles. To make my custom cards I turned to my favorite crafting device my Cricut!

Beloved. Cricut

I made a heart for each child with the saying “your friendship blows me away” and on the back I wrote my son’s name. I attached the personalized hearts to the bubbles using twine.

Bubble Valentines

My son picked out a cute plant to gift his teacher for Valentine’s Day, which we found at our local H-E-B for $6. I made her a personalized heart on the Cricut saying “If teachers were flowers, I would pick you.”

Teacher’s Gift

Don’t have a Dollar Tree near you, don’t worry Target (my other go to store) has you covered. The dollar bin at Target offers a wide variety of items. Always check the items you grab from the Target dollar bin because items are priced at $1, $3, or $5. Since there are only 3 people in my son’s class, I decided to personalize felt Valentine’s Day themed envelopes I found in the Target dollar bin for each child.

Target Dollar Bin Valentines Envelopes

Using the Austina font on Cricut, I printed each child’s name onto heat transfer vinyl. Heat transfer vinyl allows you to personalize any cloth item. Simply cut out the design onto the heat transfer vinyl and attach the vinyl to the cloth item using an iron. Make sure when attaching the heat transfer vinyl to the cloth item you use a light dish cloth or similar item as a barrier between the iron front and the heat transfer vinyl. Want to find heat transfer vinyl at an affordable price? I often find heat transfer vinyl for major discounts at stores such as Tuesday Morning or Homegoods. The heat transfer vinyl I used for this project originally sold for $16.99 but I purchased it from Tuesday Morning for $5.99.

Adding Heat Transfer Vinyl
Valentines are ready for School

Don’t have a Cricut? No problem. Get a copy of the hearts I used for Valentine’s Day below or find a variety of cool free printable online. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

 

*I provided buying links to a majority of the tools and supplies I personally used for this project. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Board and Batten or Bust!

Board and Batten Dining Room Accent Wall

I wanted to update the walls in my house and add character without breaking the bank. I could have painted the walls and added accent colors but I wanted something with a bit more character. I love the look of board and batten but sadly it was not in my budget. After some research, I realized I can do this myself for a lot less than it would cost me to hire someone to install it.

I told my husband my plan to add board and batten to the downstairs living and dining room and surprisingly he loved my idea. I immediately got down to business and started drawing out a plan. I decided to install board and batten in the dining room first so I could get a feel for the look. My motto for this project is “Start small, dream big.”

Before Picture

I have a small dining area so the space was not that overwhelming to tackle. Here are the tools and supplies I recommend to complete the project with the least amount of headache:

TOOLS/SUPPLIES:

  • Miter Saw
  • Air Compressor Nail Gun
  • 1 1/2 inch Pneumatic Finishing Nails
  • 1x4x8 furring strips
  • level
  • measuring tape
  • paint (I used the Behr Premium Plus Ultra Minimalistic in Satin finish)
  • Hand Sander
  • Paint Brushes
  • Wood Filler
  • Paintable Caulk

*I had the advantage of having flat untextured walls. If you have a textured wall you might want to consider adding full length boards of plywood or MDF if you want a perfectly flat appearance.

The first thing you need to do before heading to the hardware store is measure the space you are placing the board and batten to get an idea on how much wood you will need. My dining room wall is exactly 8 feet in length. I decided to start the board and batten 40 inches high because I didn’t want to have to navigate around the light switches. I ran the boards approximately 15 1/4 inches apart. I ended up needing 4 boards (1x4x8 furring strips) for the entire project. I purchased my furring strips at Home Depot for approximately $2.30 per board (love that price!).

While at Home Depot I purchased the paint for the project. I have two toddlers who are always touching the walls with Mac n Cheese hands so I knew I wanted to buy the more expensive washable paint. I purchased a gallon the Behr Premium Plus Ultra in the color Minimalisitc, which is a fancy name for white. This is where I spent the majority of my money. The paint cost $32 and was worth every penny!

After purchasing my supplies I got down to work. Using my stud finder I found and marked the location of every stud in the area I would be hanging the board and batten. The reason I marked the location of the studs was so I could ensure that when I nailed the wood into the wall at least some of my nails would go into a stud allowing extra support.

I marked the location I would be hanging my vertical wood boards all the way down the wall.

I painted the horizontal top board and the two vertical end caps before placing them on the wall. This is not necessarily something that needs to be done but it saved me the headache of getting excess paint on the wall edges.

I hung the horizontal top board first. My wall was exactly 8 feet in length, which means I did not have to cut this board down (score, one less cut!). I held the board at my desired height. Once the board was in the desired location, I placed my level on top of the board to ensure it was completely level. Using my nail gun, I placed several 1 1/2 inch nails into the board attaching it to the wall.

Horizontal Top Board

I chose to paint the wall below the horizontal top board with a coat of paint before attaching the vertical boards because I thought it would make things easier for myself and it was a task I could do while the kids were napping without waking them.

I measured the distance from the bottom of the horizontal top board to the top of my base board for each desired vertical board location. I used my miter saw to cut each vertical board to its desired size. The vertical end cap closest to my staircase required me to complete a bevel cut so it would fit flush against my stair railing.

Bevel Cut

After completing all of the vertical board cuts, I attached the boards to the wall in the same manner as the horizontal top board using 1 1/2 inch nails in conjunction with my level.

All of the boards are installed….time for wood filler and caulk!

Once all of my boards were in place, I filled all of the nail holes and seams where the boards met with wood filler. Once the wood filler was dry, I sanded down the areas until they were smooth. I also sanded down a few imperfections in the wood.

I caulked around the tops, bottoms, and edges of every board on the wall with paintable caulk to give the wall a more finished look.

Once everything was dry, I painted the entire board and batten area several times with the Behr Ultra Premium Paint I purchased from Home Depot.

The total cost of the board and batten dining room wall was $42. It cost me $10 for the wood and $32 for the paint. All of the other items used in this project I already had on hand.

It took me 2 days of intermittent work (two toddlers remember) and less than $50 to complete this beautifully elegant accent wall. I can’t wait to start on my next project!

The finished product!

 

*I provided buying links to a majority of the tools and supplies I personally used for this project. As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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