Several women have commented on Lydia’s car seat tent, so I’m finally getting around to doing the tutorial.  It’s SUPER easy!

I remember going out with Abigail and getting frustrated, trying to keep the sun completely out of her eyes with the car seat sunshade.  And don’t even get me started about when it would rain.  Also, the wind, oh the wind where I live is killer and blankets would always blow off, and it was a hassle to hold her car seat, while trying to keep a blanket over her.  So, thank goodness I discovered an awesome way to cover up your newborn with a car seat tent.  Here’s what you need to have on hand to make one yourself . . .

Supplies

• about 2 yards total of fabric (if you want it to be reversible, you can use 1 yd of one color and 1 yd of another color, or you can simply use two yards of the same fabric)
• thread
• velcro (not the adhesive kind; buy the kind for sewing)

Okay, so I started typing up a tutorial for this but erased it all, but I don’t have the patience to remember what all I did, since it’s been about 4 months since I made this.  So, I’ll just leave you some links to some car seat tent tutorials that will be helpful.  Also, here are some of my measurements that might help you (keep in mind that this won’t make sense to you until you look at the tutorial links):

• I cut 2 inches off the bottom; it left my fabrics to be 36 L x 42 W (35 long when sewed)
• For my velcro straps: soft side up, facing back (velro down, facing front) 7-8 inches long
• When I measured the cloth front to back, I sewed the straps directly in the middle lengthwise (21 inches) and measured side to side; 12.5 from outside (7 ¼ in b/t each other).
• 

PAMPERS Gifts to Grow Codes

Worth 10 Points: FEBTHANKYOUFANS (Expires 2/5/10)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HUGGIES Enjoy the Ride Codes: (here are some codes I’ve posted in the past)

Worth 5 Points Each:

• BFGSKHHXKPFTPGB
• BFNMBKDSPXRCPGB
• BFGMRKBCNNHHPGB

Worth 2 Points Each:

• JQQPMHXRMPGGPGB

Worth 1 Point Each:

• BGTZHNRBBGMCPGB
• BGWJMFJLJNRCPGB
• BGXGPFJLWBQHPGB
• BHCFDQMZWBMHPGB

***BHHDRPWFBLXDPGB is a Bonus code worth 15 pts (expires 2/28/10) that you will receive only if you enter another code from a Huggies product that you purchased.  So, when you enter the code, it will probably say it’s worth 0 points, until you enter another code from your diapers or wipes package before the expiration date!

I love these soaps from Bath and Body Works.  Not only do they smell great, but they’re soft on your hands, and it’s so much easier for Abi to wash her hands with the “bubble soap.”

I had even put them on my wish list for Christmas this year because we just ran out of the bottles in our kitchen and guest bathroom.  Then, I discovered there might be a way to make the foaming soap with regular soap and save lots of money.  Easy and super quick.

Ingredients

• An empty bottle of Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand soap
• Any liquid antibacterial soap (I used Bath & Body Works)

Directions

1. Put about an inch of the liquid soap into the empty foaming bottle.
2. Pour water into the bottle pretty slowly.
3. Screw the lid on, and turn the bottle upside down slowly several times.  Try not to shake it up because it’ll get too soapy.  And you’re finished!

Also, you could just keep pouring a little water into your regular Bath & Body works Foamy Soap whenever it gets a low.

*In these pictures I used a creamy hand soap, which didn’t work as well as when I used a liquid hand soap.

You can make a personalized video from Santa Claus to your child for FREE.

You fill out a short checklist about what your child’s name, what your child looks like, where he’s from, what he wants for Christmas, etc.

You can also upload a picture so that when Santa opens his “Naughty or Nice Book,” your child can see his photo.

To get an idea of what your video clip might look like, you can click here to see the video I made for my daughter.

And click here to make your own video.

HUGGIES Enjoy the Ride Codes: (here are some codes I’ve posted in the past)

Worth 5 points each

• CPXHJ FLTLH MWPGB expired
  
• MQKJF FLZCH HSPGB expired
  
• PBWSM QGKCL BKPGB
• TPJNG DZCQB HGPGB
• WHTZH NBDQF XKPGB
• BCWPP SDLLF SFPGB

Worth 2 Points

• BCXSF DDGFC GXPGB (expires 11/20)

Worth 1 Point Each

• BCPBB XQHPH RJPGB
• BBQHL LQQPC MLPGB
• BCDXM ZPMFW SQPGB
• BCCHZ WFLLX GGPGB
• BCCBD JBCTB HFPGB

PAMPERS Gifts to Grow

• XKCMYXFVD96VXVK (3 points)
• GROWWITHVILLAGE (1 point)
• PAMPERSGTGFCB2 expired

So we had a Garage Sale last weekend (July 3-4).  We did it on this day because Jonathan had Friday off as a holiday, and I wanted him to be there without having to ask off work.

Beforehand, I thought that July 4th wouldn’t be a good weekend because people might be traveling, getting ready for the night’s festivities, or spending time with family at home.  I completely forgot that in our city, there is a large parade on Saturday morning.  Oops.  So, we didn’t make that much money on Saturday, but on Friday, we did pretty well.  So, my advice is not to do a Garage Sale on a holiday.

On Friday, Jonathan and I made $180, and on Saturday, we got $100.  With the other family, we brought it around $400, pretty good considering the biggest item up for sale was a bed set for $20.

So, when we add up the books we sold to Hastings ($120) plus the items I’ve sold on Craigslist since the garage sale (just today, I’ve sold $23 worth to 3 different people), Jonathan and I made about $430, which is almost 5 of my student loan payments.  Yea!

So, here are some things we learned . . .

1. Gather Your Items: We throw items in boxes year round in tubs marked Garage Sale.  At least start by getting stuff together about a week or so before the garage sale.  Go through your closets, keepsakes and garage sale tubs, items in your shed, and drawers, and start pricing items.  Have a designated place for garage sale items.  We kept them in the South West and North East corners of our garage.  Price the items before you put them in your designated garage sale area to save you time.
2. Schedule: Plan the garage sale for the first weekend of the month.  Many people are more prone to shop then because most of them just got paid.  If you live in an area where it rains a lot (NOT here), check your 10 day forecast and plan accordingly before you start advertising.
3. Get a Block Party Sale: I meant to do this, but I forgot.  I had planned to go by all the houses on our block to tell them we were planning on having a garage sale, to see if they wanted to participate.  That should bring more traffic.
4. Start Early: For us, this meant 7:30 am.  On Saturday morning, around 7:15, there was a lady walking onto our driveway before we even moved out the items.
5. Advertising: We advertised on Craigslist.  We also put up 6-8 signs around the neighborhood on busy streets.  We wrote Garage SALE, then our address, then the dates, then the times, and then *free cookie with every purchase.  Check around in your city to see if they have local advertising papers, like we have the Thrifty Nickle.
6. Borrow items: We didn’t have many tables, and we ended up needing nine.  We borrowed these from our church.
7. Pricing: Try to leave sentimental feelings aside and price things by what you’d be willing to pay for them.  I’ll do another post about our pricing amounts.
8. Set up the day before: The night before the sale, we backed our cars out of the garage and set up tables.  We organized our items onto the tables but didn’t try to make them perfect.  We also hung up two curtain rods from our awning.  So that way, in the morning, we just carried the tables out into the driveway– no set up time (except for straightening up the tables and hanging up clothes).
9. Organization: Place items together on tables that are like each other.  We had an entertainment table: games, cds, dvds.  Two clothing tables, which shoes underneath.  A girly table: makeup, bathroom items, lotion, etc.  A decor table: picture frames, etc.  An electronics table: computer stuff.  Etc.  Labeling each table with a sign helps draw people’s attention.
10. Start with Enough Change for your customers: Run to the bank if you need to get rolls of coins or bills.  We made sure to have one twenty dollar bill, two tens, six fives, twenty ones, and one roll each of quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies.
11. Store your Money: Keep the money with you in a fanny pack if you must– you never know who might try to steal it while you’re not sitting at your table.  Some other options are an apron with several pockets, or you can use an Expanding File, which is what we did.
12. Consider a Gimmick: Our main one was to offer a free cookie with every purchase, and everyone loved that.  I spent about an hour making them the day before.  I made 97, and we had about 25 left over.  If it were a night sale, we thought about having the grill out to make hot dogs (yuck) for customers.  You could also sale pop-ice or cold drinks.
13. Greet Customers: I’d walk up to customers when they got on our property and would say, “Good morning.  How are you? . . . We’re giving away a free homemade peanut butter cookie with every purchase.  Let us know if you have any questions or need help finding certain items. . . .  We also have cold drinks available if you get thirsty.”  Then, I’d go sit down and wait for the questions, etc.
14. After the Sale: I took pictures of all the items on the tables.  Since then, I have (and still need to) put the pictures on Craigslist to sell.  Just today, I’ve sold baby clothes, blankets, books, and a headboard.

Any other good ideas?

This is an updated version of a post from 10/2/08.  Please forgive my laziness.  I am getting ready for a garage sale– one of the ways we scrounge up money to pay off debt.  This is actually our first garage sale as a married couple.  Cross your fingers!

I’ll write other posts on steps that help us get out of debt, but today, I’m gonna quickly introduce y’all to Dave Ramsey. He has written over 14 books about getting out of debt; we recommend The Total Money Makeover. He’s the host of The Dave Ramsey Show, which is on the radio and on Fox Business Network on TV.

Every radio show starts w/ him saying, “Debt is dumb. Cash is king. And the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.” Amen to that!

On his Radio Show and I guess on the TV show (I’ve never seen the TV show cause we don’t have cable . . . because we’re getting out of debt), Dave takes calls from people asking financial questions. Also, he gives opportunities for those who have recently become debt free to call in and give their “I’m Debt Free” yell. Here’s an example of that:

Jonathan and I are trying to “live like no one else [by not taking loans/using credit cards], so later, [we] can live like no one else [relaxed and debt free].” The only loans we had/have (except for the house) were/are college loans.

Before Abigail came along, we had paid off my first school loan of $15,000 in less than four months.  As of today, we have paid off $28,000.  I only have $2,700 left on my second school loan!  Then, we have to work on Jonathan’s school loans.

So, we still have more to go, and it’s a slower process now that we have Abby, but we’re looking forward to the day where we can give our “Freedom Call” to Dave.

**Click here to enter the YoBaby Giveaway.**

I found some baby freebies.

• Free Nestle Good Start Backpack. You have to print a certificate and take it with you to the hospital when you deliver.
• Free Parent’s Choice Formula Sample.
• Free Member’s Mark Formula Sample.
• Free Enfamil Formula Sample &Free Enfamil Breastfeeding Support Kit. Print certificate and take to your doctor.
• Free Beechnut Parents Pack with coupons and samples. I just called 1-800-523-6633; took about one minute.
• Free Earth’s Best Feeding Guide and $4 in coupons.

I have exclusively breastfed my daughter, but I sometimes sign up for free samples from formula companies. They typically come with formula checks which are great for trading, and I give the free formula to friends or save it for mixing w/ cereal.

I’ll write other posts on steps that help us get out of debt, but today, I’m gonna quickly introduce y’all to Dave Ramsey. He has written over 14 books about getting out of debt; we recommend The Total Money Makeover. He’s the host of The Dave Ramsey Show, which is on the radio and on Fox Business Network on TV. Every radio show starts w/ him saying, “Debt is dumb. Cash is king. And the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.” Amen to that!

On his Radio Show and I guess on the TV show (I’ve never seen the TV show cause we don’t have cable . . . because we’re getting out of debt), Dave takes calls from people asking financial questions. Also, he gives opportunities for those who have recently become debt free to call in and give their “I’m Debt Free” yell. Here’s an example of that:

Jonathan and I are trying to “live like no one else [by not taking loans/using credit cards], so later, [we] can live like no one else [relaxed and debt free].” The only loans we had/have (except for the house) were/are college loans. Before Abigail came along, we had paid off my first school loan of $15,000 in less than four months. We still have more to go, and it’s a slower process now that we have Abby, but we’re looking forward to the day where we can give our “Freedom Call” to Dave.