Today I'm going to share some inexpensive wall ideas. I don't think I've yet explained the condition of this house when we first bought it. To give you an idea, let me just say that we paid $13,000 for a 3200 sf house. Does that give you an inkling of the kind of shape it was in?

Needless to say, the walls needed some major work and previous remodelers (I use that term loosely) had done some serious damage. Here are my cheap fixes in a few rooms. I'm hoping the pics give you an idea of the textures. (Had to hide MANY sins)

..... to read the rest of this AWESOME post and to view pictures of her handiwork, click here!

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A Quick, Easy (and cheap) Review System... posted by "the Crib Chick"

Index card binders.

As we go through the year, I jot down important things on the pages of an index card binder, which is nothing more than a tiny binder that already has hole-punched index cards in it. (Look at Target, etc. in the bins of school supplies...I've seen them there, as well as office supply stores).

For example, in the Rod and Staff grammar books, they have a little box titled, 'Remember...' that tells the main point of the lesson. I jot those down as we go, and then when we take a break, the kids can flip through these to keep things fresh in their minds.

You can buy index card dividers and put these in so that you can have sections devoted to the various things you're studying. My current binder has the chants and vocab from each week of Latin Primer, Greek (just the alphabet; I'm adding phonetic sounds as we learn them), grammar, biology definitions and principles, and I'm working on jotting down some math reminders (steps to multi-digit multiplication and the like).

You can keep it in the car for days when you aren't doing anything 'formal' as a quick review, too.

And flipping through them just takes a few minutes. A worthwhile few minutes that keeps principles and definitions fresh over long breaks. Like when you have a new baby. And then move. Across the country.

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Saving Money posted by Covenant Academy

So, I have taken on a new project.  Saving Money!  After dh and I made a list of our monthly and yearly expenses we realized that we NEED to do a better job of living within our means.  We looked at our list and tried to find areas where we could do better.   This is what we have come up with:

1. No more lawn service.  (Hence, the birth of Lawn Day!)

2. Planning out our weekly menu.  (Reduces the chance of getting take out)

3. I joined The Grocery Game.  (A great site that does all of the research of using coupons for you.  It gives you a list of items on sale at your local grocery store (done by zip code) and combines it with the coupons in your local news paper each week.  Wonderful!!!)

4. I am going to try making my own cleaning products.  I have found recipes for an all purpose cleaner, window cleaner, floor cleaner to refill my Swiffer Jet, furniture polish, and toilet cleaner.

5. I am going to try making my own baby wipes.  (using paper towels!!!)

6. I am going to try buying certain items in bulk at BJs.

7. The air condition has been turned up (or is it down).  Anyway, it is hotter in here.  So the ceiling fans are being used more.

8. We are decluttering and taking stuff to Goodwill.  (nice tax deduction)

9. We are going to try using more store brand items as opposed to name brands.

10. I have gotten refunds on a couple of magazines that I just don't have time to read.

11. We are going to buy less pre-packaged foods. (cookies, crackers, chips, etc.)

I am still researching and may be adding more to the list.  I HOPE that all of this effort makes a big difference.  We shall see.

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Great Savings During Our Shopping Trip Yesterday posted by Shannon