I love to look around my local swap shops and transfer stations for great free items.  I am the kind of person who will go to the dump on a Saturday to see what is good enough for me to take home rather than for me to drop off.  It may seem odd to think that a person would actually like going to the dump, but most of the people I know do the same as I do.  Believe it or not you can get some great stuff, and best of all, it’s FREE.  I have seen people get Bicycles, Tables, Books, Machinery, Computers, Furniture, Kids Toys and so much more.  I could list everything I have gotten from my local dump, but it would be a very long list!

A couple of Summers ago I got a great find at my local swap shop.  Someone had dropped of an antique dresser.  As soon as I set my eyes on it, I grabbed it!  Not only was it in fabulous condition, but it was my style.  I am drawn to antique furniture and items, I just love it.  When I got it home I turned it into a diaper changing station.  All I had to do was give it a nice wipe down, get a few new knobs and put my changing pad on top, and voila, a great looking diaper changing station with lots of storage.

It has been used as a changing table for the past year and a half and it was now time to move it to my daughters room and use it as a dresser, but it needed a little updating.  I had lots of paint from previous projects, so I painted it a nice antique white and then I painted the knobs with purple and pink dots.  It fits perfectly in my daughters room and I think it look great.  Best of all it only cost me a few dollars for some wooden knobs, and I had a great looking dresser.

Below is the before and after photo of the dresser.

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If you like to make french toast, try mini french toast.  It is just like regular french toast, but mini.  There are several ways to make mini french toast and they are all very tasty.  Last weekend I prepared mini french toast by cutting a regular slice of bread into 4 sections.  The french toast pieces were small enough for dunking, dipping and eating in two bites.  My kids loved them and I did as well. I like to top my mini french toast with cinnamon and real maple syrup.

Below I have listed 3 recipes for mini french toast, give them a try and let me know what you think!

P.S. Don’t forget to add a dash of sugar to your egg mixture to make your mini french toast extra golden brown.

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Do you ever go away on vacation, come home and wonder if the food in your fridge and freezer is still good?  Other than asking your neighbor, there really is no way to know if your power has gone out and for how long when your not home.

I was recently on a vacation with my family in Maine and I was getting some food out of my parents freezer when I spotted a plastic container with a  block of ice, frozen sideways.  I had to ask what it was doing in the freezer.  I was told it was there so they would know if the power went out, and for how long.  If the ice was on the bottom of the container, than the power had gone out and the ice had melted and froze again.  But if the ice was still sideways, the ice had not melted and the food had stayed cold.

I thought that this was a brilliant idea, so as soon as I got home I did the same thing in my freezer.  This is so easy to do, and worth doing, especially if you go on vacation a lot or have a second home where you leave food in the fridge and freezer.

To do this, just follow these simple instructions:

1) Get a small plastic container and lid

2) Fill the container half way with water

3) Place the container with lid in the freezer sideways

4) Once the water has frozen to ice, turn the container right side up.  The ice will be sideways in the container, and it will stay that way until the freezer gets warm enough to melt it.

Now, just check your container when you come back from vacation, or go on a trip to your second home.

Note: This idea came from my Step Mother, Virginia.  While I was on vacation in Maine, she gave me tons of great frugal tips and ideas that I will be using on Frugal Cape Cod.  She always has great ideas, and tips that I have never heard of before. Thank You!!!

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