Author: frugal-nomics

BUDGET/SPENDING

My day as a speaker for ALL YOU Magazine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, about a year and a half ago I found out about a wonderful magazine, called ALL YOU that is right up my alley — it’s all about savings, and how to live and look fabulous on a dime.  At the time, I wasn’t able to find it on the newsstands here in NYC, so I sent my poor dad on a wild goose chase to find me a copy so I could check it out.  Once in hand, I immediately fell in love with it and hurried to get my own monthly subscription…and have been happy with it ever since.  Well, needless to say, my relationship with the magazine deepened yesterday (well, I was also recently a finalist in their Super Saver Contest) when they invited me to be a guest speaker on a panel yesterday with 4 other lovely women. Here’s a look at our day.

 

 

 

They served us up a REALLY tasty lunch, including; mini burgers (my favorite was this California one with the avocado), grilled shrimp skewers with pineapple, a greek salad, a refreshing summer salad, fruit, cookies, and mini tarts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with four other wonderfully talented “savers,” including (from left to right): Harley Abrevaya of Indigo Fetes, Amee Cantagallo of MadameDeals.com, Tracy White of American Express Publishing, and a lovely woman named Robin de Masi, who is a mom of two who is presently getting her Masters in Education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before the panel discussion we were given the fun task of judging the summer beach finds of some of the ALL YOU employees.  They went out for a couple hours yesterday morning with $50 in hand to see who could come up with the best deal.  From sandwiches and beach chairs to swimsuits and snacks….it was some stiff competition, but we did our best to pick a winner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had such a great time sharing my savings advice and talking about my experience with the magazine and all it’s new developments — it was truly an honor to be a part of it all. Be sure to get your copy of ALL YOU.

 

 

DIY

DIY: Tassel Earrings

I’m just loving fringe and tassels lately — they are everywhere this season.  Most recently I added them to this Camo and Leather Clutch I created.  So, I thought….why not kick it up a notch and add a punch of color — and my fun red tassel earrings were born. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES: colorful basic tassel, e6000 glue, decorative end caps, straight pin, earring hooks, and scissors.

How-To:
1. Remove two strings that are holding tassel together.
2. Line up individual strings over your finger — I used 60 per earring.
3. Take another string and wrap it around your group of 60 strings.
4. Double knot this string tight.
5. Take your decorative end cap and slip onto the string you just double knotted.
6. Add a small amount of glue to the very opening of your end cap.  (Note: You just want enough glue to hold them in there, but you’ll want to be careful, because you don’t want excess glue seeping out on your exposed strings).
7. Gently slide the end cap down about a 1/4 inch onto the strings, just until they neatly gather together. Let this dry about an hour.
8. Slide earring hook onto one of the strings hanging out of the end cap.
9. Double knot the two strings to secure the earring hook.
10. Add a dab of glue to the knot you just created, for added stability.
11. Once this glue has dried, snip the excess string above your knot.
12. Trim the bottom of your earring to make it all neat and even.  Ta-da!

DIY

DIY: Chain Link Heels Inspired by DVF

So, I fell in love with these chain link heels from DVF from the moment I saw them.  So I grabbed some secondhand shoes (which I got for $5 instead of $10 because they were missing an ankle strap — which I knew I wouldn’t need, but welcomed the discount) metal chain, closures, and glue and immediately got to work. This takes my heels from drab to fab in no time. Tell me what you think!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES: heels that once had an ankle strap, matches, large chain, smaller chain, 2 leather/metal closures, clear illusion cord, E6000 glue, wire cutters, and pliers.

 

 

HOW-TO:
1. Go ahead and measure out how much chain you think you’ll need for your ankle strap (don’t forget to allow room for the metal toggle that will be attached. I used 10 large ones in total), and the chain that will go down the back of the heel (here I used 8) — use your wire cutters to pry the links open, and twist.
2. Remove one link from the smaller chains for the left and one for the right foot.
3. Add this one link to the base of each of the chains that trail down the back of the shoe.
4.Remove the 2 “toggle bars” and “loops” from the leather pieces. Be sure to keep the little rings attached that connect them to the leather, because you will use them in a second.
5. For the ankle strap (again, mine was 10 rings) attach the toggle bar by its ring to the chain (Note: If its for the right shoe, you will do the right side of the chain.  We’ll start with the right foot).
6. Now add the loop via it’s connector ring to the left side of that chain.
7. For the right shoe, you will count in 3 rings from the toggle bar, and then pry open that link.
8. Slide this 3rd link onto the loop on the back of your heel, and close it back.
9. Next take your chain that is 8 links long (the one with the small ring at the base), and attach it to the loop on your shoe as well.
10. Pulling the chain really taught while keeping it straight, slip the clear illusion cord through the small ring at the bottom of the chain that goes down back of shoe. Wrap this cord around heel a couple times right above the shoe tap, and double knot it on the inside of the heel.
11. Cut off excess cord right near the knot you created.
12. Use a match to ever so slightly melt the knot at the base of the heel tap (Note: be really careful doing this or the cord will snap).
13. In the middle of the heel, place just a dab of glue just beneath the chain to hold it in place (Note: you can also add a tiny bit to the chain itself to keep it turned in the direction the desired direction).  I also used a piece of string to tie it in place while the glue dried for about half hour.