Thrifty Thursday- Valentine's Day

It's another Thrifty Thursday! Sorry I did not get this posted last night, but I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. I set a goal for myself this year that I did not want to spend more than $5 for all my decorations and wrapping. So here is the breakdown...

I used a piece of cloth to cover the table that I had left over from a birthday party.

Cost: $0

 

For the centerpiece, I used a cake stand and pitcher that I already had. I cut a circle out of scrapbook paper ($.30) to set on the cake stand and put muffin cups (also left over from a birthday party) around the pitcher and filled them with conversation heart candy ($1). I just love projects where I can gather object out of my yard, so I collected a few sticks for our "Valentine Tree". I just cut hearts out of scrapbook paper ($.30) and attached them with clothes pins that I already had.

Cost: $1.60

 

I used some burlap that I had left over from another project to make some placemats and then just cut hearts out of felt (4/$1) and laid them on top so I can use the placemats again.

Cost: $1

 

I cut more hearts out of scrapbook paper ($.60) to make garland for the backs of the chairs. I just slid them onto some red and white twine from the dollar spot at Target ($1).

Cost: $1.60

 

Valentine's Day is such a great opportunity or me to teach my kids about God's love and loving others, so I put some scripture verses on our "Valentine Tree".

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3:16

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4 :7

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Mathew 22:36-37

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

For our Valentine's menu, I was going for simple, but festive. A heart-shaped cookie cutter does wonders.

For breakfast, we had heart-shaped waffles with powdered sugar and heart-shaped strawberries. We also had some eggs that my kids helped to gather from our friends' chickens. They had so much fun with that.

For lunch, I used some pails that I already had and fixed heart-shaped sandwiches with cinnamon pretzels, grapes, and a Valentine treat.

Don't Laugh! I know it's a little burt well done. I don't know why, but I never set the timer when I'm cooking and then sometimes I get side tracked and forget to get it out. But anyway, for supper, we had mini heart-shaped pizza with salad. We ate it, in spite of it being a little "done" and it tasted just fine. For the heart shape, I made a template out of wax paper and cut around it.

 

I like to give my kids a little something for Valentine's Day. This year it was Veggie Tales DVDs. I am not including them in my $5 budget (although I did get them on sale), but I am including the wrapping. I got the wrapping paper on sale after Christmas ($.50) and I used leftover scrapbook paper and twine. A different color button would have looked better, but I wanted to use what I already had. Cost: $.50

 

I made a shirt for each of my kids out of t-shirts and fabric I already had.

Cost: $0

 

Remember these? Originally, I was going to give them to my kids, but they look too girly for a boy. Then I started thinking, since there are 3, my Mammaw probably started making them for me and my sisters, so I decided to frame them and mail them to my sisters. I'm sure there are much more original things I could have done with them besides just framing them, but I didn't want to alter my Mammaw's work too much (I am sentimental like that). I'm not including the frames in my budget (but they were only $3 at Hobby Lobby), but for the wrapping, I used scrapbook paper ($.60) and the same twine and buttons again.

Cost: $.60

 

I love to decorate for holidays, but I don't want to spend much money on things that I'm only going to use for one day. Being able to use things I already had definitely helped me to work within my budget. My grand total was $5.30. I think $.30 over budget isn't too bad.