As many of you know, I was laid off from my job of 4 years back in October when I was 2 months pregnant. Although we’d always planned on me being a stay-at-home mom, we didn’t count on it happening so early in the pregnancy!
We don’t use credit cards, so our budget is really tight most of the time. That means that I’ve not been free to shop as much as I desire for our baby. Fortunately, God has looked out for us and provided us with the basic necessities thanks to our wonderful family and friends.
There are a few things though that we need, and I’ve had to figure out how to “make do” with whatever was available.
One of those things are curtains for the two windows! It’s hard to believe how very, very expensive simple curtains can be. It gets even worse if you’re shooting for a “theme” out of a desire for a cute baby nursery.
I’m currently 36 weeks pregnant, and our nursery painting and furnishings have been up for months now. But until this past Monday, the windows in my baby’s room have been completely bare. And I hate bare windows – especially at night when you can’t see out….but everyone can see in.
I needed curtains. And I wanted them to match the decor.
So what did I do?
I went scrimiging through my linen closet! A few months ago I had purchased some nice sheets from the local thrift store (spent maybe, 50 cent each?). Tucked away in the linen closet, they had almost been forgotten. But I felt like I struck gold when I found a double sheet with blue & white stripes. They would make the perfect curtains!
So with my trusty scissors in hand, I cut them in half, threaded the curtain rod through the blue top “hem” part of the sheet, hung them, tied them back with some ribbon that came on a baby gift and WALAH… frugal curtains that matched my baby’s nursery theme.
My hubby loved the idea so much that he wants me to put a sheet curtain up in the guest bedroom (which he is currently decorating with his Clemson College memorabilia). And I have the perfect deep purple sheet to offer up in sacrifice. 
So, see? Window treatements don’t have to cost a fortune – especially for rooms that you know will be redecorated within a year or two (like a nursery). A simple cast off sheet (or a cheap set from Walmart) will work wonders, and they’re available in so many colors and patterns!
Bonus? When Little Jack starts crawling, I can snip off the bottoms of the long curtains and make windowsill length ones without worrying about cutting up something expensive.
Living frugally doesn’t mean completely wallowing in gloomy white-walled, bare-window misery. Just use your imagination and you can come up with all sorts of wonderful decorations.
For more wonderful, practical, and helpful household tips, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer – the weekly host for “Works for Me Wednesdays”.
To make your own, take 1 dozen fresh eggs, and prick two holes (using a needle and a thimble to protect your finger!) in each end of the egg. Make the hole on the fattest end of the egg bigger than the one on the small end. Then, placing your mouth on the small hole, “blow” out the liquid egg from the large hole. I blew my eggs out into a bowl (and then made an egg & cheese cassarole that night). You’ll also want to fill the egg with some water a few times through the larger hole, shake, and blow out the water. This cleans the egg inside and removes residue that might end up smelly in a week!
For a whimsical “spring” feeling, I used an old calendar that I didn’t have the heart to throw away! The photos in there were simply so beautiful that I knew they’d come in handy for something. All of the photos in the calendar reflected the old fashion victorian era. Using the March, April and May month pictures, I came up with some lovely prints to hang up and place around the living room!
Thankfully, after a huge breaking point in our marriage at the end of May, 2007, we decided to develop a system that we both understood and could relate to. We no longer used credit cards, but we went back to me using a debit card and checking account for household bills and my own personal spending. Kevin would receive a personal cash budget to do with as he pleased.
