hello, Frugal Friday!
Going back to school is one of my favorite times of the year, not because I can send my kids back to school (but sometimes I think that would be nice!) but because of all of the new school supplies: a brand new curriculum box delivered by the Fed-ex man, sharpened pencils, colored pencils, fresh erasers, unmarked colorful notebooks, glue sticks, construction paper (oh the ideas for crafts!!!), and the list goes on.
For me, back to school is a second chance for all those resolutions I commit to on January 1st but never follow through the whole year. A fresh start. A new beginning. An opportunity to try again.
I don’t know why I think that way. Maybe I’m the only one who feels like that? Either way, when we begin our new schoolwork bright and early Monday morning, I’ll start over with an exercise regimen, new menus, and the intention to rise before the sun and my kids (a worthy goal anyway!).
And with a new school year is new organization! Yesterday I pulled out everything from our designated school cabinets in the kitchen, tossing away trash, filing important papers and organizing everything. But I needed an organizer for the pencils, pens, scissors, and glue sticks.
Hubs calls me “the Queen of trash to treasures” so when I decided to reuse our tin cans, it was perfect for sharing on Frugal Friday!
I wrapped tin cans in scrapbook paper and decorated each one. I thought about glueing or tying them together but our dining room doubles as a school room so at meal time, I need to be able to quickly pick the organizers up and stick them in our school cabinet. They wouldn’t fit if I tied them together so I left them separate.
After 3 years of learning about World History (which was amazing!) we are finally learning about American History so I wanted to tie that in with our organizers. I unearthed some American scrapbook stickers from our party/crafty closet and they worked perfectly! I love it and the red also matches my kitchen where our school supplies are stored and my Type a personality loves that! Ha!
DIY Back to School Organizer
You’ll need several tin cans in various sizes, scrapbook paper, modpodge, and ribbon. Thankfully our converted closet party room/craft organization held everything I needed.
- Measure your scrapbook paper to fit each tin can.
- Paint the can with modpodge. Carefully wrap the paper around the wet, painted tin. Trim paper if needed.
- Paint a second layer of modpodge over the paper.
- Let dry. Attach any ribbons or use a ribbon to tie the tin cans together. Fill with your pencils, pens, and anything else you desire. Enjoy!
What clever organizing tips can you share with us? What money-saving tips help you homeschool better? We would love to know so comment below and share with us.
Until next time,
The Farm Wyfe
Some great ideas! One of my favourite organising tips is putting a bunch of empty toilet rolls into a shoe box and storing my pencils. 😀 You can find a picture of it here: https://misscaly.wordpress.com/2015/07/05/organise-your-room/
Great idea, Miss Caly! I love your idea of using hooks to hang jewelry. I may do that for my daughters inside their bathroom cabinet door!
Thanks! You definitely should. Hooks are so easy to use!
I home schooled my kids too! They both graduated college last year. Time flies! We saved money by using paper their grandmothers company would throw out. We’d write on the back “clean” side. My kids were able to share books and that helped too. Through out the year I was constantly scanning Barnes and Noble sales and I’d buy books that way. Garage sales were great too for books. My kids read a ton so keeping them in books was challenging. Best wishes on a fantastic school year!!!!! Koko:)
Wow, that’s great! I know, time passes too quickly! What a great idea to use “wasted” paper for homeschooling. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you so much!