When we moved into our first home just over 10 years ago, we remodeled everything. After we painted the kitchen cabinets and installed a new Pergo laminate floor, we bought new appliances. We bought a nice dishwasher with all of the bells and whistles. After using the new dishwasher for a few months, we noticed that our new laminate floor was warped. The new dishwasher had a defective part and had been leaking and getting under our floor. Luckily, the dishwasher manufacture paid to fix the dishwasher and for another new floor since the dishwasher was still under warranty. The repair man told us to go to a metal shop and have them make us a pan to stick under the dishwasher so that if there was ever a leak again, we would see it before it ruined our floor. We paid about $20 for a metal pan with 3 sides and an opening in the front. When we sold our house just a few months ago, the inspector reported that the dishwasher was leaking. It was a small leak, so it wasn't enough to come out the front and alert us. The pan however, did save the floor. Without it, the floor would have slowly been ruined over time.

We have been working hard at our new home, painting the cabinets and installing a laminate floor. On Labor Day we scored a stainless steel dishwasher for $200 at the RC Willey Labor Day Sale. After previously buying a dishwasher with all of the bells and whistles, we learned that all we ever used was the normal cycle and didn't need the extra stuff. Our new dishwasher is simple and uncomplicated and hopefully won't leak. Before we installed the dishwasher we called a metal shop to have a pan made. The price of metal must have gone up because they wanted $70! I decided to look around on the internet for a pan and after a lot of searching found one at http://www.floorsaverpan.com. I was so excited to find that someone actually made these! I can't believe that they are not sold in every hardware store in the world. I then did something I had never done before. I emailed the company and asked if they would send me one for free and I would blog about it in exchange. I would have bought one anyway, but it doesn't hurt to ask. It turns out the man who sells them is a plumber who saw a need and decided to do something about it. He doesn't advertise or promote his product at all which is probably why it was so hard to find. Here it is! The simple product that every home with a dishwasher should have. It will save you thousands of dollars.

I wish the previous owners of our home had used one of these. When we pulled out the old dishwasher we discovered why several of the tiles in front of the sink/dishwasher were broken.

Before we installed our new laminate floor, we had to replace some of the damaged and warped subfloor. You can see that post here. We thought the sink had leaked and caused the damage. It makes more sense that it was the dishwasher since a leak under the dishwasher can go undetected for months and even years, causing extensive damage. The previous owners must have had a leak that they never knew about. It warped the subfloor underneath the tile, causing the tiles to break on the uneven floor.

We bought some mold paint additive and mixed it in some leftover primer we had. The mold paint additive is supposed to block mold and it was cheaper than replacing the wood and drywall.

We used some scraps of laminate and finished it off with a lot of caulk.

Finally we got to put the floor saver pan in.

Now I get to enjoy my new dishwasher without worrying about my new expensive floor ever being ruined.

I am not being paid to write this review, but am writing it hoping that I can save at least one other person from the nightmare that an undetected leak can cause. Here are the Floor Saver Pan features:

• Floor Saver Pan is a water barrier that fits neatly under your built-in dishwasher
• Made from a tough recycled ABS plastic
• Impact resistant (not effected by dishwasher legs or weight of machine)
• Sits out of sight & takes up minimal space
• Will not allow an undetected water leak to damage your floor
• Channels water from a leak to the front of the dishwasher so immediate repair can be initiated
• Inexpensive insurance for your expensive flooring
• Protects cabinets, subfloors, basements and house structure from water damage

I challenge you to pull out your dishwasher and see if you have any unknown water damage. If you do, then fix it and put a Floor Saver Pan in. If you don't, put a Floor Saver Pan in before you do have an unexpected leak costing you thousands of dollars.

*I have even convinced the owner to do a giveaway and will be posting that soon.

I think spending a little money to prevent a huge expense is a great Penny Pinching idea. What have you been doing to save some $$$?

76th Penny Pinching Party, See Ya Later Refrigerator

See Ya Later, Refrigerator

My area has a great program where the utility company will come and take your old refrigerator or freezer and send you a $30 check. Why do they do this? Here is what they say on their website at Rocky Mountain Power:

Why get rid of your old refrigerator or freezer?

• Save energy – Refrigerators built prior to 1990 can use four times more energy than a high-efficiency one built today. 
• Save money – By discontinuing the use of a second refrigerator, you can save up to $150 a year on your electricity bill.
• Protect the environment – About 95 percent of your old refrigerator or freezer will be reused.
• Get paid – Receive a $30 incentive check.
• Free CFLs – You'll also receive a free kit at the time of pickup, including two free CFLs, a refrigerator/freezer thermometer card and information to help you become wattsmart.

What is eligible?

This program is offered to all Rocky Mountain Power residential customers in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Refrigerators must be in working condition and must be plugged in to verify they are working. Units a minimum of 10 cubic feet in size (based on inside measurements) qualify for the program. Please make sure your old unit is empty when it is picked up.

Remember, when shopping for a new refrigerator or freezer, look for ENERGY STAR® labeled models. You may be eligible for anincentive.

I had an old deep freezer in my garage that I had been using until last week when we moved to our new house. My freezer was a 35 year old hand-me-down from my parents. It worked great, but rather than haul it over to our new house I decided to have it recycled and get my $30 check. Hopefully when our old house sells, we can buy a new and more efficient freezer. So here is the kit they left me when they took my old freezer:

It included two free CFLs, a refrigerator/freezer thermometer card and information on how to become wattsmart. I will get my $30 check in the mail in a couple of weeks and I didn't have to haul that thing away myself! Thanks Rocky Mountain Power!

If you live in a different area it doesn't hurt to call your utility company and see what kinds of incentives they offer.

The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease!

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease." This has been a hard lesson for me to learn because I have always been very shy and afraid to speak up or complain.

When I say, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." I am referring to business and retail matters.
There is a fine line between standing up for yourself and going too far. A wheel that constantly squeaks even after being greased can be very annoying and no one likes to be around a constant complainer.

Most businesses want you to tell them if you are unhappy and have made it easy to communicate. Almost every business has a place on their website for complaints. It is so easy to take a minute and fill out a complaint if you are unhappy, and most businesses are happy to make it up to you. Here are some examples:

A couple of years ago I bought a Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia pint of ice cream. I love cherries, but sadly found only 1 in the entire pint of ice cream. I went online and filled out a complaint form which asked for things like the bar code number and store I bought it at. A couple of weeks later I was sent a coupon for a free pint of ice cream and several other discount coupons.

I buy the big boxes of Huggies diapers at Costco and was very frustrated a couple of years ago with the ink that kept rubbing off on my son's clothes. I went to Huggie's website and filled out a complaint form including the bar code number and other information. They sent me coupons for $60 in free diapers! It only took a few minutes out of my time to complain about something that most parents just ignored. My voice was heard and Huggies assured me that they were going to use less dye in future diapers since others had also complained.

Last month we stopped at a KFC and picked up some Snackers. When we got home the chicken was so tough and hard that we couldn't eat them. I emailed KFC and was sent an email back saying that they would like to make it up to us and buy us a combo meal or more Snackers.

Last month we went to a restaurant for dinner and were seated in the very back corner. The waiter took our order and we never saw him again. People who were seated after us were getting their food, so my husband went in search of help. He found the manager and told him the situation. It turns out that our order had been lost so they said they would move it up to the top and not charge us for the 2 kid's meals. I politely told the manager that we had somewhere we needed to be and not to bother. He felt so bad that he gave us the whole order for free and packed it up to go. I was not trying to get a free meal, just speaking up and being honest. To be honest, I would have rather had a relaxing meal in the restaurant with my family than eating in the car on the way to our appointment. However, not having to pay for the meal did make up for the inconvenience.

After eating almost all of our dinner at one of my favorite restaurant's, my husband noticed that his chicken was a little pink in the middle. When the manager came by to ask how our food was, we asked if it was supposed to be pink. Well, it wasn't and our meal was free that night.

A few years ago we were at a new restaurant and when the manager came by to ask how the food was I told him mine was not very good. He apologized and had me order something else and didn't charge for the previous order. I told him it was my fault that I didn't like it (I'm a picky eater) and that I was fine, but he insisted on making me happy.


I am very good at paying my bills on time so when I forgot to pay the American Express bill I felt horrible. They charged me $20 plus interest making the fee around $40. We called them and because I am so good to pay my bills on time every month, they waived the whole fee.

When we had new windows installed in our house the owner of the business was horrible to us. He didn't do a very good job installing the windows and did an even worse job installing our new sliding door. When we asked him to fix it he told us we would have to pay extra for him to reinstall it. I emailed the main company and he came over the next day to re-install the sliding door. He was not happy about it, but didn't want the complaint on his record. We did try to work out our problem with him first, but he was unreasonable.

These are just a few examples. If you are ever unsatisfied with anything, it never hurts to "squeak" a little and most of the time you can just fill out a form online. I am a very shy person and am still learning how to speak up for myself. I would love to hear your stories and examples. Just leave me a comment.

Spray Painting a Ceiling Fan and Clock

This week I focused on the last few details in my kitchen. A while ago I painted one wall in my kitchen yellow, thinking it would brighten up the room. I already had one green wall and red bead board, so the yellow wall just added too much color in an already colorful kitchen. Back in June I ordered a free quart of paint from Glidden. I didn't know what I would use the paint for at the time so I just chose whispering wheat. This week I pulled out this little paint can and used it in my kitchen and LOVED it! Now I want to paint every room in my house whispering wheat.

I also finally painted my gold ceiling fan after 8 years of living in this house. It was the only original light fixture left and I had avoided painting it because I thought it would be a pain. It was actually really easy and I wish I would have done it sooner. I just used a can of dark brown flat spray paint. I didn't sand or prime first since it will be on the ceiling and no one will touch it. While I had the spray paint, I painted my gold clock and a couple of picture frames to match.
Total cost was $5 for the spray paint!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

I just removed the blades from the fan and sprayed away. Those blades really needed to be removed and dusted and washed off anyway (They must have had 10+ years of filth on them).

Upcycling a Sweater • 3rd Penny Pinching Party

I'm also linking up to Reinvented's Trash to Treasure party today. Kimm is a great example of upcycling!

Upcycling is "The practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value" From the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart.

As I was cleaning out my garage and getting ready to take a load of unwanted clothes to the thrift store, I had an idea. I started looking at the pile of clothes and seeing them in different forms and uses. I decided it wouldn't hurt to cut some clothes up and try upcycling since I was getting rid of them anyway.

I bought this sweater for my husband years ago, early into our marriage before I knew that he doesn't wear sweaters. It had a lot of use left in it since it was never worn.

1st I found a hat and traced the shape on the bottom part of the sweater. I sewed it up and finished it off with a zig-zag stitch. I put a flower clip that I had made on it so it can be switched out with different clips (Sorry about the yellow blobs in the pictures. I am very protective of my kids).

Then I cut the sleeves off and just sewed a zig-zag stitch to finish off the edges. I sewed the bottom of the sweater under and then did a zig-zag stitch.

I took the sleeves and cut the sides off so they were more straight. Then I sewed under the bottom edges and finished them off with a zig-zag stitch.

And that is how you upcycle!

Total cost for this project: $0

Total time: about 20 minutes

Now for my weekly

Penny Pinching Party!

Here are the rules:

Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address.

Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can join in the fun! If you have my Penny Pinching Party button on your blog I may even feature your link when I highlight my favorite Penny Pinching ideas next week.

Highlights from The 2nd Penny Pinching Party

Thanks to everyone who participated in my 2nd Penny Pinching Party yesterday.

Anne over at Life with Liane is my kinda girl. She is great at hitting sales during the year for all of her Christmas and birthday presents. She shared her secrets with us at the risk of her friends and family finding out ;-)

AngieB from Ballard Boys teaches us how she makes her own cards. I think homemade cards with photos are always so much more personal and appreciated. AngieB shows us how to make them for free!

Dianna from The Kennedy Adventures gives us tons of reasons to cut the cable. $40 a month doesn't sound like much, but after 2 years that has added up to $960 in savings for her family.

Jeannine from Fireflies and Jellybeans has perfect timing with her post about making thrifty homemade Halloween costumes.

Can you believe she made all of these costumes for under $20!?

Cheryl from Sew Can Do shows us how to make a simple baby dress for a few dollars instead of buying it for a lot more at the store. I love the cute owl print that she used.

She has a ton of really cute projects on her blog. I love her quiet books, they are so creative and cute.

I don't know how she gets so much sewing done with a baby; She makes me tired just looking at all of her cute projects.

I am looking forward to all of your inspiring ideas next Wednesday!

Creative Ideas from my 1st Penny Pinching Party

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first Penny Pinching Party!

AngieB from Ballard Boys showed us how to make our own laundry detergent with just 3 ingredients.
I will be making this and trying it out as soon as I save up an empty laundry detergent bottle. Thanks AngieB!

Kelsee from Pumpkin Pie Crafts went all out and shared 10 tips with us. First of all she had me with the name of her blog. Pumpkin Pie is probably my favorite desert in the world! I have a November birthday and always ask for a pumpkin pie and then I eat most of it myself and finish the rest off for breakfast the next morning.

Kelsee shared so many good tips. First she talks about dumping cable and using Hulu. I have heard about Hulu for a while now, but have never tried it. I decided to finally test it out and already love it.

I have boughten new sheets on clearance before and used them to make blankets, but she made a shirt! I would have never guessed that was a homemade shirt and I for sure would have never guessed that it was made from a sheet.

I really love her "Gifts for Under $5" series.

I adore these cute slippers and must make some now. I tried to get my brothers to spend less this year on Christmas by doing $5 gifts, and they thought that was a horrible idea and said that you can't get anything for $5. I guess it just takes a creative person to work the $5 and Kelsee works it.

Life with Liane shows us where to go to get all of the best free samples. I love opening my mailbox to find a free sample waiting for me instead of the usual bills. She also shows us a bunch of online survey sites where you get paid to take surveys and read e-mails.

Dianna from The Kennedy Adventures shows us how to have cheap fun with our kids. When her library adventure didn't turn out as planned she took her kids over to the pet store and even taught them while there.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in my first Penny Pinching Party. It is fun to see what everyone else is doing to save money. I see a lot of creativity and no lack of fun at all. I hope to see you all back for next weeks Penny Pinching Party and don't forget to go and visit everyone's links and be inspired.

Tailoring Skirts

I must admit that while everyone else has been complaining about the economy and pay cuts, I have secretly sorta been enjoying it. Don't get me wrong, I feel terrible for anyone who has lost their job. My husband's paycheck is less than what it used to be, our house is worth less, and our stocks are down, but I don't care. We were living within our means and didn't have to make any changes to our already thrifty lifestyle. I am happy and enjoying that being thrifty is now the thing to do.  It is actually cool to be thrifty and creative; whereas before I was just considered cheap. I think this economy is making people more creative and has been a good thing for some people.

I love DownEast basics clothing and visit their store frequently looking for deals. Last Spring I hit a big sale where everything was 50% off the clearance price making some of my favorite fall and winter skirts only $5 each (normally they are $30-$40)!!! The only problem was that they were all too big. Not a problem for me and I scooped up 3 of my favorite skirts while women looked at me thinking that I had gotten the only size small skirts in the store and bummed that they couldn't find any.

Skirts are soooo easy to adjust the size. All you have to do is sew up the side to fit you. I sewed 2 of the skirts up right away and wore them a few times before I pulled out my Spring clothes. Tonight I sewed up the 3rd and am ready for Fall.

Here is what I did (Sorry about the terrible photos, my sewing machine is in the basement):

First I tried on the skirt and marked where I wanted to take it in. Then I turned the skirt inside out and sewed the side of the skirt up at the markings.

After trying on the skirt to make sure it fit, I cut down the side of the skirt.

Then I sewed up the sides of the skirt and built-in liner. Since I don't have a serger I  did a zig-zag stitch along all of the raw edges after I sewed them up.

Here is a close-up of the stitch and then my zig-zag stitch to finish it off.

At the waist I took a needle and thread and stitched the seam open.

This skirt was a size medium, so I only had to take it in a couple of inches. The other 2 skirts were large and I had to take them in a lot more which made the belt loops uneven. For those skirts I just took off the belt loops and sewed them back on evenly.

I had some left-over material from all 3 skirts, so I made headbands. I was able to make larger headbands out of the larger sized skirts and a thin headband out of the medium skirt.

I needed some elastic for the headband, but couldn't find any. I had a bunch of clothes I was going to take to the thrift store and stole some elastic from them.

I bought the leather black boots at a thrift store. The skirt, headband, and boots all together cost $15.

I just bought these leather brown boots at a thrift store. This skirt with headband and boots was only $15. The boots were a lighter brown and I just rubbed some leather conditioner on them to darken them up and get rid of some scuffs.

Now it is time for you to link up your Penny Pinching ideas!

Here are the rules:

1. Add the permalink to the specific blog post, not your general blog address.
2. Link back to the party from your post so that your readers can join in the fun! If you have my Penny Pinching Party button on your blog I may even feature your link when I highlight my favorite Penny Pinching ideas.