Save Money By Using the Warranty - Best Way to Remember Warranty

I have saved money by using warranties, and I have lost money by forgetting I had a warranty. This top picture is my computer tonight showing that I have this method on all my purchases. I did part of this method for years but only doing part had its flaws, this way is easy and works! 

Hopefully, this method I have come up with to remind me of my warranty items will help you as well. 

I have always kept the warranty information on items I purchase in a file drawer in my filing cabinet. Many years ago, I found that it was helpful to have the original register receipt with the warranty information so if I had a problem, I could just get the warranty information out of the cabinet and I had everything needed to contact the company all together and alphabetical or size groupings. I kept files for small appliances, large appliances or items, and lastly, outdoor items/car etc.

However, I think most people are like me, even when they do keep the warranty information, who remembers exactly what month and year your purchased something? After a few years, you forget when you bought it and it may or not be under warranty, but at that point, I don't think to go into the files to find out if the item is still under warranty unless it is a big ticket item. I think companies bank on the consumer not knowing or remembering about the warranty a few years out and they make tons of money on the "extended warranty" this way as well. 

I did exactly that a few years back when I went out and bought a new hedge trimmer as some of the tines bent on the one I was using during normal use. I was mid pruning and needed to get it done, so I rushed out and purchased a new one for $50 or so. I got home and finished my pruning with the new pruner and was cleaning up and then realized that the trimmer that bent was probably under warranty but I had already bought the new one and now had to keep that new one. 

I didn't want to have the situation happen again and figured the only way I would remember when I bought something and how long the warranty lasted was to actually write it on the item I purchased so that I could know immediately if the item was still under warranty if it broke. 

I took a Sharpie marker and wrote the day I purchased the new trimmer on it and then wrote "Five year warranty" under the date. I then proceeded to staple the receipt to the warranty information and put it in the file drawer where I kept all the other warranty information. 

Since that time, when I purchase anything with a warranty, I write it either directly onto the item with the Sharpie, or I write it on a piece of tape and then put the tape on the item with the date of purchase and the length of the warranty so I can know immediately if I need to contact the manufacturer. 

There is no guess work and there is no digging in the filer drawer. I know some people take pictures of their receipts and keep it on their phone, but then you have to dig through many pictures to find that information. If the information is on the item, you can then search the pictures by date to find the picture quickly if you prefer to keep things digital. There is no right or wrong way to keep this information, but by putting it on the item, things go much smoother and easier having it always in your hands with the item under warranty. 

Last week, I returned a 100 foot extension cord that had disintegration on the casing and Home Depot exchanged it right out and saved us $80 as we were going to buy a new one. I thought it couldn't hurt to ask them about it. They had not seen that happen before so they replaced it without the receipt so always take the item back to the store if it is a store brand, as many times, they have the slush funds for that type of thing. Of course it is easier with the receipt, but if in doubt, try it without. 

Just a suggestion from someone who has saved money or lost money using warranties. 

Have a Blessed Day! 

The Bunko Box - Starting A Bunko Group - What You Need

I have posted a few blogs over the years about my bunko group. I have also posted about how it is a great game for family reunions and camping etc as there isn't much involved in setting up a game. 

The biggest issue for larger groups playing bunko is prizes but you could easily use small amounts of cash, a penny each win or something like that so that you didn't need to take prizes yet still make it competitive and fun for a larger group. I will put links at the bottom of this post to some of those ideas and events if you are looking to host bunko for a large group like a church activity or reunion as it forces people to interact with each other every few minutes as you change partners each round. 

I like it for reunions as the people of similar ages tend to migrate towards each other but with this game, they are forced to interact with all ages yet in a fun and team effort way. 

I started this, as I shared in another post, to make new friends and to get to know some people in my church and neighborhood better. I had just moved across the country and moved to an area when I didn't have family near so I felt a bit lost. I figured there had to be a few other people who were feeling in a similar way and found that most of the women I invited into the group had moved to the area within the past few years and welcomed a group of women in the same stage of life! 

To start a bunko or Bunco group, you basically need a bag or box with a few items. Most are probably things you have already. Usually a Bunko Club or Group has 12 women in it. It works that you have three different groups playing at the same time in three groups of four. 

Each person has a partner for that round. You sit alternating you, your opponent player one, your partner, and opponent player 2 and then you again. So that every you and your partner are scoring points together. You score you and your partners points. The partners that make it to 21 points first in the room calls the game "over" and the team on each table that has the most points, is the winning team. 

In our group, we don't have a head table that has to get to 21 points for the room. We have it that the first team to 21 points or rolling a bunko wins that round. The "round" is rolling for different numbers each round. First round is rolling for ones. As long as you roll a one on that round, your turn continues until you don't roll a one anymore. The next person on the table then starts to roll for ones until they don't get any and then the play passes to your team member and they continue rolling the dice until they don't roll any ones and so on.

If you are on ones and roll all three dice as ones, that is a bunko. If you are on "ones" and you roll three of the same number on the dice at the same time and they aren't ones, it is called an "extra" and is worth five points and you keep a tally of the times you roll extra's as there is a prize for the person who rolls the most of those in the night. 

After someone in the room either rolls a bunko on ones or reaches 21 ones rolled on the team, the game ends in the room and the two winners move to the next table and the losers now stay on that table but are no longer partners for the next round. This makes sure you are continually having a new fresh partner to roll with. The winners mark a "W" on that round an the Losers mark a "L" on that round and then you are now rolling for the number 2 for this round. When a team in the room either rolls all three twos on the dice calling "bunko" or a team reaches 21 twos rolled, the round ends and the winners move and the losers swap partners with the winners coming to the table from the other group so you now have a new partner and are rolling for the number "3" for this round. 

The game is simple and even little children can catch on quickly. If you win the round by rolling a Bunko, you write "WB" on the win section as there is a prize for whoever rolls the most bunkos in a game so you want to keep track of that as well. 

Basically, our group hosts with no cost. We used to have everyone bring $5 each month but in the end, if you host one month a year and buy the prizes out of your own money, it ends up being the same amount a year. This is a much easier way not having anyone pay as in the past we had a few members who didn't come often and would forget to pay the hostess and this way removed any issues with that. 

Each member picks a month to host and for that night, provides a meal, treats on the table and the prizes. The bunko box heads home with the person who is hosting it the next month. Prizes are supposed to add up to $60 which is $5 a person. However, in our group, only six people win bigger prizes and most of us pick a $1 gift for the six loser women so everyone goes home with something. The biggest prize is the "Bunko" prize for whoever has the most bunkos for the night. The next prize is for most wins, then second most wins, then there is a prize for whoever has the most "extra's" which is rolling three of a number in a round other than the number you are rolling for that round. The next prize is for "evens." Whoever has the same number of wins and loses or closest to the same number get the "evens" prize and then the person who has the most losses gets the "Loser" prize. 

We used to have set prizes for each depending on how much we spent on the prizes but found that sometimes the person who won Bunkos didn't want the most expensive prize so we let people pick which prize they would want in order of the prizes won. 

To set up the "Bunko Box" you need: at least 12 pens for people to score, scratch paper to keep scores on, 9 dice which you can usually find at the dollar store for cheap, copies of the bunko score sheet so each person has a way to tally wins and loses for the night and we keep a Sharpie in the box as we write our names on solo cups for the night so we know whose drink is where as we have all walked away leaving our drink on a table. 

The hostess cooks a meal, a dessert and puts out candy on the tables for snacking as we play and then purchases the prizes. We have been doing this for so many years we have seen it all in the prize department. Some get gift cards to local businesses, some make the prizes and others buy them online, or in boutiques etc. However, even if someone didn't have prizes at this point, I think we just enjoy getting together and catching up on life. We have LOVED having these friendships over the years. It is wonderful that 8 of the original 12 women I started the group with are still in the group. 

I have heard of other groups not getting along or back biting but our group is unique and we truly love each other. Most of the women leaving have been people moving out of the town and we really miss those that have moved. I keep thinking I want to do a reunion night where we have all the old friends back with their families but it seems that our lives are a bit busy to get that together as I did try last year. 

I know of other groups that do a potluck each month, just do desserts and play the game instead of a meal, put money in a pot and don't buy prizes etc. The options are endless as you need to gear your group to what fits your needs. This works for our group and we love having a night out once a month. We have ours on the last Thursday night of the month as weekends ran into scheduling issues and that has been "our" night for 22 years or so. 

If you have any questions on things, feel free to ask. I think everyone needs a group of friends like this as we have been through so much together. 

Hopefully this is clear enough to understand. Here are the links to the posts on different bunko ideas. 

Beach Bunko Reunion Part 1
Beach bunko reunion part 2
Beach Bunko Reunion Part 3
A Bunko Thanksgiving
22 Years of Bunko Group
Mother Daughter Bunko Party
16 Years Bunko Sisters 
Last Minute Bunko Night
Bunko Family Reunion Part 2
Bunko Prizes I made

Have a Blessed Day! 

Fixing Up and Cleaning Old Dice Using a Black Sharpie

I have been in a bunko group for the past 22 years or so. I started it as I was new in town and with small children and not knowing many people, I thought a night out once a month would be a good idea.

There were also several other women who had moved to the town around the same time we did, I figured they also could use friends.
I purchased all the stuff needed for the group which really isn't much. Each year on my month to host, I pull the dice out of the box and fill in any of the dots which have chipped through the year.

I used to purchase new dice every year but a few years back, I thought I would get out my black sharpie and see if I could use it to fill in the chips on the dice. 

It worked great. The thing I really like is that even if you overdo it at some point, you can quickly wipe the top off with your finger and the black will wipe off but the dots are then black and you can easily see the dots and it usually lasts the year until the next "spruce up." 

Thought I would share this little trick with you since I didn't figure it out for a few years. You can see how many dice I purchased through the years on this blog post  about my bunko group here. 

Have a Blessed Day! 

Cutting Larger Mats Down For a Smaller Frame

I was SOOOOOO excited to find these watercolor prints of New York City for Princess Fives room! 

As you know, I am working on making a Broadway show quilt for her. I have most if it cut and just need to finalize a few things and start sewing. I was hoping to get it finished before Christmas but have had so many things come up that I haven't been able to work on it at all. 

I am so frustrated that I haven't even started sewing the quilt I wanted to give my father for Christmas either as I cut it out in October, I thought I would have it sewn by Christmas but I have been working so hard at catching up in the house from years of neglect that it hasn't happened. 

I have to share that getting stuff cleaned out and cleaned up feels so good but I have so much more to go that sometimes I feel like I am swimming uphill! I try daily to remember all that I have gotten done as sometimes it doesn't seem like much but in reality, I know I have done lots, but to the outside eye, it still looks like a huge mess or like I got nothing done. 

Sometimes, you need to make more of a mess to make things work. I had to pull all sorts of bins of stuff out to get to what was behind so it does look like I am making more of a mess but in the end, I can get rid of lots of the stuff that was hidden behind the mess so it is going somewhere! 

These prints were at a second hand store a few weeks back and I thought they matched the cute headboard / wall print canvas I found Princess a few months back. Here is a link to see that canvas. 

Find a frame that is the size you want the final picture to be. The mats on these prints were about 2 1/2 wide and it just dwarfed the frames I was looking at using. 

Also, the person that had these used tape to just stick them on the wall and so the mats were dirty on the outside edge so I found a frame that wasn't currently being used and I wouldn't put up again and removed the glass and laid the glass over the picture and mat centering it to see how it would look cut down to the glass size. 

I showed it to Princess Five and she really liked the smaller mat on it so I used an exacto knife (box cutter) and followed the outside of the glass to cut the mat down to fit into the smaller frame. I went over the cuts again just to make sure it cut all the way through the mat. 

It popped out really easily once I ran the cutter over a few times as you can see in the pictures. 

I only had one frame so I went to the second hand store with a tape measure and found one the exact same size as the first and then cut down the second mat to fit into the new frame. 

The set came out great and cutting down the mat wasn't hard or difficult. Just remember to hold the blade straight as if you go at an angle, it can cut into the glass. Also, don't push hard on the center of the glass while cutting as the pressure can crack the glass. Keep your hands near the edges and always be careful using knives and around glass. 

Also, if there are nicks or scratches on the frame, take a Sharpie and fill in the nick and run your finger over it while it is still wet and this blends in the black filling in the nick or scratch without leaving a marker streak. I have posts about this, here is a link to one. 

Didn't the set come out beautiful? It will look amazing next to the cute Broadway quilt and canvas landscape. 

She caught a glimpse of something I was working on for her room to give her for Christmas the other day and she got the biggest smile on her face... I'll have to share about that on another post! 

Have a BLESSED DAY!

My Blog Has Cooties - Repairing Old Game Boxes

I think I have posted before about wanting to have a shelf in one of the bedrooms and put old antique or vintage games on the shelf and then allow my grandchildren to pick a game to play with me from the shelf when they visit.

I have kept my eye out at second hand stores for the past few years and have been thrilled to find some great fun games with many memories from my childhood.

We used to play "flinch" at
my grandmothers house every Sunday evening when my father would drive over to take her garbage cans to the curb, as she was blind for many years before her death. 

The other game I remember playing with my grandmother was "Scrabble." Even though she was blind, her mind was sharp until the day she died. She would ask me what letters she had and then remember the entire board in her mind.

She would sometimes even help me as I would play with her. To this day, I still enjoy a good game of scrabble as it always reminds me of happy memories with my grandmother. 

We played the standard "Cootie", "Life", "Clue", "Masterpiece" and "Monopoly" and as I got older, "Risk" was one of our favorites.


I have posted about a few games that I have purchased that I have never heard of before and, others I have posted about that we actually played when I was younger.

One of our favorites I bought that I had never played as a child was "Hoopla" and here is a link to that game. We have had some fun playing that game when the family is here.

This week I found an old favorite we played all the time as kids, "Cooties" and another I didn't play as a child called "Dig" which is a scrabble type game where you pick up letters and draw a card and try to make words relating to what is on the card out of the letters you "dig" for in the pile.

Anyway, I wanted to show you how you can fancy up a damaged and scraped box using Sharpie markers or paint if Sharpie doesn't have your color.

I test a few markers on the inside where it doesn't show looking for the best matching color, and then use it to fill in the worn edges of the box and scrapes that may have damaged the box. I will sometimes use clear tape on the inside of the box and try to avoid using any tape on the outside of the boxes.

I use glue sticks to tack down any loose or torn edges or corners and then touch up the color using a Sharpie.

You can see on the writing at the top left of the "cootie" box, I rewrote the top of a letter filling in where it had ripped off. It isn't perfect but from a few feet away, you wouldn't notice it. Since it is going to be up on a shelf, it will look fine.

In the pictures, I did half of the edges on the boxes and left half undone so you could see the contrast and how the Sharpie makes the box look so much better!

I made a video to show it but had a worker at my house so it was super rushed and jumpy. I am working on maybe buying a new camera so hopefully, I will be able to get on that soon which will help the sound on my videos as well.

Feel free to ask questions. Have a Blessed Day!  

Getting Melted Duct / Duck Tape Goo Off of Trailer, Car, Garage Doors, and Windows

I have a trailer which I use once or twice a year for family camping reunions. I have only used it once a year for the past three years as my children haven't been around for our annual Easter Camping but the rest of the year, it is stored on a sidelot at my sisters home. 

Her teen son was hitting golf balls in the back yard with a friend and hit the back window of the trailer with a golf ball and it broke the lower back window on the trailer.

I don't know if he didn't tell them right away or if he told them and they felt bad and didn't want to tell me but for some reason, instead of letting me know so I could get right on fixing it, they put a piece of cardboard over the area and used duct tape to hold it onto the upper window and trailer side. I really don't have an issue that the window was broken as accidents happen but worrying about spiders getting in or water damage, I would have fixed it right away. 

I guess they forgot about the window as when I called to talk about taking it camping over Easter possibly, my sister told me about it. I told her I could just take care of it and she told me they would do it.

I figured they wanted to do it so I didn't worry about it but when I was headed to go over and help them with their daughters wedding reception a few months later, I guess it reminded them it wasn't done. I took some stuff over to put in the trailer and her husband had me help him put the window in.

I was in the trailer and he was outside in the back. I didn't go to the back of the trailer and look so it wasn't until he was kind enough to drop it to my home for our August lake reunion that I saw the back of the trailer.

I noticed the back had melted duct / duck tape on the metal painted section and on the upper glass of the window.

I had cleaned the trailer and waxed it using teak oil a few years back and to clean it before using the teak oil, I used mineral spirits to clean it. I use mineral spirits / turpentine in the kitchen all the time to remove sticky labels, Sharpie, gum, stickers on fabric etc.

I figured it would work on the sticky mess melted on the side of the trailer left by the duct tape having been on there for months. It worked like a charm softening the hardened goo on the trailer. It seemed to work better by getting it softened and then scraping it off using a fingernail verses wiping lots as it tends to smear the goo around using more of the turpentine verses getting it soft, scraping it off gently and then wiping a bit more to clean.


The trailer had some leaking issues around the awning so I used some gorilla caulk on it and will have to let you know how it works next time I take the trailer out. 

Have a Blessed Day! 

Blessings - Found Money Jar Piggy Bank Craft

I found these cute jars at Rue 21 a few weeks back. You can see a post about them here on my blog.

I was saving the jars to give to the girls at Easter but while cleaning Princess Five's room, she said she likes collecting coins and wanted to have a few coin jars at college. I thought she saw my post and was looking for one of the jars. When I asked her about looking at my blog, she said she hadn't viewed it.

I pulled out one of the jars and she said she loved it all except for the "eye" at the top of the jar. I removed the eye using a straight razor and some fingernail polish remover and she was excited about it. 

She had a jar that was one she and her friends made in Jr. high to put coins in and it was full of pennies she has collected. She had a piggy bank that was full of all coins other than pennies and talked about taking taking them to college. I joked about her carrying around 10 lbs of coins for the next four years and suggested that she let me cash the coins in at the bank and she could start over for college.She let me take them to the bank and she had $79.72 in coins. She was happy about that as she needed some money to spend on her trips coming up for choir and graduation. 

She told me she wanted holes cut in the top and wanted a larger one for other coins and to use the smaller one for pennies. I told her I could cut a new top for her "penny" jar as they used a knife to cut the hole when they made it in Jr. High and it was a scary hole. 

I pulled out my dremel and cut a hole in the top of the messed up one to see if  I could cut them better. I learned that it was easy to do but be careful and always wear eye protection. I traced a hole on the top of the mason jar lid using Sharpie Pens. I cut it using a cutting / sanding disk on the dremel. 

I show on the video how it works. Be careful not to let the base of the dremel drag on the top of the lid or it will make scratches. If you pull the side of the sanding disc along the bottom / inside once you have cut the hole in the lid, you can leave it smooth so that there aren't any rough edges. This is better explained on the video.

I think it would be really cute to make these for a young womens group, girls scouts, boy scouts, church camp, girls camp or any other kids church group. You could have someone cut words in vinyl with a cricket cutter and make anything you wanted on the front. I thought it would be cute to make a "Mission savings" jar, "Camp Savings," "Blessing jar" or a"Tithing" jar.  
 
Princess Five was super excited about the jars that I made and is excited to take the set to college and start collecting coins again. Tonight she put coins in them and told me "thanks" for making them and was excited about putting her first coins in as she will soon be taking them to college.

Altering Winter Ball Dress For Princess Five

I found a beautiful formal ball or prom gown at a second hand store. They received a large donation of "sample" gowns from a bridal and gown store. 
 
Many were new with tags and some had "Sample" stamped on them on the back top edge of the dress. It was $15 but since it had the word "Sample" on the upper back, I asked them to lower the price as the dresses that didn't have the stamp were $15 so I got the dress for $7 and it was new.  

We actually bought three of the gowns that day as Princess Five was with me and she tried on many of the gowns and she chose three or four as they were all around $15 or less for new dresses.
 
She bought a few options for prom and is excited for that but I really love this dress on her and she looks so classical in it. It is a very timeless dress.

First, to take in a dress at the top, you need to determine if you can just take it in on the sides and make it snug enough all the way around. 

With this dress, that isn't an option. If you can, just take in the sides under the arm and you can either pinch it and mark it with a pin to show you how much you need to take it in, or you can have them try it on inside out to determine how much and then pin it on the inside where you will be sewing it. 

With this dress, it has a full sewn in liner and you can't have them wear it inside out if it is like that. If it has a "sewn at the waist liner," you can either take the liner in with the dress and pin it when it is on inside out, or if you want a more finished look, you can unpick a portion of the waist liner and then take in the dress the amount needed and then restitch the liner after you have altered the dress.   
 
With this one, the liner was open so I went up between the slip/liner and the dress and was able to get the the seams in the bodice area. 

If the dress isn't snug enough just by taking in the side seam, you may need to take in the darts. You can search my blog for "dance dress" in the search box at the bottom of the page and there are many dresses that I have altered by adding sleeves, taken in, making a jacket out of sections of the dress we took off etc. 

There is no "set rule" for altering dresses as each dress is different and each girl wearing the dress is different so these are just "general" suggestions or guides as each dress will also be made differently as well.
 
I had a printed center section that I didn't want to alter much and the front panel was a bit too large and was gaping open when she was standing even when I took in the sides so I had to alter the front panel. By unpicking the seam at the breast-line, I was able to keep the seam on the shoulder side the same but to take in the center seam in about 1/2 to 3/4 inch making the center piece still be centered yet giving it the form of the breast and keeping the cute decoration in the center of the piece centered. It no longer pokes out making it awkward if her date is taller than her, he could have seen down the front of her dress as it pooched out.  
 
MAKE SURE YOU DON'T TAKE IT IN TOO MUCH OR IT WILL LEAVE NEEDLE MARKS PERMANENTLY ON SOME FABRICS!!! Go slowly and do small amounts when taking it in as you can always take it in more but letting it out may not be an option. 

The other warning is to NOT measure it to take it in when they have their arms in the air!!! Raising the arms thins the chest and when they put their arms down, it WILL be tighter. Always pin it and then have them try it on BEFORE stitching it!!

When hemming it, make sure they are wearing the shoes they will wear with the dress. You would hate to cut or hem the dress with them in flats and then have them want to wear heels to a dance. I always try to do a blind hem stitch by hand on formal dresses so it can easily be modified for different heels or girls. Funny enough, not one of my girls has worn a dress their sister wore for any prom or dance of any kind. It is weird because for awhile, they were all the same size but they each have different tastes and styles so we get what they like so they can have their own special day. 
 
After taking everything in, sometimes I have to hand stitch some edges on the area where the liner and the dress meet but that isn't a big deal. I show here how I had to fold over the liner and stitch it down as I didn't take the liner in as I did the dress so it was a bit bulky until I hand stitched it down. Some dresses make it easy to take both in by the way they are sewn together but this one was only attached at the top edge and it was difficult to take the liner in so I just made a fold / pleat in it and stitched it down and it looks great on her and she never noticed it. 

Lastly, I took a black "Sharpie" and used it to color in the "Sample" stamp at the top in the picture below. You can see the top of the "S" just beneath the hanger hook but for the most part, you can't even see it. You can see it in the video a bit better as I am taking the video in the bathroom with a row of about 12 lights on so you could see the stitching better. No one will even be able to tell that it was a sample as her little jacket covers it. I was going to put a "finished" picture on here but will wait and let you see the finished product next week after the dance. Also, the picture at the top is pinned on the inside of the dress on the breast in the left side of the picture so it looks bumpy but I wanted to show you that you can pin it and have them try it on BEFORE sewing it so you don't make it too small and have a mess on your hands.

Lastly, I took in the neck strap about 2 inches. I just moved the buttons but I show in the video how you can just fold the fabric over and then stitch it and after it is stitched, you can cut off the fold and that way the buttons will be in the back center of the neck if you are wearing your hair up. Since she wants hers down and she is wearing a little jacket, I didn't worry about that. 
 
I finished the altering last night and need to tack down the lining in a few spots, and stitch on a snap on the back neck strap and then I can iron it. Never use an iron directly on satin or silk. Use a towel and steam from the iron and you can usually get a good press. I have paid to have it steamed at a dress shop but wasn't happy with how it came out for the money so I just iron them myself as I haven't had much luck with hand steamers either. 

Feel free to write with any questions you may have.