Here’s one of the beauties of blogging. It gives you a chance to put ideas out there and for other people to respond. A while back, I posted about wanting a serger but not being able to afford a new one…or even most used ones. It just so happened that my SIL’s mom was reading my blog that day. And she contacted me about getting rid of her old serger.

We agreed on $50 (essentially a steal gift), which also included 3 hours of intense serger lessons so I knew how to use it!

This last week, I went out fabric shopping with mapgirl and found a great deal on some dress trouser fabric. I’d been wanting to make them for a while, but I didn’t want to put in the money if I couldn’t keep the seams from fraying. I have a makeshift way of doing it, but it wasn’t nearly as efficient as serging.

So I gave the serger a go and am very pleased with the results. It’s a real investment in my future sewing (whether I’m making money from it or doing it for myself). Clothes will last longer an be better-made overall.

I’m still finishing them up, so I give you some of the best of this week to read while I work on that:

Kelly at My Small Cents has moved to Almost Frugal. To celebrate the transition, she’s doing a gift card giveaway. Check it out!!

Free From Broke wrote about dealing with financial problems with a loved one. No relationship is perfect, so you’ll probably need to use this advice at some point.

Foxie has decided to tax herself to help achieve her dreams. She’s sure to get her money’s worth.

The Spilling Buckets pair have closed their Prosper account and are now lending through Kiva. Find out why! (I think it makes plenty of sense.)

Mr. Cheap at Four Pillars rants and wonders about why store credit expires. Gift cards and the like are already an interest-free loan to the company. They may end up being a gift to the store as well.

Frugal Dad has been trying to drink only water but the first month wasn’t a complete success. Still, I think he can do it. (or mostly water, anyway.)


{ 7 comments }

Kelly from Almost Frugal July 13, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Thanks for the mention!

Sara at On Simplicity July 13, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Glad to hear there’s another sewer around! I don’t have a Serger, but I do pretty well with my machine.

One of the most frugal benefits I’ve gotten from sewing is that I don’t follow trends too much. Since I can create whatever I’d like, I use my own imagination instead of the mall to find stuff I like. It definitely keeps my wallet out of trouble (as long as I don’t overindulge at the fabric store, of course).

RacerX July 13, 2008 at 4:04 pm

What I like about blogging is finding new knowledge…I now know what a Serger is… 🙂

Christine July 13, 2008 at 7:15 pm

In Ontario it’s now illegal for giftcards to expire. It’s pretty sweet.

Cath Lawson July 14, 2008 at 7:06 am

Hi Mrs M – That is brilliant – what a bargain. Next time I can’t afford something, I think I’ll try blogging about it too.

I’m off to check out those links. Drinking only water for a month sounds interesting. I bet he’ll feel healthier at the end of it.

L@spillingbuckets July 14, 2008 at 7:17 am

1) Thanks for the mention.

2) I didn’t know what a Serger was until you blogged about it, but it looks really cool. And you got it for such a bargain, that’s awesome. Not only did you get a serger you also got lessons – can’t beat that.

FFB July 14, 2008 at 11:38 am

That’s so cool that you were able to get the machine because of blogging! I’m a bit jealous of people that have real everyday skills like sewing or fixing a car. And thanks for the link!

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