The only way to get surefire pleasure? To get that special, private satisfaction of meeting your own needs on your own terms? Three little words, baby:
Do it yourself. A bitch has two hands and shouldn’t be afraid to use them.
Oh, get your head out of the gutter. We’re talking home projects, grooming products, wardrobe ideas. We want to know how you please yourself, what you make, how you make it, what you save, and (most importantly) how it brings you bitchin’ pleasure.
So today we’re announcing… drumroll/trumpet solo/tambourine shake/kazoo squeal… it’s officially DIY 2.0!
We’re so excited to launch into our second version of our DIY contest, and we want to hear from you. Tell us what you do yourself. Be specific. Include a pic if you want. Post your entry in the comment box above this post by April 15. (You’ll be needing to find good money savings tips on that day.) Best entry wins fame and fortune! Well, a copy of BITCHES ON A BUDGET, anyway. Plus its author and her (or his) ideas will be featured on the B Hive! Enter now. Enter often. You know you want to.
Here are the links & vids from my post on FB that I used as research and instruction on how to replace the toilet, the kitchen sink sprayer, and the ring on the garbage disposal.
Toilet replacing:
http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_3d_index.asp?page_id=35750085
Kitchen Sink Sprayer Replacement:
http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/how-to-fix-a-leaking-sink-sprayer/article52069-1.html
Oh and just a heads up for all the B’s the Basin wrench can run anywhere from $7 to $17. The guy helping me at Ace told me not to even bother buying one since my hands were probably small enough being a woman (I thought whatever, I am just fed up with getting sprayed when trying to rinse dishes, but ok save me more money) just to use a regular wrench. He was right. So I borrowed dh’s
Leaky garbage disposal:
http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/fix_disposal_4.htm
the plumbers putty had worn away, and it was GROSS!
By far the garbage disposal was the hardest, imo. A major hemroid!
Like I said all of you B’s are AMAZING! Keep it up
forgot to mention I added an electrical outlet too so there would be power behind the tv.
Got a quote from an electronic super store to install my new flat panel television. $599.99 for the install, NOT including mounting hardware or HDMI cable or wiring of any kind. Since that was more than I spent on the television I purchased the supplies and mounted the bracket, ran the wire and hung my new television myself. Had to get an extra set of hands to lift it in place but everything else was completed solo. The entire job took a few hours to complete and the total cost was $150 for the materials and mounting hardware.
I do many things to save money, because I’m on a extremely tight budget. As many single parents know, you have to be mother and father…in every sense. So I do everything I can on my own. Since I can’t afford mechanics, I do my own work…usually with help from the internet and my father who is 2000mi away…I also do the plumbing (sometimes pretty nasty), I do light sewing (kids are rough on clothes), and the yard work (including working on the lawnmower). Personally, working on my truck is the most satisfying. I genuinely want to be able to do a complete teardown and rebuild…
I tiled two rooms in my house. It was just a few hundred dollars in tile and supplies…easypeasy and loads of fun!
I have a business that caters to kids, lots & lots of kids, all ages, all kinds.
To make my biz stand out from the rest I needed an edge but the bank was not gonna be of any help.
I totally outfitted my shop with used, reclaimed , recycled , retro items. things this generation of kids has never seen or heard of.
I decorate with vintage barbie cases, old record covers, antique or used furnishings that I have reclaimed or repurposed such as my 1903 barber chairs that we turned into our face painting area, old kitchenette tables ( like grandma had) for our crafting tables, bedroom furniture turned into a soda fountain, art deco back bar for storage, and lots of vintage & used toys hanging around for eye candy.
My costumes all come from a consignment shop or Goodwill. I made a stage out of plastic plumbing and old bark cloth curtains. My goodie bags are all items from the dollar stores and clearance items from big box stores. Our crafts are all made from recycled household items. My games are all old fashioned in theme and we reuse things like swan planters for a toss game or old carnival games salvaged from flea markets.
Many people that come in get excited to go home and turn their basements or rec rooms into fun spaces for their kids after seeing what we have done with virtually nothing. We have been in biz now for over 10 years and lots of families return year after year because they like the nostalgic good feelings our place provides.
I would be happy to send some photos if you think we have a chance at being a contestant !
Bird toys are 7 to 15 dollar apiece. I take shoelaces baby blocks, buttons etc… and make my own with items I find at thrift stores and garage sales.Just make sure they are big enough so they don’t swallow them and that they are vegetable dyed. Happy birds!
I make my own relaxing”green” body wash. I use 1 cup dr bronners baby mild liquid castille soap
Then I. Boil 1 cup of water with 2 tsp sage and 2 tsp rosemary, strain the herbs and use the herbs as a rub for turkey or chicken and add the infused water to the castille soap to use as a body wash and shampoo (the 2 cups of wash lasts forever, it is still concentrated enough it only takes a couple drops to clean) plus the aroma is nostalgic and relaxing!
Here is a picture of one of them.
Whenever my car starts to act up, which happens pretty frequently, I try to figure it out on my own. What that means is a lot of googling. Once I find out what’s wrong and how to fix it, I just have to buy the parts and switch em out. Saves SO much money when you don’t have to pay for the labor. I’ll include a pic of me right after I replaced the starter that was ridiculously placed under my car and took a bit of a contortionist act to get out.
Ladies- send us pix!!
I make my own wall decorations, and it’s sooo much cheaper. I just bought a house and instead of spending $50 on ONE painting I made THREE instead. And I like them even better than the one in the store! Those vinyl wall clings are really popular right now and come in some pretty styles. I got a stretched canvas, painted it, pull the cling on and then sealed it with Modge Podge. It was SO easy!
You only need to know how to use a regular paintbrush, no artistic talent needed! Lol.
I recently created a place to store pot lids by repurposing an old baking rack.
See more in my blog post here: http://gimmeakisss.blogspot.com/2010/03/im-so-awesome-i-even-amaze-myself.html
I make my own soaps, facial scrubs, lip balms – all kinds of skincare stuff.
Also, my own furniture, courtesy of http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com.