How many projects are borne from a combination of procrastination and cheapness? In my case, many, if not most.
The procrastination: while shifting in my rock hard seat at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival last year, I swore I would not return without a stadium cushion. And we are scheduled to leave...tomorrow.
The cheapness: I zipped out to the local sports store, only to find stadium cushions priced anywhere from $15-25. Multiplying that times 3 of us, I was simply unable to pull out my wallet. They've got to be cheaper somewhere, I thought, perhaps at Target.
The inspiration: at Target, the first thing I saw were these 99¢ polypropylene shopping bags:
Foam seat pads were $6 each (with coupon) at the fabric store:
They had to be trimmed; thus, the serrated knife in the picture. The secret to cutting foam is to pull the blade across in one direction—don't saw back and forth. I took 3" off the length, and 1" off the width for a finished size of 14"X14"X1". Wrapped back in its plastic wrapper, the foam slipped easily into the shopping bag:
That was it. $7, and 5 minutes: my favorite kind of project. By leaving the top open, we can add a light blanket or a program, and the pocket on the side is perfect for holding tickets, snacks or handwarmers.
Now to finish packing and then Ashland, here we come!
You are so brilliant! I get an absolute thrill out of being frugal and figuring my own way around spending.
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to that--it's hard for me to spend sometimes when I think I can make it for less. I don't know if the frugality drives creativity or vice versa, but they seem to go hand in hand, don't they?
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