Since we had a winning day today, it got me in the mood for a game-day party. Who says football is just for the boys?  Add a little flair to your celebrations, with a few budget-friendly items.  The first on my list are these bowls from Anthropologie, which come in all sorts of colors and the whole set is just $20!   I’m going to fill mine to the brim with our homemade chilli.  I love fall and all of the wonderful food and festivities it brings along the way.  Here’s how to get the look (of course you can mix up the colors to match your favorite team!) -

1-  Libbey 6 Piece Beer Glass Set on Amazon for $14.98

2-  Jme Jellies in Hot Pepper from Williams Sonoma for $14

3-  White and Red Dots Napkins from Paper-Source for $5.95

4-  Reclaimed Slate Coasters from Uncommon Goods for $35

5-  Numerical Appetizer Plates from Target for $11.99

Every guest can have their own number!

6-  Set of 4 Latte Bowls from Anthropologie for $20

7-  Enameled Red Pot from Martha …

I might be Queen of Quite a Lot, as this wonderful poster says, but I am most certainly NOT a Coupon Queen!  There are ladies out there who are not afraid to spend a few hours with their trusty scissors and a stack of newspapers, but I simply do not have the patience.  I am sure they have been known to save $50, $100 or more every month, with their envelopes in tow at the store.  As a frugal girl I should probably be ashamed that I’m not willing to put in more effort when it comes to the world of coupons, but I have developed three shortcuts so I can get a few rewards and discounts every now and then:

1-  My favorite tip for coupon-phobes, is to make Google your friend.  When you fill up your cart at your favorite online store, simply STOP and open a new browser window to Google.  This is the best way to find current coupon codes for e-shopping.  I usually use a search phrase such as, “Store Name (ie – Ann Taylor Loft) + Coupon Codes.”   …

One of my favorite hours of the entire week is the hour I spend every Saturday morning at the public library.  An avid reader who’s watching her purse strings, I love the library.  This weekend, I checked out a great book by The Wine Bible author Karen MacNeil called Wine, Food & Friends.  This book is a perfect match for frugal, health-conscious foodies.  It contains Karen’s wine recommendations for some of Cooking Light magazine’s most wine-friendly, seasonally-inspired recipes.  The best part — Karen includes a price guide and many of her wine recommendations fall under the “great deal” category, meaning you can expect to pay $7-$15 a bottle!

I’m planning on trying several of her budget-minded recommendations (and maybe even a couple of her suggested ‘splurge bottles’).  But, in anticipation of fall and my recently renewed pledge to austerity, the first on my list is a Beaujolais —Georges Duboeuf Fleurie “Domaine des Quatre Vents”, which costs around $15 a bottle.  In the autumn section of the book, Karen pairs this “lip-smacking” red with one of my husband’s most requested comfort food combos—meat loaf and mashed potatoes. …

In high school I would dream up rooms for my future home.  I could see it vividly – the two story living room with a library nook…  The open kitchen with an eat in breakfast area, complete with a fireplace…

There was one room though that I spent the most time thinking about.  It was the dining room.  I saw something open, airy and light.  Somewhere you could just as easily sit down to write and sketch, as you could eat a delicious meal.

Just recently,  I was flipping through the Pottery Barn catalog and I stumbled upon this room.  There it was – pretty much what I’ve been envisioning for so many years…my dream room!

Now to just figure out how to make it a reality!  Until then, I’ll keep this inspiration room up on the fridge and dream!

Finding this image in the catalog made me wonder… Do you keep inspiration clippings for your home, and have you ever stumbled upon your “dream” room?