Well, the quilling didn't sell. My husband says that scrapbookers probably make their own embellishments. I may try selling some again, but for now, I've found another use for my new crafting hobby -- making my own cards. (I send quite a few.)

I invested in some card stock, and though it's a fair amount out of pocket, I have enough to make up to 500 cards. I figure that I can save $0.24 per card compared to already low-priced boxed cards I use, and I can have some fun making the cards. For cards I would have bought individually, I can save about $1.45.

My $20 Challenge fund is decreasing rapidly. After taking out the eBay fees and the price of the card stock, I'm down to $23.22. I really need to get back to work!

I posted my first quilling projects on eBay today -- hope they sell!

Because I already met my (probably too modest) goal for the quarter, I took a small risk and invested $8.19 from my savings in starting a new hobby -- quilling. I bought the materials at a good discount, of course, and I hope to sell some of the things I make on eBay. (My husband doesn't think anyone will buy it, but I hope to prove him wrong; I know I've personally bought some quilling at a craft show -- I've always found it interesting.)

So my total is now down to $38.16.

I know it's a basic frugal concept to buy Christmas gifts in January, but I rarely do it, partly because my family is blessed enough to be able to afford what they want when they want it, so I'm always afraid they'll buy the gift for themselves before December rolls around.

However, we buy gifts for my cousins' kids, who we only see about twice a year, so I'm always guessing what they have, anyway. Being a bargain hunter, I usually find what I consider good gifts for them for about $7 each. Today, I found some great, age-appropriate gifts at a going-out-of-business sale for $2 each. I bought four of them, saving a total of $20. Now, I just have to store them somewhere and remember that I have them when it's Christmastime again.

My running total: $46.35
(I met my modest goal for the first quarter already!)

Well, after I wrote my first entry, I had to do something. I'd been planning to buy a small plastic storage box to hold the craft supplies my son got for Christmas, but I decided to move some things out of another box instead. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the box I had in mind. What I did find was a hat box my in-laws had rescued from the curb on the day their neighbors moved. I'd kept it because I liked how it looked, but I'd forgotten it was still in the garage. The sketch pad doesn't fit in it, but the other craft supplies do.

The plastic box I nearly bought would have cost $6.35 with tax, so my $20 is now $26.35.

I've never written a blog before, though I have nearly 25 years of personal journaling experience (and I'm only in my early 30s!)

I subscribe to the Saving Advice newsletters, though, and the $20 challenge sounded intriguing enough to start my own blog. So here's my $20 to start. My time is already overcommitted, so I doubt I'll be blogging much. I'm also pretty good at saving money creatively, so I don't know how many new ideas I'll have. (Last year, I saved $1800+ with rebates, coupons, and special offers; I made even more than that on eBay & Half.com.)

I'm curious to see how I can make a set amount of money stretch, so I want to give this challenge a try. Due to my perceived lack of time and fresh ideas, my goal for the first quarter is only $40 from this $20.