I love it when the cheap option ends up also being exactly what I wanted, and that is definitely the case with my new bedside lamps.

My husband and I have a tiny little bedroom.   Here it is after the last makeover, when we downgraded from out larger nightstands to these smaller ones.

Well, you KNOW it was only ever this clean for this picture and the rest of the time those teeny, tiny nightstands were overflowing – both under and on top – with messy, messy stuff.   They just didn’t have enough usable storage and since the lamps sitting on them weighed about as much as the tables themselves, we were constantly knocking them over.  I had some Expedit shelves from Ikea that were no longer being used in the room they were bought for, and I wanted to put them beside my bed.  Since I already had the shelves and the paint, I knew I could do a bedroom makeover for practically free.  The problem is that you couldn’t put a lamp on them.  I began my search for hanging bedside lamps and came up empty handed.  It wasn’t just that I couldn’t find anything in my price range…I couldn’t find anything I liked at all!

One day my husband and I were wandering the aisles of Lowes and came across these little task lights:

If memory serves me correctly, they were $1.99 each.  They come with a clamp that you can remove, and they come in many different sizes (this one was the small one).  Since I had been looking for the perfect hanging light for about a month and was really getting antsy to get on with it already, we decided that for less than $5, we could use these until we could find what we wanted.

The entire light assembly screws out of it, so I removed that, then covered the holes from inside with tape.I wanted the inside to stay silver, so I sat them open-side-down on a flat surface and gave them several good coats of white spray paint.

I loved them already!  The paint gave them sort of an old-fashioned enamel look.  I reassembled the light, then sewed a simple fabric sleeve that would cover the cord (cut the fabric 3-4 times the length of the cord and about 4-5 inches wide).  I had some metal brackets in my garage that I had picked up on clearance from a garden shop.  I screwed them straight into the side of the shelves, and hung the lamps from them.

The search is over!  I love them so much that I’m no longer even looking for a replacement.  They’re perfect!

And I just adore my new, lighter, brighter, neater bedroom!

January is national soup month! Each week I am sharing a new soup recipe with you. This recipe comes from my sister in law. It is a fast, easy soup that can literally be on the table in about 5 minutes!

7 Can Soup
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken (drained)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

Put everything in a pot and bring it to a boil. Done! Serve with grated cheese, sour cream and chips.

Print this Kleenex Facial Tissue .55/3 coupon quickly, before it disappears.  These will be $0.99 at most Kroger stores starting tomorrow with the Buy $10, Save $5.00 Promotion.  You can get these for $0.66 – $0.81 a box after coupon, depending if your store doubles coupons.  Remember, you can print each coupon twice.

OfficeDepot.com

This works out to only $2.30/ream if you pick up in store. Great price!

TARGET

Select Pampers, Huggies and Luvs jumbo packs-including training pants $8.99 each
use: Huggies Diapers, any $1/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13
Huggies Little Movers or Little Snugglers Diapers, any $2/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13 (IF INCLUDED)
Pampers Diapers or Pants $2/2 Bags or (1) Box, excludes trial/travel size (1-31-13) PG-12/30

Final Price…as low as $6.99 each
EXTRA DEAL: FREE 1-pk Huggies or Pampers baby wipes when you buy any two jumbo packs listed

Pampers oe Huggies Baby Wipes Refills 180-216ct $5.99
use: Pampers Wipes 60 ct. or higher, excludes trial/travel size .50/1 (1-31-13) PG-12/30
Huggies Baby Wipes, any 56 ct. or larger .50/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13

Final Price $5.49 each

K-MART

Pampers or Huggies diapers or training pants-jumbo pack $9
Use: Huggies Diapers, any $1/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13
Huggies Little Movers or Little Snugglers Diapers, any $2/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13 (IF INCLUDED)
Pampers Diapers or Pants $2/2 Bags or (1) Box, excludes trial/travel size (1-31-13) PG-12/30

Final Price: as low as $7 each

WALGREENS

Huggies Jumbo Pack $9.99
use: Huggies Diapers, any $1/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13
Huggies Little Movers or Little Snugglers Diapers, any $2/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13 (IF INCLUDED)

Final Price: as low as $7.99

EXTRA DEAL: Spend $25 and get 4000 balance rewards points

Huggies Baby Wipes 168-216pk $5.99
Use: Huggies Baby Wipes, any 56 ct. or larger .50/1 (2-9-13) SS-1/13

Final Price: $5.49