Being frugal oftentimes means being creative – making do with less, and making it into more!  I’ve often told my husband that if I could get a gold medal for only one thing – it would probably be the ability to “Make Do”.   When something I want/need just isn’t on hand – or isn’t within my budget – I can usually look around and find something and “make it work”.  (Case in point – the Tinfoil Heart Pancake Molds I showed you a couple weeks ago.)

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This time, I’d like to show you one of my favorite make-do items ever – the humble Coffee Filter.  This has come in handy so many times for me – here is a list of 8 things you can use coffee-filters for.

1.) Popcorn or Snack Bowl  When my kids are asking for popcorn for a movie – I look at my overflowing sink and think “Do I really want to wash bowls right now?”

No – I assure myself – I certainly do not.  Hence was born the coffee-filter popcorn holder.  (I suggest a double layer to help maintain the bowl shape)  Coffee-filter snack bowls are great for kids sleepovers, after school homework snacks, and tons of other little occasions!

2.) Waffle Sleeve. Some mornings when we find ourselves rushing to school due to unheard alarms – I’ll toast frozen waffles or pancakes, slather peanut butter between them – and take them on the road for quick filling kids’ breakfast.  Coffee filters are great peanut-butter waffle sleeves!

3.) Grease Drainer.  Being a procastinator, I run out of paper towels more than you would think.  Today I was cooking sausage & biscuits and when I had nothing to drain my patties on – who did I turn to?  Coffee filters!!

4.) Splatter Screen. Need a splatter-screen for reheating a bowl of something in the microwave?  Coffee filters to the rescue!

5.) Clean your computer screen.  I do this one pretty often!

6.) Cookie Tin Liner. When I filled round tins with homemade cookies and candies this Christmas – flattened coffee filters separated the layers of cookies.  They fit perfectly in a cookie tin!

7.) PopsicleDrip-Guard.  Poke your popscicle stick right through the middle of the coffee filter so keep the kids hands from getting messy!

8.) China Storage.  Keep your pretty dishes from getting scratched by layering flattened coffee filters between the plates.

9.) Flattering Flash!  Soften the light from your camera flash by putting a filter over the flash.  This is great for close-ups.

10.)  Clean Windows & Mirrors. Coffee filters leave no lint!

Here is the batch with sprinkles – I made a second batch where I cut up leftover Christmas candy into tiny chunks and sprinkled those all over the tops.

My son James is running for Class President. (Excited mom squeal!)  His elementary school just adopted the idea of a student council – and he is 100% on board with ideas + enthusiasm!  In fact – he asked me to make my very first batch of campaign bribery treats this weekend (which I was more than happy to do) and we landed on Cake Balls.  You just can’t lose with those

The sqiggles all over the edges are because – “Girls in my class like fancy stuff, mom.”

Check out his campaign poster – which accompanied by his brilliant ideas – will surely help him go far   Here’s my favorite idea of his:
Put up “Bully Boxes” around the school.  These will be locked boxes with a slot big enough for kids to slide in a slip of paper, hung in places like the bathrooms or other public areas, for kids to report being bullied – or seeing others getting bullied.  This is so that (and I quote) “Kids don’t have to be scared of being snitches anymore.  Cause nobody likes a snitch, mom.”

Now back to chocolate!  Here is my recipe – stolen from Kasey & Kelly who taught me a couple years ago – which is remarkably simple.

Cake Balls:
Bake a cake.  Crumble it up and stir it up in a big bowl with a can of frosting.  Form into balls with scooper (Scoop it and push it hard against the side of the bowl so that it’s really packed in there).  Melt chocolate chips or candy melts and spoon over the top of each ball.  I always end up having to sort of gingerly spread the chocolate in a swirly pattern – because I never have the better-melting candy melts.  Chocolate chips just don’t get all that drippy, ya know?  Top with sprinkles, crunched up candy bars or pretzels, coconut, nuts or other yumminess while still warm.  Serve in cupcake holders or mini-cupcake holders.

Tons of flavor combos work well together, but here are some that are on my short list:

Strawberry cake + Strawberry Icing + Chocolate Topping (Like a chocolate covered strawberry!)
Strawberry Cake + Cream Cheese Icing + Any Kind of Topping
Carrot Cake + Cream Cheese Icing + White Chocolate coating + Nuts
Chocolate + Chocolate + Chocolate (If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it)