Something to spend a Michael's coupon on

In this area, we get a weekly flyer for Michael's craft store, and it almost always has a 40% off coupon in it. We don't live far from a Michael's, but still don't often go in there--too many ways to spend too much money.

But one thing they have there I do like, and if you're wondering what to do with one of those coupons, it's also not a bad deal. They sell packages of heavy-duty construction paper that is quite a bit heavier and nicer to work with than the usual dollar-store variety. Last fall I bought a large package of white only, 9 x 12 inches, and we are still using it up. Its most frequent use around here is as printer paper (cut down to 8 1/2 x 11 inch size), for printing out cut-and-paste paper toys from The Toymaker, Jim's Printables, and PaperToys.com. It's not quite as stiff as card stock, so it's easier for young kids to fold, and it's just that much sturdier than regular printer paper. There are other colours as well, but the light colours are probably the most versatile for printing things out.

You can probably buy this heavy paper from other sources as well, but if you have a Michael's handy, check it out.