I know that this is a DIY/Craft/Recipe/Lifestyle blog where I encourage you to make things and all around do it yourself because if I can...so can you. But in honor of my efforts at giving myself grace, I'm going to share with you my garden. My immensely downsized garden--but we're sure excited about it. I'm hoping that I'll be able to share with you how my garden grows later in the season.
Here's what our old garden was.
Two 4'x8' beds. We've had them since the first growing season after we moved in, so around 6 years. I have loved having raised beds, but the wood we used has simply rotted away. Last year, we battled with grass entering the bed, and honestly, last year I discovered that I really didn't have the time to maintain 2 beds. They are also at the back corner of our lot, near the street, so it was a little inconvenient to water and to let my oldest pick some veggies for dinner.
So this year, I decided to scale way back, and bring the whole shebang closer to my house.
So here's our plan: dig out the old rosemary that died last year in the barrel planter.
This is now our herb garden. My girls had loads of fun digging the roots out and pulling out weeds.
We planted rosemary, lavender, basil, and chives in our herb garden.
For our main garden, we purchased a raised garden system. I have to say that it was way easier to use this system than to build it with landscaping timbers and screws. I also loved how the packaging gave us the exact amount of soil we'd have to purchase.
So what are we planing in our garden? Well, we purchased 2 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants. We're also planting green beans, snow peas, radishes, cucumbers, lettuce, and spinach from seed. This week we'll plant the seeds that can go in the ground. The beans and the cucumbers need to wait to go in the ground, so we've taken this as an opportunity to teach our children.
Each of our girls got two bean seeds to plant in a paper cup. We talked about what a seed needed in order to grow. Obviously, we are getting a little more comprehension out of the 6 year old than the preschoolers. What else are we hoping to teach? Well, the biggest lesson is patience. The germination for this variety is only a week (mama though ahead), but with a little over 48 hours later, all three of my girls have checked their plants multiple times. We'll also teach some science, but patience is the main lesson. Hopefully they'll all want to eat the veggies once they're grown!
I love to party! Sometimes I link up my posts to Organizing Junkie, Tidy Mom and these link parties! You should come party with me and check out some awesome new bloggers!
Saving by Design
Saving By Design: Shopping with All You at Bi-Lo #ad #lifeforless #pmedia
5:00:00 AM
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are my own. #lifeforless #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO
P.S. This is a sponsored post brought to you via Pollinate Media and All You. I was compensated for this post, but I only share items that I love! I read and use All You every month.
I've been couponing pretty regularly for almost a decade. And do you know what a big secret to saving during big couponing events is? It's having coupons that not everyone has. Pretty much everyone in your local store can have this week's coupons. They probably can print out some coupons off the internet. But not everyone realizes what my secret weapon is: All You magazine.
All You has great articles on ways to save money--as well as fun frugal crafts and yummy recipes. I have been a reader of this awesome magazine for some time, and it has always been worth my while. The thing that was inconvenient about the magazine was, until the last couple of months, the only retail outlet that sold All You was Walmart. Well, all that has changed, and I am very excited. You see, I rarely go to Walmart. But now, there are a lot more stores that have All You available, and I am totally doing a happy dance about it!
But how do you save money with All You? Let me give you the perfect example with this month's issue of All You. I piled the family into my car and headed to my local Bi-Lo.
Yes, Bi-Lo is one of the great stores where you can now buy All You! We were really excited to find those magazines, although my oldest wasn't looking so excited here!
I found the All You issues right at the checkout stands without any problems, but if you can't find the latest issue, but sure to ask a manager where they keep All You.
Yes, Bi-Lo is one of the great stores where you can now buy All You! We were really excited to find those magazines, although my oldest wasn't looking so excited here!
I found the All You issues right at the checkout stands without any problems, but if you can't find the latest issue, but sure to ask a manager where they keep All You.
Then learn about all the ways to save that are throughout the magazine! Here are a couple of items that caught my eye right away (highlighted by arrows):
So, back to the shopping trip at Bi-Lo. The priority for this shopping trip was to get ready for potty training the twins with some special treats and to get one necessity that we were running low on: paper towels. My girls and I found several items that we usually buy that had coupons in this month's issue of All You.
My twins were pretty excited about those coupons...or maybe they know the M&Ms are for them...or maybe it was the fun grocery cart. I can't decide. :-) Here's the rundown on what we got:
The amount saved via All You through a single shopping trip? More than $4! And we paired the savings directly from All You with some amazing sales to save even more! We more than recouped the purchase price of All You with this single shopping trip. And beyond the simple coupon savings, I now have learned about some new saving tools with apps that are now a part of my savings playbook!
Do you want to pick up your very own copy of this month's issue of All You? You can find all the stores that carry All You at this site: www.allyou.com\value. You definitely want to try this magazine out!
- Coupons: Every issue has loads of coupons. You can find a list of coupons right by the table of contents, with the values for each brand of coupon and the page numbers. The folks at All You want to make it easy. I found several coupons for items we use.
- Articles: I paged through and found an interesting article about apps that save you money. After doing a little bit of learning, I found some more savings through an app for my shopping trip!
So, back to the shopping trip at Bi-Lo. The priority for this shopping trip was to get ready for potty training the twins with some special treats and to get one necessity that we were running low on: paper towels. My girls and I found several items that we usually buy that had coupons in this month's issue of All You.
- Sparkle Paper Towels (do you know how many we go through? It's ridiculous!)
- M&Ms (a perfect treat for the successes of potty training)
- Mars Ice Cream Novelties & Newton's Cookies...well, we needed treats for the rest of us!
- And the bonus item: Koolaid Jammers. There wasn't a coupon for this, but we found savings through an app that we learned about in this month's issue of All You!
The amount saved via All You through a single shopping trip? More than $4! And we paired the savings directly from All You with some amazing sales to save even more! We more than recouped the purchase price of All You with this single shopping trip. And beyond the simple coupon savings, I now have learned about some new saving tools with apps that are now a part of my savings playbook!
Do you want to pick up your very own copy of this month's issue of All You? You can find all the stores that carry All You at this site: www.allyou.com\value. You definitely want to try this magazine out!
P.S. This is a sponsored post brought to you via Pollinate Media and All You. I was compensated for this post, but I only share items that I love! I read and use All You every month.
Sometimes I link up at the following places: 504 Main, A Diamond in the Stuff, Alderberry Hill, At the Picket Fence, Beyond the Picket Fence, Cherished Bliss, Classy Clutter, C.R.A.F.T., Craft-o-maniac, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Eat at Home, Finding Fabulous, Gingersnap Crafts, Glued to My Crafts, Home Stories A to Z, House of Hepworths, House of Rose, I Heart Naptime, Lil Luna, Live Laugh Rowe, Made in a Day, My Favorite Finds, Not Just a Housewife, One Creative Mommy, Organizing Junkie, Semi Homemade Mom, Serenity Now, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Six Sisters Stuff, So You Think You're Crafty, Someday Crafts, Sugarbee Crafts, Tatertots & Jello, The 36th Avenue, The Frugal Girls, The Grant Life, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Today's Creative Blog, Uncommon Designs, and Under the Table and Dreaming.
I am super excited to write this sponsored post on behalf of
Rite Aid and Tugaboo Diapers. I will always write about items that I would use
myself, and all opinions are my own. So when I was contacted to try out Tugaboo
Diapers by Rite Aid, I was eager to check them out—we have never tried them
before, but I have heard that they have been revamped lately, with recently
increased leakage protection and faster absorption.
After all, diapers are a really, really big deal in my
house. Yes, my oldest is potty trained and has been since before the twins were
born, but oh my goodness. Do you know how many diapers a child uses? It’s rather
scary. In the first two years, I’ve seen numbers ranging from 4700-7000 around the internet. I’m
going to stick to around 5,000, since it’s a nice round number (and it’s a
number that is slightly less likely to make me cry). That means that my twins
have gone through over 10,000 diapers so far. And we’re just starting to think
about potty training, so I still see quite a few diapers in my future.
But besides the quantity of diapers we go through in a day,
the quality is just important—if not more. You don’t want leaks or blow outs,
and you definitely want hypoallergenic. But the real test…it’s the baby test.
Keep in mind, my “babies” don’t lie still any more. They are two…and
two year olds move around…a lot. Jerry Seinfeld once said, “Having a
two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for
it.” My husband response: “If you have twin two year olds, it’s like having 10
blenders with no tops, because they feed off each other.” So as they run
around, mess with their diapers (anybody else find your child without a diaper
on their rear at the end of naptime?), and basically create the perfect
gauntlet for a diaper to run to prove itself for me.
Yeah, they wouldn't stand still so that I could take a picture of them together. Perfect blender example. At least one of them wanted to show off her cool new diaper!
So this is what I’ve noticed about the recently improved
Tugaboos diapers:
- They are hypoallergenic
- They are unscented
- They fit my long and thin girls without any issues
- The soft stretchable waist and side panels seem comfortable to them—and they are vocal when they don’t like the fit of a diaper...trust me on that one.
- They feel soft and cottony
And I was excited to find no leaks on our little test run! We went overnight...and still no leaks on either girl! They're definitely a good value....from someone who has recently used many thousand diapers in the last couple of years. You get comfort, fit, and absorption for a great price!
And here's another reason to check out these improved diapers:
For the month of June, all Tugaboos purchases will earn an entry into the Tugaboos and Vera Bradley Sweepstakes!
With every in-store purchase of qualifying Tugaboos products using your wellness+ card at any Rite Aid store between June 1-30, 2013, you will receive an entry for a chance to win one of (25) Vera Bradley Designer Diaper Bags filled with select Tugaboos products.
To enter without making a purchase, complete this entry form now: https://riteaidtugaboos.dja.com/.
And if you need diapers right now...I noticed in my local sale paper that Tugaboos are on sale: buy one, get one 50% off, through Saturday, June 15,2013! Add that to the awesome Vera Bradley giveaway…and I think that’s a
win-win!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rite Aid.
Sometimes I link up at the following places: 504 Main, A Diamond in the Stuff, Alderberry Hill, At the Picket Fence, Beyond the Picket Fence, Cherished Bliss, Classy Clutter, C.R.A.F.T., Craft-o-maniac, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Eat at Home, Finding Fabulous, Gingersnap Crafts, Glued to My Crafts, Home Stories A to Z, House of Hepworths, House of Rose, I Heart Naptime, Lil Luna, Live Laugh Rowe, Made in a Day, My Favorite Finds, Not Just a Housewife, One Creative Mommy, Organizing Junkie, Semi Homemade Mom, Serenity Now, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Six Sisters Stuff, So You Think You're Crafty, Someday Crafts, Sugarbee Crafts, Tatertots & Jello, The 36th Avenue, The Frugal Girls, The Grant Life, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Today's Creative Blog, Uncommon Designs, and Under the Table and Dreaming.
Here are a few ideas I have to save money by prepping before you go on a Disney trip. You're already spending lots of money, so any little bit helps!
Make your packing and souvenir lists early.
If you plan ahead, then you will have time to wait on
shipping, hit seasonal sales, and use coupons. There are many sites out there
with “ultimate” packing lists for all age groups. Take advantage of these lists
and make a shopping list as early as possible. You can also decide what you can
live without, what you can buy, and what you can make (see below).
Explore Thrift and Consignment Shopping.
Consignment sales are full of Disney clothes for kids for a
few dollars per shirt. I think the most I spent on any one article of clothing
for them was $3. It really is worth the effort to get up early and dig through
the piles of stuff.
Look at Disney Movie Rewards.
If you buy any movie made by Disney on Bluray or DVD, then
you can earn Disney Movie Rewards by entering codes on their website. They also
occasionally release bonus points that you don't need to make a purchase to use. We had accrued
quite a few points, and just for kicks I went looking to see if there was any
Disney stuff that I could get for free from using my Rewards. The inventory
changes constantly, but we were able to find some fun stuff for me and Lil Bit.
I got a Mickey hat and some Minnie Sleeves (like leg warmers, but for arms).
Lil Bit got a baseball hat. These were all super fun items that we got just
because we had purchased movies (or received them as gifts) that we would have
owned anyway.
Make your own gear.
If you have a craft cutting machine like a Silhouette
Potrait or Cameo, then making a mickey head shape is very easy, but even if you
don’t own a craft digital cutting tool, it is a simple shape that you can cut
out with an xacto blade. If you cut it out of vinyl, you can apply it to
various surfaces. You can also cut shapes out of contact paper (or vinyl but
contact paper is cheaper) to use as a stencil to paint shirts and other items.
Buy snacks ahead of time.
It is a lot cheaper to have some emergency snacks in a bag
from the grocery store than to have to shell out a lot of money inside the
park. Even better if you buy those snacks on sale!
Bring a water bottle.
99% of the time, Florida is hotter than the rest of the U.S.
California is pretty mild, too. You will be outside and moving around more than
usual, most likely. It is important to stay hydrated, and like everything else,
water bottles and drinks can get pricey. And you can personalize your water
bottles.
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I made some for the kids with Mickey, or you can go with a more sophisticated one with names like Allison at House of Hepworths did here.
I made some for the kids with Mickey, or you can go with a more sophisticated one with names like Allison at House of Hepworths did here.
Do research.
Is staying on site the way to go? Or is renting a house? Or
would you prefer an off-site hotel? You need to figure out what makes the most
sense for your group. Since our group consisted of 2 families with a lot of
little kids, we decided that a house worked best for us. That meant we couldn’t
use the meal plan, since we stayed off site. We decided that the extra room was
worth the lack of meal plan and the commute to the parks. If you look, you can
easily spend around $150 a night total, even for a house, depending on the
season. It may work better to be on site, but that’s the point…do your
research!
Sometimes I link up at the following places: 504 Main, A Diamond in the Stuff, AKA Design, Alderberry Hill, At the Picket Fence, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blessed with Grace, Cherished Bliss, Classy Clutter, C.R.A.F.T., Craft-o-maniac, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Eat at Home, Finding Fabulous, Gingersnap Crafts, Glued to My Crafts, Home Stories A to Z, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, It's So Very Cheri, Lil Luna, Lines Across, Live Laugh Rowe, Made in a Day, Madigan Made, My Favorite Finds, Not Just a Housewife, One Creative Mommy, Organizing Junkie, Positively Splendid, Semi Homemade Mom, Serenity Now, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Six Sisters Stuff, So I Married a Craft Blogger, So You Think You're Crafty, Someday Crafts, Sugarbee Crafts, Tatertots & Jello, The 36th Avenue, The Finer Things in Life, The Frugal Girls, The Grant Life, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Today's Creative Blog, Uncommon Designs, and Under the Table and Dreaming.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted about frugality--so here's a frugality tip that's been rolling around in my head for a while.One way I try to
stay frugal is by looking for freebies online. One of my methods is using
SwagBucks. I pay for around 1/3 to 1/2
of my diapers (remember that I have 2 kids in diapers) through this program, by
doing things that I would do ordinarily on the web.
I buy a lot of my diapers online
at Amazon through their Amazon mom program. It gives a discount on the big
cases of diapers (and with twins, you know that is how we go through those
diapers—in cases!). Anyway, I earn giftcards to Amazon through an online
program called SwagBucks. SwagBucks is a way to earn an online “currency”—called
SwagBucks—and then you can trade that currency for giftcards or other prizes. I
almost always use my SwagBucks for the Amazon $5 giftcard because it’s the best
deal for the “buck.” You’re limited to 5 like prizes in a month, so I get enough
each month to get 5 $5 giftcards—which pays for almost a case of diapers. No
kids in diapers? It’s a great chance to save up for a special purchase or
gifts.
Here’s how I get SwagBucks, every day, in less than 5 minutes:
-I do the daily poll (1 swagbuck)
-I click through the No Obligation Special Offer path (2 SwagBucks)
-I have the toolbar (1 swagbuck for each day you open your browser with
the toolbar)
-I do my searches through SwagBucks
-When I have the time, I run SwagBucks TV in the background while I’m
doing other things—mostly blogging!—online.
-Occasionally, I’ll play games on their website or try to qualify for a
survey, again, as time allows.
If you are interested, right now is the perfect opportunity to check SwagBucks
out! Through 5 pm PDT on Thursday June 28 there is a signup code available for
new members. If you choose to sign up any old time, you get a welcome to SwagBucks
bonus of 30 points. But right now (through 5pm PDT Thurs) if you enter “SummerSocial”
(just like that, without the quotes), you get an additional 70 SwagBucks for a
100 SwagBuck start to that giftcard—or another prize! If you are interested,
please click here to sign up. This is my referral link—I won’t lie to you!—but all
I get is any SwagBucks that you get from searching, until you reach 1,000 search
SwagBucks. That’s it.
Apparently, starting June 28, the folks at
SwagBucks are going to have a
summer social—so there will be even more opportunities to earn Swagbucks, of
that I am certain!
So how do you try to be frugal while doing the things you already do?
Oh, and if you do join SwagBucks via my link, let me know in a comment!
Oh, and if you do join SwagBucks via my link, let me know in a comment!
Sometimes I link up at the following places: 413 Sparrow Lane, 504 Main, A Little Tipsy, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Eat at Home, Finding Fabulous, House of Hepworths, How to Nest for Less, MomTrends, Not Just a Housewife, Organizing Junkie, Positively Splendid, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Six Sisters Stuff, Sugarbee Crafts, Tidy Mom, The Finer Things and I Dream of Clean’s Spring Cleaning Challenge, The King's Court IV, and The Finer Things in Life.
It’s been a while since I posted about frugality. So, as part of Friday
Fun, I wanted to post part of why I believe in living a frugal life, and share
some encouragement I found this week.
Earlier this week, I received my Compassion magazine. What’s that? It’s
a magazine put out by Compassion International, detailing some of the things
that the money I donate to them helps to pay.
If you don’t know what Compassion International is, basically, it is a Christ-centered
charity that combats child poverty around the world in a long term approach.
Not only does the little girl that I sponsor receive food and other necessities,
but she gets to go to school to develop an education that should better her
life in the long term. We are also encouraged to develop a relationship with
her through letters and pictures from the time we started sponsoring her (she
was 4 when we started) until university. I feel like I have another child on
the other side of the world. This is what the Compassion website says about
their programs:
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term
approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is
made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning
of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from
prenatal care to university-level education.
Our one-to-one Child Sponsorship Program allows you to
personally connect with a specific child and build a life-changing
relationship. When you sponsor a child, you have the opportunity to influence
that child during adolescence, one of the most pivotal developmental periods.
Three additional programs round out the Child Development Model.
Our Child Survival Program ministers to mothers and babies during the critical
first years of life. Our Leadership Development Program champions promising
young adults to continue their education and develop their leadership
abilities. Our Complementary Interventions address a variety of additional
needs that complete the other programs.
Source: http://www.compassion.com/
This program costs less than $40 a month. Part of the reason for my family
living frugally is to give us the freedom to help others. Even when my husband
lost his job, we were able to afford to keep sponsoring our Compassion child. I
encourage you to look into this program. You can afford to help them out. Even
if you don’t feel like you can commit to that amount, you can always give a
one-time gift, too. They are not a fly-by-night program—they are a member of
the EFCA and the Better Business Bureau. I encourage you to check it out.
Anyway, like I said at the beginning of this rambling post, I received
my magazine from Compassion. As I was paging through the magazine, I saw Crystal
of Moneysaving Mom fame! I knew that she was involved with Compassion, but I
wasn’t expecting to see her there! It’s always cool to find another blogger in
an unexpected place. Her article was about cultivating contentment. And I got to thinking that I needed to
cultivate contentment. When something kind of crummy happens, I have two
choices: I can grumble and fuss, or I can choose contentment. So here are a few
things that happened this week, and the ways I can choose (to TRY!) to be
content with my lot….and view these things as blessings:
One: My husband had a crazy week at work, with long hours, leaving me
to be basically a single working mom every evening. Choosing to be content:
Instead of complaining, I choose to do the best I can with parenting, and feel
blessed that he has a job when so many people do not, and that he was able to
find a job 3 years ago when he lost his job in the middle of the recession.
(FYI if you’re wondering why the posts have been light on the crafting side
this week, that’s why—I had my hands full without my husband!)
Two: I had my annual review at work this week. It went about as well as
can be expected—we are still digging out of the recession. Choosing to be
content: I have a job. Architecture has truly suffered for the last four years.
My firm is literally half the size that it was before the recession. I know of
firms that did not survive. (Just a FYI—I make it a policy not to complain
about my job here. We all have bad days at work, and I do not share this as a
complaint!) I am truly blessed to be able to say that I have worked at my
office for 12 years.
Three: One of the twins is running a fever. Again. No daycare for her
today. Choosing to be content: after a miscarriage and a high risk pregnancy, I
am blessed to have 3 healthy, normal little girls. I am pretty sure that fever
is just teething—it’s a low grade fever. So hopefully it’s nothing serious. I
am blessed to have family in town, and my mom looked after her this morning
while I was at work. And even better: when
my girls aren’t feeling well, they want to snuggle. I’ll take my snuggles where
I can get them!
So even the struggles can be a part of the family fun. And I find that
when I have a good attitude and choose to be content, the rest of my family is
more likely to follow suit!
I would love to hear how you cultivate contentment!
Sometimes I link up at the following places: Six Sisters Stuff, Tidy Mom, Finding Fabulous, MomTrends, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free , House of Hepworths, Positively Splendid, The Finer Things and I Dream of Clean’s Spring Cleaning Challenge, A Little Tipsy, How to Nest for Less, Sugarbee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, The King's Court IV, The Finer Things in Life, and Organizing Junkie.
One of the reasons that I have yet to conquer my laundry
room for the Spring Cleaning Challenge is that I have had an influx of clothing
into my house. In case you didn’t know, it’s consignment sale time! You see,
for a few weeks each spring and fall, there are several local churches that put
on consignment sales for children’s clothing as well as other child and baby
essentials. I can buy clothes for my girls for pennies on the dollar and get
nice clothes. That way I don’t feel bad when my four year old ruins some pants
(do they roll in the dirt on the playground at the daycare?) or if the babies
outgrow an outfit before they can wear it more than a couple of times. The
churches do it as a fundraiser, and parents use it to get rid of out grown
clothing and equipment (and make and extra buck too). Here are a few pointers
for shopping consignment sales:
- Know the rules of the sale. Some won’t allow strollers. Some only take cash. Some don’t allow you to bring your own bag or basket, but require you to use theirs.
- Know the hours. Some sales have an early bird sale, and charge money to attend. Most sales have half-price hours. Do you prefer the best selection or the best price?
- Know your brands. Some brands run small, others large. Some brands, you can get brand new on clearance for the prices you see in consignment sales. Some brands are durable (and some are less).
- Have a budget and stick to it. Enough said. Have a price threshold for each kind of item. Keep in mind that the younger the child, the cheaper you can typically get clothing.
- Know what you need. I try to check kids’ closets before I go so I know who needs shoes, and who only needs shirts. For specialty items (a double stroller, for example), keep in mind that there will be few of them, and they will probably go fast.
- Dress comfortably. You will be on your feet on hard floor, holding lots of items, for a while. Lines can be long. Now is not the time to try out those cute flip flop wedges. Eat before you go, too!
- Allot time to examine each item. Regardless of rules, some consignors will (sometimes unknowingly, sometimes knowingly) try to sell a stained, torn, or non-functioning item. Examine each item and decide if the price is worth the condition.
- If you are new to consignment sale shopping, I suggest going with a friend who has been to a few. They can tell you if an item is overpriced, or if you can probably get a stain out.
Is it worth it? I think so. I’d rather cram the grand
majority of my shopping for the kids into a few trips a year. Can you save a
lot? Well, take this for example: This Safety First booster seat can be purchased brand new at
Babies R Us for $24.99. I just bought this very same seat for $5. It was dirty—I
think someone pulled it out of the garage and slapped a price tag on it. There are
a couple of minor signs of wear on the cushion. A little elbow grease and it is
ready for one of my little princesses to use! That’s an 80% savings! That’s
pretty good, if I do say so myself!
I don’t know if this is a problem for parents of little boys—I have 3
little girls. But with little girls comes longer hair. And with longer hair
comes…tangles. My oldest girl has pretty fine hair, with only a little wave to
it. We don’t have super curly hair in my little family, but we still get
tangles. As a matter of fact, my eldest has one section of her hair that is a
different texture than the rest of her hair, and it is always a rat’s nest in
the morning. That is why detangler (also known as leave-in conditioner if you
are buying for adults) is my best friend in the morning. It makes it so much
easier to convince an active preschooler to sit still while mommy combs out the
“nuts” (what she calls knots).
I ran across this link on Pinterest on how to make cheap detangler.
What a neat idea! But I thought surely I can make this “cheap” detangler “free”—cause
that’s the best kind of frugality!
I sign up for all kinds of samples online. One of the most common types
of samples are shampoo and conditioner in little foil packets. I figured that I
could use one of them as the main ingredient for the detangler. This is what I
did:
I took one sample pouch of conditioner. The conditioner I used was not
an intensive type, to keep my mixture as light as possible. My guess is that
this pouch contained about one to two tablespoons of conditioner.
Since my gold old J&J detangler bottle was empty (thus the reason for my need to make detangler), I used that spray bottle, but you could use any empty, clean spray container. I filled about one quarter of the bottle with water that was as hot as my tap would go, to better dissolve the conditioner. I squirted in the entire pouch of conditioner, and then I shook the solution to mix well. I then filled up the rest of the bottle, and then I shook it well again before I used it. We’ve been using it for a couple of weeks, and it has done a great job on my little one’s hair.
Since my gold old J&J detangler bottle was empty (thus the reason for my need to make detangler), I used that spray bottle, but you could use any empty, clean spray container. I filled about one quarter of the bottle with water that was as hot as my tap would go, to better dissolve the conditioner. I squirted in the entire pouch of conditioner, and then I shook the solution to mix well. I then filled up the rest of the bottle, and then I shook it well again before I used it. We’ve been using it for a couple of weeks, and it has done a great job on my little one’s hair.
And there you go, hair detangler for free!
Are you looking to save some money in the laundry
department? Maybe you have sensitive skin, or you have a baby. Babies have that
fragile, sweet, soft skin that just makes you want to snuggle with them.
However, this fragile skin also makes them sensitive to all the fragrances and
chemicals that we immerse ourselves in every day. The baby store folks will try
to sell you baby-only detergent and fabric softener. I can tell you without a
doubt that is not necessary. And trust me, the thought of doing baby-clothes
only loads of laundry is daunting when your laundry seems to have doubled,
anyway. One way to save a little bit of money is to go completely fragrance and
dye free—but not baby specific. There are plenty of options out there for
detergent and fabric softener that are fragrance and dye free, no matter if
your laundry machines are top or front load, regular or high efficiency.
If you want to go another step, you can make your own
detergent and fabric softener. Again,
there are recipes out there for detergent, but I will be honest with you, I
have not made detergent. The main reason I haven’t made it is because I don’t
have the ingredients at my house, so I haven’t tried. I am thrifty, but at this
point in my life (you, know, with infant twins in the house) I don’t have much
time to experiment if it requires buying more than one ingredient I don’t have
at home, or if it takes longer than 15 minutes to make. But I have made my own
fabric softener, and (I promise!) it is easy, quick and painless. It is also
compatible with all types of washers, including high efficiency machines. Even
better, it only takes 5 minutes to make, and it is made from items most people
already have around the house already. And if you have a bigger child, it makes
a pretty cool science experiment/magic trick when you combine the ingredients.
Unscented Homemade Fabric Softener
Ingredients
1 cup baking soda
6 cups distilled (white) vinegar
8 1/2 cups warm water,
divided
1 clean gallon container with a lid (think milk jug, empty
vinegar bottle, even a tub with a lid)—if your child wants to watch the
reaction, you could use a bowl and then transfer the mixture to a bottle after
mixing.
Directions
1.
Put the baking soda in the container.
2.
Put 1 cup of warm water into the container. Put
lid on and shake a little, but don’t worry about getting it all combined.
3.
Add the vinegar to the container slowly. Yes,
S-L-O-W-L-Y…the mixture will fizz as the vinegar and baking soda reacts. If you
go too fast, you will overflow your container. Don’t ask me how I know, you can
use your imagination….
4.
Once you have added all the vinegar and you
think it is done fizzing, gently shake the container to make sure the majority
of the reaction is complete.
5.
Pour the rest of the water into the mixture. No
need to do this part particularly slowly.
6.
You’re ready to do some laundry. Put 2/3-1 cup
of the mixture wherever/however you usually put fabric softener in your washing
machine. My washing machine is a top loading high efficiency machine, and it
has a compartment for fabric softener. Shake the mixture before using.
7.
Now don’t you feel great knowing exactly what is
in your fabric softener? I thought so. And it was cheap, easy, and took less
time than it takes to convince a toddler to try a new kind of food….
Having a baby is expensive. Having more than one at once can get very expensive. Making your own baby wipes is one was to save money. In addition to saving money, I have some friends who swear that changing to the homemade wipes stopped repeated diaper rashes. It is nice to know what is going into your wipes, and you can tweak the wipe recipe based on the kind of baby wash you use to be more to get the scent or level of sensitivity desired. My thanks to Jennifer, Amanda and Katherine, my friends who introduced me to the concept of homemade baby wipes. My recipe is based off the instructions they gave me!
There are many homemade baby wipe recipes out on the web. I've looked at quite a few of them, and mine is similar. However, I don't bother with exact measurements. Trust me, it will turn out all right!
You most likely have pretty much everything you need to make these wipes in your home already. The one item that is a bit out of the ordinary is an airtight container that has the capacity to hold one half of a jumbo roll of paper towels. I use a square OXO Tot container, but I have also seen various canisters used.
Other items that you need: a liquid measuring cup, the paper towels, a bread knife, hot tap water, baby wash, and baby oil. That's it!
Take the roll of paper towels and cut it in half with the bread knife so that you end up with two rolls of paper towels, each approximately the same size. I recommend the jumbo size with the select-a-size sheets--your wipes will end up about the right size. You can use other types as well, but keep in mind if you don't use the jumbo size roll you may wish to lessen the amount of liquid. Put one half roll into your container with the raw, cut end facing up. Save the other half-roll for the next time you make wipes
Put a long squirt (approximately 1 tablespoon) or baby oil into your measuring cup. Put two to three squirts (2-3 tablespoons) of baby wash. Run your tap off hot and put 1 1/2 cups of water on top of the oil and wash. Then pour the whole mixture on top of the half roll in your container. Close the container. Wait 30 minutes or more. Take the roll out, turn it upside down so that the factory edge is up. Pull the cardboard roll out of the center. You will be able to pull the wipes out of the center of the roll now.
If the wipes are too dry for your liking, add a little more warm water. My husband likes the wipes less wet than I do, so I try to cater to his preference.
A word of caution. Because there aren't the preservatives in $1. Enjoy!
There are many homemade baby wipe recipes out on the web. I've looked at quite a few of them, and mine is similar. However, I don't bother with exact measurements. Trust me, it will turn out all right!
You most likely have pretty much everything you need to make these wipes in your home already. The one item that is a bit out of the ordinary is an airtight container that has the capacity to hold one half of a jumbo roll of paper towels. I use a square OXO Tot container, but I have also seen various canisters used.
Other items that you need: a liquid measuring cup, the paper towels, a bread knife, hot tap water, baby wash, and baby oil. That's it!
Take the roll of paper towels and cut it in half with the bread knife so that you end up with two rolls of paper towels, each approximately the same size. I recommend the jumbo size with the select-a-size sheets--your wipes will end up about the right size. You can use other types as well, but keep in mind if you don't use the jumbo size roll you may wish to lessen the amount of liquid. Put one half roll into your container with the raw, cut end facing up. Save the other half-roll for the next time you make wipes
Put a long squirt (approximately 1 tablespoon) or baby oil into your measuring cup. Put two to three squirts (2-3 tablespoons) of baby wash. Run your tap off hot and put 1 1/2 cups of water on top of the oil and wash. Then pour the whole mixture on top of the half roll in your container. Close the container. Wait 30 minutes or more. Take the roll out, turn it upside down so that the factory edge is up. Pull the cardboard roll out of the center. You will be able to pull the wipes out of the center of the roll now.
If the wipes are too dry for your liking, add a little more warm water. My husband likes the wipes less wet than I do, so I try to cater to his preference.
A word of caution. Because there aren't the preservatives in $1. Enjoy!
