Hi girls!
Cori wanted the publicity members to start posting on the blog, so I've been thinking all week of a good topic to blog about. After talking with Missy at the meeting today, it appears that I was overthinking it :) So, for my first entry, I'm going to share a few things I learned recently.
To give you some background on myself, I've been clipping coupons, etc. as a hobby for the last two years. Don't get me wrong - my family certainly needs to stay on a budget if I want to continue being a stay at home mom. However, I've found that budgeting and seeing how much I can get for my money is a fun challenge for me, as well as helping my family save money. My family calls me the "crazy spreadsheet lady", and I'm proud of it, as my spreadsheet has told me how much I've saved in coupons this year ($400)! I will now stop the spreadsheet talk and step away from my control freak ESFP "Happy Together" mothering profile that I discovered today to tell you...
I've been subscribing to some recently discovered mom-blogs (frugal living and crafty ones) just for the tips other moms have shared. I've also been trying to make a lot of our foods/cleaning supplies, etc. at home which combines my two blog interests. As a result, I found out about a few things that you moms might like to know.
1. Clorox Anywhere Spray. It's almost $3.50 a bottle in some places, and here's the recipe: 1.5 teaspoons of bleach, 22 oz. of water. THAT'S IT!! Can you believe it? My parents have about 6 half used bottles around the house for various dog accidents, etc. I should make it for them, and sell it for half price!
2. Fruit Wash spray. Not sure how many brands there are, but the ingredients on the one I have state "surfactant, water, citric acid". According to the dictionary (and my chemical engineer husband), the definition of surfactant is 'a chemical agent capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved'. Basically, this is soap. As for the citric acid, this acts as a rinsing agent. So, keep your fruit wash bottle, pump a few squirts into it, and dilute with water and a teaspoon or so of lemon juice. I do recommend using scent-free soap, the flowery palmolive I just tried makes the grapes smell weird :)
3. Along the same lines, Bath and Body Works (B&BW) is making a killing on their foaming hand wash. Foaming soap is WAY easier for the little ones to use, so I keep it in their bathrooms for easy, quick hand washing. We ran out of our B&BW brand soap the other night, so I added 10 pumps of Dial liquid hand soap into the bottle, carefully topped it off with water (so as not to foam it up too much), swirled lightly, and voila! Foaming hand wash! Can you imagine how many B&BW bottles I can refill with my liquid Dial?? I must say that I am quite fond of the B&BW pump. It seems to keep working for a long time. No sticking like the other pump bottles (including Dial's version). So, I will continue to buy an expensive bottle of B&BW soap at least once a year, just for the bottle.
There! I've saved you $15!!! :)
To wrap up, I had a great time visiting with some new ladies today, and I'm hoping to get to know more of you soon. So far, I'm really enjoying this great group of women! I just hope that my kids stop clinging to my leg when I leave them in Moppets so I can relax while I'm with you :) See you in a couple of weeks!
I love natural cleaners and make it yourself stuff! They are always less expensive and nearly always better for you and the environment. Dr. Oz had a segment last week on pesticides on fruits and veggies that featured a make at home fruit wash. I use it and it doesn't change the taste of the fruit. Here is that recipe:
ReplyDeleteDr Oz’s Pesticide Wash Solution Recipe
Dr Oz said that if you are going to eat non-organic fruits and vegetables, you can help to wash your produce off by mixing together the following ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 TB baking soda
- 1/2 lemon
Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray your produce. Let the solution sit on your fruits and veggies for about 5 minutes before rinsing it off. Vinegar is anti-bacterial and lemon is a natural astringent. Fabulous home remedy Dr Oz!!!
Anyong haseyo from Korea! (That means hello)
ReplyDeleteKim, those are great tips. Homeslice loves that foaming soap. Maybe add a few drops of food coloring to it to turn it that neon green she likes...
I'm going to have to get a copy of that spreadsheet (and a lesson on how to use it) from you. I tried clipping coupons for about 6 months. While it did save me a ton of money, I couldn't nail down a system that worked for me. I would spend hours on our meal plan every week.
Maybe we could have weekly get-togethers for meal planning and coupon clipping. At least then I'd be having fun while I was working!
Have you heard of A full cup? It's a great site that has forums to tell you what's on sale at each store, and which week has each coupon. It was a huge help when I was feeling overwhelmed.
I'll see everyone at the next meeting!
cori