Waste not: hotel shampoo

We've all got these in drawers in our bathrooms or closets.  Tiny little hotel samples of shampoo, lotion, mouthwash...  I found a huge "supply" of these in our guest bath and donated them a few months ago but upon finding another stash in our bathroom I decided to just use them one by one.  It's amazing that one tiny bottle lasts about a week and I wash my hair every single day!  I've gone through 2 shampoos already (started last month) and have 3 shampoos and 3 conditioners left... I'll post back when I've finished using them.  :)

Hot Summer Treats : Make Your Own Popsicles

How many of us enjoyed popsicles in the summer when we were kids?  It was always a favorite treat in our home when I was growing up and when my kids were little as well.  We'd often eat them outside in the heat.     As we've gotten older, we have "refined" our tastes to gelato  [we love Jeremiah's Ice], smoothies, Edy's frozen fruit bars, Cold Stone Creamery... but the taste of a plain old popsicle is still quite nice.

Recently at a yard sale I found this Tupperware popsicle maker for 50 cents!  I thought about selling it on Ebay but I really liked the cheery colors so I kept it for us.

I washed it (although I don't think it had ever been used) and poured some fruit juice in to make 6 popsicles.   It took about 2-3 hours to freeze.

Even if you use a sugary beverage to make them, it's only 4 oz. which isn't going to ruin anyone's diet.    I used cranberry/pomegranate juice in some and V8 Splash in the others.   Next time I make smoothies I'll pour a few popsicles.  Try doing this using some type of plastic container  and craft sticks. I'm sure it would work just as well.

Mmmm.... everyone here loved them.   Sometimes simpler, IS better and DEFINITELY less expensive.  :)

Saving Money: Buying Dishwashing Liquid in Bulk / AppBox Pro App

I posted earlier in the year when I purchased one gallon of dishwashing liquid from Sam's Club--ProForce Pink Lotion Dish Detergent.  I opened it on July 25, 2010.  Here is the update --I finished it on September 21, 2011.  It lasted more than one year!  Even I was surprised that it had lasted quite this long.  That $4.18 purchase was certainly worth the money.  It is $10.18 if you have it shipped.

I  fill a Bath & Body Works pump bottle that I keep by the kitchen sink.   I have a dishwasher which I use every day or two but I also wash a fair amount of items by hand as well.   If you do not have a dishwasher, of course, it would last less time.

Just to compare the two most popular dishwashing liquids and their cost (from Coupon Mom)...

1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces

Dawn Plus, 19 oz.                   $2.08                 = 7 bottles = $14.56
Dawn, 38 oz.                                 3.74                 = 4 bottles =   11.22
Dawn, 19-24 oz.                           2.24                =  7 bottles =   15.68
Palmolive Ultra, 25 oz.            2.39                  = 5 bottles =    11.95
Palmolive, 10 oz.                          .89                  = 13 bottles =  11.57
Palmolive 20-25 oz.                  2.25                  = 7 bottles =    15.75


Definitely a great buy.

I don't calculate / compare everything I purchase like this...I mainly eyeball the ounces and cost.  For items that are regular frequent purchases, comparing the price closely can save you a bundle, especially if you have a large family.   Price books are recommended by many savers but I honestly have never done that.  However, I do have an app called APPBOX PRO that has about 40 apps within it.  It's referred to as the Swiss Army Knife for your digital life.  :)  One of these apps is PRICE GRAB which lets you do an apples to apples   comparison between products and I do use this app at Sam's Club periodically to compare to grocery store prices.   I  highly recommend this app.

UPDATE 9.5.12: Just checked the bottle of dish liquid that I purchased on 9.21.11.  Still about 1/4 full and it's been almost one year!

COUPONS: Inexpensive Cheap Date Night: Dinner / Takeout from Smokey Bones

After a full week of work usually the last thing my husband wants to do on Friday nights is go out. I admit, I'm ready to relax as well.  Last Friday we had an inexpensive date night in:  Dinner / takeout and a movie at home.  

Every month or so, Smokey Bones puts these great coupons in the Sunday paper.  This past Sunday (August 14) there were at least two more in the paper plus since I get the neighbor's newspaper coupons, I now have three to use for this coming month. 

Coupon from the newspaper:  $10 off a $20 purchase (combined items = one purchase), expired August 13, 2011.  I'm glad I checked the date because it was only valid through the day that I used it.  I hate to waste good coupons.

This is really a great coupon.  We used to use them for bulk pulled pork which bought enough for about 6 meals (I bought buns and made the sides).  We also have used it for a rack of ribs as well.  The restaurant wised up though and now no longer permits this, so you have to be calculating to get the maximum benefit from this coupon.  I needed to order something fairly large to split between two people.

Before ordering takeout I  checked the online MENU to see what was available.  We don't eat steak very often so I chose the New York Strip 12 oz. steak ($17.99) which comes with two regular sides.  That is PLENTY of red meat for two people.  I ordered one Fancy side, the Loaded Mashed Potatoes ($2.99--but they didn't charge me since I replaced the two regulars with that).  I was still short just a bit--the total has to be $20 BEFORE tax) so I also ordered a flavored Passion Fruit  iced tea which was very good.  I think the total was about $22.00 - $10.00 coupon = $12.00 for a nice dinner for two.

If we had actually gone to Smokey Bones, it's unlikely we would have split a meal.  Typically everyone buys something separate.  The portions are certainly large enough to do so, but I rarely can get my husband to do this.  If we had both ordered steak, our bill would have been at least $40.00.

I made a nice spinach avocado salad at home and voila, a great meal for $12.00.  I had some leftover cherry pie that a guest had brought for us last week that was our dessert.   We enjoyed our meal while we watched a movie from Netflix.

Take advantage of the coupons, Entertainment Club books, etc. that you may have or receive.  With a little pre-planning you'll find that they really do save you a lot of money.   They're not just for groceries anymore.  :)

Saving Money: Buy in Bulk Dishwashing Liquid

I use coupons like everyone else but some things that I know I will be needing a large quantity of, I just go ahead and buy them at Sam's Club and be done with it. Dishwashing liquid is one of those.  I have used Dawn, Palmolive, Joy and a variety of others, plus store brands and this Pro Force pink dishwashing liquid is one of the best I have tried.

This gallon jug was about $10.00 when I purchased it last summer  and I actually opened it on July 25, 2010.  [I always write the date opened on large containers of items I buy.]    You can see by the arrows in the first photo how much I have left--almost half.  Believe me, I use it often every single day.  

  

I keep it in my laundry room and as needed, pour it into this Bath & Body Works soap dispenser.  Looks great on my sink, very handy to use and SO economical!

Two New Blogs for Women: Submission, Frugal Living

Here I am again introducing two new blogs written by friends of mine.

1.  Submission is Not Silence: how women should respond to what the Bible says about submission by Elizabeth Pent Julin.    Liz was part of a large Christian family whose father was a traveling evangelist.  The family was one of the original homeschooling families which was almost unheard of at that time.  They traveled often with their father and sang in his ministry.  Her eldest brother wrote a book when he was a teenager about their experiences  titled Ten Peas in a Pod.  I have been blessed in knowing  several members of her  extended family over the last three decades.  Liz has written a book (the same name as her blog)  which has now been released [3.4.11].  To view the trailer for this book, go to THIS LINK.  My friend, Virginia, has written an excellent review of Liz's book on her blog at THIS LINK.

To visit Liz's blog, go to THIS LINK.   

2.  Healthy Frugal Happy by Patty Morman, wife, mother of two and missionary.  We live near each other and attend the same church together where our husbands are both elders.   Patty enjoys ministering to other families, especially young moms.  To visit her two blogs, go to THIS LINK for her blog about living frugally and THIS ONE about hope...

Earth Day / Miserly Moms Living Frugally / Alive at 25 Driving Safety Course / Yard Flags and Decor

From my windowsill:

Earth Day, April 22, 2010:

Recycle or Freecycle, Restore or Rebuild, Replenish or Replace, Reduce or Remove, Reuse whatever you can.  Remember though, to worship the Creator, not the creation.

Genesis 1:1   

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

Genesis 1:29-31 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;  and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.  God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 

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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY:

Here are two broadcasts from one of my favorite programs, Focus on the Family, that I heard this week.   My kids were raised indirectly by Dr. James Dobson, 

The New Dare to Discipline

and although he is no longer part of Focus on the Family's regular broadcasts, they still have some excellent podcasts which I save to iTunes.  I like to listen while I'm at the YMCA or walking in the mornings. 

The title of each is:  Frugal Living in a Tough Economy.  The guest speaker is Jonni McCoy, author of Miserly Moms: Living Well in a Tough  Economy.  I'm always on the hunt for new ways to save money with continuing to be a mom at home as my primary goal.   When I stopped working in the corporate world almost 21 years ago we took more than a 50% decrease in our total income.  We cut back and cut back and of course, gave up quite a lot, but gained oh, so much more.  Being home with our two sons has been a blessing beyond what I could have ever imagined and I am so glad I did.  You can live on one income. It CAN be done. with patience, prayer, biblical counsel and a little imagination and resourcefulness thrown in.  :)  Also, by being frugal, you can surprisingly be quite generous.  Try it.

Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy

Part 1, broadcast on April 19

Part 2, broadcast on  April 20

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FREE DRIVING SAFETY COURSE:

From The Happy Housewife (one of my favorite blogs for moms):

The National Safety Council has created a program called Alive at 25 for parents like me. This program helps parents and kids work through real life examples that reinforce good driving skills. Midas is currently offering this program free to anyone who registers on the website. 

I signed up for this yesterday for my 15-year-old son who is learning to drive now.  For this safety-conscious mom, this was a no-brainer.  

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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN YOUR OWN FRONT YARD:

Everyone loves to express themselves differently and I love to see that there are such a variety of people around me.  On a morning walk in our neighborhood I noticed how differently people's yard accents express who they are.  

These displays make me smile and also make me glad that my neighbors are not all just like me.

Some like the lazy days of spring and summer.

Quite a few had American flags on display to show their patriotism and not just on holidays.   We put ours up on holiday weeks.

There are the nature lovers.  Save the manatees...

the sports fans...

CLICK ON Read More to finish this article.