Frugal Handsoap

If you're like our one-income family, frugal living is not just fashionable but often a necessity. We're always looking for ways to live a little simpler, a little less expensively and more environmentally friendly.

Have you noticed that all my photos are taken on this same counter? Someday when Colton outgrows his school table, I hope for a nice hoosier-style cabinet with lots of drawers and extra work space ... but until then ...

This frugal hint is one that meets all those criteria and is very simple to implement.

In our family, we use store bought liquid hand soap always buying the jumbo size bottle to refill all the small hand dispensers in the house. Recently, I've found a way to make the jumbo size bottle last well over 10 times longer.

Just purchase several of the prefilled foamable hand soaps from your local store. After you use up the soap in them, simply reuse the foaming handsoap dispenser by adding 2 teaspoons of the liquid handsoap and then slowly fill the individual hand dispenser with water to about 1/2 inch below the top of the bottle. Invert the bottle several times to mix the water and soap ... and you're ready to go with a whole new bottle of foaming soap.





If you like your foaming soap a little thicker, just add an extra teaspoon of liquid soap to the water. I like the foam because it doesn't slide off little hands and right down the sink. It sticks making it easier for little ones to wash their hands successfully.



I love this idea because in it not only saves money, but also reduces waste. That's ten less plastic bottles that will be filling our landfills! Multiply that by the number of bottles of soap you will use a year ... and multiply that by years ... you can see the impact that this one little change can make.

Of course, you can use this idea with your favorite liquid hand soaps from Bath & Body and make them last much longer as well.

Enjoy,
Lea

Lovely & Frugal Christmas Gift Idea

As our extended family has continued to grow with our nieces marrying and having children of their own, we felt a need to change the way we gift at Christmas so we began to focus our gift budget primarily on the little ones. Yet, we still wanted to remember everyone with a little token of our love.

In past years, I've made hand mixes cocoas in mugs and homemade stockings filled with fruit and nuts. This Christmas, I decided to make gifts around a soup theme. Throughout the year, I've shopped for pretty baskets and mugs to fill.



In each basket or mug, I put a box of Lipton instant soups, a bag of oyster crackers tied with pretty curly ribbon, several little single size candy bars and some peppermint sticks as well as a little Christmas figurine which I purchased at last year's after Christmas sales.



Finally, I wrapped each gift all up in pretty cellophane paper and tied them with colorful ribbon.



I think they turned out so pretty. And though frugal, it is a gift that I'm pleased to share with friends and family knowing that some cold afternoon this winter, they'll enjoy a nice simple lunch and know that we love them.

~ * ~

I know so many have left me nice notes and awards, but I haven't been able to get over to visit. My son's lap top is in the repair shop for 3 weeks and my table top is malfunctioning and shutting down every few minutes! Please know that I appreciate your thoughts and I'll be by to catch up as soon as I can.

Christmas blessings,
Lea

??? More Free Money ???

Wow! Already this morning, I've heard about five people who found missing money! I am so happy for them all.

So scroll down and read my post on Free Money and see if your name is on the list!

Blessings,
Lea

??? Free Money ???

I know it just doesn't sound real, does it? However, an exciting thing happened tonight while I was searching on-line for college scholarships for my oldest son.

On our Tennessee state web-site, I came across two websites for Unclaimed Property Searches. I've heard about these sites in the past and, no doubt, held my breath while I searched for our names in hopes that somewhere there was some unclaimed treasure awaiting our discovery.

Well tonight I got a BIG surprise. My husband's name DID show up on one of the searches for two unclaimed property entries! Hurray! One is for between $10-$100 and the other is for $100 or more. Now all I have to do is complete the claim forms and submit them to receive our lost property.

Can you imagine how excited I am? You know me ~ I get excited about Walmart freebies or a free gum sample!

So if you get a chance, just stop by these sites and type your name in ... and your husband's name ... and your maiden name ... and your mother's name ... well you get the idea. You just never know!

Missing Money is a nationwide search. Our names did not appear on this search.

NAUPA is a list of state maintained web-sites. We ran our names in each state where we've lived in the past. And from a state link on this site is where my lucky husband's name appeared!

Blessings often come from the most unexpected places, don't they?

Have fun,
Lea

Please check my sidebar for some lovely giveaways!

Free Frugal Fun

I don't know if you've visited this Walmart link yet but it is a great little link for free sample products. They offer all sorts of trial size goodies from shampoos and shaving cream to laundry detergent and diapers. I sign up for most of them. Most I use. Some I take on trips. Others I keep in a small drawer in my bathroom for guests.

Just last week I had a visitor who needed a diaper and wipe. And I was able to open my handy, dandy sample drawer and get exactly what she needed. Frugal and fun!

So give it a click. Right now there are eight products being offered. Just click the ones you're interested in and another pop up window will ask for your mailing information. As a privacy & identity issue, don't forget NOT to use your actual birthday. Personally, I always make myself 10 years younger! LOL

Have fun,
Lea

Thrift Store Treasure

One of my favorite past times is visiting our local thrift stores. Now I never shop at the mall or even department stores in town. They're just not my style. But give me a well stocked Goodwill shop with shelves piled with goods or even a huge yard sale and I'm one happy gal!

I do try to be very selective about the "treasures" I bring home. I don't want to clutter our small home or put stress on our already tight budget but I do enjoy browsing. It is like a treasure hunt! So much fun. And once in a while I find a gem.

Well last week while I was in town, I stopped by the Goodwill for a little browsing and came home with this lovely hand pieced, hand quilted log cabin wall quilt. And all for only $2.99! I was so excited. I have been planning to make some little quilts for my wall and this was such a great start for me.

So like any prim lover, I brought it home, washed it up and then dyed it to look old and worn. Now you shabby chic gals are probably thinking that I absolutely ruined a perfectly good piece. BUT we prim lovin girls know it's just not finished until it's grubbed or sanded or beat really well with a set keys! You know what I'm talking about! LOL

Before


After




Smiles,
Lea

Frugal Living ~ Homemade Soft Scrub

I really like using this homemade soft scrub. It works great and lacks all the harsh chemicals that are in commercial cleaning products. And best of all, it costs only pennies to make!



All you need are two simple ingredients that you probably already have in the cupboard: liquid dish soap & baking soda.

Add 1/2 cup baking soda in a bowl and mix (or whisk) in liquid dish soap until the mixture resembles icing. That's it! So simple but it works great. Keep leftover scrub in a sealed container. If it gets a bit thick, just add a little water to keep a consistency that you like.




I use it to clean my showers, tubs, sinks even the counter tops. And my husband said it works wonderfully well to get the bugs off the nose of a car! Who would have guessed? This is a product that I feel good about letting my children use as well. So whip up a batch and let me know how you like it!



Today I am thankful for:
6. The refreshing rain
7. Enough money to pay the bills this week
8. eBay for being able to sell my used school materials & buy new ones at great prices
9. The magical taste of fresh strawberries
10. A clean bathroom

Have a blessed weekend,
Lea

Frugal Living ~ Back to Handwashing Dishes

I don't know about this one, friends, but I am going to give a try. It has only been 2 years since I've had the ultimate pleasure of having a dishwasher. Believe me, I have so enjoyed it. I feel like a queen when I can just put those dishes in the tray and let "someone" wash them for me. I love the time it saves me as well.

However, as a single income family, I am really trying to do whatever I can to make our money stretch a little further these days. Things like consolidating trips to town and handmaking my own laundry soap (which I enjoy immensely). And one late night as I sat listening to my dishwater running water endlessly, I thought "I wonder how much money I could save if I washed them by hand?"

Well I have decided to give it a try. But first I had to entice myself to meet the challenge so I bought myself these darling oh so feminine pink rubber gloves that came with a flower dish scrubber from Gooseberry Patch (on clearance of course) and even hung a hummingbird feeder outside the window. Now I am ready to go!

Guess I'll know in a month or two if the results are worth the effort. In the meantime, I'll be wearing my fancy gloves, a pretty apron and dancing around the kitchen with the hummingbirds to the tune of clanking dishes!

Smiles,
Lea

Frugal Living ~ My New Solar Powered Clothes Dryer

Once again those rising prices have challenged our family to find creative ways to save money. So we decided to make the transition from our old electric clothes dryer to this new model.

With a couple of nails, some sturdy line, a few wooden clothes pin and three wonderful old trees, I created the ultimate clothes dryer. It is so easy to operate and very efficient. The operating manual's only instructions are to be aware of the weather report!



... and I couldn't be happier with it. I find it so relaxing to just take my laundry outdoors while listening to birdsong as I hang each piece. I actually look forward to laundry now. I am going to plant some flowering perennials around those trees to add to the pleasure.

My goal is to plan my laundry days around our weather from now until winter and only use our electric dryer for a 5 minutes fluff on clothing. I'm looking so forward to the impact it will make on our energy expenses!

Live joyfully,
Lea

Frugal Living ~ Homemade Laundry Soap Update

Both enamelware pots came from the thrift store for under $5 total!

I just had to give an update on my journey with this homemade laundry soap recipe. I have been using it for 2 months now and I'm loving it!

Not only is it saving us lots of money, but my clothes are fresh and really clean. No soap residue. No extra rinse cycle so we're conserving water as well as energy. I feel so good about cutting out the extra dyes and chemicals from the clothing my family wears.

I now add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the rinse cycle and no longer use liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets. Just do a google search and read about the chemicals used in these products. Yikes!

My friend, Cora of Hidden Riches From Secret Places, has also found some additional uses for the laundry soap. Just click on her name to read more about her experience.

If you've given homemade laundry soap a try, I'd love to hear what you think or if you've made any changes or improvements.

I'm also trying 2 new homemade cleaners this week as well. They are pure and inexpensive. I'll be posting the recipes later this week!

Wishing you joy,
Lea

Thrifty Treasures

During my special yard sale trip, I found so many treasures. I want to share one of the treasures that Cousin Wilma bought for me for only $3 ... an apple peeler. Thank you, Wilma!

I've always wanted one. I just love devices that work without electricity. I love their simplicity and using my own energy to operate them. I guess this would fit under the category "Another weird thing about me." LOL



Well I discovered that my boys are fascinated with it too! If you want your children to eat more apples, just attach one of these handy contraptions to a table in your kitchen. You will just see that big bowl of apples simply disappear.



And though I didn't get a picture, husband's love these things too! I caught Jeffrey peeling two apples just for fun. (Some boys just never grow up!)

Blessings,
Lea

Thrifty Treasures

I just had to share two wonderful thrifty treasures that my husband brought home for me. I would not have been happier if he had showed up with a diamond ring!

This first fruit box ($1) I lined with a warm blanket for my outdoor cat, Shy. He sleeps curled up in it every night. Don't you just love that colorful label?



I turned this rustic box ($2)on its side as a wonderfully primitive side table for my old chair ~ a $5 thrift find! I think I'm going to add a nice pot of geraniums or an ivy inside. I think that will look so pretty.



How do you like my finds, Nancy Jo? Nancy Jo is the queen of thrifty treasures!

Blessings,
Lea

Frugal Living ~ Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

With prices going up, up, up on everything from fuel to food items, we are on a mission here at our home to stretch our income.

This week I came upon a recipe from Toni of Amazing Grace for making your own laundry soap. My early calculations suggest that the cost of this recipe is about 1/4 the cost of the least expensive commercial soaps.

So I cooked up a batch last night. Already, I have washed 3 loads of clothes with this soap including a batch of yucky, sweaty, rambling through the woods boys clothes ... and I am really pleased.



Here's the recipe:
16 cups water
1 bar of soap (your choice but many sources suggest Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Sunlight Bar, Castile or Zote)
1 cup of baking soda
1 1/2 cups borax

Before beginning, finely grate your bar of soap.



Boil the 16 cups of water in a large pot. While boiling, add your grated soap and whisk continuously until it completely dissolves. Remove from heat.



Next add borax and baking soda. Whisk it up really well. Continue to whisk throughout the day as it cools. It may begin to gel over the next 48 hours, but you don't need to wait to use it.

You may store in old commercial detergent containers or any other covered container as well.

I followed Toni's directions and added 1/2 cup of the soap per load. My clothes came out fresh and clean. And if my estimates are correct, this recipe is going to save us some money that could be better spent elsewhere. Isn't that just wonderful?

I've read several other homemade soap recipes at MJF and other sources that require using "washing soda" which is a bit different from baking soda. I have yet to find a local source, but I'd like to try that as well.

I welcome your comments & suggestions! Check out Toni's Link in my sidebar!

Give it a try!

Blessings,
Lea