Home made shower cleaner

I have calcium deposits on my shower door. I made this home made cleaner yesterday morning and and heavily sprayed down the entire shower at 8am. At 10:30 I sprayed it again. I let it set while I went to work and then to the middle school basketball game to watch my daughter cheer. I came home, did homework with my son and made and ate dinner with the family. I sprayed the shower one more time and cleaned the shower. I could not believe how clean the shower was .... it looked brand new! BUT the best part was how much calcium came off the shower door! I highly recommend this recipe!!! AND... it was cheap too!!!

Recipe:

1 empty spray bottle (i used an old Windex bottle)

fill 3/4 of bottle with white vinegar

fill the rest with Dawn dish soap

My Shopping Deals....

I loaded up my coupons Thursday morning and headed out to do some free shopping. My first stop, CVS. Here are the coupon I had here.....

(4) $1 off any Johnson and Johnson product (from DH writing to the company)
$1 off any CVS paper product (from scanning my CVS card inside the front door)
$1 off Herbal Essence from Sunday coupon section
(2) $2 off any Renu - from here coupons renu® multi-purpose solution Bausch + Lomb

The knee high stockings were 22 cents - on clearance. I use them as a filter at my washer. I was thrilled to find them so cheap! The toilet paper was on sale 2 for $1 - free after the coupon that printed at CVS! The Dove shampoo was $4.49 but with your CVS card, you get an ECB for $4.49.

The total was $20.59. After the cashier rang up my coupons and I used an Extra Care Buck worth $8.99, I had a negative balance. That is why I ended up grabbing the candy quickly (which made my kids happy). I think the cashier actually rang one of the $1 coupons twice - yeah me! The total I paid for all this..... 64 cents! PLUS... I have an ECB for $4.49 to use next time!



Next stop... Target. I had to stop here to pick up a few items but I had heard about a deodorant deal that I decided to try. I printed these coupons on Wednesday.....

Print Your Coupon - $3.00 off Suave Deodorant

Print Your Coupon - $3.00 off Degree Deodorant

The Suave was $2.94 for the twin pack and the Degree was $3.59 for the twin pack. I paid 53 cents for both!

Last stop was Walmart.

I only stopped here because I had some coupons to use. I had a free coupon for Rimmel Cosmetics that was only good at Walmart. That came from All You Magazine. I had $3.00 off any Tucks product I printed here... Tucks

My total was $9.45 before coupons and I paid ZERO after the coupons came off!

I plan on having a yard sale in a few weeks. Many of the extra health and beauty items will be sold there... like the Tucks!

Free Coupons.....

A few months ago, my DH went on an email campaign. He wrote to many companies telling them what he liked and disliked about their products. He always included the upc and product codes from the package we had purchased. He would always ask for free samples or coupons and to be placed on their mailing list if they have one. The response was wonderful!

In the following weeks, coupons started pouring in. Some were for cents off the products but many were for a free item. Here are just a few......




I used them on Saturday and got all this. I did have to pay a few dollars for this pile but only because I went over the limit on some of the coupons. We will be eating pretty cheap this week!!






This weeks menu......

Monday - grilled chicken breasts, fresh asparagus from the garden, Lipton Noodle Side Dish

Tuesday - Red Baron Pizza topped with left over chicken and asparagus, spinach salad, kiwi

Wednesday - BBQ meatballs, mac and cheese, broccoli

Thursday - tuna melts, sliced apples, chips

Friday - hot dogs and left overs

Saturday - adult grill night

Tackle it Tuesday.....

Saturday Night we colored eggs. What a fun frugal night. I always buy eggs coloring kits at the end of the season on clearance so they only cost a few pennies. My DH found a tray of 2 1/2 dozen eggs for $2.00. What a great frugal night!!

And the results.........

Then on Sunday, Dh took a jar of his home pickled red beets to make.....

.....pickled red beet eggs. Yummy!

For more Tuesday happenings, go here....

Tackle it Tuesday — YOUR Tips! – 5 Minutes For Mom

Heavenly Homemakers

A Soft Place to Land — Real Home, Real Family, Real Life

To market, to market to buy a fat pig.....

We are always looking for ways to save a few dollars here and there. We have talked about buying half a cow or pig for years. We were never really sure if it would be worth the cost. Recently, we had the chance to buy a pig that was very close be being raised "organically" with out being certified organic. When we heard the price we decided to get the whole pig!

To cut costs, my husband and brother in law did the butchering. That saved us a lot of money.

The picture above shows my DH shrink wrapping the meat to freeze.

The cost...
$190 for the pig
$30 for the vacuum bags
and we borrowed the vacuum sealer

We got 111 pounds of meat. After all costs, that comes to $1.98 a pound for organic pork. What a great savings!

For more Tuesday happenings....
Tackle It Tuesday — Tips for Tackling Morning Madness – 5 Minutes For Mom
Heavenly Homemakers
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ::

Friday Freebies and Favorites.....

I read this book this week. My husband laughed when he saw the cover and saw I did not write it. There was a time when he thought we were the cheapest family in America. I love reading books like this. I never agree 100% with everything the writer does but if I can come away from the book with 1 or 2 new ideas, I think I have gained something. I also love to compare how other families does things compared to my family. We all have our own idea of frugal.

You can get this book here... America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams

OR... I like to get most of my books here... Book Club to Swap, Trade & Exchange Books for Free. You post books you want to get rid of and earn credits to receive books FREE from other members. The only cost to you is shipping. I have traded over 100 books here. UPDATE: If you do do here to join, would you kindly use me as a referral so I can get a free book credit? Use brspri(at)AOL(dot)com. Thanks!

I would love to have one of these... Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6 BUT... I am not ready to have to pay full price for the books I want to read. When paperback swap starts swapping Kindle books, then I will get one too!! I love the idea of the Kindle being paperless and earth friendly though.

Now for the freebies.....

Your $5.00 off coupon at burpee.com - we do not order from this catalog but if you would like to, here is a coupon

Sam's Club - Unilever Sample Center - free sample

Coupon - Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet - another free taco at Taco Bell

Borders Online Circular - free coffee at Borders

My Frugal Idol.....

I never subscribed to her newsletter because I was unaware of it at the time but, I have read her book several times and it will always and forever be in my home library. Amy Dacyczyn from The Tightwad Gazette will forever be my frugal idol. Do I live as tight or as frugal as she does? Not even close. There have been many many ideas from her book that I have adapted into my own life though. She has helped me save a ton of money over the years. It is not about being poor or doing without. It is about stretching your money farther and finding cheaper ways to get what you want. Finding ways to get more out of every buck.

Friday, my DD and I stopped at our local Goodwill store. She wrinkles her nose when I pull in the parking lot and was very embarrassed to see kids from school in the store too. BUT.. she was very happy to come home with 2 pairs of designer jeans for $6 each. Aeropastle and Hollister! Shhhh... please do not tell her friends, you may embarrass her even more.

Enjoy this video I found posted at this blog.




Here is a link to Amy's book. In true frugal style, try your local library before purchasing this book. I have my own copy that I bartered for several years ago.

Free Kids Craft....

We are once again signed up for the free kids workshop at Lowes for this Saturday. I thought this project would be great for vacations. What a great thing to play in a hotel room and in the car! I just have to hide it until vacation so the dog does not chew up the small pieces! LOL

Want to sign up too? Go here to do it. You are just a few clicks away from enjoying this free craft too!

Homemade Bird Suet.....

Over Christmas vacation, my husband made his own bird suet. He has been saving fat from meat cuts we buy plus he bought 2 packs of fat at the local grocery store for 95 cents each. He set up his work station outside on the grill so the smell of the melting fat would not fill the house.

Once the fat is melted he added some very cheap bird seed he bought in bulk and dried berries from our yard seen here.

He then poured the hot fat mixture into tray we saved for $1.00 frozen meal. By setting it on the snow, the trays did not melt when the hot suet mix was poured into them. He left them there to harden for a little while.

This is what the finished suet looked like. the large pieces were cut in half to fit into out suet holders. We had 7 blocks of suet when he was finished. Next time he would buy more fat at the grocery store to make a larger batch. A larger batch would also bring down the costs.

Cost of Home Made Suet

purchased fat - $1.90

saved fat from meat cuts - free

bird seed - $.50

dried berries - free

Total = 2.40

That brings it to just over 32 cents per suet bar.

The cheapest I ever see them in the store is about 69 cents at the scratch and dent store. These were more than half the price. This will last us through the rest of the winter.

Frugal and Healthy Semi-Homemade Pizza

In our quest to eat healthier, we are looking for new ways to get family friendly healthy into our life. Who wants to live on salad? Not us! Pizza is a kid favorite in our house. This is my attempt to make a healthy version. I am no gourmet cook so this is my attempt. Here is what I bought......

1 pack of whole wheat pizza crust (2 crusts) - $3.98

1 can of sauce (2 are pictured but I only used 1 - $.98

canned mushrooms - $.25 at scratch and dent store

low fat cheese - on sale $1.50

slice of turkey bacon (not pictured) - $.25

onions - free from garden

green peppers - free from garden (frozen)

pureed carrots mixture to add to sauce - free from garden produce

Total = $6.96 for 2 pizzas

This was the kids plain cheese pizza. No complaints about the whole wheat crust. They did not even really notice that it was different.

This is the adult pizza. Half with just turkey bacon and the other half with turkey bacon, onions, mushrooms and green peppers. This was also enough to serve 1 person for a 2nd night.

It passed the test! We all liked it pretty well. Was it as good as pizza shop pizza? NO! BUT... it was still enjoyable and much healthier! I think we will do this again. I had enough to serve this a 2nd night by just adding a few healthy side like side salads and fresh fruit to round out the meal. It certainly was frugal!

We Are THAT Family - my pizza is also posted here!

Juicing.....

I got this juicer for Dh for Christmas. Let me just tell you... WE LOVE IT!!! What a great way to get more fruit and veggies into your diet! Juice some fruit and hide a few veggies in it and your kids will never know! They start asking for the juice!



Saturday night we pulled some fruit from our freezer that we grew last summer. This is peaches, blueberries and strawberries.

We added a pear, an orange, an apple and grapes that we had here fresh.

This juice was my favorite so far! Look at the smiles on their faces! They all loved it!

We are trying to eat healthier this year. This has been a great treat for us. We love seeing what the next mix will taste like. We are trying to buy in season fruits and veggies mixed with things from our freezer that we grew ourselves. We have found some great sale fruits and veggies too. Who cares if things are bruised when all you are doing to them is juicing them.

I make a small percentage of money in the form of an Amazon gift certificate from any Amazon sales when you link to Amazon from my site. Amazon has not paid me to buy this juicer or to talk about it.

Free Weekend Craft....

Back here I posted about the free weekend craft at Lowes. I signed my DS up for the class so, Saturday morning we hit the local Lowes store.

What a great activity to do with dad! Watch out Dad, he may hit your fingers!

Look at how fast that hammer is moving!!

And the finished project!!

These workshops are completely free and loaded with fun! Just make sure you sign up before the class since class space is limited.

Found Money Total.....

A drum roll please.........

The found money total for 2009 was.......

$3.37

Cost us nothing to earn that either. I think looking down paid much better interest for the year than many saving accounts!

Can we beat the total in 2010? We are going to try!!

Lowfat Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

Recipe:

1 package spice cake mix
1 1/3 c water
1/2 cup apple sauce
3 eggs
2 c shredded zucchini

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake @ 350 for 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Frosting:
1/4 c butter (soft)
1 3/4 c confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/ to 2 Tbsp milk

In a small bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.

Thrifty Thursday....

This is the wood pile my DH and DD got ready for the winter. To save money on oil, we burn a fire daily in our family room. This allows me to keep the heat at 62 degrees.

What have you done thrifty this week?

Thrifty Thursday....

While shopping for steaks on Saturday afternoon for our normal Saturday "Adult Grill Night", DH and I came across this form that we somehow missed before.

It said buy $20 if listed products, get $20 back by mail.

All this cost us $22.45. After mail in rebate, we will only pay $2.45!

Add your link and tell us what you did THRIFTY this week.......

Thrify Thursday.....

This is a new feature I will be running weekly. I hope you will join me and add your link. Show us what Thrifty thing you have done recently.

Last Friday, I did some THRIFTY school shopping with my DD. We stopped at Goodwill. She told me before we walked in that she was not getting anything there. I have been a long time thrift shop fan. How could she be my daughter.



Luckily, I did not give up on her before giving it a try. I had her in the store for 25 minutes showing her all the brand name things they had. Brand names she loves and in her size! STILL, she would not budge.



UNTIL... she found a coat she liked! I convinced her to try it on. Next came a pair of jeans... cut just right! Next thing you know, she is bringing things to me asking if she can get them. She even found an Under Armor shirt for $3.50 that would have cost $40 at a full priced retail store.



We ended up with 1 coat, 1 pair of jeans, 1 skirt, 1 pair of shorts, 7 shirts and a fleece pull over - all for $36.00! The Under Armor shirt alone would have cost more than that!



What have you done THRIFTY this week?

Target Deals...

All this would have cost $19.32. After coupons, I got everything for a profit of 16 cents! Of course they did not hand me the 16 cents. It came off the total of the rest of the things I bought.

Another Frugal Makeover....

Last week, my DD was outside painting all the shelves from her room.

This week, we are ready to show you the final outcome. 2 cans of paint and a bed in a bag gave her this new room. I wish I would have taken a before picture! It was very pink before.

This area gives her a place to hang her purse and sweatshirt. Also, the chair will be a great place for a backpack or the next days outfit. The chair was a black and white chair I bought very cheap at an auction many many years ago.

I found some of the black frames around the house. The others used to be brown with different color mats. A little paint and they look brand new and like they were made for this room. Most still need pictures though.

DD made the curtins herself with the help of her grandmother.

This created a nice little spot for a few collections.

For more Tuesday happenings, go here.....

Tackle it Tuesday — Guest Tackler, Penny Raine

Heavenly Homemakers

A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words

Money Saving Laundry Tips.....

Living frugal does not have to mean living without. For my family, it means saving money in one area so we can spend it in other ways.

Laundry is one area of my life that I find it easy to save money. Money that I would rather spend on other things! I hope you find a few of my tips to be useful.

1. Wash in cold water. Unless you have heavy grease on your clothing, warm water is not necessary and just costs you extra money by having to heat the water. I do almost all my laundry in the cold/cold cycle.

2. Use half the amount of detergent that is recommended on the bottle. If you try this and do not think it worked well for you, move up to 3/4 of the recommended amount. I have never heard anyone say they had to go back to the full amount after trying this experiment.

3. All summer long, I do use liquid fabric softener since i hang my laundry to dry. I also use half the recommended amount of this also. If money is short, I have turned t white vinegar (which is extremely cheap by the gallon). No, my laundry does not smell like a pickle. Vinegar actually cuts the soap suds so the laundry is cleaner and softer. When I do use the dryer, I cut my dryer sheets in half too.

4. Only wash full loads. Why waste the electric or water on a small load? Wait till you have a full load and get better use out of your money.

5. From March through October, I hang laundry outside to dry as often as the weather allows. Sometimes this means watching the weather report to see which days would be best for me to do laundry. A little planning saves us a ton of money. Nothing beats the smell of laundry dried in the fresh air! I hang socks and undies on a drying rack in my laundry room since I choose to keep them private.