Cloth Diaper/ Wet Bag Hack!!!!!!

Firefly Sighting

Of course, someone has to be hollering "MAMA!" in EVERY video, LOL. 

~Seamstress Hesitation~

Although I would hardly call myself a seamstress, I couldn't think of another way to put it. You see, I finally bought some cloth to make a new dress for myself. I haven't made a dress of any kind for 8 years... So I dug out the old pattern. Washed and ironed the fabric. Bought coordinating thread. And that is as far as I've gotten. I'm afraid to make the first cut with the scissors. What if after all this work, and all this time I don't like it? I loved the last one I made, I wore it right out. I've spent some time looking at patterns online and with the vast amount of them it got overwhelming. Sometime I will have to put the effort into bookmarking new patterns and then buy a couple at a time and try them out. For now, I have one. Oh, I know enough about sewing to be able to make adjustments to patterns to suit my taste, but I am far from an expert. I think the sewing wizard genes from my Grandmother and aunts skipped me. Well, I will get all the other work done around here and maybe tonight I will have enough courage to cut it out.

~Bloggers Beware!~

I felt it my duty to pass along this shocking and important message to all of you, IF YOU HAVE A BLOG, PLEASE, PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO, IT IS VITAL!!!!: 

Organizing Baby

Here are a couple of the projects I've done recently.

 The first one is a chest-turned-changing-table. I used to have a changing table pad on top of a large, old record player Darlin got at an auction years ago for $5. Diaper supplies was near by in a large, white basket on a stool. And that worked great. Until the day I moved the record player to sweep behind it (as I hadn't done so, since it was moved there over a year earlier!). The whole bottom of it just started to crumble away! I tried to salvage it, but the bottom was so messed up, the whole thing teeter-tottered side to side. Not good. So, out with the record player :( and in with...well...hmmmm. It forced me to be creative, since I wasn't keen on lugging my now 22lb son upstairs every time he needed a diaper change. That gets exhausting when you're six months pregnant.
 In the kitchen, next to the table, I had this chest with two compartments and a drawer. I had craft supplies for my siblings and our games and such in it. Things that are normally used at the table. I downsized on the craft stuff, and relocated the games to a nearby room. Then I moved the chest to the livingroom and got to work.

 I covered the bottom of the drawer with pretty contact paper from Dollar Tree. The red basket was re-purposed from the downstairs "office". Inside are diapers, of course, wipes, rash creams, lotion, Germ-x, a small toy to keep him occupied, and tucked in behind the wipes is an extra pad cover.

 Then, because our bathroom is ridiculously small, I took this opportunity to move all of Jackson's bath things out of the bathroom and into the chest.

 Hooded towels and washcloths

 Another re-purposed basket to hold shampoos, toys, nail clippers, and baby oil.

 The downsized craft compartment holds a can of crayons, paints, playdough, cards, paper, etc.

Project number two: For Jackson's birthday and for Christmas, he got some gift cards and cash. The gracious givers told me to get him "something he needs". So after taking note that he had more than enough clothing and a bunch of new toys there was really only one thing he did need. A place to keep all his toys and books! The stuff was everywhere, floating around the house. I tried in vain to keep them in baskets, but it was such an overwhelming assortment, that Jackson didn't play with them much. Not to mention the cluttered mess of it all, leading to me scooping and tossing into random baskets in an attempt to keep from tripping on everything. (He liked to dump out all the baskets and crawl away to play with pots and pans and the like). After doing some online browsing, we got him a set of cubbies and fabric totes at Target (some totes from Walmart) and ta-da!





I can't believe how much this has helped. We've been using it for almost a month now, and it is still functioning the way we hoped it would. He still has some books downstairs, but this is the majority of them. I like that there is still room to grow, because that is just inevitable.

 The totes on the very bottom have (left to right) cars, trains, trucks, things with wheels. The middle has an assortment of misfits; phone, shape sorter, weeble wabbles, etc. The last has stuffed animals.

 Then above the stuffed animals are all the ''lego'' blocks. The other two are empty for now. He has a small basket of toys in his playpen in the kitchen, and a toy box in the livingroom. That way, no matter if I'm cooking, folding laundry, or cleaning upstairs, he always has something around that he can play with.

    My favorite part, besides it looking neat and tidy, is that in the mornings when Jackson gets up, I put him on the floor in his room (with the gate up) and he will play with his toys! And I get to have a cup of coffee, quiet time with Jesus and read my Bible. Some days I don't get as much time as I like, but he does pretty good most of the time. Afterwards, sometimes I make a game out of clean up time and he helps for about 30 seconds lol. He will put stuff in the totes and we clap and say "Yay! Good job!" But then he is more interested in emptying them out again :)

The cubbie cost 39.00 and the totes were $5.00 each. But it is so worth it. I'd love to replace the broken bookshelf in our livingroom some day with a four compartment cubbie. When it comes to getting organizing products for the house, I often think of Johnny Cash's song "One piece at a Time", but only, I wish it just cost a dime!

Coming up: How I made my own vanity.

Homemade Furniture Polish: Frugal Living Series

After using the last spray of Pledge, I set out to find a good recipe for homemade furniture polish online. Of the ones I looked at, I liked the sound of this one the best, so I tried it. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I found it, so all I can say is that I did not come up with the recipe. I love it! It works great, smells great, and I had everything I needed to make it in my cupboards. And so here it is:

HOMEMADE FURNITURE POLISH
2 T. Olive Oil
1/4 C. Vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/4 t. Lemon Juice

*Mix up and pour into a spray bottle. Because the oil won't mix with the vinegar, I just shake it a little right before I spray it  You might want to test it on an inconspicuous spot first, but I haven't had any problems.

 Happy polishing!

~Frugal Living Series~ Homemade Cleaners

Cleaning is something that we just have to do. It removes dirt and germs and in doing so, creates a healthy home environment, not to mention a nice looking one. I started making my own cleaning products for two reasons:
*it costs less
*less harmful chemicals

*All purpose cleaner*
1 part water
1 part vinegar
-mix together in a clean spray bottle. Cheap and effective. I like the smell of vinegar too!

*Glass cleaner*
-the same as all purpose. It works great on glass!

*Disinfectant*
1 part 70% rubbing alcohol
1 part water
-mix in a spray bottle. -use on points of contact (door knobs, light switches, etc.) and after preparing raw meat use on the counter. Also you can use it on baby's highchair tray, walker tray, swing, etc.

*Bathroom cleaner*
-I use the all purpose, and the disinfectant. For the shower, I spray it down with the vinegar and then use an off brand ''Miracle Eraser". So far I have not had any trouble getting soap scum and hard water off the shower this way. I cut the erasers in half, and it is still big enough to do the whole shower and tub. For the toilet bowl, I'm still using Lysol cleaner that I bought a while ago. After it is gone, I plan to go with the vinegar and see how that does.

*Dish soap*
-I've almost finished the last of my dish liquid (store brand). And then I want to try this recipe:  www.diynatural.com/homemade-dish-soap/
You don't have to use the essential oils, they are just for smell. However, Tee Tree and peppermint oils are known for their natural antimicrobial properties.

Laundry soap will be in my frugal laundry post.

Happy cleaning!

~Frugal Living Series~

Here is the series I mentioned that I wanted to do. I was brought up in a large family where I was taught the value of saving hard earned money and stretching a dollar as far as it will go. And while I always knew there was wisdom in that, I didn't wholeheartedly do my best to save money and spend wisely when we first got married. I mean, I tried, but if I wanted the good smelling laundry detergent, I spent $11.00/bottle for it. (I don't care what the companies claim, I've never been able to get 60 loads out of one bottle). And in the early days, I tired to get as much ''organic'' food as I could, sometimes spending upwards of $100.00/week for two people! I know, I see my folly now lol. The ''organic'' thing didn't last long, because it was so much money, and foods like fresh veggies and milk products you can only get a week or less out of them before they get slimy or sour. We were pitching bad food and of course I felt guilty. I soon revised my shopping habits. **quick note about ''organic''** While organic is good, it means FEWER pesticides, not necessarily NO pesticides on crops. Organic veggies are better than organic meat, egg and milk products for this reason: you can still keep diseased animals in filthy, crowed facilities, throw organic grain at them and sell the products at the high organic prices. Personally, I think it is much better to patronize a small, local farm that is dedicated to raising healthy animals in a more natural environment than pay big bucks for ''organic'' food that was trucked 1,000 miles or more from its original location. Even if they feed their animals non organic grain. I'm not just saying that because we farm, but honestly, it makes more sense.   

Anyway, sorry about the hippie rant. Where were we? Oh, saving money, right. So, I really became aware at just how much we were wasting money as a family when while I was in labor for our first child, my husband got a call notifying him about a layoff at the mill. Great. Perfect timing. He did get laid off, one of 200 something workers. We thank God that we had recently bought a skidder to cut wood off our land to sell. He has been cutting wood for nine months now.
  And so my journey to frugal living started, full speed ahead. I'm learning a lot as I go, and some months I do better than others, but I'm striving for ever increasing improvement. I invite you along with me on this journey. Even if you're not in the same situation as we are, maybe you could join me to spend less in general.
  As our great grandmothers always used to say "USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE DO, OR DO WITHOUT."    

Laundry Room "Tour"

I actually did a little 'makeover' to my laundry area, but because I only have one before picture, I decided it is better described as a tour.
  Our washer and dryer are in our basement. Not in an actual room. And I'll be honest, it is just plain old dark, musty, dusty and dirty down there. It isn't finished and therefore it is quite ugly.
Also, we do not have shelves down there yet. So all of our junk stuff(decorations, camping and fishing stuff, etc.) Is piled under the stairs; and not neatly, I might add.

     I guess I never did much down there because I subconsciously told myself "when we get some shelves...". So over the course of two years, it became the ONE (well, ok, maybe the number one lol) place in the whole house where I would 'die' if someone ever went down there. One day, in the not so distant past, the phone rang. Mom and Dad had lost power and the boys were headed to camp the next day. They needed a few things washed before they left... yup, that's right.
   I mean, seriously, I wish I remembered to take a picture before I rolled up my sleeves and dug in. Before she came, I did a quick ''de-gross-a-fy" sweep. I had to use a barn shovel down there because the piles were too heavy and big for a dust pan! (wood chips and bark along with dirt and who knows what).

 So She came with my sisters, and later my sister-in-love came with my oldest-younger sister and my niece and we all had a good time visiting and doing laundry.
 Later I thought to myself "why does this area of the house have to be ugly, dirty and gross?" It still isn't great, and the basement remains (so far) unfinished and for the most part ugly and dusty, and still musty too. But it is an improvement. Now I actually enjoy walking downstairs and seeing the spiffed up laundry area. And I have started going through the junk under the stairs, sorting and hanging up what I can without shelves. So here goes...

This is the before picture of the little cupboard next to the washer. I was partway through cleaning it out before I remembered to take the photo. The top was covered in stuff and old, ripped up contact paper from before we bought the house. (Stuff was ours, contact paper wasn't).

 And this is after...
The hose goes out to the barn, there really is no other place for it to hook up to.

Inside is where I tucked the yellow clothesline for indoors. When our old dryer died it was still snowing outside, so Darling made one for me to put across the living room. It hooks to the wall with snaps, so I can unsnap it and put it away when I don't need it. Also some extra detergent, a smoke alarm, lunch baskets Darling used to take to work, and a large, bulky pan. And some leftover wall paper and a bag of window kits.

 We got a large basket of clothespins at a yard sale for $2.00, I keep them in the big jar I used to use for flour. I bought another one to hold my dry soap for homemade detergent. The humidity would make the powder clump in the boxes it came in. Plus, it makes it easier. That is coming up in another post. The little jar is for soap bars.

 I covered the vinegar bottle in contact paper, because I thought it looked prettier.

 I spray painted an old coffee can with some paint I had kicking around, then wrote on it with a sharpie and stuck little gems all over it. I also covered the shelf with contact paper.

 Three drawer organizer my Mother gave me last year. I keep extra cleaning rags and extra towels in here. I can only fit four in our tiny bathroom, which is enough for us, but want to hang on to extras just in case.

 In the top drawer I have travel size detergent packets (I don't know where they came from lol) and some rags I cut up for cleaning off the washer and dryer. The basket on the right houses my lingerie bags.

 Here is an over all look at the laundry area. That green sheet behind the shelf hides old window holes from before the addition and heat ducts from the old wood furnace.

Nothing too special, but I'm happy with it. Now I'm a little more chipper about having to go down there to do laundry, sort of lol. I have found that when my surroundings look appealing to me, I am more apt to keep it nice, clean it, etc.

Products used:

• Contact paper-Dollar Tree
• Large and small glass jar-Walmart
• Little white baskets-Walmart
• Flowers-kitchen counter lol. Originally from Dollar Tree

Hope it inspired you! Have a good day!

Bucket Clothes Washer

This would have been nice to have the week that we were out of electricity back in December! Or when my washer died last March! I like this idea, could also use it for cloth diapers. It's a lot cheaper than buying an old ringer washer.

Off Grid Refrigeration

                What power outage???   This is AWESOME!!!!!! I want one lol.
                      

This girl knows her stuff, I hope to be able to do this some day. I like her technique.  

Cutting Grocery Costs

These are just some things I do to try and save on our grocery bill. The Friday before Jackson was born I went grocery shopping. The total was about $135.00. Four weeks have gone by since. It was not my intention, but we had enough food for a whole month, aside from picking up a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread here and there. What with the new baby, car trouble and bad weather I just haven't had the chance to go until this past Saturday. I must say though, it is pretty sad when it gets to the point where one looks forward to getting groceries, just to get out of the house lol. It has been like Little House On The Prairie up here on the hill. Snowed in, or "stranded" at home one way, or the other. It hasn't been too bad though.
Anyway, on with the meaning of this post.
  I saved $35.00 off the bat, with other savings along the way. So I would like to share with you how I've shopped for two, for one month, for around $150.00 (or approximately $37.00/week):

*First, I'm going to start off by saying something that will probably sound crazy. I don't make menus and meal plans. I know, nuts, right? I have tried, several times in the past and have found that it just doesn't work for me. Either the ingredients for a meal get eaten before I make it, or a. b. and c. happens and the menu gets all messed up, then something doesn't get used and then it's wasted and I end up frustrated. So, now I just make a list of needed items, and think of some things we may want to eat for the next whatever. I usually don't get very specific with what the meals will be, as I do with having some key ingredients on hand to make a variety of dishes. 

Here I have laid out all the food I bought this last trip (just for you guys!) to give you an idea how much I bought for roughly $150.00

The steps I took for this haul were as follows:

1. Look through store flyers for deals. You can do this online as well as from the local papers.
2. Compare apples to apples. (No pun intended). I compared the prices of store brand items from different stores and with prices from Sam's Club (which you can also do online). I realize that not everyone can go to a Sam's club, and not all these tips will work for everyone. I'm just sharing what we do to try to save money, and hope that maybe there is a little something here for each of you to take away and apply where you can.
3. Make a list. I took note of staples and other things we were out of/low on. Some things I buy at least one of no matter what. For example, I always buy at least one pound of butter. Even if I already have some in the fridge, and don't plan on making a lot of dishes that call for it, I buy it anyway. Then I just toss it in the freezer for a rainy day or for that impromptu batch of cookies. :) 

4. Make a plan. Knowing what stops you need to make and in what order before you go helps save time and wasted gas. I often like a buy it, bag it, bring it home approach. Although, sometimes I like to take my time and smell the coffee! (which is free now at Mcdonald's until the 7th). But, a word of caution: the more time you spend dilly dallying in the store, the more likely you are to spend more money on things you don't need, and that weren't on your list. Which totally defeats the purpose of cutting grocery costs.

5. The "golden rule" of grocery shopping is to not shop when you're hungry. It works, lol.
6. Buy in bulk. While comparing prices, I found that most of the items we use on a regular basis are cheaper in larger quantities. This generally holds true for most foodstuffs, but make sure to check the prices, it isn't always the case.
7. Only pay for food, not commercials. Most name brand products are more expensive due to advertising and isn't any better than the store brands. (those Quaker Oats you see were cheaper per pound than the Hannaford ones) but again, check prices.
Here is a run-down of some of the goods I was able to buy:

• 10 lbs oats-use for oatmeal, granola, bread, stretching ground beef
• 25 lbs flour
• 10 lbs sugar
• 5 lbs peanut butter
• 5 lbs mozzarella cheese
• 7 lbs brown sugar
• 6 lbs pasta
• 2 lbs rice
• 1 lb beans
• 3 lbs carrots
• 4 lbs frozen veggies-nutritional value is almost as good as fresh veggies, and they last longer and are usually cheaper
• sprouts 
• fresh mushrooms
• 5 lbs onions
• 2 lbs butter
• 4 gallons milk-pour out 1-2 cups milk in a smaller container for immediate use and freeze the rest
• Almost 3 lbs steak

I don't buy meat unless it has one of these lovely markdown stickers. I bought this package of steak, broke it down and froze it. But right now, we have a freezer full of pork and some chicken from our farm animals, so the only thing I look for is beef.

Other food-related money saving tips:

• Clean out the fridge/freezer. Cleaning out what is no good and wiping down shelves also gives you the opportunity to see what you are low on/ what you need to add to your list. I try to do this the day before I get groceries.
• Know what you have. If you already know that you have two bottles of soy sauce, you won't needlessly buy another one.
• Date it. I have been writing the date on things like jars of spaghetti sauce with a Sharpie the day I open it. We don't need a full jar of sauce for one meal with just the two of us, and I don't want to have to throw it out later because I have no idea how old it is ("is that mold, or spices?")
• Trash it. I used to save the empty cottage cheese containers and the like to store leftovers in. Why throw out a perfectly good container, right? Then I figured I'd rather toss the empty container than wait for it to be full of bad food and then throw it away. I would look in the fridge and see the "cottage cheese", forgetting it was chili or shepherd's pie. Not to mention, I wouldn't buy the cheese because I thought I already had some!
• Get creative. I am getting better at this with time, but try thinking of ways to make a host of unrelated leftovers into one more dish of some sort in order to use it up.
• Vegetarian, anyone? Meats are pricey. Try making more meatless meals. You can use beans as an alternative source of protein.
• Make your own. What's the better deal, $1.29 for a 7 oz box of mac & cheese, or .99cents for a lb of macaroni and pennies for a handful of real cheese? 
• Eat out less. Really, that's it. 
• Go without, at least some of the time. We hardly ever eat dessert, sugary foods tend to cost more money, and unhealthy calories. I usually have banana muffins or the like to snack on with a cup of tea before bed.
• Clip out those good ole coupons. Look for coupons for items you already buy, otherwise, you're not really saving that .50 cents.
• Go reusable. Some stores charge for the plastic shopping bags. Invest in some good cloth ones, you can throw them in the wash and live a little greener. (Then the trick is to actually remember to take them with you!)
• Grow your own. Right now, as I said we have a freezer full of meat. We also have 100 lbs of potatoes (that we actually got from a fellow farmer) by the door that will last us a long time.

   Hannaford:$78.88

+Sam's Club:$72.72

Total: $151.60

I hope this was helpful. Have a great night y'all!!!! Happy saving!