20 Things you can do to lead a more frugal lifestyle...

20 Things you can do to lead a more frugal lifestyle . . . 

1. Use your library.
2. Eat the food you’ve bought, and eat then your leftovers.
3. Shop from your closet instead of buying new clothes.
4. Give gifts that you already own, like a couple of great books or an admired knick-knack.
5. Go for a walk outside instead of on a treadmill.
6. Cook from scratch.
7. Send your kids into the backyard instead of taking them to a movie or arcade.
8. Repair items instead of replacing them.
9. Turn the thermostat down in your house and add an extra layer.
10. Plant a vegetable garden. It’s amazing what you can grow in even a small space. 
11. Make your own cleaning products, or better yet, clean with water.
12. When a friend wants to get together, go for a walk instead of eating out.
13. Choose a simple close-to-home vacation instead of a can-only-get-there-by-flying elaborate trip.
14. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Always. And then make sure they give you that three cent per-bag refund.
15. Minimize your garbage output, then go to a less frequent pickup service.
16. Drive less, and then contact your insurance agent to get a discount.
17. Hang-dry your laundry.
18. Decline invitations to those Tupperware, Party-lite, Pampered Chef etc. parties.
19. Buy used whenever possible. Better yet, join The Compact.
20. Refuse to use credit cards for anything that’s not an emergency. (To avoid credit cards all together, you should have an emergency fund in place. But that is a personal choice.)

Thanks for reminding us Katy, The Non-Consumer Advocate  


You must be the change you want to see in the world. - Gandhi 

Monday Deals

Good morning all! Hope you are having a great Monday so far. Did you survive the clock reset? I don't know about you but losing the hour is worth gaining the extra hour of daylight in the evening!!! And it's a sure-fire sign that spring (and my favorite season, Summer) is just around the corner!

Last week was a little scarce on freebies in the mail, but I did get a coupon for a free FULL size Suave Keratin Infusion that I had signed up for through Facebook. I will try to post about these types of deals so be sure to watch for them. I know none of us want our feeds filled with junk so you can either unlike after you sign up or just block the posts.

This morning I also checked my Kraft First Taste account and found an offer for a free KRAFT FRESH TAKE Cheese & Breadcrumb mix (the coupon will be mailed to me) and a printable $1.50 coupon for one(1) PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme. I highly suggest if you do not have an account, you create one. I have received many free Kraft items from here. One time I received coupons for about 6 free items at one time. It is well worth the set up. And I will try to help you stay updated in case you forget to check it. 

Since I am in a 'no buy month' (or two) I have been avoiding thrift & pretty much all other stores all together. But the one thing we all need is groceries. So, yesterday I took a little time to find a couple great deals, that if you have been saving your coupons each week, you can get this week at Kroger:

• Country Crock Shedd's Spread $0.99* coupons.com $1 printable = FREE
• Dannon Yogurt 32 oz. $1.49* - $1 All You Magazine January issue = $.49
• Dannon Activia Yogurt $1.49 - $1 All You Magazine March issue = $.49
• Philadelphia Cooking Creme $1.79* - $1.50 Kraft First Taste printable = $.29

There were other good sale prices, these are just a few of the best with coupons. 

*These prices are after the March Madness save $5 with purchase of 10 items.

All You magazine can be found only at Walmart. They have awesome coupons, so I highly suggest you pick on up monthly or sign up for a subscription.

Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think! - Chinese Proverb

Working Wednesday & Mocha Granola Bars

FINALLY!!!! I have completely finished the two Memory Throws, after about four weeks of working on them and allergies that kept getting me down. These turned out so cute! Especially since I have never done anything quite like this. They go to their new owner this evening. I am so excited to share them with you! They are made from men's suits... The best of upcycling!!!! I know the recipients of these will be extremely happy. Don't you just love the sleeve and pockets that I incorporated? I hand stitched around the sleeves with a red yarn to make it stand out and to highlight the red plaid squares which are very special to this project. Then backed it with a charcoal blizzard fleece, sewed the edges in red and then tied it off with the red yarn. I absolutely love these! It really gets me excited to begin working on my daughter's t-shirt quilt.

Also this week I made a version of Mocha Coconut Granola Bars a friend of mine posted on Facebook. My kids don't care for coconut so I left out the sweetened coconut and the coconut oil. I replaced the coconut oil with canola oil and I added a little more brown sugar and flax seed meal in place of the coconut. They turned out pretty good, though I think a little to chocolaty for me (yes ladies, I'm one of the few that isn't big on chocolate) and they don't stay together very well for bars (maybe could have cooked them a little longer and actually went with less oil than was called for). I plan to make the slightly less modified recipe (I will add flax seed meal probably a little less cocoa powder) this weekend if time permits .

Enjoy!

Sew Much Ado

Free Target Sample Pack

Click below for your free Sample Pack. You need to have a code that you will find on a Target receipt. I got one of these last time and it was awesome!


FREE Target Sample Pack

This Weekend & Last Week's Freebies

Well... I didn't go out looking this weekend for any great deals...Friday we had horrible weather and a couple nasty tornadoes hit just about 10 miles north of here and Saturday I cleaned and worked on the throws. I did make it out to JoAnn's to get fleece for the throws and fabric for two purse orders. Then Sunday was spent on the soccer field and at the laundromat! I'll be couponing tonight and hopefully will be able to share with you any great deals I find. :)

But last week I did receive 3 more items in the mail free; Aveda Hair Repair kit (shampoo, conditioner and a leave in), a Tide Pod and OB samples and a nice plastic carrying case.  Only thing... no coupons. I thought that was weird. The hair products are great for camping trips, traveling, etc. And with soccer season coming up, the sample laundry detergent is nice to take with us so we can clean the wonderful mud and grass stains on the uniforms when we are at tournaments. And all are great to donate to local disaster relief if you don't use them yourself!

Vinyl Record Bookends

I did get some Mocha Chocolate Granola Bars made and I also played with my butane torch (cheap thing)... then broke it. I'll post pictures and the recipe for the granola bars Wednesday along with pictures of the finished throws. They are turning out better than I imagined. But here's what I did get made before I broke the torch. Enjoy!

DIY Friday - Laundry Detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent

As you probably know by now, at the beginning of the year I took a pledge that I was going to become more frugal. One way I decided to accomplish this was to try various do-it-yourself projects, like make my own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent and to do a lot more scratch cooking. I made a list of  items I intend on trying this year. Mostly these are cleaners, homemade beauty products, etc. But there will also be new recipes, cooking tips and short cuts, and other creative DIY projects that I would like to tackle. 

First on the list is laundry detergent. After I had a weird, major allergic reaction this fall (unsure what but I ended up at the emergency room), I was leery of trying anything new like this. But the ingredients are natural and there are no weird chemicals/fillers in this, I decided to try it. If I couldn't use it, then the local family shelter would have a nice supply of laundry detergent donated. I found I had no allergic reaction to it. And my son who does occasionally break out in a slight rash from various detergents has not had any problems either.

This recipe makes a 5 gallon bucket full for just a couple bucks! I have shared this with my family and they seem to absolutely love it! Three simple ingredients...  a bar of Fels-Naptha, Washing Soda and Borax, all found in your grocer's laundry isle. (NOTE: The Fels-Naptha can be substituted with Ivory soap if you prefer.)


What you will need....

Empty 5 gallon bucket, with lid

Hot water
1 cup Washing Soda (I used Arm & Hammer)
1/2 cup Borax 
1 bar Fels-Naptha
*I highly recommend using an old, odd pan for this and I would  NOT use a non-stick one. I wasn't thinking and used a Teflon coated pan (well it was all I had) and now I can't use it for anything except for making this and as the bottom pan for a double boiler.

1. Grate the bar soap and put it in a small to medium sauce pan with enough HOT water to cover. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until soap is completely melted.
2. Put the Borax, Washing Soda and melted Fels-Naptha into the 5 gallon buck. Stir well until completely dissolved. Then fill the bucket up with HOT water. Stir well.
3. Cover and let sit overnight. It will turn into a gel-like substance. Stir well again the next morning.
4. Using an old detergent bottle, I just fill as needed. The original directions say cut in half with water and use 1 full cup. My thought is why waste time with that step. Just use 1/2 a cup full per load. It's going to mix with water anyway, right? Be sure to shake the bottle well before each use.

Have a great DIY household cleaner you would like to share? Feel free to email me or to comment below! Enjoy!

Free Quart of Paint - Ace Hardware Facebook Offer

Click here to get your coupon for a free quart of paint, your choice of colors at Ace Hardware this Saturday only! Great to have in your craft stash for creative moments!

What to do this weekend... March 2-4, 2012

Happy Friday Eve everyone! Spring is springing early and the art & craft fairs and shows are getting into full swing! The Louisville and Southern Indiana areas offer plenty to do each weekend all the way up through the end of the year. Each Thursday I will give you a heads up on where you can find local artists and crafters. Please feel free to submit any event you would like included via email.

On Saturday, March 3, 10am-2pm Southern Indiana Homemade Craft Fair will be held at Valley View Golf Course in Floyds Knobs.

Kentucky Crafted, March 3 & 4 (open to public), Lexington Convention Center. 10am-8pm Saturday, 10am-8pm Sunday.


21st Annual Salem Maple Syrup Festival  Runs this weekend at Leane and Michael's Sugarbush in Salem, Indiana, 9am-5pm. There will be music, crafters, food, fun and of course, plenty of maple syrup! Bring the whole family!

If you are looking for something to do next Tuesday, March 6, why don't you join me and a great group of crafters for the D.I.Y. Louisville meet up at Sunergos Coffee on Woodlawn Avenue? Starts at 6 and goes until 9. Check these great ladies out at www.diylouisville.blogspot.com or find them on Facebook for more information!

Calling all Artist! The First Annual "Old Louisville SpringFest" is being held along 1st Street on Saturday, May 19. The booth application is due March 31. Visit http://www.oldlouisvillespringfest.org for more information.