Everything's Coming Up Green

Archive for the ‘frugal living’ Category

Last week my mom and I loaded the girls up, packed plenty of snacks and water and headed out with a list of potential garage and rummage sales to tackle. I will admit that I was not quite as prepared as I would have liked. I didn’t have our route mapped out; I didn’t get our lunch packed (I did pack Emma’s though), and I didn’t get up quite as early as I would have liked though we left only 15 minutes later than I had planned. If there is one thing about West Omaha that I reeeally dislike it’s that the housing areas are severely screwed up! It seems like every other street is a circle or a dead end. We did finally find the first house. And I walked away with a sack full of items. It was mostly filled with 4-five wick Citronelle candles that I scored for $.50 a piece! I found a few fun things for Emma as well.

Next stop was the rummage sale. It.was.the.jackpot! I scored tones of stuff. Unfortunately when I was taking pictures of my spoils I forgot to separate out the items by specific stops. Oh well I guess it doesn’t matter that much. It certainly isn’t life changing for you or me.

The next one was a bust. It was one of those that when you walk up you can smell everything and it is not good. It smells like nothing is ever cleaned and everything smells the same. The mother was very nice and her kids were very sweet, but, um no. Not going there. I hopped back in the car and we were off to the next one. There I got a box full of balls for $2.50 and a sweet frame that I am going to refinish. I laughed at the price of the frame because it was only the second day of the garage sale (it was going for four days) and it had already been reduce twice. Why you ask. Because they started the price at a whopping $15! It’s a cool frame don’t get me wrong but not in the best of shape. I paid $3 and that was good for me.

Home décor and craft stuff

Kids stuff

Scarves

Pink necklace and earring set $2

2 mesh bed rails $2

All those tiles for $5!

The blue necklace I scored for $1

So I won’t list everything but I will hit the highlights.

Adjustable Booster seat $1

White stool $.50

Bag of scarves $1

Fall figurines $2 for pair

New bag of Raffia $.50

NWT Children’s Place Swimmer shoes $2 (for E for Vacation next year)

There was a ton more but it is late and my brain is fried. You can see it all in the pictures. It was good but it is definitely difficult garage sale shopping with two small children. The problem is in the Omaha area Thursday and Friday are the big days to garage sale (which means hubby is at work and can’t watch the kids) and you need to start early. My girls are not early risers (thank you Jesus!) so this poses a problem on that one. I love, love, love it though! And I will be doing it again.

Have you scored any hidden treasures at a garage or rummage sale recently? Join in and brag away!

::Update:: Checked it out today. No swimming pools on clearance yet. Most of what I found was only 30-50% off. One Target was completely wiped out in one isle so I am figuring that is where they did have some 75% off stuff. Still worth checking out though. You never know when they will mark down new stuff and every region is different, heck, every store is different!

Tagets in the Omaha area have their Summer toys, including pools, on clearance down to 75% off! I have been waiting for this for weeks now! This stuff is going to go fast so hurry out. Be sure and think ahead for birthdays, what you will need for next summer or out of the box ideas for uses out of season (I’m thinking ball pit in a baby pool!)

Thanks Abby for the heads up!

Last month I made my first batch of homemade powdered laundry detergent. I only made a half batch to check it out and see if I liked it. A friend of mine had started using it a year ago and swore by it. I finally got around to buying all the ingredients and mixed it together. I just have to say that I.love.it! The most time consuming thing about the whole process was grating the bars of soup but if you use ivory soaps it is super fast since it is a soft soap. My mother-in-law used her food processor for the harder soaps (she had the great idea to use the little bars of soaps she had collected from different hotel stays. Yes to free soap!) Other than that it was just measure, pour and stir. I think it cost me around $11 for all the items (I bought a big bag of baking soda at Sam’s for under $7. I have been using it for cleaning as well, but I think I could get two full batches out of it.) A half batch should last us about two months. Keep in mind though that A. I am washing diapers for two kids which is 4-5 loads right there and B. not only am I using it for the four of us, but my parents us it as well plus my brothers when they happen to bring their laundry out every once and a while. My grandma also used it the other day to see if she liked it, so I may be adding my grandparents to that list as well. So for a regular family of four who are not doing extra diaper loads I could see a half batch lasting at least 6 months. Eleven dollars for six months worth of laundry detergent is not too shabby!

Here is the recipe that I use (plus where I found everything)

*12 cups Borax (20 Mule Team-You can find this at Wal-Mart)
*8 cups Baking Soda (I got a big bag at Sam’s but you can pick up boxes as well)
*8 cups Washing Soda (You can get this at Baker’s and I think I saw it at Hy-Vee as well)
*8 cups Bar soap (grated) (If you are using Ivory soap you can regularly find it at Walgreens on sale around $1 for a pack of 3

Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub. Instead of using one huge container I put it in two smaller ones so that it was a little more manageable. I only made a half batch last time but I will make a full batch for sure next time!

Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load. If you have an old formula scoop lying around I use two scoops with it.

This recipe is great if you have someone in your family that is allergic to perfumes or dyes. I love it because my clothes smell clean and not pretty.

I want to take a minute and share with you how my garden is doing. I will give you for warning that there are quite a few weeds. Since I was gone all last week and it rained every night while I was gone, all of the last minute weeding that I did before I left is no longer visible. It has rained every night since as well. Plus let’s be honest, laundry comes first. Anyway here are a few pictures of the garden.

These are my dad’s herbs- Basil, Cilantro and Thyme. The Rosemary didn’t make it.

The Tomato plants are starting to get blooms!

Heads are starting to grow on the Broccoli! I am so excited because this is my first time growing broccoli and it is looking so good even after the nasty storms we’ve been getting!

One of my many gorgeous Onions.

A potato plant.

My strawberries haven’t been much this year. It’s a developing year. I will say they are looking a ton better though.

My lone Pumpkin. I barely got this planted before a storm blew in. I planted 5 seeds on that mound and one came up. I didn’t get out there in time to start anymore mounds.

This is my Zucchini. I have two of these and as you can see they already have blossoms!

I think this is Acorn Squash.

I believe this is a cucumber. My other one died.

These are Straight Neck Yellow Squash.

Here is a view of all the vine plants. All those weeds to the right were not there when I left. Soon there will be mulch there instead.

One of my three pepper plants. I think that I am going to transplant them. The potatoes got a lot bigger than I thought they would!

There you have it. I will post more picks after I have had a chance to weed!

Hey all you Kansas peeps, head over to Goodwill Monday, May 31st and you can score $5 off a purchase of $5 or more! Just head over here, print off the page and present it to the cashier at check out! What an awesome score. And if you have older kids you can bring them along and thet them each pick out something special for themselves or a Father’s Day present for dad. They possibilities are endless!

Walgreens has a 15% coupon off your entire purchase valid today only here. Since I didn’t get a chance to work on this last night (E. had a really rough day and last night I was up to my ears sorting through and organizing baby clothes for #2 while my “Big Helper” was asleep in her crib. I still have bins sitting in my living room because I finally gave in to the sleepiness that had overcome me) I am going to send you over to hip2save for a great list of items to take advantage of the 15% off.  Also check out moneysaving mom for a great huggies diaper deal and momsbyheart has  a great deal to score free crest toothpaste today! Have fun and let us know if you score any great deals!

   Since all my energy is going to chasing after a one year old and keep house as I count down the days until baby girl is born, I don’t have the energy to make use of my creative juices. So instead I have been sitting at my laptop and collecting ideas, much like a gardener makes plans and collects seeds all winter in anticipation for spring. So as I wait for my spring, I thought that I would share with you some of the inspirations I have found out there is blogland. I hope you enjoy!

Birthday Party Ideas-All the links I have here are for girl parties. If you find any great ideas for boy parties please share!

Simple Sage Designs has some very festive and beautiful ideas- http://simplesagedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/02/birthday-bash.html

Giggles Galore has a beautiful princess theme- http://gigglesgalorenmore.blogspot.com/2010/01/party-fit-for-princess.html

Here is a very cute Abby Cadabby themed party-http://yourlittlebirdie.blogspot.com/2010/01/abby-cadabby-birthday-ideas-decor-and.html

 

My Current Favorites

Tea Rose Home has a tutorial on how to make a jean corsage- http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-jean-corsage-got-old-jeans.html

Smashed Peas and Carrots has a great post on how to make your own reusable produce bags- http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2010/01/reusable-produce-bag-tutorial.html

I want to make this sketch book for my girls when they get older-http://www.simplymodernmom.com/2009/12/kayes-sketchbook-caddy/

I am so going to make these marble magnets some day soon!- http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/

I hope to share with you more inspiring ideas as I find them!

  

 Six more weeks of winter-are any of us really surprised? If you are like me, the cold, snow and cloudy skies are more than wearing on me. So I thought now would be a great time share 5 great frugal energy boosting ideas. Are you with me?!?

1. Take a nap-I know with little kids at your feet this can be challenging, but this week when the kiddos go down for a nap join them, for at least 10-15 minutes, or pamper yourself and take advantage of the entire nap time! You will feel so refreshed. If you feel you have too much to do think about this-taking twice as long to do a task because you lack the energy is not a better use of your time.
2. Drink water- Do you ever get half way through the day and realize you have barely taken a sip of water? This happens to me more often than I’d like to admit. I get up and going with the kid in the morning and the day sort of just slips by before I know it. So stop and take a moment to drink a tall glass of water (I like it really cold) and you will be surprised how great you feel in just a few minutes.
3. Do some stretches- Sometimes your muscles need a good waking up. Stretch your arms, legs and back. Do some slow head rotations to stretch your neck, stand on your tippy toes for a few seconds, wiggle your toes and your finger. When you are done you’ll feel like a new person.
4. Open a window or a door-Take in a few breaths of fresh air. It is quite stimulating.
5. How ‘bout a cold shower-When you’re done showering, turn the water to cool and stand in the there for a minute. I know this may seem counter-productive in the winter, but it will wake all your nerves!

There you have it. I hope this gives you new energy to make it through the next six weeks of winter!