Tip – Couponista Queen ~ Saving, Eating, Crafting

Lady B’s Budget Boredom Busters! Make an Easy, DIY, Frugal Floral Hair Clip

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Lady B’s Budget Boredom Busters! Floral Hair Clip

Lady B is a busy gal and I am a tired Mommy.  Don’t get me wrong… I wouldn’t change a single thing because this child is on fire and I love her and her constant state of activity.  That makes us always be on the look out for fun things to make.  Recently, we were at a local mall and on one of the carts in the middle they were selling some cute tropical looking hair clips.  She loved one in particular and then I saw the price.

 Ummm…not happening!  So I explained to her that it was a little too much to spend on a hair clip.  ‘That’s OK Mom, we can make one!’ she said.  Well of course she was right, we are DIY girls and we can totally make these to play,  to wear for us, heck for her new American Girl Doll even!  Where would we go?  To the 99 Cent Only Store of course!

What did we find?  Well we found silk/fabric flowers with 4 blooms for $1, one large and a pack with two medium hair clips.  I have a glue gun and wire cutters so for $3 we were going to be able to make 3 clips!

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Easy peasy.  Seriously like ridiculously easy

You cut the stem off the bloom and glue it to the hair clip and TADA!

I’ve truly have had so much fun with this gal this summer and we still have another week for another activity, then my Lady B will be off to 3rd Grade and I will find a way to fill my days with not so fun stuff 😀

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Lady B’s Budget Boredom Busters: DIY Homemade Frugal Flower Pen!

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Lady B’s Budget Boredom Busters: DIY Homemade Frugal Flower Pen!!

My daughter B is in a constant state of movement and creativity.  I had no clue I’d be on my toes so much.  My son is quieter but my Bumble Bee, wow!  So we were a little bored (lie, she was I could have used a nap, but noooooo),so off we went to the 99 cent store.  Between this store and the Dollar Tree, I find a lot of what we need to keep our creativity quota up and our boredom meter down.

What will you need?

Flower tape, its green

Silk Flower or flowers

Florist Foam, optional

Pen or pens, go crazy make a garden

Wire cutters (also a find at the 99 cent store or Dollar Tree)

Glue Gun (or crazy glue up to you).

Bored child

Willing Parent

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The green tape, the flower (in its little pot),  the foam (not shown) and wire cutters were all from the 99 Cent Store  The Pen is from my school supply stash from last year and I think I paid like 25 cents for the pack at Staples.  I have the glue gun.  Now with this little flower that we bought, we didn’t need the foam or a container to put it in because it came with its own (I like to have a little pot but its optional).  I also like to take ribbon and glue in around the pot adding a bow for added decoration.

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I picked this one because it had leaves. I took it apart and inserted the leaves into the pot, you can add glue if you like I think I may add moss or something to cover the foam (I didn’t for this because I’m making this frugal and you will use what you have at home).  Then I started on the pen, I cut the flower and attached it with the florist tape to the pen and wrapped around.  Going up and down the pen to fully cover.  I do not end this at the bottom, a lot of people do but it will come undone that way with use.  You need to keep wrapping back up to the top and use your glue gun to secure because this isn’t sticky tape.

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Tada!

My daughter got the hang of this and loved it.  She plans on making a few more to have and to give one to her new teacher.  We also have a little craft fair at a local ice cream shop and she may set up to sell a few to get her feet wet in having her own business (she’d fry in Phoenix with a lemonade stand).   I have made these and put them in a jar to look like a bunch of flowers, I’ve wrapped single ones in cellophane as party favors, so many ways to use these and make them fancy.  You can totally take this and run with it and make it your own.  I like this option a lot.  The Flower tape will last for many many pens, and depending on if you buy single or a bunch of flowers at the 99 Cent store or at Walmart you can make a lot cool gifts made with lots of love for a little dinero.

Cause well really, Frugal Moms and their Kids Rock.

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Frugal DIY Homemade Mouthwash Foot Soak

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DIY Homemade Mouthwash Vinegar Foot Soak

If you are like me you’ve seen the pin’s and shares online claiming that the dead rough skin will fall off your feet when you soak them  in Listerine, vinegar and water.  Well I had a problem with this cause I’m frugal and I’m not going to use a $5 bottle of Listerine on my feet if I’m doing this at home and if I score a bottle for cheap its going in my stockpile for my pearly whites.  For $5 I can let the lady at the salon scrub away and do the job.

 What can I say if I’m going to DIY it has to save me money or else why go through the hassle?

To start with I should tell you I’m either barefoot or in flip flops cause I work at home and my feet were long ago liberated from high heels or pumps ☺  The most action my feet see are wedges LOL.  Being that the case, I’m too shy and embarrassed to share a picture but lets all take a moment and think about Fred Flintstone and what his feet surely should have looked like…there got the mental?  Ok, now moving right along…

Today I went to my favorite joint, the Dollar Tree and thought hey I can totally use their brand of Listerine looking mouthwash for this foot soak to see if I like it.

Beauty on a Budget is the way to go.

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Here is what you’ll need:

1 Bottle mouth wash from the Dollar tree or comparable dollar store (2cups)

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups warm water

Mix it all in a tub

I sat down to watch Shark Tank and soaked my feet. (boy were they brutal tonight)

One thing, it feels good…tingly

Did the skin magically come off?  No.

So what happened T tell us!

Well, it cleaned my dead skin, you know you get the gnarly looking dirty heel?  I can never get that clean enough.  While I was soaking I took my $1 pumice stone and scrubbed all around and soaked again.  My feet were clean and some of the rough skin was super soft so one more time with my pumice stone and I’m super duper happy!  I can wear sandals tomorrow after some polish and won’t be hiding my feet!

So is it magical?  Nah

Would I use Listerine?  Nah, I’m frugal hello?

Will I make this again spending a $1 from the Dollar Tree?  Heck Yes!

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Check out these FREE Summer Reading Programs for Kids

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Ok the harsh truth is that no matter what, kids are going to get bored this summer.  Don’t let them get away with doing nothing or spending hours playing video games, watching TV, or being online.  Offer them books instead.  Here is an awesome list of FREE Summer Reading Programs for Kids.  There are a LOT of great programs that your children can take advantage of to earn FREE books, prizes, and cash! You can print out this list of ►FREE Summer Reading Programs or bookmark this page!

Junie B Jones Reading Club – Sign up and get a FREE starter Kit that includes a copy of Junie B Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Activity sheets and a membership ID card while supplies last.

Book Adventure – Sylvan offers this FREE reading incentive program. Basically your child reads books and then takes a simple comprehension quiz to make sure they understood what they read. The quiz is usually about 10 questions long. They earn points based on how much they remember from reading the book.

There are hundreds of books to choose from in all reading levels. These are common books that can be found at your local library. Once they have earned enough points they can trade them in for some really neat prizes!

Half Price Books – They are offering kids ages 14 and under a chance to earn a $5 Gift Card for reading just 15 each day throughout the summer!

Showcase Cinemas Bookworm Wednesdays – Your child can earn a FREE movie ticket from National Amusements Theaters when they read a book and complete a book report.

Barnes & Noble Imagination Destination – This summer reading program through Barnes & Noble gives your child the ability to earn a FREE book after reading 8 books and keeping track of them in a reading log.

Local Public Library – Don’t forget to check out your local libraries to find out which programs they’ll be offering this summer. My kids have participated in several Summer reading Programs through the library and it always includes FREE books & prizes.

TD Bank Summer Reading Program – Read and keep track of 10 books this summer and your child will get $10 added to their Young Saver Account FREE!

Chuck E. Cheese – Earn 10 FREE tokens every time your child reads for 2 weeks in a row. Just fill out the form and bring it in to claim your free token.

Scholastic Summer Challenge – Log in your reading minutes to the Scholastic site and your child will be able to participate in a World Record challenge as well as earn digital prizes!

Pottery Barn Summer Reading Challenge – Open only to children under 10 years of age on any day during the promotion period. Must present completed Award-Winning or Early Reader book list to receive a free book at participating Pottery Barn Kids stores.

Programs like these are a great way to encourage our children to continue reading throughout the summer months. If you know of any other programs that aren’t listed here, please feel free to leave the information in a comment below.   Thanks Saving Dollars and Sense

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All You Magazine, Full Year Subscription for ONLY $5!

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All You Magazine, Full Year Subscription for ONLY $5!

Hurry and snag this awesome magazine at this amazing price!

Coupons?  Check!

Recipes?  Check!

Great Articles?  Check!

Did I mention Coupons?

Hurry this also makes a great gift for that friend that is starting to coupon or for yourself!

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Graco RECALL Carseat Products from 2010-2013 PLEASE READ

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Graco RECALL Products from 2010-2013 PLEASE READ

Graco has released information on their recall, please visit their website for further information and instructions on how to proceed if you have any of the products included in the recall.

Recall Information from Graco

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Who else does this? Folding plastic grocery bags to reuse and recycle

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Who else does this?  Folding plastic grocery bags to reuse and recycle!

Chitchatting today I realized that not a lot of people fold their bags.  Am I weird?   Well no, if anyone is weird its my mom and mother-in-law, LOL.  One day they taught my daughter to do this and we kept it going.  Our other option is to stuff a plastic bag with other plastic bags.  But no we don’t we fold them and place them inside empty baby wipe boxes to keep in the bathrooms to reuse as bathroom trashcan liners.

How?  Well I’m glad you asked, here is my slap hazard picture tutorial:

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Flatten out your bag and fold the side in, about the width of the handle area

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Now that you are done your bag should like this, and place it with the handle facing out (yes I had Chinese for lunch that is sweet and sour sauce ☺)

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Fold one end, triangle and repeat (yes I need a manicure)

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Towards the end the handles will be left over, tuck them inside to keep it all nice and tidy.  These keep well inside of empty baby wipe boxes or if your kids are bored they can flick them at each other.

Reuse, Reduce and Recycle!

 

 

 

 

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2014, Now What?

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I don’t do resolutions but the start of a New Year is a good time to take a good look at yourself and take care of some housekeeping.  With that in mind I want to share one bit of advice.  As some of you are aware of I work a real gig in the outside world that has to do with consumer credit.  I can tell you a lot of people are SHOCKED when they are denied for credit and do not have any idea what is on their credit report.

So before we think about Tax Season and of Refunds lets take a minute and check our credit health.  Now is a good time to take a good hard look at our circumstances and take the necessary steps to end 2014 on a more positive note.  We all get behind or make mistakes, trust me I sure have and so instead of paying someone to help fix your credit its a good idea to see what free resources we have available to us so we can improve our standing.

Take a moment and get your free annual credit report.

The website has a lot of really great information that in this day and age of hackers and stolen identities we need to keep tabs on for our own future.  If you have something to clear up or pay down its a good time of year to take positive steps to reach these goals.

Oh and keep up with us at the Couponista Queen.  We will be helping you all year long save as much as you can so you can not only take control of your finances and live with more wiggle room but maybe pay and fix some blemishes on your credit report.

#frugalmomsrock

 

 

 

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Tips to Protect Your Credit!

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Protect Your Credit!

You see the headlines, you watch the news Identity Theft happens to OTHER people right?  Wrong!  Identify theft can happen to you or me today, tomorrow or at any time.  I don’t mean to scare you but when you least expect it and especially during the upcoming Holiday Season we are all walking around with big targets on our backs.

I’ve always worked in finance but it was not until recently that I’ve started to work in consumer finance and I’ve come to realize we are NOT as safe as we think we are as we go about out business.  We need to take an ACTIVE roll in how we monitor and protect our credit and our credit score.  Our credit  is more important then ever, not just to get loans or credit but even prospective employers are pulling our credit reports to get a full picture of us when we apply for a job.

The other day at work I received a call, it was a call about a person applying for credit but as a credit analyst I had to take certain steps before the credit application was approved.  This person wisely had a FRAUD ALERT on his credit file.  What is a Fraud Alert?   It is an alert on your credit file that requires potential lenders and banks to take extra steps to protect YOU.  You can specify that you require someone to contact you BEFORE any new credit accounts are open or credit lines increased.  This person had this on his file and I contacted him at the number specified in his credit file.  He informed me that not only was he not applying for credit he had also received a similar call over the weekend from another major retailer.  This man was being attacked and some criminals were trying to buy lots of merchandise using his good credit!    Each financial institution will then put in place their own procedures for when an application comes in as fraudulent but the important bit of information that I want to share with you today is that because of this alert two different instances of potential fraud were STOPPED.

There are 3 types of Fraud Alerts that you can set.

Initial Fraud Alert. This is if you are concerned about the possibility of becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft. It generally is good for 90 days.

Extended Fraud Alert. This is what you file if you are a victim of fraud or identity theft. This will stay on your credit report for seven years.

Active Duty Military Alert.  This alert available if you are on active military duty . The active duty alert is similar to an initial fraud alert except that it lasts 12 months and your name is removed from preapproved firm offers of credit or insurance (prescreening) for 2 years.

Where can you get more information and learn about placing a fraud alert on your credit file?  At any of the three or all three credit reporting agencies.  You do not have to pay anyone anything to do this for you.

Equifax:  http://www.equifax.com/answers/set-fraud-alerts/en_cp

Experian:  http://www.experian.com/credit-education/victim-assistance.html

Transunion:  http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/fraud-alerts.page

I am in no way trying to be chicken little, but I did feel compelled to share this information with you so that you can have the tools you need to defend your hard earned reputation.   Now this will mean that if you do go open new lines of credit the whole application process will take a bit longer but please keep in mind its all to take care of you.  And one more thing, if a sweet sounding gal comes on the phone and tells you she needs to verify your identity by asking you some questions, don’t get annoyed, I’m just doing my job to PROTECT YOU ☺. ~ Princess T

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Frugal and Easy DIY Baby Wipes!

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Frugal and Easy DIY Baby Wipes!

Next to diapers these are a must have when you have a baby, heck my kids are older and I still buy baby wipes to have in the car or at home for any messes.  They are not cheap and the cheap ones are not worth the money so if you want to cut back on expenses what do you do?  Well many will say to use washcloths but I’m not into washing poopy pieces of fabric or washcloths but if you are okay with that then more power to you.  I want to pick up the mess and throw it away never to see or touch it again.

As with many DIY ideas it really depends on the person what they want to put in, but if you are a mom you already will have the ingredients to this DIY method and that’s what I want.  To DIY with stuff you already have or will buy regardless, nothing you need to go buy special to make it and incur an extra cost.

What will you need?

2 1/4 cup of water.  Some use distilled, I’m not that hard core

2 tablespoons of baby oil.  Yep you have that already!  I don’t but I have a bunch of samples.

4 tablespoons of baby wash.  Another something you already have or can get cheap.

1 roll of paper towels cut in half, two ply don’t try this with a one ply

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You can get the baby supplies at the Dollar Tree for $1 each if you don’t want a specific brand.  Now about the paper towels 90% of the people that make their own wipes swear by Bounty.  I have Sparkle, cause it was free not so long ago, so that’s what I used.  I will not use Viva, I don’t even buy that when its free cause for me personally I get to much lint and we didn’t like each other but that’s just ME.  You can NOT use CHEAP paper towels cause it won’t work.

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Some people don’t add oil, they like to add Aloe Vera for soothing, or some add witch hazel.  I didn’t add either because I wanted to present just a basic DIY wipe recipe that you can make as soon as you finish reading this post. Some also add fragrance but the oil and the baby wash are enough of a clean scent for me.  You can go take this and tweak it to suit you.

You mix everything up, you cut your paper towel in half and you pull out the cardboard from the middle.  When you do that then you can pull from the inner roll and have it come out continuously.   I poured the mixture in and covered it.  I shook it well, heck I did the Harlem Shake to make sure it was all nice and mixed in.

Do they work?  Well I don’t have a baby so what did I do?  Well I smeared Nutella, nice wonderful sticky sweet Nutella on my fore arm to take these baby wipes out for a spin.

Yeah it was gross but for the cause I tell you ☺

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It worked!  Off it came I wiped forward and then back again and my arm is clean no stickiness left from the Nutella, also no stickiness from the soap so good on that aspect as well.  I used one wipe.  For big messes I’m sure you will need more like you do when you use regular wipes.  I’m not saying these are exactly like the pretty ones in the cute plastic boxes, what I am saying as its a great substitute if you aren’t super picky as to what you use to wipe up messes and want to save money.

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Will I make more of these?  Yeah its easy enough and I didn’t need to buy anything!   They work, I actually like them to have handy cause my kids like to do crafts and stuff so this is something I’d have handy for them to clean up after themselves.   I cut a slit on the top of the cover of the plastic container but you might have something at home already.  I had these, that I bought a 3 pack at Walmart last week for $1.97 so its up to  you, I’m thinking that I can make a bigger size and recycle the plastic coffee containers I’ve been hoarding…ah er, saving for the right time.

Until next time Savers!

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DIY Dish Soap Recipe – Homemade, Frugal, and Easy!

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DIY Frugal Easy Homemade Dish Soap

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DIY Dish Soap  Frugal and Easy!

Have you ever thought about making your own dish soap?  Necessity is the mother of invention, or at least the mother of my googling late at night.  I am Princess T and I watch too much Criminal Minds so going out late to get dish soap when I run out is just not going to happen.  Having previously made my own clothes detergent and body wash I figured well, I need to wash dishes now or first thing in the morning and I do not want to go out just for that and risk not snagging a deal.  What was a Frugal Mom to do?  So I googled and read and read and read!  And there are a bunch of different variations that bring you to the same happy conclusion so once again I took what I wanted and felt comfortable with and ran with it…ok ok I’m more of a stroller not a runner.

What will you need and how much will it cost you?  If you are already a DIY kind of person you will find that you already have what you need at home so no need for extra expenses.

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14 ounces of water, boiled

1/4 cup of grated soap.  I used castile soap that I had from when I made body wash.  Some people use Ivory soap or whatever bar soap they have on hand.  I can’t see myself using Irish Spring or anything too bath like so I used castile soap which on its own is wonderful.

1 tablespoon borax.  I had a box from when I made my own laundry detergent

Essential oils, optional.  In a moment of sheer insanity today while looking for something totally unrelated I found a bottle of tea tree oil that I bought at Trader Joe’s recently and had forgotten about.  I read that a lot of people like to use this as they are antiseptic so I figured why not?  So I added 10 drops

Grate the soap to get 1/4 cup, about a 1/3 of the bar more or less.  Once the water is boiling stir in the soap and the borax until everything is dissolved nicely.  I added 10 drops of tea tree oil as this has a strong smell and I didn’t want it to overpower with the scent.  That’s it! Pretty easy and fast, how long does it take for water to boil? Pretty Quick

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I found a cute mason jar and in it went.  It will gel as it cools, 6-8 hours.  Knowing me as you do by now you know patient I’m not so once it cooled I put it in my fridge and watched a new episode of Criminal Minds.  It gelled nicely.  Did it work?  Yes it did, not crazy suds but enough suds to help you think that its working.  As you know bubbles and suds do not mean anything but it helps with the mind.  Was it rough on my hands?  Nope.  Did my dishes or glasses have a funky smell or taste?  Nope, they were just clean and that was all I needed, well that and a  break.

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Will I make igain?  Yep, I have everything I need to make it and since my stockpile on dish soap is low there is no reason for me to not make anymore.   My next batch I might try using lavender essential oils, some people use only 1 tablespoon of grated soap I used 1/4 cup which is a little more then 2 tablespoons.  Some swear by adding vinegar but some say that vinegar and castile soap do not mix and since I do not like the smell of vinegar I opted to not include it.  Am I happy?  yeah but I would be happier if the dishes washed themselves.

Ah to dream.

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Have you ever wondered? Dollar Tree Left Overz Disposable Dusters, worth it or not?

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Have you ever wondered?  

Dollar Tree Left Overz Disposable Dusters, worth it or not?

Monday is usually a happy day for me because I go to the Dollar Tree (yes stalkerish situation here) and I score my newspapers and all is right with the world.  This Monday I woke up in the Twilight Zone (tell me you are not young enough to automatically assume its that movie and you know about the TV Show in black and white).  I went and there were no papers, I had to go to a 2nd store and no papers again!  I was about to lick my wounds and head home but I had to cut my loses and at least meander around the store a little.

Well I’m glad I did!  I had forgotten they had the $1 version of the disposable dusters.  I had been wanting to clean, its always at the top of my list, every week.  Honest it is but one thing or another distracts me and well my house is in a good ‘lived in’ condition.  Also over the weekend I got wind that my mother in law might be swooping, ahem I mean stopping by soon, so now it has become something I really want to accomplish sooner rather then later. ☺

I decided to put these to the test.  The name brand is too much for me to even consider buying because its something I’m going to throw away.  I took it out of the package and right off the bat I will tell you that its smaller and not as fluffy looking.   But hey I’m not going to base this on looks, I’m going to base it on results.

I needed a good dusty place.  Not hard to find here in the desert let me tell you, between the Haboobs (yes real word) and the fact not a lot of people have grass I get an abundance of dust without even noticing.   Since we are like family I’ll show you the top of a light, I know this will stay between us.  I’m a little embarrassed but at 5’2 I never see this area, yep that’s my defense and I’m sticking with it.

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See all that dust?  Did a great job for 33 cents per duster!  (3 in a box with one wand)

Now the name brand you can shake and the dust will stay attached, yeah don’t do that with this one.  But that does not take from the ability it has to pick up the dust.  I shook it into my wastebasket and gave it another go and I was pleased with the results.  Then I tackled the ceiling fan in my room cause you know this is the week I’m going to totally rock the house cleaning!  Oh look is that a Criminal Minds marathon?  Oh ok maybe after I watch a few episodes ☺

Save on!

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Have you ever wondered? Dollar Tree Stor-It Covers, worth it or not?

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Have you ever wondered?  Dollar Tree Stor-It Covers, worth it or not?

Recently while I was meandering through Dollar Tree (yes I meander a lot ) this little box caught my eye.  I remember a name brand selling these in pastel colors a while ago and charging about 3 times as much.  There are times when you need to cover a salad, left over fruit, cookies for a party, etc and you don’t want to use aluminum foil to throw away after an hour and I don’t know about you but I engage in mortal combat with plastic wrap (and I usually lose 🙁 ).

Well do these cute covers work?

Heck yes!  I use them all the time!  I use them to cover a salad before serving, left over fruit, even a small salsa bowl.  They have elastic bands and they hold, not airtight but they hold and they work!  You get 20 FOR A BUCK!  I rinse them out and let them dry on my dish rack and keep reusing.  I fell in love with these little covers and needed to spread the word!

In a bowl…on its own…on a glass…anywhere!

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These will come in super handy during this season where there are more potlucks and food everywhere.

Until next time Savers!

 

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DIY Frugal De-Wrinkler!

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DIY Frugal De-Wrinkler!

Now just cause I’m a SAHM doesn’t mean I’m Mrs Cleaver.  How many times do I restart the dryer cause I forgot about that load and my clothes all look disastrous?  I won’t say but its more times then I’d care to admit.  I try very hard to be frugal now that I no longer work a full time job outside the home, and one thing that I’d occasionally splurge on is a certain brand of de-wrinkle spray that costs a little too much then I’m willing to admit I pay ☺  but you are looking at about $5 for a 16 ounce spray bottle or 31 cents an ounce!   Combine that with not so many coupons out there for this and I needed an alternative pronto.

I had bumped into the concoction for the DIY version on-line enough times to wonder if it works or not.  Will I have to iron?  Will my family be destined to walk this earth with wrinkled clothes???  Well today was the day I was going to find out.

What will you need?

Fabric Softener, for this I bought a small 28 oz bottle at the 99 cent store

White Vinegar, I had some but y’all know where to score this cheap.

Water

You will use equal parts of all three.  I used 8 oz of each making 24 oz of this de-wrinkler spray.  The bottle of fabric softener will be enough for 3 batches so this batch will cost you 33 cents.   Hold the press!  This batch will cost almost what ONE OUNCE of the store bought kind will cost.  1 OUNCE vs 24 OUNCES.  Hmmmmm…

But does it work?  In the words of the Monkees (oh come on you know who they are right?  I’m not that old ☺) I’M A BELIEVER!

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You spray your piece of clothing, smooth out and let dry.  PRESTO NO IRON NEEDED!

 Now if you are in a rush you can also spray this and throw it in the dryer and it will also work but I’m trying to get away from all that.  So it works, how does it smell?  Like Vinegar?  NOPE and that’s huge in this house cause the hubby can’t stand the smell of vinegar so this is PERFECT!  It will smell like vinegar a little when you spray but once it dries you can’t tell.  You can add essential oils if you wanted too but this is just something to take the wrinkles out so I didn’t want a heavy scent or anything like that but its up to you.  I always use warm water. Its my thing, I feel it helps everything mesh together more but that’s just me.  You will see a lot of different variations to this online some using less fabric softener some using alcohol, but I saw this enough to want to try it and I’m very pleased with the results of today’s little experiment.

 

 

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Why retail stores are asking for your zip code and why it could be dangerous to give it

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Why do retail stores ask for your zip code

We have all had the question asked when we check out at stores.  The cashier casually asks for your zip code.  I always figured that they were trying to see how many shoppers are local.  The question seems innocent enough, right?

WRONG.

It turns out that by providing that tiny piece of information, you could be opening yourself up to everything from unwanted marketing to identity theft.  Some retail stores (and this includes a lot of the big chains!) collect this information and take it to what is called a data mining company where things like your name, address, phone number, date of birth, ethnicity, and even your yearly income can be obtained.  They match your payment information or the information from a check or loyalty card to your zip code.  The list can then be used to market to you or can be sold to others.  And in most cases this is entirely legal.  Next time you are asked, the best advice is to ASK why they need it.  You can then decide whether to provide it or to politely decline to give them the information.  If there is any issue with your refusal, ask to speak to a manager then call the corporate offices of the company to tell then what you think.

NOTE: I understand that there may be legitimate times to give the cashier your zip code.  Sometimes this information is asked for verification purposes. However, it would perhaps be advised then to ask the question as to why they are needing the zip code from you.  Then act as you think you should once you have the answer.  Never be afraid to ask for a manager to explain it properly.  The most important thing is to try to protect your information from unnecessary collection.

For the full story, please view this video from my local news station KSDK.com to learn why a store asks for your zip code.

 

I want to know!

Where have you been asked for your zip code?  Do you give it?  Do you lie?  Did you have any idea that this was dangerous???  I sure did not till I saw the story!

 

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Have you ever wondered? Dollar Tree Scrub Buddies Cleaning Erasers, Worth it or Not?

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Have you ever wondered?  Dollar Tree Scrub Buddies Cleaning Erasers, Worth it or Not?  

I kept walking past them at the Dollar Tree.  Hardly ever buying the name brand cause I think they are too expensive I sorta had given up on using them around the house.  But the other day I figured, why not?  A 2 pack for $1, you can’t beat that price so it was worth the gamble and the expense to finally know the truth!

In my pre-frugal life I had bought the name brand ones, I thought they were handy and did the job.  Post-Frugal me just didn’t see the reason to make the expense.  What does the box promise to do?  Clean crayon and scuff marks…in a house with a 7 and 10 year old I was bound to find these with ease.  Which I did!

We bought my daughter a cute vanity and inside the drawer we found she had decorated it with blue crayon.  Ok, my first opponent the box says to get the sponge wet, and squeeze out the extra water.  Now I was ready.

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I need to find a harder opponent cause this crayon was HISTORY!

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I moved on, I spied a scuff mark on the door to my sons room.

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A little rubbing with the same eraser, and GONZO!

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After this I was trying to find something else to use this eraser on, and I found my next opponent in my daughters white dress shoes, all scuffed up in the front.  I wasn’t so sure my little eraser was going to be able to take care of business but boy was I WRONG!   Faster then I could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, the scuff marks were ERASED!

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I’m a definite believer in the Dollar Trees Scrub Buddies Cleaning Erasers.  I was so happy I handed each of my little darlings their own cleaning eraser and had them clean the doors!  I’m going to keep a few on hand and make sure to gift their new teachers a couple when school starts.  I can totally see them putting these to good use.

Until next time Savers!

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