Saving Money With Meal Planning!

You can easily save money on your grocery bill just by planning out your meals.

I use the app Out of Milk to keep track of what I have on hand, keep track of prices and know what I'm going to spend before I get to the store and also has a handy to do list in it.

Start by taking note of your current stock. Now, list out your meals that you make, put them in groups by things like meat, no meat, crock pot etc. Look at those meals and think about which ones share ingredients or you always end up with leftovers that you remake into something else. You can make weekly meal plans, but I like to plan them for 2 weeks and have 2 options every day.

Next, start pricing out the items you buy if you have your receipts or write the prices down when you go to the store. Take note of the size and you'll calculate the cost per unit for future purchases, that way you know when a price is a good deal. I made a simple excel spreadsheet that I check when looking through sales. Once you have your prices, you'll be able to create your grocery list and know what you are going to spend, before you go to the store.

Now, I know it may seem hard to make a grocery budget and when I first started, it did seem impossible, but now it's like second nature. My budget for the whole month is just $240 for 2 adults and a 4 year old. That's like $8.57 a day or $2.85 a person per day. Now, if you have teenagers or a baby, your budget is going to be higher. But watching prices and using coupons and buying things that are on sale that you are going to USE or are FREE, not just because! I don't buy what we don't use, that is low quality and you use more or something that is going to go to waste. If your family is always dumping milk, maybe you should buy a lower size. It might cost less per unit if you buy bigger, but you'll save money buying only what you are going to use.

If you have a friend or family member and live close to a bulk store, split the membership and the food with them. You can save lots of money buying in bulk if you can split it with someone or freeze it and you live pretty close. I like to calculate my gas cost to drive to a store that's further away with there is maybe only one or two things they have on sale that I need. If gas is going to cost you $3.51 to get there and back, but you're only saving $2.42...it's not worth it. Plan to go there if you are going to be in the area for another reason.

Stick with your meal planning, switch up the meals and orders and any money you don't use, save it for a night out or maybe a cold treat.

Happy Savings!

Saving with Homemade Laundry Soap

In my ever quest of saving money, time and energy I have been walking down the path of making many things myself. When you can make your own things, your own products and cook from scratch, you can save lots of money and it takes you just as much time searching for coupons, driving to the store and buying it. Plus you'll feel great about all the wonderful things you've made!

Let's start with Laundry Soap! I love my laundry soap...love love love love it! I encourage you to read as many recipes as you can find or have time to sort through and experiment with it. I started with liquid, but I love my powder soap too!

You want cheap? How about sensitive skin? Worried about the environment? Use cloth diapers? Then you gotta check out this laundry soap!

Laundry Soap Recipe:
This is to make a dry powder laundry soap which to me is the easiest. Hopefully you have a food processor to save even more time. There are several soaps you can use.
Ivory

Fels-Naptha

Dr. Bronner's

Zote

Or your favorite homemade laundry bar. I love the pink Zote, it has a citrus scent to it and I also use Ivory soap. Ivory, Zote and Fels-Naptha are fairly easy to find in most stores, both Zote and Fels-Naptha will be in your laundry aisle.

Take one bar of the soap you chose, cut it up and put it into a food processor. Zote is a softer soap, you'll want to add the other ingredients as well or it will get stuck to the blades and slow it down. You can grate it too, try as small as you can though. (Do not microwave the Ivory soap to crumble it, you will be attacked by white powder when you open your container...every time and Zote will not smell very nice)  These soaps are fairly easy to shave or grate, but a food processor makes it faster. Blenders will not work right, they are not built for it...is it impossible, no. In a dire situation, (my food processor broke) you can cut up the soap and use a blender while adding the powders below, but you'll have to do small batches and empty often. (At your own risk too)

Powder Laundry Soap

 You'll mix your 1 bar of soap

(Ivory, some prefer 2 bars)

with

2 cups of Borax

And

2 cups of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. 

This is not Baking Powder or Baking Soda and they can both be found in the laundry aisle.
Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container. You'll use 1/8 cup to 1/2 cup per load. Large and heavy soiled or stinky items, I use 1/4 cup, I've never had to use 1/2 cup. And that's with the HE front loading washer and the older top loading ones.

Common Questions:
Do I have to use the hot water setting? No, this will dissolve on the cold water setting.

Is this HE washer safe? Yes, this is low suds soap so you can safely use.

Is this safe for my septic-tank? Yes, these ingredients are not going to upset your tank.

This same recipe can be used to make liquid laundry soap...it makes 5 gallons or you can make it super concentrate using a 2.5 gallon pot. You can adjust the recipe for what you can make.

Liquid Laundry Soap

(Note: With the liquid recipe, you will use 1 bar and 1 cup each of borax, and washing powder)

Grab the biggest pot you have, boil the water and stir in your powders first slowly till they dissolve. Slowly stir in your soap, shaved, grated or microwave your Ivory soap on a microwave safe plate for 90 secs...make sure it is a large one because it does expand and crumble it into the water slowly. Continue to stir until it is all dissolved.

If you are making a 5 gallon batch, pour it into your bucket, add water till filled, stir and put the lid on. If you are keeping it concentrated, just put a lid on and leave them overnight to cool. The next day, get out your blender or paint mixer...this soap is thick! You can then leave it in the container or pot or transfer it to another container. Containers with spouts are awesome, but you can always just scoop it out too.

With the 5 gallon bucket, measure 1/2 cup to 1 cup per load depending on soil level and size. If you only used a 2.5 gallon pot, you can use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup per load. There are also recipes for making whipped laundry soap, but it requires extra steps and you need a certain size mason jar.

Got stains...Zote & Fels-Naptha are great to rub in for stain treatment. Remember to check stains before putting in dryer, it may take more than one wash! You can also soak your clothes using the homemade laundry soap in hot water. I've had great success with multiple stains doing this.

What about Fabric Softener?

Need a natural solution for a fabric. Vinegar! You can add 1 cup on the rinse cycle or if you have a bleach or fabric softener dispenser, you can fill to max line in one. If you have a smelly item that may need more help, you can fill both. You can also use a Downy ball. Your clothes will not smell like vinegar and any scent from it will leave in the dryer.

Want your laundry to smell fragrant?

There are many essential oils to pick from out there. Rather you like citrus smells, flowers, spices, or even a combination. Just a few drops to your powder and and a few more to your liquid. Depending on the quality and the strength of the oil scent, you'll need more or less. I recommend you test a small amount to see how it smells after wash and dryer. (No love here for how peppermint turns out)

You may also add a drop to your dryer balls or make your own fabric softener sheets...but all that in another post.

Cost?  Depending on how much things cost you and what soap you bought... 5 cents a load or less!

Questions? Recipes to share? Please leave a comment below! And thanks for reading.

CPSC Safety

I want to share with you some things about CPSC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission

We've seen the big recalls on the news, but they don't report them all. Some things come with cards to register, but maybe you forgot, it got lost and look at all the things we buy, they don't have a card. What if you're set of pans are recalled, a child's jacket, dog leash, bean bag chair...the list goes on. You would never know until it was too late. And what about pool safety, bicycle safety and all those things to keep you and you're family safe?

That's where CPSC comes in. You can look up recalls, read up on safety, laws, statics and they have a blog and email subscription. You can also report an unsafe product here.

You can pick what you want to receive in your email. Public calender items are what's going on at CPSC if you like to get into what issues they are working on and new regulations etc. You can sign up for just recalls or recalls and news releases, which I like or you can subscribe to all 3. You can change it at any time and the emails are really easy to do a quick read. I recommend you send this to your main email account so you don't miss anything. 

I also have a widget you can see on the side of the blog that has the latest recalls.

Savings "Eating Out"

I want to talk about saving money eating out.

We all love a nice home cooked meal. But some days we need someone else to do that for us and sometimes when you are out or forgot to pack lunch for work, you need a good meal and you need it cheap.

First, sign up to all the restaurants you like. Check the local papers for coupons and check your apps for deals too. Grab a small folder for just your restaurant coupons so you can keep them in your purse or car. Check to see if they have a reward program and ask if they have any specials going on.

When you order a meal at a fast food restaurant, you can order a different sized drink and fry. They ring up the meal with a discounted fry and charge you the full amount for your drink. Drive thru, ask for no or light ice with your drink. If you're dining in, get the small drink and refill, no need to pay extra. And even if you don't see your sandwich as a meal, ask. If you order a sandwich, fry and drink, don't expect the person taking your order to turn it into a meal for a discounted price.

Going out for dinner. I hope you have your coupons and didn't forget to sign up for deals. You may get emails for coupons like a free dessert, free appetizer or even a bogo meal coupon. Either way, you're saving money! Bring yourself a to-go cup. Before you go, ask for a refill and dump it in your cup. Most places will bring you a cup, but hey, who needs the extra trash. If you don't mind sharing a drink, order water and share one tea or soda.

If you keep up on the deals and specials, you can make it a family night to the local ice cream shop for half off sundaes or buy a dinner, get a dinner free with drinks included. Even on a tight budget, you can still treat yourself and family to eating out.

Have saving tips you use for dining out or on the run. Leave a comment below.

App 4 That "Key Ring"

We all have them and they hang from our key chains like colorful accessories or take up room in our wallets and they can usually be found in strange and lost places since they always give you some extras. I'm talking about your rewards cards, those savings cards, loyalty and member cards.

And they don't have an easy life, they get bent, peal apart and you may have tried to use them to clean or get something out of a crack or use as a screwdriver... with no luck of course. Well no more I say! Say NO to those reward, savings, plastic cards! Ok, don't say no, but let's get them off our already cluttered key chain and out of our wallets.

Say hello to the Key Ring app! Key Ring app takes those cards and saves them on your phone. You can download it from your app store for your apple, android or blackberry device. Scan each cards barcode or enter it manually and you're set! You'll be able to open the app, select the store and present the barcode to your cashier to scan.

The other great part, you can join new programs from the app, sign up for a 100% free pharmacy savings program, get coupons and get exclusive Key Ring app deals you can use from your phone. Another great thing for families, you can share your cards with them. Talk about making things simple, that's saving space, saving time and saving money.

Oh...and it's FREE :)

Target Cartwheel Saving

So, this is in beta stage and is a totally new way to save. You have your coupons, hopefully you have the Target card to save yourself 5% and get free online shipping (check my links page) and you've brought in your reusable bags to save an extra 5¢ cents for each.

You're going to go here Cartwheel, please check out the Help Center for all your questions. Quick run down of the program, you need a Facebook account. There are settings you can change if you don't want to share with friends, but there is no other way to sign up right now, they are in beta and hopefully in the near future, you'll be able to sign up other ways. You can sign up with your facebook account or email. You can browse all offers, go by collections or do a search. Click on the offer and select Add or you can share it to friends or check details.

You can see all your deals in your Cartwheel and either print out a barcode or show it from your phone when you check out. Now, you can only use each single deal on 4 qualify items and you can scan your barcode 6 times a day. That means if you buy 5 sodas and 3 shampoos, you'll only save on 4 of the sodas, but all 3 of the shampoos and you can go back and use that barcode 5 more times that day. If you need more than 4 of anything, checkout and go back to get your deal.

When you sign up for Cartwheel, you get 10 slots to use. You can earn more slots and there is no limit, besides the number of slots you have, as to how many deals you can redeem each transaction or per day. So 10 deals, 4 items per deal, 6 times a day would be 240 items you save on. The savings are endless.

I've seen deals as high as 40% off. I don't know if there are higher ones, but the deals are a percent off instead of a dollar amount or bogo type deal.

The best part...this stacks with your manufacture coupons and store coupons.

*Unknown if this stacks with your Target card or pharmacy rewards. Will update when I find out. It does stack with your Target card & pharmacy rewards. Will also stack with employee discount.

Cheap Easy Meals

Yummy Sweet Meatballs

1 Bag of Frozen Meatballs
1 Jar of Grape Jelly
1 Jar of Chili Sauce

Put all ingredients into a crockpot on high or into a pot on med. Cook for 4 hours or until meatballs are fully heated.

BzzAgent

Have you heard about BzzAgent? I'm a member and I wanted to share this with you (joining is free). I get to try products and services at no cost with samples, coupons and stuff like that. Then I make my voice heard by sharing my honest opinions with others, including some of the largest companies in the world. Want to learn more and sign up to join in the fun? Just click the link and click to join, it's even as easy as connecting with your Facebook account!

(Message from BzzAgent)

As a BzzAgent, you'll get to:

• Discover and try new products and services (often for free)
• Spread sincere word of mouth about them
• Have your opinions influence some of the biggest companies and brands around

If you'd like to receive those benefits, become an Agent today. Don't worry, BzzAgent respects its members' privacy and won't share your personal information or spam you.

We're a community focused on word of mouth, so what better way to recruit new members than referrals and recommendations from friends?

We hope to see you soon!

BzzAgent

DRYER BEWARE!!!

I just wanted to take this time to post about dryer safety because I think it's something we overlook every day and we don't realize that in an instant, poof, up goes your house in flames. Now, my Momma always told me not to leave the dryer running when I wasn't home and I've always been afraid that it's going to burst into flames. Think about it though. Fire needs heat, oxygen and a fuel source...

well, we give it all those things in a dryer.

Now, if you need the vent in your homes wall, then call a professional that has experience in that. It will cost a little, should be around $100 from what I've seen, but saving your house from going up in flames? 

I'll pay $100. Have it checked about once a year.

If you notice you have to keep turning the dryer back on to get a load of clothes dry and you can feel that they are hot and you can hear the dryer is spinning...you may need to clean the vent in your dryer or your home. Remove the vent hose from the dryer, secure a pantyhose or a thin scarf to the dryer vent and through in a load of clothes. If the clothes dry in regular time, your home vent is clogged and needs service, but if you're clothes are still wet, you need to clean out your dryer vent system.

*REMEMBER ALWAYS TURN OFF POWER AT YOUR BREAKER BOX OR TURN OFF GAS AT SOURCE BEFORE SERVICING ANY APPLIANCE OR ANYTHING ELECTRICAL AND UNPLUG OR DISCONNECT GAS LINES* When in doubt, leave it alone and call a professional!

This is my dryer before I cleaned it. I noticed I was turning up the temp and it was taking more than one turn in the dryer for a load of clothes to dry and since the house is brand new, I ruled out the house vent being clogged...here's what I found!

Lint the screen didn't catch....

 Lint all in the dryer vent...

That might stop the airflow...

 Lint on the fan too!!!

So I cleaned it all out

You may have to use your hands or a cloth to get some of the lint that is caked on there.

This is what the vent looks like in the back that you have to remove.

This is on a dryer with a lint screen that comes out of the top of the dryer. If you have a dryer with a inside lint screen you'll have to search for instructions on what to remove on your dryer. If you don't have your manual, you can usually go to the manufacturers website to download one or call customer service.

This will not only possibly save your house from burning down from a dryer fire, but your clothes will dry faster and save you money on your energy bill and save you time! Also, use your fabric sheet for two loads or put your used one in your drawers, in your car, stuffed in your pillow or hang with your clothes or towels for a fresh scent everywhere! Now, go clean out that dryer!

*In the time that it took me to post this blog (30 minutes), my clothes are now dry...that is record time compared to 2 hours time before!*

Clean House

Easy cleaning tips that will save you energy and save you time!

Coffee drinkers, do you get sugar on the counter, only to find when you try to clean it off that it's stuck there like glue! Don't waste your time spraying and scrubbing, get a cloth with hot water and a little dish soap, lay it on your sugar and walk away. Come back and simply wipe it away.

Do you get a ring in your tub and you spend time and energy and cleaner, spraying, scrubbing and inhaling fumes only to want to give up! Try Murphy's Oil on a wet sponge and watch how quickly it comes right off.

Spend hours dusting only to see dust all over everything in just an hour. Use your vacuum attachments to vacuum up all the dust instead of spreading it around or wasting money on expensive dusters. Make your own duster using fleece and the handle of a plastic jug.

Tired of grout on your floors, in your kitchen or bathroom getting dirty and you just can't seem to clean it or keep it clean. Paint it! You can color and seal your grout in one step, refreshing your grout and saving you time on cleaning.

Tired of the soap scum on your glass doors in your bathroom. Invest in a small squeegee to clean off the water after each shower (or as often as you feel like it, who wants to do that after taking a nice hot shower). Make your own homemade cleaner with vinegar and watch it poof be gone.

Get out of the shower and find your mirror all fogged up and your trying to get ready to go. Take some shaving cream, shampoo or hand soap, smear on mirrors and keep buffing like wax, with a cloth or paper towel till you can't see the soap anymore. You do not need a lot for this!

I'm sure most of you know this by now, but you can use Pledge to clean your stainless steel appliances. I use it on electronics, like the back of the tv, to repel dust which we all know electronics attract.

Have more tips...share them and leave a comment! As always, my posts will be updated regularly.