5 Ways To Reuse It: Lipstick Tubes

So you get to the end of your lipstick (or concealer) tube. There's a little left in the bottom that doesn't quite twist out. After you've scooped it out and mixed it in a small jar with some Vaseline to make tinted lip gloss, what's left? These great little tubes. Here are some really creative ideas to get some more use out of those great little containers.

1. Pill Containers. After you've washed it, these are a great size to store pills in. I use one during the summer to keep my allergy pills from spilling out all over in my purse.
2. Make a Mini Sewing Kit. These are a great size to store a needle and thread, a few safety pins and a spare button or two.
3. Bandaid Holder. A mom is always prepared, right? You can roll up and store several bandaids in one of these efficient little containers. Store it in your glove box or carry it with you in your purse.
4. Stash your Cash. Roll a few emergency bills in there and store them in your glove box or some other place. No one will ever guess what's hidden in there.
5. Travel Container. Keep your q-tips from losing their cotton ends and getting germy by storing them in your clean tube.
   

My brain could only come up with five this week. Can you think of five more ways to reuse it?

GCC Shopping Round Up

I found a great deal this week on frozen Cranberries. Not only do I love making cranberry muffins but THE best remedy for a bladder infection is freshly juiced cranberries. It seriously kicks it in one hour and is much more potent and healthy than the store bought version. I really like to keep these on hand and so I'm happy to have a small stash in my freezer. Here's what I found this week...


S & S Liquidators

4 bags frozen cranberries $1.96
Spinach $.69
deodorant $1.49

Grocery Outlet

Breaded Chicken Patties $3.99
Mushrooms $1.99
3 mac and cheese $1.00
TP $5.99
2 packs hot dogs $1.98
2 cans tuna $1.38
Witch Hazel $3.99
2 nasal spray $1.98
acne pads $2.99

Win-co

Hamburger $6.18
6 dozen eggs $4.64
hamburger buns $.98
Cheese $4.48
Apples $2.98
Bananas $1.80


The Local Lake Courtesy of my Brother in law


8 fish $FREE

Grand Total $50.49

Would you like to tell us about your shopping trip? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

Darn this Washington weather. My garden looks pitiful due to the tons of rain we've been having. We've actually had a few days of summer lately so I'm hoping for some sort of growth. As it stands right now I've got some green beans and potatoes that are making progress but everything else is just sitting there mocking me. Usually by this time I'm eating fresh greens and I've got little green tomatoes growing. But nothing yet except for a few raspberries.

Here's what's cooking this week as I head into my summer quarter of college full of biology nursing classes.

Breakfast

Amish Baked Oatmeal
Caramel Apple Oven Pancake
Pumpkin Muffins
Pancakes
poached eggs, toast, fruit
German Pancake
Leftover Muffins

Dinner

Grilled Cheese and tomato soup
Spaghetti, green beans
Baked Potato Bar with steamed broccoli, cheese and bacon
Hamburger patties with brown gravy, mashed potatoes and green salad
Blender Quiche
Catalina Taco Salad
Leftover Buffet

For more menu's go HERE.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

So far we've visited Tillamook Cheese Factory, Oregon Coast Aquarium and found an amazing motel near Agate Beach with it's own private cove full of tide pools and surfers. Today we're going to try and dodge the rain clouds that came in and hit the beach one last time before we visit the Air Museum. As you can see we're still on vacation so I'll just let you guys jump right in with the recipe swap.

If you'd like to share a recipe please link directly to your post, not your homepage and please include a link back to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

10 Ways To Reuse It: Old T-Shirts

I don't know how it happens but the kids are constantly getting tiny little holes in their t-shirts, right in the belly button area. As they come through the wash I snag them and they get thrown in a goodwill pile. But no more! Here are some ideas to reuse those old t-shirts that you won't let anyone wear anymore.

1. Cleaning Rags. The cotton in a T is so soft that you can use it to clean anything without worrying that you'll scratch it.
   
2. Grocery Bags. Here's some directions to make your own unique grocery sacks. I love this idea and they are really sturdy and simple to make.
   
3. Swiffer Refills. Cut into the rectangle the same size as the store bought refill. Woohoo! FREE!
4. Baby Wipes. Nothings softer than old worn t-shirt cotton. If you make homemade babywipe solution than these gentle wipes would be the icing on the cake.
   
5. Art Smocks. We save Daddy's big old shirts for paint smocks. It keeps the kids clothes clean while they are doing messy art projects.
   
6. The Softest Quilt Ever! Cut squares from your old t-shirts and make a cozy soft quilt full of memories. It would be fun to do one each year with the shirts your child has grown out of or maybe even some family t-shirts. Then back with flannel and you have a family movie night quilt to cuddle under together.
   
7. Pillowcases. Here's a simple tutorial on making a pillowcase out of a soft old T.
8. Make Underwear. Seriously I laughed when I first heard this idea but now that I've seen them and read the directions I really REALLY like these. Of course if my butt looked as little as this ladies, they'd probably look just as good on me too.
9. Make Diapers. This is another creative idea. Don't let your baby's bottom feel left out. Make homemade baby diapers with your old t-shirts. Directions HERE.
   
10. Make Art. Have a T that has your favorite band or a design that you love? Frame it and hang it on your wall. Here's how.
    

For more WFMW ideas go here.

How To Immediately Save $50 A Month On Your Grocery Bill

*** This is a re-print from a post a while back.

Ok, I know that’s a rather lofty claim but your going to be amazed at this. Some of these you might already be doing but if you were to institute all of these ideas in one month you could easily save AT LEAST $50 bucks off your monthly grocery bill.

Drink Water With Meals – Most of us are drinking soda pop, milk, or juice with our meals but by switching to water (toss a slice of lemon in for some zing) you can not only improve the look of your skin, flush out toxins, and enhance weight loss, but if you normally consume 1 gallon of milk per week during mealtimes, at $3.50 a gallon, there’s $14 dollars off your budget right there!

Serve One Meatless Meal Per Week – Don’t let this intimidate you. It doesn’t have to be tofu, bean paste or some other strange vegetarian food. This could be a baked potato night with meatless toppings, a meatless chili with cornbread, homemade macaroni and cheese, or vegetable soup and rolls. If hamburger costs $2 a lb and a 4 pack of boneless-skinless chicken breasts is about $5 you could save between $8 and $20 a month by cutting out meat once a week!


Buy Generic – I know, I know, there are some brands that we are just not willing to budge on. But do you realize that most of those generic brands are made by the same company that is making your name brands? You’re paying for packaging and popularity in most cases and getting the same quality of product. Consider trying one or two generic brands this month instead of your name brands and see if you notice the change.

Make It Yourself – I can make a two dozen homemade donuts for close to 50 cents. I can make 4 gallons of liquid laundry soap (128 loads) for $1.42, and I can make homemade 409 for 35 cents. There’s not much out there that can’t be made yourself with a good google search and a willingness to try something new.

Reducing your family’s grocery budget can be done! We just have to think out of the box and be willing to experiment a little bit.

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday everyone! I won't have a menu plan this week since we'll be going on a mini vacation for part of it. We'll be eating creative things from the cupboards for the few days we're at home and then stocking our motel kitchen with quick foods. We are planning a few meals out. I mean, who can go to the beach and not go out for chowder or fish and chips?

But keep checking back this week. I'll still be posting!

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

I did it. Survived finals week, passed my classes, and I have a week off before it starts all over again. This weekend I have a day-long homeschool mom's gathering where we spend time working through issues that arise in our homes, building each other up, taking a little break, getting our crafty on, and of course EATING. I remember having this fruity salad at a potluck years ago and bummed the recipe out of a really nice lady. I love the sweet and fruity and the fact that there is some good-for-you cottage cheese hidden in there. I'll be bringing it to the gathering. Hope you like it.

Dreamsicle Salad

3 oz package of dry orange jello
15 oz can crushed pineapple, drained well!
8 oz carton cool whip
12 oz container small curd cottage cheese
11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained.

Mix together and chill.

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

10 Ways To Reuse It: Old Bed Sheets

Am I the only one who has a cupboard full of lone flat sheets or sheets so worn out that they are only for the nights when some kid pukes and I need to change the bed 1o times? They are almost like socks, their mates are no where to be found. I'm sure they've just been ripped and I've thrown half of the set away hoping I'll come up for some good use for it's mate. Well if you find yourself in the same situation, here are some ideas to help you get some use out of those old sheets. And if you're cupboard isn't stocked, check out the thrift stores. With all these ideas, you're going to want to find some quick.

1. Cut them up for a wealth of cleaning rags.
2. Use as a drop cloth when working on painting or art projects.
3. Cover the couch. Do you have a dog that you like to cuddle with at night but you don't like the hair? Throw a sheet over the couch and cuddle up.
4. Make a cushy bed inside your dogs house.
5. Make curtains. Slide a rod inside the pocket at the top of the sheet. You've just made no-sew curtains for a window or for a kids stage. You can even do this to make a decorative shower curtain.
   
6. Make a beautiful old fashioned rag rug. Go here to find a no-sew tutorial and to see just how pretty these are.
7. Keep on in your car for spontaneous picnics. They fold up small for easy storage too.
8. Make this cute halter dress. Seriously! Take a look. I'd wear it.
9. Ok, technically this is a dress made out of an old pillowcase but I couldn't resist showing you. I like the second picture with the flowers. Oh to have a littler girl to dress up again.
10. Make several new pillowcases from one old set of sheets.
11. Couldn't pass up showing you this. I'm drooling over this beautiful quilt made from vintage sheets. Yeah I know that's eleven but consider it a bonus.
    

For more great WFMW ideas go HERE.

GCC Shopping Round Up

So this week I shopped at one store. Just one. That was about all that time and finals-brain allowed me. My kids are AT THIS VERY MINUTE eating bowls of cereal for breakfast. That doesn't happen very often and I can't tell you how many mom-points I've earned today. Maybe I'll sneak the donuts out of the freezer that I got last weekend and let them have them after lunch. Score!

Win-co

TP $5.98
5 dozen eggs $5.08
cream cheese $.98
frozen blueberries $1.68
Ground beef $5.52
Top Ramen $3.36
2 spaghetti sauce $3.76
2 gallons milk $3.96
Large cottage cheese $5.98
2 bags pitas $4.16
Cereal $2.98
Parmesan $1.89
green beans $.58
butter $2.78
gelatin $.43
spinach $1.78
Bulk banana chips $1.59
cool whip $.88
bulk 2.62lbs fettuccine $2.07
tomatoes $1.70
cucumber $.78
green onions $.48
small cottage cheese $1.43
bananas $1.53
mustard $.78
Bulk onion powder $1.62
Whipping cream $1.38

Grand Total $65.14

Would you like to tell us about your shopping trip? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

A Reader Question...

I got this in my inbox and thought I'd address it.

What are the portion sizes per person? Your apples & bananas allow 1 piece of fruit per person for 2 days only! If you have 4 kids and a man--do you not feel you are starving them? and not allowing for proper nutrition? --I know you won't post this--but your pics are pathetic! That's enough food for maximum 3 days if you're all to be healthily nurished. Can't you up the weekly shop by $20 or $40 more a week? That's called being a bad mom!!

If you haven't followed my blog for long or read any of the back story then I can see how you'd have these questions. For those of you who are new or haven't been with me for the past few years, here's a refresher course.

• What you see me buy each week supplements what we already have. This isn't one whole weeks worth of food for each menu. I use what's on hand and build my menu around that so that I don't have to buy every single ingredient in a recipe. We garden, I have home canned and frozen produce in my cupboards, and we make lots of things from scratch. We all have plenty to eat. If you know us in real life, you'll see we are all healthy, spend very little time in a doctors office and are at a good weight. A few of us (ahem) could stand to lose a few pounds.
  
• When we started this budget, we didn't have a choice as to how much we had to spend. $60 was ALL WE HAD. I wasn't trying to challenge myself on a whim or get publicity. I was trying to survive after a huge financial change. It was scary and overwhelming but the point of this blog is that if needs be, it CAN be done.
• Our portion sizes are Eat Till You're Full. We have lots of people at our house. Recipes are doubled around here more often than not. I don't cut kids off. We always have leftovers.
• Our weekly shop started at $50 a week and we stayed that way for several months. When we could afford it, we upped our shop to $60 a week and set a separate budget for cosmetics. (It was included in the grocery budget before that time). I'm sure that with time, our budget will increase again.
  

I don't normally post rude emails but it just got under my skin that some anonymous stranger was accusing me of starving my children and being a bad mother. I mean, really? Don't you have anything better to do? And for those of you who are struggling to feed your family on a tight budget, be encouraged. You can do it!

Menu Plan Monday

This is finals week for my first quarter back to college. I don't remember it being this stressful but yeah, I think the only thing I'm going to get done this week is studying. So this week's menu will consist of food that my older kids can make because I'm giving myself a vacation from kitchen duty. You'll probably see some abnormal (for me) and very uninspired things on my menu and now you'll know why. All the recipes you'll see are simple and less than 30 minutes to make. I'm not sure my kids would forgive me if I forced them to make dinners that required hours to cook.

Breakfast

Cereal and milk ALL week

Dinners

Ground Beef Gyro's
Fettuccine Alfredo with green salad
Spaghetti, garlic bread, green beans
Grilled cheese and veggie sticks
Party
Homeschool Meeting (bringing Orange Cottage Cheese Salad)
Fathers Day Party

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

This week's recipe is for a yummy iced coffee. I've been on a coffee kick lately and this was a frugal batch I could make at home and keep in a pitcher. It's super simple and pretty darn cheap. Hope you like it.

Iced Coffee

6 -8 cups of strong coffee (depending on how sweet you want it)
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk


Stir together, chill and serve over ice.

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

10 Ways To Reuse It: Tires

I have to admit that I don't have a giant heap of tires in my backyard. My neighbors might freak out a bit. But over the years, numerous old car and bike tires have found their way into my garage and they've always given me trouble when it comes to getting rid of them. But now, I wish I had every single one of them because the list you're about to read really gets me excited. Take a look at these great ways to put old tires to a good use.

1. Grow Potatoes. I'm so crazy-excited about this one. You can have a whole potato garden in a tiny space with a stack of tires. Check out the directions HERE on how to do it. Everything I've read says not to worry about any chemicals in the tire. Use old worn out tires that have had years of wearing down and exposure to the elements and there's not much left that can harm you.
   
2. Make a Tire Swing. We've had one of these in our back yard for at least 14 years and the rope holding it wears out faster than the swing. The kids have had so much fun with it.
3. Make Raised Garden Beds. Stack tires two or three high and fill with compost and soil. This is great for people with back problems who can't bend over a regular bed. AND you get all the growing benefits of the raised bed method (less weeds, warmer soil).
4. Make some sandals! Oh yes you can. Go here for complete directions on how to make sandals from tires. Bet those will last forever and they even look good too.
5. Protect you garage from a new driver. Hang a tire on the garage wall at bumper level. When your new driver is learning to park in the garage this might save you from an unwanted and surprising new window in your garage wall.
6. Clothesline. Use an old tire for the base of your clothesline poles. Fill with cement and put your pole in the middle then string between the two poles.
7. Make a Sandbox. A large tractor tire can be filled with sand and become a fun place for the kids to dig and play.
8. Protect young trees. Cut upon one side of a tire and place it around the base of a tree. Next time you mow you'll be sure not to get too close to the fragile sapling.
   
9. Make a belt. Use a bike tire to make an indestructible and really cool looking belt.
10. Make a Designer Headband. Some people are just so creative. Go check out what this woman did with an old bike tire. Seriously Cute!

For more WFMW ideas go here.

GCC Shopping Round Up

I hit the stores early today and it was wonderfully peaceful and quiet. The only people in there were busy stocking shelves and polishing the floors. I just might have to do that again. Here's what I gathered.

Franz

4 boxes donuts $2.00
6 loaves bread $3.00

Win-co

2 gallons milk $4.56
Tortilla chips $2.48
TP $2.48
garbage bags $4.92
bandaids $1.27
yogurt $1.88
peanut butter $6.32
olives $1.58
2.7 lbs bulk oatmeal $1.27
cheddar $4.48
italian cheese $1.58
Turkey bacon $2.45
cream cheese $.98
sour cream $.98
bulk tortellini $4.90
bulk dried apricots $4.59
bulk mini chocolate chips $3.74
Bananas $2.02
apples $2.39
2 lbs strawberries $1.96
mushrooms $1.78

Grand Total $63.61

Would you like to tell us about your shopping trip? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

****Oops. Sorry about the linky glitch. It should be fixed now. Link away.

Menu Plan Monday

We've got some fun stuff planned this week; a day at Wild Waves and the wedding of a beautiful cousin. Shuffle that in around finals the following week that I need to study for, garden, homeschool, kids stuff.....it's going to be a busy week. I'll probably have a few days where I put all these meals together so that on the busier nights I can just pull it out and cook it. Cutting down on my daily kitchen prep will help me keep up with all the other stuff. Here's what's cooking.


Breakfast

Chocolate chip muffins and fruit
Denny's French Toast
Strawberry Banana Smoothies and Peanut Butter Toast
Cheese and veggie omelettes
Oatmeal with apples
Pancakes
Leftover Freezer Muffins

Dinners

Soup and rolls from the freezer
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and veggie tray
Nachos (made from last nights leftover chicken)
Tortellini Alfredo, green salad
Grilled Cheese and tomato soup
Dinner at a wedding
Leftover Buffet

For more Menu Plan Monday go here.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

I admit, I hardly ever clean my oven. Usually the day that the smoke alarm goes off because of the gunk on the bottom that's burning up, is the day it gets cleaned. But it's a yukky job and usually requires some super-toxic smelling chemical that I wonder about using in a place where I stick my food. Just seems kind of stupid, doesn't it? But I came across a simple method of getting it clean with out the aerosol can full of un-namable ingredients and it works great!

Homemade Oven Cleaner

1. Use a spray bottle full of water to thoroughly wet down the floor of your oven.
2. Sprinkle enough baking soda (at least a cup) over the gunk. It should cover the whole bottom of the oven in a white layer.
   
3. Let set overnight
4. In the morning, wipe up the grease and goo.
   
5. When you've removed most of it, dab your sponge with some dishwashing liquid and wipe up the rest.

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

10 Ways To Reuse It: Empty Spray Bottles

I love spray bottles and I use them for all kinds of things. But I refuse to pay for them. I buy enough of them already, they just have a cleaner, hairspray, salad dressing or something like that in them. So when their contents get used up I clean them out and give them a new life. Here are some ideas to get a second (or third) life out of those useful spray bottles. Don't forget to label your bottles clearly.

1. Use them for your homemade cleaners. Here's a link to some recipes for homemade 409 and homemade windex. I also use them for homemade spray -n -wash.
   
2. Refresh your hair-do. The boys and I don't wash our hair everyday but often wake up with funky cowlicks. I spray my curls down in the morning to make them nice and tight and the boys spray theirs down to even out the occasional little-rascal-alfalfa style.
3. Plant Mister. I keep a bottle of water nearby to mist my house plants.
4. Pest Remover. My roses get aphids every year. I fill a spray bottle with a homemade mix of 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cup water and 2 teaspoons of dish soap. Then I spray it on the leaves in the evening (not while the sun is beating down) every few days. It suffocates them and leaves my roses looking beautiful.
5. Get the wrinkles out of your clothes. Keep a spray bottle of water next to your iron. Mist your clothes to get nice crisp results.
6. First Aid. Keep a spray bottle full of apple cider vinegar handy. Spray on abrasions, mosquito or insect bites, or sunburn. Apple cider vinegar is an antiseptic and takes the sting out of sunburns.
7. Easy Clean Up For Dirty Pans. Sometimes I can't fit all my dirty dishes into my dishwasher and I have a few things leftover in the sink that I hand wash. Fill a spray bottle with half water and half liquid dish soap and you'll be ready for the stray wash job without having to fill a whole sink with water and suds.
   
8. Better Grilling. Fill a food grade bottle with liquid smoke to get an even layer on your grilled meat.
9. Train Your Pet. Use a spray bottle full of water to correct unwanted behaviors in your cat or dog such as barking, begging, or leaping onto a kitchen counter. They learn fast this way.
10. Keep the Tangles Away. Mix together 1 part conditioner and 4 parts water to make a home version of those expensive hair detanglers. Spray and leave in hair to remove tangles and calm frizz.

For more great WFMW ideas go here.