Frugal Friday Tip: 3 Simple Ways to be Frugal for the Holidays

Well its officially 68 Days until Christmas. Many people are planning how they are going to budget and buy all those Christmas Gifts this year. Many have already started their Christmas shopping.

Have you ever felt like Christmas creeps upon you like an armed bandit? I know I've been there lots of times. It seems like no matter how hard you plan in advance you always seem to still doing last minute Christmas shopping. Well your not alone.

In Todays post I wanted to share  3 ways that you can began to start to save and be frugal for the Holidays.


1)Make a list

Start making a list of all those that you must buy for, sounds simple enough but trust me this will help you from last minute shopping as you will have a list prepared months in advance.



2)Set a budget

Begin to look at your finances and see what you can afford this Holiday, break it down per person and don't forget to take into account packaging as I always forget little things like tape, and wrapping paper.

3)Don't be afraid to make handmade gifts

Sometimes personalized handmade gifts make the best ones. Frankly, its the thought that counts, even a handwritten poem that is framed will really warm any heart. You can draw or paint  a picture and frame it. Pinterest also has tons of handmade gift ideas. Don't be afraid to recycle or re-gift heck especially if you never used the item and its brand new with tags on it still. Don't be cheap and re- gift an item you've already used.


I hope that this helps you plan to be a little more frugal this Holiday, leave me your comments below and let me some ways you save during the Holiday's. I'd love to read them.

Frugal Friday How to generate an income while still being a homemaker

As a Homemaker one way we can be frugal is by creatively generating a income while being home. Some homemakers think that this is not possible. However I wanted to share today some ideas on how you can earn some money by doing what you love.

So what is it that you love doing? Many of the homemakers I know love to knit, croquet, paint, draw, some even are very musically talented, others are just amazing at housekeeping.

Why not generate an income for what you love to do. There are many people who are willing to pay someone to learn the things you love doing.

Do you love housekeeping and organizing? Why not be an Independent Contractor and generate an income to teach others how to organize and housekeep.

Perhaps you love to write, why not start a blog or write articles for other peoples, blogs. This helped me early on to generate income while I stayed home with my children.

The beauty of being an Entrepreneur is that you be your own boss and still be home with your children and work your own hours, you can provide a service to people that have a need yet, be able to still be a homemaker all while generating an income.

When I first started to help generate income for our family, I began with childcare, I figured since I was already home I could babysit. I baby sat for a few years that helped provide for our family provided me with extra spending cash. It was nice as it didn't take away from my children or my homemaking.

I then began to branch out from there. Many people would always ask me about natural living/ herbalism as they knew I've been studying for years, and I would offer consults and write protocols I never dreamed it would turn into a business for me. People began offering to pay me for it. I declined and never wanted to charge anyone after all, I love herbalism and natural living so it was just friendly advice.

I also loved being on social media and well, some friends asked me to manage their social media for them, another opportunity to make money, of course I didn't want to charge for helping a friend out, but this really led me to become an Entrepreneur and that's what I did. I began to contract and consult my services out to those interested.

This has been such a blessing to our family because not only am I doing what I love, I also am getting paid for it.

So as a Homemaker don't feel like your only role is to manage your home by raising children and cooking/cleaning/laundry but teach your children the value of entrepreneurship and the satisfaction of knowing they are providing a service to those that really need it.

Ideas to earn money while being home :

Babysit

MLM Business http://plexusnewmexico.com 

Start a Virtual Assistant Business http://dmlopez.com

Offer services for natural living http://dmlopez.com

Clean someone's house

Charge for music/singing lessons

Tutor someone's child

Let me know how it goes I'd love to hear about your journey as you explore  entrepreneurship while Homemaking and leave your comments on if you found this helpful

FRUGAL FRIDAY

Many have been asking how my Frugal Grocery budget is going. As you remember I decided to challenge myself and stick with a grocery budget of $450 per month for a family of 7. This means at 3 meals a day for 30 days each meal will approx. be around .71 cents. WHOA!!!!

Well, I broke up my budget in  2 week incriments as this works with our pay schedule best. So last Friday  I spent $225.00 on Groceries, enough to last us 2 weeks, next Friday I I will spend the remaining $225.00.

At this point we are out of all our fresh fruit and most of our fresh veggies. The kids are a bit disappointed as they are use to having fresh apples and bananas at their disposal anytime. But they are eating very good at meal times. This is a huge plus.

Our meals have been pretty simple. We eat chicken taquitas, chicken enchilads, and chinese food, Which consist of ground beef and mixed veggies with a side of brown rice. For breakfast we have been eating oatmeal and eggs, thankfully we have a good neighbor Bob whom we buy eggs from at $2 a dozen, he has been throwing in free duck eggs so thats a HUGE blessing.

Here is a awesome deal I got this past week. I had a coupon for $2 off Kolona Milk this coupon is reusable and doesnt expire until Dec.2014, typically this milk is about $4 a half gallon its really quality milk so we splurge on it, well this past week this milk was on clearance for $2.25 because it was about to expire. This means I got to use my one coupon per milk jug and paid .25 cents per half gallon milk making a gallon of milk only .50cents. WHOOHOO!! I purchased 4 Gallons and we made lots of kefir and yogurt. The children even got to drink some with meals.

I am learning that:

1)Deals are out there you just have to look for them 

2)Ask and most of the time you shall receive 
 Just ask the produce guy to mark things down for you, or ask for discounts you will likely get it

3)Stock up when a deal is good

I will keep posting what we buy, next week you will see my grocery bill.

Frugal Friday MY GROCERY BUDGET CHALLENGE

I have decided to take A GROCERY BUDGET FRUGAL CHALLENGE Typically we spend about 1,150 a month on groceries for a family of 7. That is 2 Adults and 5 children.


 We have decided to cut our budget down to $450 a month.

This means for 3 meals a day at 30 days is 90 meals all within my $450 budget.

Since we already make our own milk kefir and yogurt this should help us out some.

In my Pantry now I have about 12lb of Brown Rice, about 5 pounds of Quinoa, 8lb of oatmeal, and 10lb of beans, we also have about 4lb of spelt flour,  this will help us out some. I do have some spices already on hand as this too will help us out.

I will have to budget all our meals on a .71 per person per meal budget!!!! WOW WOW WOW This will be tough but I think I can do it.

My weekly budget is $112.50 a week.

My Stragedy:


1)Grow a garden (we already have planted squash among other things that I hope will produce soon)

2)Search Craigslist for people selling eggs, produce etc. (We found a neighbor near by who is selling us eggs $2 a dozen )

3)Search Fb pages that Barter or grow local produce(I will barter  babysitting for a date night for organic produce and or fresh homemade bread as we have lots of flour I can make bread in exchange for homegrown produce)

4)Go to the growers markets and try and talk down the farmers to give me a good deal if we harvest our-selves

5)Ask produce manager at the grocery stores to mark down produce among other items

6) Consume less meat and increase vegetable intake


7)Shop the double ad days at our local Sprouts

8)Clip and Cut coupons

WISH ME LUCK AS I BLOG ABOUT MY JOURNEY STAY TUNED I WILL UPDATE MY PROGRESS ONCE A WEEK FOR THE NEXT MONTH.....I WILL INCLUDE MENU'S AS WELL

Frugal Friday Just Ask

                                                             Here is my Frugal Friday Tip

The next time you are at the Grocery Store be sure to look at the dates of the things your purchasing if it is close to expiring ask the manager to mark it down for you. 
 This often works with all dairy products and meat products. I have also asked for mark downs on over ripe fruit or bruised fruits/veggies. This saves me at least $10 each grocery trip. Just Ask! You just never know....

Frugal Friday "Homemade Toothpaste"

             YES I'M THAT FRUGAL! I MAKE OUR TOOTHPASTE

Have you checked the list of ingredients in your toothpaste lately? YUCK! I remember several years back when I read the ingredient list then Go-ogled the ingredients, Boy was I surprised to read what I was allowing my children to brush their teeth with everyday.


Did you know the condition of your teeth is a reflection of your health? You can really tell alot about your health based on the condition of your teeth.

 But this post isnt about that, its about FRUGALITY. So did you know you can save on toothpaste an average of $3 a tube? Most people spend Depending on how much you pay and when you replace your toothpaste or mouthwash, the average person brushing twice daily can spend upwards of $30 to $120 dollars annually.

This does not include the whiting products. There are two versions of professional teeth whitening: Custom Bleaching Trays and Laser Teeth Whitening. Teeth Whitening Trays can cost anywhere between $150 to $1,500 per treatment, and Laser Teeth Whitening can cost a very expensive $500 to $2,500 per session. 

WOW! I would love to save  $100 a year and better yet $1,500 a year.

Here is a simple yet effective homemade toothpaste 

All these ingredients help in re-mineralize the teeth and kill bacteria and toxins in the mouth. Leaving it fresh and clean

Ingredients:

 

Baking soda absorbs toxins and binds them you can also use

D.E(diatomaceous earth powder)
 Coconut Oil (very good for drawing out bacteria and pulling toxins out of the mouth)
Peppermint Oil  or Cinnamon Oil (I like Tea tree oil)
A pinch of Salt (use Himalayan or sea salt) 
Xylitol (optional)
Silica 1 drop (optional)

Combine all ingredients into a mason jar taste to your liking there are no ratios with this recipe.

We have been using this for years and my children have never had one cavity. I love it!  

Make your own recipe and post it below Id love to hear how it works for you.

You can also try Oil Pulling with coconut Oil read about here:
http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/oil-pulling-the-habit-that-can-transform-your-health
 

Furgal Friday Homemade Chapstick

HOMEMADE CHAP-STICK 
 

 Lip Balm Recipe Do It Yourself

 

Ingredients:

•  Beeswax (about 3 Tablespoons of the whiter beads, but you can use a white/yellow bar too)
•  Cocoa Butter or Coconut Oil (about 2 Tablespoons)
• Sunflower Oil (1/4 cup) you can use jojoba oil or avocado oil
• 8 drops Vitaman E oil (4 vitamin E oil tablets worth)
• 2 drops Rosemary essential oil
• 12 drops  Peppermint essential oil (or you can use any oil if you dont like mint/rosemary) I sometimes add Tea-Tree oil to mine)
• Pea-sized drop of Lanolin

 Get containers / chapstick molds here: http://www.bulkapothecary.com/categories/containers/lip-balm-tubes-jars-and-tins.html

Get beeswax/lanolin/oil here:  https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ 

Get Essential oils here:    http://living-essential-oils.com/?gclid=CMuz5ei_jb4CFewRMwodm14Acw
http://do-essential-oils.com/?gclid=CLjIt_S_jb4CFa1FMgodCkQAjQ

Instructions:

1. Measure out all your ingredients except essential oils into a heat friendly cup or pan. You can use a glass dish in the microwave also. 
2. Open the  Vitamin E tablets and squeezed  into the cup.
   
3.  Melt all the ingredients, and stir. Give it a minute or two the beeswax takes the longest to melt (Do not move on until its all melted)
   
4. Once it’s all melted add your essential oils and mix it up.
5.  Test it out, to make sure it has the flavor you want by letting a tiny bit cool on your finger. Rub it on your lips and check if its just right. If you feel it needs more mint or other flavorings, add more!
6. Then use a dropper to add the liquid into chapstick tubes or
   
   small metal containers. (If it cools too quickly before you’re done filling your tubes, just pop it in the microwave till it melts again.)

ALL DONE YAY!!!! YOUR OWN HOMEMADE BURT'S BEES CHAPSTICK 


*******The upfront cost of making chap-sticks may cost around $30-$60 (This can be cheaper if you use cheaper essential oils) but you will be able to make chap-stick for many years to come and give them away as gifts. Cost per chap-stick is around .25 (est. high) *****

Frugal Friday Homemade Body lotion/whipped body cream butter

                     
One way we have tried to save money is by making our own lotion and whipped lotion butter. The possibilities are endless and you can create some amazing scents. 

 
                      Homemade Do it yourself Body Lotion

You will Need:

• 1/2 cup of oil (olive oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, or almond oil)
  
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup beeswax
•  1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
• 2 teaspoons of Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter
• Essential Oils, Vanilla Extract or any other natural extracts of your choice, You could even use dried herbs if you want.

*you can get ingredients here:
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/





Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a pint sized or larger glass jar. I have a mason jar that I keep just for making lotions 
2. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and place over medium heat.
3. Put a lid on the jar loosely and place in the pan with the water.
4. As the water heats, the ingredients in the jar will start to melt. Stir occasionally 
5. When all ingredients are completely melted, pour into whatever jar  you will use for storage.
6. Use as you would regular lotion. This has a longer shelf life typically about 6 months.
7. (You at this point could also whip it in a mixer for a whipped body cream lotion/butter)
   

 All done store your finished product in glass jars or containers! 

Frugal Friday "Homemade Cleaning Supplies"

There are so many ways to save on cleaning Products.  Besides, most cleaning products have nasty chemicals in them that are not safe for you or your families health. 

Vinegar is a natural disinfected, it kills germs, bacteria and is all NATURAL...

The problem is most people really dislike the smell . 
So here are some ways to clean your house naturally without it being too stinky.

Ingredients:

Distilled Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
Orange peels or lemon peels
Spray bottle 
water
Soak lemons/oraange peels in vinegar for up to a month to allow vinegar to extract scent and vitamins from peels
Pour in spray bottle and use

*another option is you could add Borax or baking soda with vinegar and essential oils mix and add in spray bottle. 

Works great on windows and hard to clean spots

Frugal Friday Tip Reuseable means frugal

                                 Re useable means frugal 
                      Homemade paper towels do it yourself

I dont like to buy un necessary items or things that dont give back. 

To me conventional paper towels and paper napkins seem like a waste. I use to buy them all the time but after braking down the cost it seemed our family could use the extra $10 a month and $120 a year on something else. 

This meant we would have to use cloth napkins and cloth paper towels.

The upfront cost on fabric is a bit costly but your saving in the long run.

I went to the fabric store bought the cheapest terry- cloth fabric (this fabric is like a towel and absorbs alot, I wanted to use this for my paper towels as I wanted something strong) I could find and picked out another cute fabric to match my kitchen.

I then cut both the terry cloth and printed fabric to the length i wanted my paper towel.

I sewed them wrong sides together and left a small opening at the corner for closure. 

I made about 25 for our size family.

After, you could add these neat snazzy snaps on the corners so they snap together 

I did not add snaps on mine.


After you have now just made paper towels

The snaps allow for you to roll them together and place on a holder, like the above picture.




We now save every month on having to buy paper towels, I made some matching napkins also to go with it.

The kids think its real special to eat with cloth napkins.

It does add to your laundry load, but it saves on buying and you waste very little water laundering them.

Its a huge savings for us.


Enjoy!!! Let me know how yours comes out!

BULK STORAGE FRUGAL FRIDAY

                             Frugal Friday


BULK SHOPPING

One way to save and be frugal is to BULK SHOP, it can really cut down on your grocery bill


It may be an upfront cost but in the long run it will save you a ton of money.

A SIMPLE THING TO DO BUY 5 GALLON BUCKETS

BUY YOUR GRAINS AND STORE THEM
TO KEEP CRITTERS OUT YOU CAN ADD A BAY LEAVES LAYERING THEM THROUGHOUT THE BUCKET


STORE THINGS LIKE

*RICE

*BEANS

*FLOUR

*SUGAR

*NOODLES

*OATMEAL


THESE WILL LAST A COUPLE YEARS IF STORED PROPERLY


WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU STORE

Frugal Friday "Homemade Liquid Hand Soap"

           We use to spend a lot of money on these liquid hand  soaps.

 
One way we save money is by making our own for what I spend on one bottle liquid hand soap, I can make a whole gallon. 



DIRECTIONS: 

Grate a whole bar of your favorite soap into a huge stock pot. I love the soap here :
http://www.lostcreeksoaps.com/main.sc
The soap at Lost Creek  is so nice feeling on your skin. It doesn't leave your hands dry and rough like most commercial soaps. 

               After you grate your soap  it will look like this :

 

In your large pot add 1 gallon of water and turn on medium until all the grated soap is melted

(Be careful not to burn yourself )

                 

Once all the soap is melted turn off the heat, let sit over night. In the morning it will be thick, you can then add some water to thin the mixture then use a funnel to pour it into a old milk jug.

You can make all different scents and save money in the process ENJOY!!!

Frugal Friday Homemade DishWasher Detergent

 
 Its Frugal Friday Just in time for the weekend. Before you go shopping this weekend to buy your household items like dishwasher detergent you might want to think again. I was reading one day the label of our favorite Cascade Dish-washing detergent it read  “harmful if swallowed” and “burns skin and throat”.

The contents of automatic dishwasher detergents are highly toxic. Yet we use it to wash our dishes that we will later eat on, thinking that water alone will rinse off the soap. Nope, it doesn't. 

So we started buying organic all natural dish washing detergent only to soon realize we couldn't afford it. 

So of course being the frugal gal that I am and liking to save a buck I am now making our dish washing detergent. I did the math and well it is way cheaper than buying it.

Break down of cost.
Box of Borax $4
Arm and Hammer Washing Soda $6
Epsom Salt $3
Lemon Juice or package of lemon koolaide .25 or $2

These ingredients will last you months 
so the upfront cost may be about $12 this will be enough to last you months if not a whole year



Is it worth it to make your own?
Based on the prices above I worked this detergent out to cost $0.05 a load. 
7th Generation dishwashing tabs (about 1 tbsp. each) are $6.99 for 20. (based on online price from Target )  So 7th Generation dishwashing tabs cost $0.35 cents a load.   
Cascade is about $0.30 cents a load


Directions are simple:

Mix 
1cup Borwax
 1cup washing soda
 1/4 Epsom salt in a bowl 
if your using lemon kool-aid mix a whole package add all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.
*at this point you can use it dry if you like the wet tabs or liquid add water or lemon juice not to wet not to dry then put inside ice cube trays and set out on a window sill to dry then pop out and store in jar

Use 1Tbs per load if using powder or 1 tab per load