Making Coke Ice Cubes

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Last week’s Tips for Tuesday was about turning flat soda or day old coffee into icecubes for your soda or to make iced coffee with.  I was really eager to get that almost empty and very flat bottle of Coke out of my fridge this week so I went ahead and tried the Coke ice cube experiment. After about 4 hours the ice cubes were formed but slightly mushy- like an icee that’s left in the freezer too long. (they {Read More}

Our Christmas Tree Has a Dirty Little Secret

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icicle lights on Christmas tree

At first glance our Christmas tree probably looks like the typical kid friendly, low budget tree.  And it is.  Bought for about $12 after Christmas a few years ago and decorated primarily with ornaments that were gifts or from our childhood trees, it certainly fits the bill for a family striving to pay off their homes as soon as possible.  While not a fabulous designer look alike tree, it is perfect for our family at this time in our lives. {Read More}

Food Expiration Dates – Understanding the “Use by, Sell by and Best by” Dates on Food.

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when does food go bad

I’ve had many people ask me “how long past the food expiration date is a product still good?”  My first answer is usually “a long time”.  My second is that “most dates aren’t an expiration date, but rather a use by, best by, or sell by date”.  Here’s what you need to know about those dates: Sell by:  This product is nearing the end of it’s freshness, so the stores should sell it so you’ll have time to cook and/or {Read More}

Ways to Enjoy Pre-Sliced Apples Without Them Browning

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apple slicer

Is there anyone who really enjoys eating a sliced apple that’s started to brown?  I didn’t think so! I always thought I had to deal with browning if I wanted to pre-slice my apples for convenience but didn’t want to use lemon juice as a preserver.  Not so!   My friend Angela shared her frugal solution with me recently.  She uses a slicer/corer, then secures the apple with a rubberband to keep it from browning until her son’s lunch time.  {Read More}

Guest Post: Stay at Home Mom Tips: Recycling Within Your Home

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Guest post by Reader Danielle. I have always secretly wished to be one of those women who has three plastic bins labeled “plastic,” “paper,” and “glass” in my garage for recycling.  But sadly, I am not.  In my hometown, there isn’t a place to take your recyclables, and you must pay a fee each month to have a green trash bin for compostable items (I hope this is not the case in every town).  Now that I’m taking notice of {Read More}

Week 3 of No Paper Towels 4 Week Frugal Challenge

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2 weeks ago I challenged you to do away with paper towels for 4 weeks.  Even with a small allowance of paper towels for sanitary reasons, I hope you’ve been able to significantly reduce your paper towel usage. If you’ve taken my challenge and begun using rags instead of paper towels, how’s it going? Has your family revolted or have you found they don’t really care one way or the other?   Have you had your first smelly rag moment?  {Read More}

4 Week Frugal Challenge – Giving Up Paper Towels

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Last week I challenged you to cut all paper towel usage from your household.  It’s understandable that when you handle raw meats one may be necessary, but other than those few, try to get your family on board by using rags or wash cloths. It’s not hard for the average family of 4 to use 59 paper towels per day! Based on the cheapest brand of paper towels I could find on amazon when bought in a 30 roll package, {Read More}

4 Week Frugal Challenge – March 2013

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If I were Martha Stewart, I might say “Paper towels are a good thing”. While I’m most certainly NOT as creative/able to cook/organized as Martha, I do agree.  The use disposable items has greatly reduced disease and sickness.  It’s also eased the workloads of many women. However, disposable products have also raised expenses, increased waste and added one more stop at the grocery store (plus one more item to load and unload). Just how bad is it? I tried to research the {Read More}

Make Your Own Tide 4 Week Frugal Challenge Ending

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We made liquid Tide this morning in our Couponing for the Kingdom Bible study .  It seemed that nearly everyone had thought about making their own detergent before, but had never done it.  Most everyone was surprised by the consistency of the finished detergent (and agreed that most young children would love to help with the flubber). We talked about how like any detergent you use, you may need to use more to get your clothes clean, or you may {Read More}

Make Your Own Seed Starter Kits

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In the past I’ve bought seed starter kits, only to realize I didn’t plant early enough or take care of the kits well enough to make them a worthwhile purchase.  We still enjoy planting from seeds, so I’ve found the best way to plant starter seeds for flowers and veggies on a budget and make it work – egg cartons with a twist! I use styrofoam egg cartons with holes cut in the bottom for the roots to grow and {Read More}