DIY Baby Wipes | How to make your own baby wipes

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Money Saving, Recipes

Baby wipes are expensive. And loaded with tons of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Carson gets diaper rash very, very easily (it’s insane), and even though he is potty trained, he still wears diapers for naps and bed-time, and we still used wipes after going potty!

I wish I would have found a recipe I loved sooner. There are lots of options out there (many use baby shampoo and oil), but the proportions are all wrong and they leave a residue on your skin.

After some research and experimenting, we found wipes we LOVE and won’t be switching to store-bought any time soon. Besides, you won’t believe the money you save. Just one container of these wipes uses around $1 of ingredients, and considering you pay $4 at the store for the same amount, I’d say that’s a pretty killer savings.

P R O D U C T S U S E D:

Storage Containers (also BPA free)
Fiora Paper Towels
Burt’s Bees Shampoo (natural ingredients, tear free and safe for babies)
Burt’s Bees Body Oil (all natural and safe for babies)
Coconut Oil
Distilled Water

M E A S U R E M E N T S:
1/2 paper towel roll in a 64oz container
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1 squirt baby shampoo
1 squirt baby oil
2 cups distilled water

Combine coconut oil and liquid ingredients (make sure water is warm). Pour over 1/2 a paper towel roll (cut with a non-serrated knife). Remove center roll and pull out wipes from the center. Squish roll down using the lid. Keep sealed for up to 2 weeks.

Let me know if you give this easy recipe a try!

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*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own.*

How to make Almond Butter!

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Money Saving, Recipes

Can you believe this jar is $11 from Vitacost? Crazy!

For the price the grocery store charges for almond butter, you should be cracking open a can of liquid gold. Or at the very least prime rib. The cost is outrageous. Almond butter can run you $8-$9 PER SMALL JAR. I can’t think of another explanation other than it’s the health-food industry capitalizing on a “trendy” food with a lot of added health benefits. And considering how fast we go through it in our house, I was really excited to discover how easy it was to make your own.

Almond butter is loaded with vitamins and minerals and is great for your health. Peanutbutter is good for you, too (has lots of protein), but isn’t good to be consumed in mass quantities…especially if you have the 24-7-PB&J-requesting-kid. It’s so easy to switch it up with some almond butter with ZERO preservatives and keep your family eating healthful, varied foods on a budget!

You’ll need a food processor and a large bag of raw almonds. The cheapest place to purchases them is Costco where you can get a large bag for about $17. That makes the cost per jar right around $3…about 1/3 of the price in the store!

Process the almonds for 10-15 minutes (stirring occasionally with a spatula) until smooth and creamy like peanut-butter. Store in mason jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. We love to label ours with dissolveable labels.

I hope you give this easy recipe a try. Carson and I will show you how simple it really is!

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*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. Links contain affiliates.*

Teacher Work Bag and Organization

by Filed Under: Dollar Tree, Money Saving, Teaching


It’s back to school season! Where has the time gone? Lots of you ask to see teacher organization videos, and while I don’t have a classroom (I am a “floating” teacher), I wanted to shared with you my two favorite teacher systems for staying organized!

In this video I share with you some of my favorite back to school tips, best Dollar Tree finds for teachers, what to do with absent work (and how to keep it organized) and my teacher work-bag. These are my school staples, and you’ll see why I love them so much.

Even if you aren’t a teacher, I hope you find these tips helpful!

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*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. Links contain affiliates.*

Easy Zucchini Pizza!

by Filed Under: Money Saving, Recipes

Finding creative ways to eat healthfully doesn’t have to be time-consuming or stressful.  Zucchini pizza is one of our family favorites, and it’s so simple to make!

We love gardening, and even if you don’t have a garden, zucchini and tomatoes are in season so this meal is doubly inexpensive.  You can find the original recipe and cooking instructions here.

And here’s an easy step-by-step tutorial:

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

From Diaper Box to Organizer!

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Money Saving, Organization

I know we all have diaper boxes or Amazon boxes sitting in the recycle bin.  Why not take some jute twine and a little hot glue and make them over to create a classic organizer.  It’s so easy and is pennies on the dollar compared to expensive rope organizing boxes.  Hope you give this simple craft a try!

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

Budget Outdoor Makeover! | 4th of July Style

by Filed Under: Advice & Vlogs, Money Saving

IMG_3370I want to wish each and every one of you a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Am I the only one obsessed with outdoor living pins on Pinterest?  I just want to dive through my screen!  This week we were inspired to increase the square footage of our home by making our outdoor living space beautiful.  Since, the amount of time we are spending on the back patio has easily doubled (the weather has been particularly gorgeous these past couple of days).


The first investment we made was in a power washer.  You can rent them for an afternoon, but I am so glad that we took the plunge to purchase one.  Especially as an upcyler, thrifter, and garbage picker, having it handy to clean off my finds is so nice, and it really does help your home stay so fresh and so clean, clean!  We’re getting kind of addicted to all it can do!

Check out the before and afters in the video and some thrifty finds that brought the space together!

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.  Links contain affiliates.*

 

Budget Organization | Goodwill Haul

by Filed Under: Money Saving, Organization

Check out how I’m continuing to organize areas of my home using thrifty finds!  You DO NOT have to spend an arm and a leg to get organized, and I’m here to prove it!

Also, recently thanks to my friend Cas from the OrganizedClutterbug, I was able to collaborate with Peter Walsh on his organizing channel to share some of my favorite kitchen organization tips and tricks.  Hope you’ll check it out!

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

How I Save On Groceries!

by Filed Under: Money Saving, Recipes

My family likes to eat healthfully and as naturally as possible (no we aren’t perfect), and our grocery budget for the week averages around $90 for three people.  For everything.  Here’s how I achieve those savings and don’t have to spend a lot of time.  ‘Ain’t nobody got time for extreme couponing!

1)  Meal Plan:  This is the single most important element of saving on groceries.  Sit down with your store flyer (or find them online) and find what meat is on sale (provided you eat meat).  Plan everything around that main dish.  Chicken on sale that week?  Grab your favorite recipe and make sure you have all the ingredients.  I have our family’s favorite recipes in a recipe binder so I can easily meal plan and I know the go-tos that everyone will love.  You can see more on meal planning here.

2)  Go meatless once a week.  This give huge savings in and of itself.  Get creative with beans, mushrooms, peppers, cheese.  There are lots of yummy meatless meals out there that will save you at least $7-10 on your grocery bill every week.  Here are a few of our favorites.

3) Stock up on good meat discounts:  If there are really great meat markdowns, buy a few and freeze some, that way when chicken isn’t on sale, you have a stash of meat on hand.  No coupons required.  Just a small amount of advance planning.  Check when your grocery store does markdowns.  There will usually be a daily markdown, and a big weekly markdown (I usually aim to go to the store this day).  We store extra in our deep freezer.  You can see how I organize our stash here.

4) Download the FREE ibotta app.  There are TONS of cash-back rebates on fresh produce (not joke) and other products you were probably going to buy anyway (lots of natural options.)  You complete an easy task (like answering a poll, watching a 30 second video) and after scanning your store receipt, they credit your account with cash, and you can get giftcards, or straight up cash to paypal.  I have been using this app for years and I have earned hundreds of dollars in savings.  There isn’t any prep work.  Just have your phone in store with you as you shop, and do it as you go.  No extra time required.  Click here to get the app!

5) Shop by BOGO.  We plan most of our grocery trip around By On Get One (Free) sales.  And word to the wise: you don’t have to buy two at most stores to get the savings!  Lots of times you will find that these BOGO sales align with what is already on ibotta.

6) Stacking.  Here’s where you can get a little fancy if you want.  I don’t extreme coupon, but I do bring in 5-7 store coupons for additional savings (many that I can stack with what is on ibotta).

 

HOW TO GET COUPONS

  • Subscribe to your Sunday newspaper for ad inserts.  There are three types: Red Plum, Smart Source, and P&G.  Label these with the date, file, and you can use them as you need!  (Note: The best deals usually come from circulars from the previous weeks, not the current one).
  • Visit online sites that do all the work for you.  Find the grocery store you shop at, and these sites provide links to online coupons that you can print at home, circular match-ups so you know what coupons to use, and even ibotta deals on top of that so you know what the best scores are.  They take the guesswork out of eveything and align the great sales for you.  Then you pick the few you are interested in! You can get coupons on loads of different items, we recently used cashcoup and saved so much money! I highly recommend checking them out.
  • Dr. Google.  Need a coupon for a specific item?  Google that product and the word “coupon.”  I usually can find what I need this way if you are having trouble!

8)  Stock up for 6-8 weeks.   More sales will be there.  I promise.  The next time the store has a sale (in about 6-8 weeks) you are ready to stock up again.  And buy what you are actually going to use and eat.  Otherwise you aren’t saving, you are just spending.  See my point?  There is always another deal and another day.

I hope this was helpful to you so you can see how I meal plan and get the most bang for my buck.  Here is a video that walks you though how I use ibotta and stacked deals with coupons this shopping trip:

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*YouTube has been such a blessing and I am fortunate to get to work with many brands that I love and use daily!  I have been using Ibotta since 2013 and have saved hundreds using this app, so when the company approached me wanting me to share my rebates and grocery savings, I was really excited.  Thanks to Ibotta for sponsoring this post and video.  As always, all opinions are genuinely my own.*