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Do It On A Dime

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STOP KILLING YOUR HOUSE PLANTS | Best house plants

by Filed Under: DIY Projects

I firmly believe EVERY ROOM in your house needs something alive and green.  Plants add beauty and elegance to your decor…and they also can have health benefits (more info on that here).  While I love them, I simultaneously hate plants because I always manage make them look ugly over time.  Too much water, too little water, or sometimes I think they are out to spite me.  LOL!

And then I think to myself, “Why invest in plants when I am just going to kill them?”

But, over the years of owning many kinds of greenery, there are TWO types of plants that I have had really good luck with and I hope you will, too.  I am not an expert or a pro at plant care, but I ran this by a few friends who are really (REALLY) into gardening and they responded with a resounding YES to these babies, too….

Sweetheart Vine or Heart Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron Scandens)
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamifolia)

Let me explain why I love them so much and why (with minimal maintenance we have been able to keep them alive for 6+ years!)

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DOLLAR TREE PRODUCT REVIEW: $1 Headphones

by Filed Under: Dollar Tree

So, full disclosure, I didn’t think I was going to post this video.  I filmed it over a month ago, and thought it was too short and too goofy to post.  So I was just leaving it in its “unpublished state” in my uploaded videos list.  But then, super randomly, over the last week, I got no less than five messages/comments asking me what I ended up thinking of the headphones I picked up in this shopping vlog.

So for those of you that are curious, here are my two cents.  I am enjoying testing out DT products and have more review to come!

Want to see more Dollar Tree product review videos?  Click here! 

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P.S.  Carson is at the end kissing Elmo, or “Mo” as he calls him.  He’s already changed so much since I filmed this a few weeks ago.  Ahhh!!  Somebody freeze time.

P.P.S.  I was listening to “Libre Soy” (Let it Go in Spanish from Frozen) when I was testing the headphones.  Don’t judge.  It’s a good song 😉

HOW TO SCORE CHEAP DIAPERS +DIAPER DEAL!

by Filed Under: Online Deals


I wanted to share this deal with you, since I have gotten lots of questions on Carson’s nursery tour video on how I save money on diapers.  I don’t use cloth (we don’t have the time since both my husband and I work), so I need to find diapers (usually in bulk) at their rock bottom price.

How I do it…

  • I am NOT brand loyal.  The best brands with the best sales are usually Huggies, Pampers, and Luvs in that order.
  • For smaller sized diapers (sizes 1-2), anything below .14 cents a diaper is my stock up price.  For the bigger diapers (sizes 3-5) anything below .17 cents is my stock up price.
  • The best places to find diapers deals are usually drug stores (although they come in smaller quantities) and Amazon since you can get so many of them at once.

There is a deal RIGHT NOW on Amazon to get diapers as low as .10 cents for size 1, and .16 cents for size 4 (the size Carson is.)  This is seriously a super score!!!

*GET THIS DEAL!  CHEAP LUVS DIAPERS!*

1.You want THESE LUVS DIAPERS on Amazon (Select the size you want)

2. Clip the coupon on the page to save an additional .50 cents

3. Join Amazon Mom to save an additional 20% off your purchase (3 month free trial!)

4.  Make sure to select “subscribe and save.”

 * YOU GET A $36.69 GIANT BOX OF DIAPERS FOR JUST $26.30 SHIPPED! *

I cancel my Amazon mom subscription after the diapers have shipped and cancel my subscribe and save.  Some people choose to keep it (which is great for Amazon and convenient for the customer), but shop deal to deal. 🙂  I make a mark in my calendar so I don’t forget and put an alert in my phone.  It takes two seconds.  Boom.  Cheap diapers.  Happy kid.  Even happier mommy 🙂

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P.S. I also buy size 1 diapers when they are at rock bottom prices and keep them in the attic.  I can take them out for baby shower/sprinkle gifts and for baby #2.  Yes, I’m that crazy!

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IKEA HAUL! | TODDLER TOYS :)

by Filed Under: Teaching

I heart Ikea. <3 And no, this post is not sponsored 😉 After receiving a totally random gift-card blessing (those are the best!), I decided to spend part of the money on some new toddler toys for Carson. I love Ikea because they have cheap toys that are great for imaginative play. All of the items I purchased are very difficult to find second-hand...they are usually missing pieces or worn down by the time they get there. Or, they really aren't much cheaper than you can find at Ikea. At consignment sales/stores wooden toys are always so marked-up! So we "spent" $98 dollars (really it was free because of our gift card), on some toys that will provide lots of fun over the years. Yay imaginative play...and felt food! You can click the pictures below to see them on Ikea's website if you are interested for your little one. Happy playing! A 'toy' that we've seen other children at the park play with have been scooters and we've been considering getting one too as it seems to be a great way to get children playing outdoors. This list from Best Products Pro has some good options.

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Free Toddler Craft: Summer Ice Painting!

by Filed Under: Teaching

I’m so thankful for a mommy group that I am a part of that suggested ice painting. Carson is 13 months and he had a BLAST with this. So easy to do, perfect for summer, and FREE.

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Our melted nubs after lots of painting!

Here is how they turned out on our art wall! Yay!  (Sorry for the cell phone pictures).  We also went to a birthday party this weekend.  Carson was OBSESSED the balloons.  He carried them around the whole afternoon.  Gotta love a kid and his love of colorful things. 😉

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Here is a step-by-step video tutorial!


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All-Natural Air Freshener! {3 Ingredient DIY}

by Filed Under: Cleaning, DIY Projects, Online Deals

My favorite Essential Oil

Life is stinky.  Period.

I wanted to share with you my DIY Air Freshener that’s just three ingredients…most of which you probably already own!  You can download and print the labels below and try it for yourself.  Take that yucky aerosol cans!

The ingredients are water, baking soda, and lemon essential oil!  That’s it.  This 4 oz-er of essential oil should last you, oh I don’t know…forever.  My favorite essential oil is lemon, but you can be fancy 😉  You could try peppermint during the holidays or your favorite scent.  You can find smaller quantities at craft stores, but they are more expensive over time.

I also use essential oil for a bunch of other cleaning, so it’s multi-purpose!

CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER WAYS I USE ESSENTIAL OIL

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE RECIPE LABEL FOR YOUR SPRAY BOTTLE HERE!

DIY Air Freshener

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Some of you may ask about this, so I wanted to clear the air (so to speak 😉 )  Because you are using baking soda, you might notice a slight, white residue on surfaces you are spraying.  This is a GOOD THING.  This product is best used on upholstery and carpets (I don’t recommend it for hardwood or tile floors, although it won’t hurt them).  The baking soda will continue to trap odors after the lemon scent has dissipated, and the very fine white powder will come up when you clean, dust, or vacuum.  Baking soda is sprinkled on carpets and upholstery by professional cleaning companies all the time to trap odors.  You probably won’t even notice it unless you have very dark fabric/carpets!

WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO:

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How to take perfect sparkler photos

by Filed Under: Holiday

IMG_3367I LOVE 4th of July!  And sparklers are my absolute favorite.  I could seriously play with them all day… bright white lights are so romantic to me.  I’ve totally gotten sucked in to those gorgeous Pinterest wedding photos with sparklers (tell me if you’ve been there, too!  ha!).  Even if you are a novice (totally clueless) camera girl like me, you can capture the same shots.

It was just Char and I snapping the photos, but it would be cute to make a heart as a couple.  If you have older kids these would make amazing shots, too!  Carson was fascinated, but it’ll be a few more years for him 😉

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DSLR CAMERA:

I have a Canon Rebel T3i and I LOOOOVRE it.  These are the settings I use to make this bad boy get these pictures…

  • Get a tripod or flat surface
  • Switch camera to “Manual” mode
  • Change shutter speed to 5″ (using dial/toggle on most cameras)
  • Change your picture taking to continuous instead of single shot
  • I use automatic ISO (standard setting on most cameras)

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FAQ: 

WHAT IF I HAVE A POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA AND NOT A DSLR?:  Change your settings to “night” mode or “firework” mode and give it a try!  You can get some pretty decent shots.

WHAT IF ALL I HAVE IS AN IPHONE?:  There are tons of free apps designed for this!  Just do a search for a “slow shutter speed camera” in the Apple store download.  Easy peasy.  Also check for a firework capturing download!  Play around because not all apps are created equal.

Watch the step-by-step video tutorial here:


Oh, and here is how my mantle looks this year.  The flag was free (we already had it) and the wagon was from Goodwill and was $1.99.  I thought it was cute and festive.  Oh, and lest we not forget I do have a flag on the porch.  That’s it!  Simple, festive touches 🙂

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Happy photo-taking and be safe!!! <3

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DIY Drawer Dividers

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Dollar Tree, Organization

I have always wanted some of these spring dividers from Container Store/lots of other places.  Apparently they are awesome and work really, really well… like nearly 5 stars well.  Almost anywhere I’ve looked.  Pretty darn solid.

As much as I dream about owning them one day, rather than shell out the money  (because you know you can’t just get ONE…these things are like potato chips), I decided to try my hand at making my own.  And I am so glad I did.  They were so EASY to make.  The whole process probably took me 30 minutes start to finish?  Easy peasy, and the result is awesome.

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What I used for this project (click to learn more):…and YES THE DOLLAR TREE CARRIES FOAM BOARD!   You’re welcome 😉

                           

They are sturdy and professional looking… and I want to keep doing this to all of my drawers!

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Here’s how to make them step-by-step…day by day by day….;)

 

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IT’S MONSTER HUGE!

by Filed Under: Gardening, Money Saving

Before we grew zucchini, I was always intimidated by having it in our garden.  Like if WE tried to grow it, we would end up with some shriveled looking alien food.  REALITY: It’s one of the easiest plants to grow.  I talked about my zucchini obsession in my last garden video.  All of our plants have started producing enough food that we haven’t bought veggies in the past 5 weeks.  Hello, savings!

Just to give you an idea of the size of the zucchini yield…here is a giant zucchini… and Carson… for scale.  We get about 2-3 of these a day from just 3 plants.  And oodles of beans and tomatoes.

Yup.  The kid was trying to eat it raw.  Luna would also like to say hello.

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Zucchini takes up about 4 squares of a garden using the square foot gardening method.  It’s a big plant… but worth it.

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OUR GARDEN ESSENTIALS

(yup, we use dollar tree buckets to gather our produce and bring it inside!)

                         

Last year (when I was still pregnant) Char and I filmed this video about how to make your own raised bed garden on the cheap.  So this is sort of like a #tbtuesday?  Yay cheap, healthy things!

BEHIND THE SCENES NOTE:  I was so tired when we filmed that I sat down to hold the camera for most of it.  Oh first trimester…how I don’t miss you. 😉

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Baby deals! 6.23.14

by Filed Under: Online Deals

It’s tough to find coupon codes on Amazon…I know I rarely see them. We are in the market for a new convertible car seat (Carson is huge y’all), and of course I was searching for deals, reading reviews, and trying to find this most economical option this morning.  I did a search for Amazon coupon codes and JACKPOT! I’ve been looking for all sorts of coupons to try and save me money. We just got a new car so I found some deals to help me save on WeatherTech mats. I’m coupon mad at the minute and I love saving money!

Right now Amazon has a 20% off select baby gear coupon code: SUMMERGEAR

That makes this Graco Convertible Car Seat that retails for $179.99 just $119!  I usually really like Graco products.

IMG_3634Wanted to pass this along in case any of you were in the market for one.  To be honest, I don’t know when this code expires, but I know this code also applies to lots of other baby items that might be worth browsing! These are the other featured deals!

What did/do you look for in a car seat?

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