Cheap Adorable Halloween Craft

I saw this super cute craft on Pinterest (https://pinterest.com/pin/410601690996213458/) and thought, I could do that!  This adorable Halloween footprints plaque is $40 after shipping.  I made my own, more rustic version, for less than $10.  It was so easy and cheap I made another for Grandma for her October Birthday.
Here's How:

You will need:

Orange, Black and White Acrylic Paint
Paint Brushes
Baby Feet
Water, Elmers Glue and jar with lid (or Modge Podge)
Black or Orange Ribbon or a Bottle Top and small screw (To Hang)
Wood Plaque (I bought mine from Walmart, I'm sure there's cheaper options)
Fine Tip Sharpie or Pen (optional)
Paper Grocery Bag - opened up to paint on
Baby Feet


Step One: Paint front and back of plaque black.  It took several coats for my plaque, the wood was soaking it up.  Just make sure to let coats dry fully in between, to prevent caking. Optional: I did leave a small window unpainted on back to write in Child's name, date and age.

Step Two: Undress baby from waist down and lay bootie on grocery bag.  Paint a rather thick coat of white paint on those adorable baby feet.  I then did a couple of test runs on a piece of the grocery bag.  I adjusted the amount of paint based on the cutest footprint samples.  Then I painted foot and pressed foot on plaque with toes pointing toward bottom of plaque, starting with heel and roll down to toes.  Repeat to desired amount of footprints, I did four based on plaque size.  Let Dry. 

My hubby helped entertain to accomplish this, our daughter was only 10 weeks. (I didn't do my own feet, just babies, but you can easily do footprints of the whole family if you have enough room.)  Wash off paint asap to prevent any accidents and remember to kiss each and every little toe.  You can paint in the feet ghosts with white paint for even print.  I chose to leave them just the smudged way they were, real ghosts are perfect and are see through.

Step Three: Use black paint to paint in little eyes and mouth on ghosts faces.  Use orange paint to paint in Happy Halloween and Boo! or any cute sayings you can think of.  Let Dry.  I needed a second coat on some of my lettering, apply if needed and let dry.

Step Four:  Use two coats of Modge Podge as directed or make homemade Modge Podge.  Mix equal parts water and elmers glue (the clear kind) in a jar.  I used an old Salsa jar.  Shake it around and ta da, you have homemade Modge Podge.  Use a clean paint brush to apply a thin layer over the front of your completely dry plaque.  Let dry and repeat a second thin coat.  Let dry again.

Step Five (Optional): Write in Baby's name, date and age in your small window.  Let ink dry and paint home made Modge Podge over back of plaque or apply Modge Podge as directions instruct.  I recommend two coats. Let dry.
 
Step Six:  I used black ribbon I bought on clearance and used full strength Elmers to glue onto back.  Other option I just saw on Pinterest, you can use a soda can top and small screw to hang plaque on wall.  Directions are here https://pinterest.com/pin/256986722457335576/

Save money at Harris Teeter

If you live in the South Eastern US, you have the pleasure of shopping at Harris Teeter grocery stores.  A lot of my think they are more expensive than Food Lion and Walmart, and in some respects they are right. But if you work it right, this is an Extreme Couponers paradise.

HT's members program is called eVic.  Once registered you can go online, or use their app HT Mobile, to see the week's eVic deals grouped by section.  Then once you have registered online you can view their eVic coupons and save them to your eVic card, no clipping necessary!  These coupons and deals can be combined with Manufacturer coupons and Boom! Extreme Savings!

Here's my process:

Scan through eVic coupons first and save items we need; this put them in my virtual grocery cart

Leave virtual grocery cart up on computer and open weekly circular on my Android Tablet using app

Compare the two

Open another browser on my desktop computer and pull up Coupons.com and search for additional coupons to add to my existing coupon book.

As a side step I'll pull up grocerysmarts.com and check Walmart, Target, CVS and Rite Aid circulars.  Then pull up their app and make my list of what to buy in each store and email it to myself along with any links to coupons grocerysmarts has.

Happy Couponing!

Reduce waste by Reusing

Remember when we were little and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle was the big slogan on Earth Day?  Might still be, or I'm dating myself. Anywho, I never applied that slogan, ever.  I was a super consumer that used something once and threw it away and couldn't understand why my Grandma uses a paper towel then hangs it up to dry to reuse.  Where was I?  So now, I'm stuck with all these consumables when I'm trying to go green.  Instead of pitching them or using them as intended I decided to find ways to get the most out of the money I already spent.

Here are my take aways from today on how to reuse items to save money with items I have:

Swiffer Sweeper Mop: bought this for convience instead of traditional mop.  The commercials advertise using one cleaning pad and tossing it.  I might just have a big house, or maybe a super dirty one, but it would take me four to five pads.  Here's my reuse tip: Fill a bucket with warm water and vinger (five to one ratio) and dip cloth cleaning pad in bucket and use to wash a no-wax needed floor.  When dirty, ring out pad in bucket and reuse.  Repeat until you have a clean floor. 

Swiffer Sweeper Dusters: Once fully nasty looking I cleaned in same vinegar water mixture as mop pad, then put on the porch to dry in the sun.  And all clean to reuse.

Swiffer Extended Handle Duster for fans:  When refills run out, use a microfiber towel wrapped around and safety pinned in place.  Clean and wash.

Baby Wipes: I found a great recipe for baby wipes out of paper towels. It is located on my Pinterest page on the  (www.pinterest.com/yesitsthateasy/baby-crafts).  The existing wipes I tear in half.  Most number 1s can be cleaned with half a wipe.  Most number 2s can be cleaned with two halves.  (Keep in mind i have a 10 week old, the larger the child, larger the mess I hear.)

Store Bought Cleaner Bottles: I reuse each spray bottle as I use up the product.  Make sure to clean the bottle very well, I clean with dish detergent then vinegar water solution (50/50, it's my go to disinfectant).  I do not reuse the bottles that contained a bleach product, those get recycled.

Stretch your wet dog food

     We are starting to run low on wet dog food and that got me thinking... how can I stretch it out? See, my dog Milli won't eat plain dry dog food alone, her palette is much too refined (even though we buy her all natural no mystery meat dog food).  I blame it on my mom that started feeding her table scraps as a puppy when we came to visit. 
      After researching and experimenting with her likes (what is this, Facebook?) I found a very inexpensive way to make her wet dog food.  Now all dogs have different needs, and I add this to dry food in a half and half ratio.  But my disclaimer is to always ask your vet before starting your dog on a home made diet.

Millie's Mix
Ingrediants:2 cups water
1 cup rice (I'm using brown but use whatever you have on hand)
1 cup left over veges (this varies but I tend to make large amounts of greens so I usually use kale, collards, etc)
2 tablespoons flax seeds which I grind in a coffee grinder I use solely for spices (spices are much cheaper whole)
1 tablespoon bacon fat (I do solely for taste purposes for Milli feel free to leave put if your dog was weight issues or heart issues)
1 tablespoon olive oil for omega fats and healthy coats
1 can of wet dog food or leftover meat (I add the meat from the greens seasoning)
Optional: 3 days doses of powder vitamins (if you give your dog vitamins, Milli has glucosamine multi for her arthritic hips)

Directions: Boil water and add bacon fat, olive oil and rice. Cook 10 minutes. Then add veges and meat/dog food until cooked or heated through. Check done ness of rice. When tender take off heat and stir in vitamins and flax seeds.  Cool down and wait for the doggie loving!

New Obsession

Pinterest is my absolute favorite obsession at the moment.  This is an amazing resource for do-it-yourself and homemade ideas, gifts and remedies.  Even better, you can follow the source of information in hyperlinks to the pins.

Follow me and check out my pins for more great DIY Inexpensive and Chemical-free living.

http://pinterest.com/yesitsthateasy/

Ways to Save on your Water Bill

Now that I'm a full time mommy, CEO of our family if you will, I'm researching ways to save money and bring down our monthly bills.
Here's tips to bring down the Water bill:

Tub#1 Reduce your shower by two -five minutes or more for big savings. This depends on how long you currently take showers.  One way to reduce water is to rinse, turn off water to soap up and shampoo, rinse, turn off to condition and shave, rinse.
#2  Fill up tub/sink with some warm water for shaving, not in shower.
#3 Full up a spray bottle with warm water and vinegar (equal parts) to clean tub with sponge. Use cup with warm water to rinse rather than running faucet the whole time.
#4 Invest in a water efficient shower head. Got mine at Walmart for $15.
#5 When running a bath, plug the tub first, then adjust water temp later. Genius, I never did that then ended up running cold water anyhow to adjust.
#6 Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water as it's heating up and use on plants or wash dishes.

Kitchen sink#1 Stop running water while washing dishes by hand.  Have spray bottle with few tablespoons of dish detergent and the rest water. Spray and scrub dishes. Fill sink with enough warm water to rinse dishes. Dry in rack/towel. Saves water and detergent! 
*Side Tip - for really stuck on gunk on pots, soak pot with warm water and dish washer detergent or new detergent pods.  Leave soaking for 20 minutes or until gunk falls off. 
#2 Half it. When rinsing or cleaning only turn faucet on half way. Blasting water doesn't get items rinsed faster, just destroys your water supply. The littler the flow the better.
#3 Wash fruits and vegetable in a pan with water rather than running the tap.
#4 Designate one glass to drink out of each day, or refill a water bottle to reduce number of glasses you need to wash. You can get a piece of masking tape and have kids right their names on their glass.
#5 Defrost foods in fridge or microwave versus running water.

Bathroom sink#1 Turn off water when brushing teeth.
#2 Same as kitchen faucet, only turn water on hard enough to get job done. No need to blast water out of the faucet.
#3 Use spray bottle of half vinegar half water to clean sinks and counters rather than running hot waster. Rinse with sponge and warm water, turn faucet on enough to saturate sponge.

Outside spigots#1 Use a broom to clean off porch/patio/driveway. Instead of hose; good workout and doesn't use water.
#2 Use left over water to water plants; from dog bowl, from streaming veges, etc.
#3 Wash your dog outdoors in the lawn where water is needed the most.
#4 Apply water only as fast as soil can absorb it.
#5 Put a bucket under a leaky faucet and use water on grass/plants.
#6 When you drop ice cubes on the floor, instead of tossing them into the sink drop them in a house plant or dog bowl.

A lot of these are common sense to most, but things I hadn't thought about. 
Thank you http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php
For the tips.  For more tips visit their website. 

Homemade Oven Cleaner

When we bought our house the oven was a mess.  You couldn't see through the glass.  I researched and found an alternative to nasty oven cleaners that involves, wait for it... wait for it.... baking soda and water.

I thought there was no way just baking soda and water can clean my oven.  But it worked!!  No major scrubbing involved either.

Start with a cool oven.  Sprinkle about 1/4 inch baking soda over everything that has caked on mess.

Mist with water from a spray bottle just enought to lightly saturate.

Let baking soda dry.  Then mist again.  Baking soda when dried again should be hard, if not give another mist and let dry.

I left mine marinate over night then removed baking soda with wet sponge

Here were the results:

I could see myself in the door, and better yet, I could see through to the floor when opened!!  But not all junk is gone.  So I repeated process and let dry overnight once more.

20 Years of gunk gone! Incredible.  I did have to scrub the corners and still only managed to get rid of about 85%.  But so much better.

Side note: I cleaned the racks by spraying them with hydrogen peroxide, let sit for around 30 minutes and wipe off the nastiness.

Two Apps that Save Big Bucks

Yes, I am a couponer.  One of those that watched Extreme Couponing in envy, wondering if I could be that good one day. I just don't have 5 hours to commit to couponing.  I took down their tips and mixed that with technology to make the process much faster and efficient. I LOVE my tablet, the Motorola Xoom.  Her name is Xoomy and she makes my life so much easier.  Here are my top two apps and the best ways to use them.

App No 1

Coupons.com  This site is amazing for manufacturer's coupons.  The software takes just a minute to download onto your desktop to allow you to print off the coupons.  There is also an app for your smartphone or tablet where you can browse through coupons, check the ones you like and email them to your desktop.  This saves a ton of time, I look for coupons while waiting in lines at stores/banks etc. or while I'm rocking baby Ava to sleep.

There are a ton of coupon apps in the App Store and Play Store (formally Android Market). 

App No 2

Grocery Smart Coupon Shopper app is my next favorite.  These wonderful people search through all your local Weekly Circulars and cross reference coupons to bring you an Excel spreadsheet with the best deals at a glance.  Their website www.grocerysmarts.com has printable coupons like coupons.com, but at the top left of the site is where you can view Weekly Circulars.  Select your state, then on the next page select All-In-One.  This will give you a complete list of local Walmart, Rite-Aid, CVS, Walgreen's and Target aids.  Look for the green font for FREE and EXTREME deals.

Example of utilizing these two together.  I went on Coupons.com because I was out of shampoo and needed lotion and wanted to go ahead and get Halloween candy.  I printed off a coupon for $1.00 off Panteen shampoo and conditioner and $2.00 off Vaseline lotion. I went on Grocery Smarts and saw that CVS has a sale on Halloween candy, 2/$5 bag and spend $10 get $3 CVS cash.  And Vaseline lotion has a $1 CVS Cash.  I purchased the candy and lotion, and used the rewards to buy the shampoo and conditioner.  Add these with my coupons and CVS rewards gave me an additional $.50 off coupon and $1 off any shampoo and conditioner (except saloon quality).  I got the shampoo, conditioner, 4 bags of candy and cocoa butter lotion for $17 (including tax).  The bags of candy were $10 themselves.

Miracle Carpet Cleaner

My dog, Milli, is getting up in age and really hates to go do her business in the rain.  So, to my not-so-surprise, there was a we're spot waiting for me this rainy morning on our living room carpet.  The smell could knock you down.

In my efforts to live cheaply and chemical-free I searched the web on pet stain removers.  What I found was amazingly easy and worked faster than any other expensive oxy cleaner I've tried.  Here's the secret recipe the way I executed it:

Step 1 Remove any "presents" and blot up all moisture left.

Step 2 Heavily saturate area with half vinegar and half water concoction. Get in there real good to wet the carpet all the way through.  I used an old carpet cleaner spray bottle cleaned well which I labeled with ingredients and purpose, for quick reference.  I scrubbed this mixture in with a brush.

Step 3 Let sit for a minute or two and blot up with paper towels or rag.  I used the raggedy doggie towel we use to wipe off dirty paws so as to save paper towels. Eureka! Smell is gone.  Vinegar stifles the ammonia in urine and disinfects.  Genius!

Step 4 Sprinkle area with baking soda and drizzle Dawn dishwasher detergent over spot (just about a teaspoon).  Then I sprayed the area with hydrogen peroxide.  (Was I the only one who didn't know the "Oxy" stood for peroxide?  Ah-ha moment) Then I used same brush and scrubbed the carpet to get the stain out.

Step 5 Wait for mixture to dry and vacuum up.  Ta Da!

Yes, it's really that easy.

Thank you http://www.dogchatforum.com/dog_urine_odor.htm for the information. You're a life saver!

Thank you!

My First Blog

This is the start of my blogging career, a long time coming.  First, a little about me.  My name is Devin, I am a wife and a mother.  I work full-time and I'm trying to find ways to stay at home and raise my little girl, Ava.  So, this blog is really for her.  I am a child of the 80's and grew up in the age of disposable.  We throw away things as soon as they are first used or get a little worn.  I'll be honest, I never thought twice about reusing, making from scratch, or repurposing.  Until now.  I see a whole new world.  

After doing some research and probing my mom and Grandma, I realized how easy it is to save money around the house, on groceries, household items and gifts.  All it takes is little changes here and there to start a snow ball of money saved.  Yes, it's that easy.  I wanted to share all my research with my friends and their friends and anyone who wants to save cash, raise a child, or start their own business.

This blog is going to be an outlet for all the money saving ideas, cheap fixes, home-made gift ideas, cheap delicious meals, and how I found them all.  I am also going to have a section for the start-up home business I'm hoping to develop, Boo Boo's Bakery.  I make the most delicious doggie treats and everyone keeps telling me to market them.  I'm going to write about how I'm starting the business and hopefully sell one or two.  :)

I want this to be a discussion with friends so please don't hestitate to comment, write and share.  My best friend, Kelsey, is the one who encourages me to live frugally and be crafty.  Us girls need to stick together and learn from one another. 

Thank you for reading and let's save money and make money together.  Happy Blogging!  :)