• Food waste…enough said.
• Going out to eat yesterday.
• Deciding to go back to a bigger kitchen trash can, which means having to buy trash bags again instead of just using grocery bags.

Frugal:

• Remembering the free trash bag I got in the mail the other day to tide me over until I went to the store to buy more trash bags! Yay for freebies that save the day!
• Shopping at a damaged goods store!
• Enjoying the beautiful day yesterday by going for a walk at a free park.
• Making cards by re-using pieces of old cards.

There's just something so satisfying about re-using cards to make new cards!

What frugal, or not-so-frugal things have you been up to? I’d love to hear!

See Gracia's face? That's how I felt at the end of my first Mother's day!

It was a Sunday…of course, since Mother’s Day is always on Sunday, and I was in the bathroom getting ready for church, while almost one year old Gracia splashed in the bathtub. I noticed in the reflection of the mirror she was holding something and putting it up to her mouth, I turned around to see my daughter had not only pooped in the tub, but was about to eat it!!! I freaked out…Cameron actually stayed pretty calm.

Things went quite well for the rest of the day…until the evening came. Cameron had left for a little bit and I nursed Gracia. I remember as I burped her, being so pleased with how much food she had eaten at supper and then nursed a bunch too! Right as these thoughts were in my mind she threw up all over me and her! I guess she ate a little too much!

I rushed her to the bath (I think it was her 3rd bath of the day at this point). As soon as she was clean I decided I needed to get a clean shirt on myself…her diaper could wait while I put a new shirt on, right? So I set her down on the floor…diaperless…you probably know what’s going to happen next…she decided it was a perfect time to pee!

Once we both were cleaned up…again…Cameron came home to a crying wife.

“What’s the matter???”

I bawled, “I don’t want to tell you, because you’ll laugh!!”

Well, I did end up telling him…and he did laugh, and after a while my wailing turned into laughter too.

When I told my mom the saga she said, “Well at least all the rest of your Mother’s Days will seem good compared to your first!”

This week I threw out:

• Cooked brown rice, that went bad.
• 1 ear of corn on the cob that went bad.
• Some sprouts, only because I dropped my sprout jar and it broke and I didn’t want to risk eating glass pieces with my sprouts.
• 2 small bags of veggies that I had planned on using in stir fry and never ended up making it.

That’s all I can remember.

Waste-Not-Want-Not Tip: Make healthy jello to use up various fruits and/or fruit juice. It’s a yummy way to get those fruits eaten before they go bad!

Even though jello isn’t usually thought of as a healthy food, it can be! You can make it with unflavored gelatin and natural juice with no added sugars  or dyes and then add some fruit for vitamins and fiber! And gelatin has all kinds of health benefits!

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons unflavored gelatin
4 cups juice (I used mostly juice from the can of fruit plus a little cranberry grape juice with no sugar added)
Canned or fresh fruit cut up
Heat juice over the stove until boiling. Add the gelatin and mix it in. Once it’s dissolved pour into a bowl or dish and add the fruit. Let cool slightly before putting in the fridge. Let it set overnight in the fridge and it’ll be nice and jello-y in the morning!

This post is linked at Frugally Sustainable and A Blossoming Life.

• Bottom sheet - I’m actually really sad about getting rid of this. When I left home my parents bought me a new pair of sheets and sent this pair as an extra. I had slept on them throughout my childhood and now Gracia has slept on them, but sadly they’re so thread bare after so many years that the bottom sheet is getting holes. I am keeping the top sheet though, since it’s still in good shape.
• 3 coupons – I tend to hold onto coupons just in case I decide to use them, but most of the time I don’t, so I figured I’d just give them away before they expire.
• A marker and pen that don’t work anymore.

Are you decluttering, what have you gotten rid of?

• We had a fun camping trip over the weekend with our youth group!

We were thankful it didn't rain the second day and we got to have lots of fun outside!

• The sun is shining right outside my window and that brightens my day!
• Being able to listen to my favorite songs for free on Spotify.
• All the things we’re learning in our classes! I don’t want the semester to end yet!
• My husband starting the laundry for me today.
• My God who is always and forever faithful and gracious!

What are you thankful for today?

Here’s 7 things for today:

1. Hand crank food processor. I got it free, but it didn’t work well because the top wouldn’t stay on, I guess because it’s old.
2. Natural healing book. I recently got another one I think might be better and I figure I can find pretty much anything on the internet.
3. Curling iron. Just bought a straightener/curler tool, so I shouldn’t need this anymore (didn’t use it much anyways).
4. Tanning lotion I’ve never used.
5. Lip gloss that I don’t like the color of on me.
6. Chapstick, which has a light pink color that isn’t really my color either.
7. Butterfly photo frame.

Join the Money Saving Mom’s Clutter Busting Challenge!

1. In the box I have some beads that came off a broken bracelet, but someone could reuse them to make a new bracelet or another type of jewelry.
2. Also in the box is a few pieces of jewelry that I haven’t worn since I was a kid.
3. A broken “pearl” necklace of Gracia’s.
4. Tweezers that don’t work well.
5. Nail clippers I found in the couch several months ago….must have been from the previous resident.
6. Headband I don’t wear.
7. Another headband I don’t wear.

May these various items be useful to someone else!!

What’s your favorite way to get rid of things? Trash, goodwill, friends, consignment stores, garage sale?

Today I have 7 articles of clothing that don’t get worn….so instead of letting them sit in the closet being useless I’m going to get rid of them and hope someone else uses them! Other than the top shirt, which I’m going to cut into cleaning rags and save the buttons in case I need them someday for a project.

Are you joining Money Saving Mom for the Clutter-Busting Challenge?

Vinegar

You can buy a nice big jug of distilled white vinegar for just a couple bucks.

I use it for:

• Cleaning mirrors and windows, just keep it in a spray bottle for easy use.
• Sometimes I clean my floor with just hot water, but sometimes I use vinegar too.
• Pour some baking soda, vinegar and then hot water down a slow drain to help clear it out.
• Use in place of fabric softener.

Vinegar makes great window/mirror cleaner!

Baking Soda

I like to buy the larger boxes of baking soda and use it not just for baking, but also for cleaning!

It works great on:

• The kitchen counter top.
• The kitchen sink.
• The bathroom sink.
• The toilet bowl.
• Getting strong onion and garlic smells out of my wooden cutting board.
• Combine with vinegar for a fizzy cleaning product!

Keeping baking soda in a spice bottle makes it easy to sprinkle around for cleaning!

Disinfecting Wipes

Disinfecting wipes are really the only store-bought cleaning supply I have right now (not counting dish soap). I know they’re not the most frugal choice, but they come in handy, like when we were chopping up meat from an entire deer on our kitchen table! I’ve been reading about various DIY disinfecting wipes and if I do try it, I’ll have to make a new post!

Any recommendations on homemade disinfecting wipes?

This post is linked at Frugally Sustainable and A Blossoming Life.