How to Catch Fruit Flies at Home

How to catch fruit flies

(Note: The links in this post may be affiliate links. Read the disclosure policy here.)

How to catch fruit flies at home

Fruit flies can be so annoying, can’t they? It seems they are impossible to avoid and eliminate. If you find your home filled with pesky fruit flies, I have a tried and true technique to get rid of them. It’s so simple and requires only two easy to find ingredients. Here’s how to catch fruit flies at home:

Tried & True Fruit Fly Trap:

When you already have fruit flies in your home, gather up some apple cider vinegar and dish soap.

Next, fill a bowl with apple cider vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap.

Bam! That’s all you need to catch fruit flies! Soon you’ll be seeing those pesky things floating in your concoction.

The fruit flies are attracted to the sweetness of the apple cider vinegar. The soap reduces the surface tension of the liquid, causing the fruit flies to sink and drown when they land on it.

By placing a jar or two in areas where you notice a lot of flies, you’ll soon be seeing a lot less fruit flies in your home. Whew!

Check the traps regularly and empty them when they start to accumulate fruit flies. Rinse out the traps and replace the apple cider vinegar and dish soap as needed.

Here’s how you can prevent fruit flies:

  1. Wash all produce when you get home from the store.
  2. Refrigerate promptly the produce that belongs in the fridge.
  3. Freeze or toss overripe produce.
  4. Clean up any spills promptly.
  5. Keep your kitchen sink and drain clean.
  6. Regularly empty and clean your garbage cans.

With these simple tips, not only will you know how to catch fruit flies, you’ll know how to prevent them from showing up in the first place.

How have you dealt with fruit flies? Tell us in the comments below!

How to catch fruit flies

Homemade Fire Starters

Homemade fire starters

How to make homemade fire starters

Get your outdoor fun underway with these easy homemade fire starters using items you have on hand! Perfect for the backyard bonfire or the weekend campfire!

Don’t throw out that dryer lint quite yet! These homemade fire starters will put that lint to use and two more items you most likely have on hand already! Really, all you need is some lint, toilet paper rolls and wax paper.  They’re ridiculously easy AND are a great way to “recycle” materials you already have.

Here’s how to make Homemade Fire Starters:

MATERIALS

  • Dryer lint
  • Toilet paper/paper towel rolls
  • Wax paper
  • Scissors
Homemade fire starters

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the lint from your dryer lint trap
2. Cut your paper towel rolls into thirds or leave toilet paper rolls whole
3. Stuff your paper rolls with the dryer lint, but don’t pack it in too tight
4. Cut a 6″ piece of wax paper
5. Place your paper roll in the center, wrap the long sides over each other and twist the ends
6. Trim the ends of your wax paper if you’d like

TO USE: place one of your fire starters under a few pieces of kindling and light the end of your wax paper

** Lint is very flammable, store in a metal box

homemade fire starters

25 New Uses for Old Things You Really Want to See

new uses for old things

25 New Uses for Old Things

One aspect of the frugal lifestyle is using things you already have on hand, even if they don’t work perfectly for the task. Rather than running to the store to buy something (and most likely spending a bundle), you could try improvising by using something you already own. It’s amazing how much stuff we already have to work with, once we’re able to train ourselves to stop running to the store for every thing we think we “need”.

In today’s post I hope to help spark creativity and give you new ideas for looking at the things you already own in a new way. With the ultimate goal, of course, making you rethink your normal spending habits.

Is there something you need right now, that you were planning to buy, that you could possibly create a solution for using something you already have?

I rounded up 25 amazing and creative new uses for old things. I am very inspired by these upcycling ideas, and I hope that you will be too!

25 New Uses for Old Things:new uses for old things

  1. CD Case Greenhouse – via Tauni Everett
  2. Upcycled Crib into an Art Table – via a Little Learning for Two
  3. Cheese Grater as an Earring Holder – via Simply Frugal
  4. Empty DVD Case into a Coloring Kit – via No Guilt Mom
  5. Rake Wine Glass Holder – via Homedit
  6. Old Door into Garden Bench – via Dumped and Discovered
  7. Empty Pop Boxes into Can Storage – via Alaska Granny YouTube
  8. Old Door into a Bed Frame – via Handy DIY
  9. Cookie Sheet Magnetic Tray – via Fave Crafts
  10. Wooden Crate as decorative Shelving – via Curbly
  11. Upcycled Sweater Pillow – via Infarrantly Creative
  12. Old Drawers into a Book Shelf – via Amber Oliver
  13. Old Door into a Coat Rack  – via HomeTalk
  14. Old Nightstand into Kids Work Bench – via The Frugal Granny
  15. Milk Jug Watering Can – via Simply Frugal
  16. Upcycled Books into Shelves – via Remodelaholic
  17. Altoids Tin into Pin Cushion – via Felt Magnet
  18. Toilet Paper Roll Wall Art – via Pennywise Cook
  19. Shutter Magazine Rack – via My Repurposed Life
  20. Rain Gutter Kids Bookshelves – via Sunshine on the Inside
  21. Plastic Spoon Chrysanthemum Mirror – via Addicted 2 Decorating
  22. Mason Jar Herb Garden – via Camille Styles
  23. Old Chairs into cute Bench – via Instructables
  24. Upcycled Spoon Ring – via Through the Front Door
  25. Upcycled Blue Jean Tote – via La Creative Mama

Have you ever upcycled or re-purposed anything?  What did you make?  Which of these 25 projects inspires you the most?

St. Patrick’s Day Skittles Rainbow Treat Bag (+ Free Printable Bag Topper)

St. Patrick's Day treat bag

I have got a super simple St. Patrick’s Day treat for you today!  It’s cute and tasty!  Make someone’s day with this St. Patrick’s Day Skittle rainbow treat bag. The recipient is sure to enjoy the marshmallows, the skittles and the chocolates!

If St. Patrick’s day coincides with a birthday, I think these would make great party favors for older kids. Heck, I think I’ll keep one for myself 😉

This quick project wouldn’t be complete without a cute bag topper.  Print these You’re the Pot of Gold at The End Of My Rainbow tags to finish them off!

St. Patrick’s Day Skittles Rainbow Treat Bag

INGREDIENTS (per bag)

  • 1 Cellophane Bag
  • 1 Printed Tag
  • 8 gold foil wrapped chocolates (Reese’s, Chocolate coins, Rolos, chocolate eggs)
  • 30 Skittles (6 each of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Purple)
  • 6 Mini Marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

  1. Insert 8 gold foil wrapped chocolates in bottom of bag.
  2. Insert 6 each of purple, green, yellow, orange and red Skittles in bag.
  3. Add 6 mini marshmallows to bag.
  4. Fold tag over top of bag and staple in place.
treat tags

Valentine Gum Drops

Wow your Valentine with these delicious DIY gum drops!

How to Make Valentine Gum Drops

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching!  That means it’s time to show some love and appreciation to our valentines.  Sweet treats are a great way to show some appreciation, but I happen to think homemade treats are extra special!

Today I want to show you how fun and easy these gum drops are to make. Get the kids involved with cutting out the shapes too. This set of heart shaped cookie cutters has a variety of sizes to choose from, but any small shaped cookie cutter will work!

Valentine Gum Drops

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened Applesauce
  • 2 1/4 cups Sugar
  • 2 boxes (3 oz) Strawberry Jell-O
  • 2 envelopes Unflavored Gelatin {like Knox}
gum drop collage

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick spray.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on the stove.
  3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
  4. Boil for one minute.
  5. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate until set.
  6. Dust a cutting board with sugar.
  7. Use a spatula to loosen sides and turn out onto cutting board.
  8. Dust the top of the Jell-O with sugar.
  9. Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out gum drops.
  10. Roll edges in extra sugar and set onto wax paper for 1 hour to dry out slightly.
  11. Store in an airtight container.
Wow your Valentine with these delicious DIY gum drops!
Gum Drops Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened Applesauce
  • 2 1/4 cups Sugar
  • 2 boxes Strawberry Jell-O
  • 2 envelopes Unflavored Gelatin {like Knox}
Instructions
  1. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick spray.

  2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on the stove.

  3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

  4. Boil for one minute.

  5. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate until set.

  6. Dust a cutting board with sugar.

  7. Use a spatula to loosen sides and turn out onto cutting board.

  8. Dust the top of the Jell-O with sugar.

  9. Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out gum drops.

  10. Roll edges in extra sugar and set onto wax paper for 1 hour to dry out slightly.

  11. Store in an airtight container.

Easy DIY Heart Shirt

DIY Heart Shirt

Easy DIY Heart Shirt

Forget the candy this Valentine’s Day! Make a really cute and simple DIY heart shirt for the people in your house! Perfect for Valentine’s Day at school or really, to wear year round. (I think hearts look great anytime of year.) 🙂

I’m thinking you could also use the same template on a tote bag or pillow case. They would look equally as adorable! That’s the nice thing about crafting though, you get to put it on any little thing that makes you happy.  Now, read along, I’m off to make my own heart shirt. 😉

Here’s how to make a DIY Heart Shirt:

MATERIALS

DIRECTIONS

1. Print out your heart stencil “here“.
2. Lay your shirt flat, and place a piece of cardboard or a few sheets of paper inside the shirt, right under where your design will go.
3. Cut out your printable and place it on the front of your shirt.
4. Take all the caps off your markers so they are ready to use.
5. Hold the heart into the shirt using one hand and hold your marker in the other, using only the tips of your marker begin dotting around the heart almost like you are tracing it.
6. You want to have a lot of dots directly around the heart then have then fade away the further you go out.
7. Now switch colors (do this 3 times).
8. You can always go back if you don’t have enough dots.
9. Now move your heart stencil out of the way.
10. Let dry for 24 hours before you wash but after that these markers are permanent.

DIY Heart Shirt

Related Valentine’s Day Posts: