Jan 31 | Cleaning, Easy DIY, Household Tips, Recipes
Mandy wrote in and gave me a recipe for homemade stain remover that she'd love to share with everyone! She says it works wonderfully but remains economical and environmentally friendly! Love That! Here's the recipe:
Homemade Stain Remover
Mix it up and put the mixture in spray bottles. Spray it on a stain, then wash as usual.
Have you got a DIY project or recipe that you'd love to share? Send you idea or post to me here.
Jan 7 | Easy DIY
Do you remember last year when I made that homemade coffee creamer? And I said I was going to make a regular feature out of making something from scratch, which I can easily buy from the store? ha! Obviously didn’t happen. I still love the idea but I think I set myself up for failure when I said it was going to be a regular, perhaps bi-weekly feature!
I was re-inspired to get something going again, by Money Saving Mom, when she came up with a list of 12 different DIY projects she’d like to attempt through the year. One project a month. Now that I can do!
I thought it was a perfect excuse to try some things I’ve been wanting to try for quite a while! Years even! I made sure they were simple enough to make or do in only hours (or less). I’ll post about each month’s project on the fourth Tuesday of every month to let you know how it went. Here’s my list of projects:
January: Make homemade pasta. I received a pasta maker attachment for my Kitchenaid a while ago and I’d love to try it out finally!
February: Learn to make 5 minute artisan bread. (Borrow book from library)
March: Create a headboard for our bed. I’ve been meaning to do this for years! The fabric is waiting in my drawer.
April: Sew pillow covers (with no buttons/zippers) to go with the new headboard
May: Make cupcakes from scratch (like the ones you can buy from a cake shop will all that icing! :))
June: Make homemade Febreze (to test out on my husband’s soccer gear!)
July: Make homemade deodorant.
August: Make homemade vanilla extract (make for gifts)
September: Can some tomato sauce
October: Make homemade oatmeal. Have you got a good recipe for me to try?
November: Make homemade mayonnaise.
December: Make hard lotion bars for gifts
Have you got any projects you’d like to try out this year?
Sep 1 | Easy DIY, Recipes
I don’t think for a moment that just because I choose to be frugal, I have to miss out on life’s simple pleasures. As a matter of fact, I think that being frugal makes me appreciate life’s simple pleasures even more! Or maybe frugality forces me to look for those things in life that can be a pleasure?
One of my simple pleasures is International Delight coffee cream, French Vanilla flavored. I don’t often buy it, but I’ve been wanting to challenge myself by attempting to make things from scratch at home. In return for my efforts, I’ll cut down on cost as well as create something that is better for my health without all the additives!
Here’s my recipe for homemade flavored coffee cream (Vanilla):
- 1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
Combine all three of those ingredients in a jar (or even your old coffee cream container), shake it up, then enjoy! It should last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. (You’ll see all the ingredients and the jar I used in the above picture)
Here are some other flavor combinations you might enjoy:
- Chocolate Raspberry: 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, 2 Tablespoons raspberry syrup
- Chocolate Almond: 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Strudel: 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Amaretto: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon almond extract
What are some of the simple pleasures in your life?
