I think this Homemade Sore Muscle Soak would make a perfect gift for someone on your list! Or perhaps it would make a great addition to a spa basket you can make up?
I often find myself with sore muscles in the fall. I think it’s because we’re out hiking more and working outside more. š Because of this, I find it really nice to have a warm bath with some of my homemade sore muscle soak! This one smells delicious because it uses fresh mint and lavender (or essential oils). Here’s how you can easily make up your own batch of homemade sore muscle soak:
Ā¼ cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped OR 7-10 drops of peppermint oil
Ā¼ cup of fresh lavender, chopped OR 7-10 drops of lavender oil
DIRECTIONS:
Begin by mixing your Epsom salt and baking soda in a bowl. Mix well.
Chop your herbs fine and add them to the mixture. Or, add your oils at this time. For the mixture you see here, IĀ used fresh mint and used lavender oil in place of the fresh lavender.
Continue mixing well. The moisture from the herbs and oils may cause some clumping. This is not a big deal. Just use your spoon to break through the clumps.
Store the mixture in a glass jar with lid or air tight container. I like to let it sit for a few hours before using.
To use your homemade sore muscle soak, just pour it into a running bath. The lavender will help you relax and ease muscle tension, the mint will help revitalize, and the Epsom salt and baking soda will help with inflammation and pain.
When done, drain your tub as usual. You may wish to remove any larger herb clippings by hand to avoid drain issues.
I always enjoy seeing what others buy their kids for Christmas. Especially stocking stuffers. So I thought it would be fun to share what I bought my daughters.
I find it can be so easy to buy little things just for the sake of filling the stockings.
Over the years, I have found myself becoming more intentional with what I buy. I like to buy some practical items, consumable items and just for fun items.
How do you like to fill stockings?
In the past, I have done almost identical things for both of my daughters. However, this year, they have significantly different likes. (The almost 11 year old is waaay over toys and bath items. haha!)
Without further ado, here are the items I bought for my daughters. Age 6 and age 10.
If you are in need of a simple, thoughtful gift idea, I present you with… gifts in a mug. š Once I started creating one gift in a mug, the ideas kept flowing! The options are endless!
These are a perfect gift idea for friends, teachers, your boss, really, anyone!
The idea is simple. Pick a cute mug, then fill it with your recipient’s favorite things.
To help you get your wheels turning, I want to show you three simple ideas that can be done on any budget.
I found my supplies at Walmart, Amazon, Dollarama and my house.
Gift in a Mug #1 – Self Care Mug
This coffee mug gift idea includes a face mask, cozy socks, lip balm, hand cream, and a milk chocolate bar. This would make for a great gift idea for a friend, mother in law or teacher!
Mug – Walmart Fuzzy socks – Dollarama Hand cream – Walmart (was in a set of four, perfect for splitting up!) Lip balm – Walmart Chocolate bar – Walmart Face mask – Walmart
Gift in a Mug #2 – Desk Essentials
This coffee mug gift idea is perfect for someone who works in an office or from home. Anyone really! For this gift in a mug, I put in a mini stapler, hand cream, two pens, gum, a chocolate bar, a small notebook and a small day planner. Because the notebook and day planner don’t fit in the mug, I am just going to place them underneath the mug and wrap it all together in some cellophane.
This idea makes me so happy! It would be perfect for a hostess gift or for a holiday party. Swap the Christmasy items for more neutral items and you could have the cutest birthday present for a friend. To this gift in a mug, I added a mug cake package, a fork, a napkin and a couple of candles. Simple and cheap.
Mug – Walmart Mug Cake – Amazon Fork – my party stash Napkin – my party stash Candles – my party stash
Other gift in a mug ideas I had:
Hot chocolate mug: a mug, a packet or two of hot chocolate, a candy cane, a special treat, marshmallows, a chocolate covered stirring spoon.
Kids themed: a mug, a Pez candy dispenser, a special pen, a notebook, small kid things from the dollar store.
Craft supplies: a mug, fun craft supplies for an adult or a child.
Liqueurs in a mug: a couple of those tiny liqueurs that would taste yummy in coffee or hot chocolate.
Kitchen Essentials: I have seen mini whisks, tongs and the like at Superstore. These would be cute tucked into a mug with a dish cloth!
The ideas are endless!
I hope my ideas will help you out if you want to try gifting a Gift in a Mug this year!
Simple ways to celebrate the holidays on a tight budget
For some of us, the holidays always seem to land during a time where everything else hits. This means a tight budget during the holidays is a common issue that most of us will face at some point in our lives. If you find yourself with a tight budget this holiday season don’t let it ruin yourĀ fun.
This year, learn how to rock the holidays on a tight budget with these simple but meaningful ideas.
Focus on Meaning
Focus on the meaning of the holidays instead of the frills and trappings. The holidays are about friends and family so focus more on making memories than having a fancy holiday. Make homemade decorations, bake cookies, and spend quality time with the people you love.
Create new traditions
It’s the perfect time to create new traditions that your family will remember for years to come! Here are some ideas that you may enjoy or get you brainstorming:
Go on a Christmas tree hunt: Growing up, my favourite tradition was going into the forest (with our free permit to cut a tree) and searching for the most perfect tree to decorate.
Decorate on December 1st: Another thing we would do is wait until December 1st to decorate the house. December 1st also meant we could crank the Christmas carols!
Make homemade Christmas cards: This would be a super fun afternoon activity for the whole family!
Give to the less fortunate: I know locally, there are several businesses that set up bins to collect toys. Perhaps, you could find something similar and team up with a few friends to help take the focus off of yourself.
Decorate a Gingerbread house: This is always a fun activity for the kids! Or decorating sugar cookies is also fun!
Write letters to Santa: Sit down with the kids and write letters to Santa! Don’t forget to send them off! In Canada, you can send your letters to:Santa Claus North Pole HOH OHO Canada
Read a Christmas book every day in December: Head to your library and pick up a big stack of holiday books to read together.
Have a Christmas movie night: One for the whole family and maybe one just for mom & dad!
Seek out the best Christmas light display: Take a drive one night just to look at all the lights. Vote for your favourite display.
Give Christmas PJ’s on Christmas eve: For the last few years, I have been wrapping up a pair of Christmas pajamas for both girls that I got on sale and giving it to them on Christmas eve. They love to wake up Christmas morning in their new Christmas pajamas!
Make Homemade Gifts
Save money but still enjoy the gifting part of the holidays with Homemade Christmas gifts. Use the things you have on hand to make personalized, meaningful gifts for the people you love. It’s the fact that you thought of them and wanted to do something special that makes gifts so wonderful. Baking homemade gifts is a great way to use items you have on hand to create a great gift someone will appreciate.
Earn Extra Cash
A great way to deal with a tight budget during the holidays is to work on simple ways to earn extra cash. Sell off things you do not need or crafts you have made that others can give as gifts. Cleaning houses and clearing snow are both great ways to earn extra cash as the season wears on. This is the best time of year to pick up a part-time seasonal job for extra money if you have the time to spare.
Make a Holiday Budget
To help you thrive during any time with a tight budget, create and stick to a budget. This is a plan to help your family stay on track financially. Plan all of your regular expenses first so you don’t end up making your situation worse for the sake of the holidays. This will leave you with a clear idea of how much you can really spare and how much you should try to earn instead of going ahead blindly.
Look for Free Activities
Look for free fun activities to do. You can still make the most of Christmas even when you can not afford much. Go for a stroll and check out neighborhood light displays, volunteer to help others down at the soup kitchen or food bank. Find reasons to be grateful for what you do have this season, and you will be well on your way to rocking the holidays on a tight budget!
What are your best tips for making a meaningful but frugal Christmas season?
Normally I make Oreo Truffles using regular Oreos, but this year I found Gingerbread flavoured Oreos!Ā Of course I had to try making them into Gingerbread Oreo truffles using my regular recipe.Ā Boy, oh boy, are they ever delicious! If these gingerbread oreos are going to be a regular holiday staple each year, I’ll be using them for truffles instead of the regular oreos!Ā Don’t get me wrong, the other truffles are tasty too, they’re always a hit whenever I bring them to gatherings. š
I thought the gingerbread flavour suited white chocolate best and I finished them off with a sprinkle of nutmeg!
Crush the Oreos into fine crumbs with a food processor or use a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin/hammer/rockā¦ š
Add the crumbs to a big bowl with the softened cream cheese. I use my Kitchenaid mixer to mix until it was all well incorporated.
Roll the cream cheese Oreo mixture into 1" balls (or whatever size youād like) Place on a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.
When your truffles are almost finished chilling, start melting the chocolate slowly. (in the microwave or on the stove)
Drop one or two truffles into the melted chocolate and use a fork to remove them, letting the excess chocolate drip. Place them back on the waxed paper.
Now is when you want to add the toppings, before the chocolate hardens.
Have you got a Foodie on your gift list? Here are some fabulously frugal gift ideas that are sure to help youĀ get the perfect food related gift for them!
Oil Spray Bottle – Avoid an oily mess with one of these oil spray bottles! No need for a bottle of Pam any more.
Kitchen Scale – The serious foodie needs to measure their ingredients for a great tasting recipe.
Funny Tea Towels – Perhaps your foodie has a sense of humor? š
Sea Salt Sampler Pack – Gourmet infused salts will complement the already fantastic cooking!
Fruit Infusion Pitcher – This is a brilliant way to flavor water without getting all the pulp floating around!
Silicone Baking Mat – a non-stick silicone baking mat is a must-have that replaces the need for butters, oils and parchment paper. It also helps foods and baked goods brown more evenly.
Not as budget friendly, but still awesome gift ideas for the foodie:
Lasagna Trio Pan – Make up to three different recipes in one pan!
Pizza Stone – These aren’t only great for pizza…cookies turn out amazing too using a pizza stone.
Mandoline – A tool that makes slicing and Julienne(ing) way easier.
