Wood Pallet Fun

A few of us ladies have been working on a project for a little while. They are all over Pinterest these days. People doing crazy, cool things with old wooden pallets. So, we decided we would give it a shot.

Denise got a hold of a few old pallets, which we promptly tore a part and reassembled to look something like this...

 I had a hard time decided what exactly I wanted to do with my pallet. There are lots of people that put fun sayings or verses on them, but I couldn't settle on a saying or verse that I really wanted to put on there. And then one day I was on Pinterest and I saw this...

                                                                              Link

And I knew that's what I wanted to do, especially since my husband loves maps. So I found a vintage map poster on amazon for really cheap. I had to remake my pallet to fit the size specifications of the poster, and then I sanded and stained the pallet. The poster fit perfectly.

 I first started by tearing the sides of the poster to make them look more worn.

 Then I laid the poster on the pallet and used an little knife to slice the poster into pieces that fit each board of the pallet.

 Carefully, I created some wrinkles and small tears in each piece so that it would have the worn look I was looking for. Using Tacky Glue, I glued each panel of the poster to each panel of the pallet making sure the glue went all the way to each edge.

There were a few knots in the wood that I cut out from the poster.

For the last touch, I took matte Mod Podge (I used matte so that it wouldn't have any shine on it when completed) and sealed then entire surface. 

This finished product looks awesome. It's obviously different from that picture I originally found, but I am very happy with the outcome (and my husband also loves it).

Slammin' Deal

This is just too good to not share.

In my last post I shared about Bookmans and how I can get store credit for bringing in things I find at garage sales and thrift stores to sell to them.

Well, I was in there a couple days ago, and there have been a few things on my wish list that I have been keeping my eye out for. One thing in particular I have never seen there but it's something that would be totally awesome to have.

For those of you have not seen any of these episodes, let me tell you this is the best nature documentary that has ever been made. And we've been wanting to own it.

So as I am browsing at Bookmans I find this... 

Not only is it the complete Planet Earth series, but also the complete Life series (a sequel to Planet Earth). And it was listed for $35!

So of course I bought it with the Bookmans credit that I have saved up. And since I tend to get anywhere from 2x to 4x the profit on what I bring in to sell to them, I'm guessing that my out-of-pocket cost is only $10-$15 for this treasure. And if you click on the picture you will see that at Best Buy it's being sold for $99.99!

Total savings? $85!

Now that's a slammin' deal!

Bookmans Fun

Here in Mesa, AZ, there is a store called Bookmans. It's a really fun entertainment exchange store. Obviously, the thing they have the most of is books, but they also have DVD's, CD's video games, and even musical instruments. And they buy things from people that want to bring in their movies, books, etc. They will offer store credit or cash, but usually the store credit is twice as much or more as the cash they offer.

I found out about Bookmans right after we moved down here. And started taking some things that we didn't want anymore over there and got some store credit for it. Then as I would shop at thrift stores I would see things that I knew Bookmans would give me store credit for at a profit. So over the last year or so when find things to take to bookmans, I'll buy them and get some store credit to use for presents or other things.

Here's my latest exciting deal!

While I was at Barnes & Noble the other day, they had a $2 bin and I found a brand new Glee Cranium in it.

Now, I don't watch Glee, but I knew I could get more than $2 credit for it at Bookmans. So I bought it. And Bookmans gave me $5 in store credit for it. Not as much as I had hoped, but still not bad.

Then while I was at Bookmans, I found Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on Blue Ray for $5.

We already own 1-6 on Blue Ray and we've been looking for this one and Part 2. This was a great deal for Bookmans, normally they would be selling this movie for $12-$15 dollars. So when I saw that it was only $5, I wasn't going to pass that up and I bought it!

So, when all was said and done, I paid $2 for a Blue Ray, practically brand new, HP and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. That's a great deal!

Grocery Bag Holder

When I grocery shop I usually use my cloth shopping bags. I like them because they can hold more, they are sturdy, and I don't have to have a ton of the plastic grocery bags around my house.

On the other hand I occasionally forget to take my cloth bags or don't have them on me when I need to stop and pick something up from the grocery store on my way home from something. And having a few of those bags around the house is helpful for trash bags and other such things. But they tend to get unorganized quickly under my kitchen sink.

So I came up with a nice, compact solution.

A plastic Folders coffee container, which I turned upside down and cut a square and 4 slits in. 

Just stuff the bags in through the lid (I can stuff quite a few bags into this thing), seal, and turn upside down. It fits great under my sink!

Cold Pasta Dinner #1

For those that don't know, Phoenix gets really hot in the summer. And cooking dinner can be a challenge for a few reasons. First because using too much of the oven or stove really heats up our little apartment. Second, because most of the time is so hot that we don't really want to eat anything that's too heavy or hot.

So one of my solutions to that problem is to make a few different cold pastas for dinner. Here is the first one which I got from my lovely step-mother.

Tuna Noodle Pasta

Ingredients
3 cans tuna
1 box noodles ( I like whole wheat)
1 or 1 and 1/2 cup frozen peas
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (I use the Miracle Whip)


First boil your noodles. Right before they are done cooking put your frozen peas into the pot.

Then drain your noodles and mix in the tuna and Miracle Whip to taste.

Done!

We like to eat it with a little Chalula on top!

This is a great recipe that makes a bunch of pasta that you can save for snacks or meals later in the week! Enjoy!

Save Money, Clean Naturally

Allow me to introduce you to two of my good friends.

That’s right, ladies and gentleman (drum roll please…..)

Baking Soda and Vinegar.

Yes, it’s true. These two simple and frugal household staples have hundreds of uses.  Which means you can use them instead of purchasing dozens of household products.  Which means you can save money. Which, in my case, makes me very happy.


Here are just a few things you can do with Baking Soda.

• Treat insect bites and burns - make a paste out of baking soda and water and apply to the affected area. The paid should lessen or disappear immediately. This also works great for canker/cold sores.
• Make your own toothpaste - combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide or use this recipe.
• Use it to wash your hair – that’s right, it’s the "no-poo" (er, no shampoo, that is) method. Follow it up with an apple cider vinegar rinse. No, this isn’t just for hippies – it works great! Read more about no-poo here.

• Clean kitchen/bathroom surfaces – sprinkle baking soda on the surface and spray on some white vinegar. The fizzy chemical reaction will lift grime and dirt. Let it do its thing for a few minutes, then simply wipe away with a sponge or rag and voila! This works great to clean your bathtub, sink, and even the burned crusties on the bottom of the oven. I used this on my glass stove top and it removed those nasty rings of cooked-on food.

• Clean greasy pots and pans – let your pans soak in your sink with baking soda, dish detergent and water. Then, sprinkle some more baking soda on your sponge for a scratchless scouring powder.

• Remove marks from furniture or walls – I haven’t tried this yet, but it looks promising. Sprinkle some soda on a damp sponge and rub lightly. Finish by wiping with a clean damp cloth.

• Use it to boost your laundry detergent – add ½ cup soda to your washing machine to get your clothes extra clean and smelling fresh. I always do this when I wash a load of stinky towels.

• Clean your garbage disposal - deodorize and unclog your garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar. Let it fizz for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

•  Deoderize the carpet - sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and let it sit as long as possible or overnight. Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda and vacuum up the rest.

• Make your own deodorant – that’s right! Coconut oil, baking soda and cornstarch. I’ve used this recipe.

And those are just some of baking soda’s many talents. Let’s move on to vinegar, shall we?

• Use as an all-purpose cleaner – mix 2 parts water with 1 part vinegar in a spray bottle and use this to clean all your kitchen and bathroom surfaces. And I mean, all of them. Works beautifully to clean sinks, toilets, tile, bathtubs, kitchen counters, stovetops, mirrors, glass, chrome….need I go on? It even prevents mold and mildew. So go ahead and get rid of all those various cleaners stashed under the sink (good-bye, bleach!).
• “Unstick” stickers, decals, and price tags - simply saturate the corners and sides of the sticker with full-strength white vinegar and carefully scrape it off (an old credit card works well). Apply more vinegar to remaining sticky residue and let it sit for 5 minutes before wiping off. Works well to remove labels from glass jars, wine bottles, etc. for all those repurposing projects we’ve all seen on Pinterest.

• Get rid of grease stains - wipe with a cloth dampened in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water.
• Condition your hair – an apple cider rinse works wonders on your hair and leaves it soft and silky. Mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with a cup of warm water and pour it on your hair after shampooing (or, go no-poo if you’re feeling brave). Give your hair a good final rinse and you’ll be treated with soft, detangled hair. It also helps to eliminate dandruff! And in case the hubby is concerned, the vinegar smell will completely disappear once your hair dries.
• Makes cleaning your microwave easy – fill a glass bowl with ¼ cup vinegar mixed with 1 cup water and microwave for 5 minutes on high. After it cools a bit, dip a rag or sponge into the mixture and wipe away food grunge.
• Disinfect those cutting boards – wipe them down with vinegar after use. The vinegar with disinfect and kill food-bourne ickies and keep your cutting boards good as new.
• Keep hard water stains off your glasses – add about 1/4 cup vinegar to your dishwasher’s rinse cycle. This works!
• Clean stains and build-up in your coffee maker – mix 2 cups vinegar with 1 cup water and run it through your coffee maker (in the water chamber). Then, run clean water through the coffee maker for 2 cycles.
• Keep those eggs from cracking – add 2 tablespoons vinegar to the pan when hard boiling eggs to keep them from cracking and make them easier to shell.
• Boost your laundry – pour 1 cup vinegar in your washing machine’s rinse cycle and let the magic begin. The vinegar will help brighten clothes, eliminate static, soften fabrics. And, it will even clean your washing machine. BAM!
• Treat a sore throat – gargle with vinegar and water. I’ve tried this, and it works.
• Get rid of ants – pour or spray vinegar on ant infested areas or ant piles. Ants can’t stand the smell of vinegar. Much less stinky and toxic than ant spray!

There are literally hundreds of uses for vinegar. And since I know you don’t want to spend all day reading this, I’ve chosen to mention just a few that have worked for me.

You can purchase a 4lb box of baking soda for less than $3 and a gallon of distilled white vinegar for about $5.

Score!

On top of the savings, it’s good to know you’re using natural, safe products in your home (and not the toxic stuff that can almost certainly knock out a small animal). Hooray!

Homemade Baby Food

Ever look at the selection of baby food for your 8 month old?  You know - those cute little jars of orange and green mush that you find in the baby isle of your grocery store.  While I appreciate the convenience of ready-to-serve food for my youngster, I'm often disappointed in the variety of food they get to eat, not to mention the high prices.  If your kid is like my son, he LOVES to eat, so why not give him some new flavors besides carrot, squash and green bean and save yourself some cash at the same time?

Homemade baby food is your answer!  It's not hard to make, but does take a little time.  I can't take credit though.  I love the bestselling book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron.  She tells you what your baby can eat at what age, how to buy and prepare the food and best of all, how to store it - in an ice cube tray!  "The Cube Method" is fantastic.  Most foods can be bought fresh, steamed in the microwave, pureed in the blender and then scooped into the ice cube tray.  Freeze it overnight, then transfer it to a ziplock freezer bag.  The frozen cubes will keep on average for about 2 months.  When its time for him to eat, pop a couple cubes (or for my son, about 10 cubes!) into the microwave and defrost for a couple minutes - then walla - homemade baby food!

This has saved our family a fair amount of money.  Each little jar will run about $0.50-.80 per 3 oz. jar.  But today I picked up broccoli for $0.88/pound. So I spent about $1.50 and will make about 20 ounces of baby food.  I would have spent more like $4.50 if I had bought the jars.  

Even more than the cost-saving though, I love the different food my baby eats.  He's 10 months old and has already tried spinach, brussels sprouts, sweet potato, avacado, squash, cauliflower, black beans, green beans, peaches, plums, bananas, applesauce...all through the food cube method.   I also have high hopes that my kids will like more foods as they grow older due to trying them at a young age.  All in all, homemade baby food has plenty of benefits for frugal wives (and mothers)!