Friday, December 2, 2011

New discoveries

This is my niece...isn't she a beauty? Her picture has nothing to do with this post, but I took some photos of my sister's family for their Christmas card on Thanksgiving and this is one of them. I love this girl!

Anyway, on to the post. Next week I'm going to go back to my normal duties to delights challenges, I'm trying something new that I'm really excited about. This week I just thought I'd share some things that have helped me save money and provide healthier options for my family.

1. Baking our own bread. I do this for many reasons. a) its healthier. I know exactly what goes into my bread and there's not a billion ingredients or preservatives. b) its WAY yummier. If you'd ever have homemade bread, you'd never want to eat store bought again. c) its cheaper. Store-bought bread that is actually healthy is kind of expensive. But I have to admit, I don't bake our bread ALL all the time. I do it more often than not, and I really do enjoy it. And let me just encourage the non-Kitchenaid mixer people out there, and the non-bread machine havers out there also. I do not own a mixer of any kind (except a hand mixer), nor a bread machine. I do this all by hand and use my regular ole oven. Its a little harder, but I'm so used to it, so I don't mind it that much.

2. Making our own jam. Note: I am not great at this. In fact, I've never had a batch of jam actually turn out correctly, and I think I know why that is. It's always too runny, but it tastes pretty good, so we eat it anyway. The jam-making process is pretty easy itself, so I like doing this for us. Now if I could just get it to work right...

3. Using napkins and actual towels instead of paper towels. It cuts down on trash out-put and an extra expense in the budget.

4. Using reusable bags at the grocery store. The only hard part about this is remembering to take my bags into the store. I have gotten much better at this, and don't forget near as often as I used to. When we're done unloading the groceries, I usually put them right back in the car so they're there the next time I go shopping.

5. I shop mostly secondhand for clothes for myself and the kids. Believe it or not, you can find some really great, cute used clothes at the Goodwill and consignment shops. Try it!

Other things I've done recently and loved: making our own laundry detergent, cleaning with only vinegar and baking soda, making my own face wash, and homemade shampoo. All cost savers and way better than commercial products!

I love discovering new ways of doing things, if you have any other suggestions, please let me know!

Next week: Making my own homemade granola. A friend shared her awesome recipe, so I'll let you know how it turns out!
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Disclaimer and Copyright

All information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Whether you try any of my methods or ideas is totally up to you. I am in no way saying you should do everything the way I do, every family is different and you should find out what's best for yours. I would, however, be delighted if you tried some new things in your own lives (whether be my ideas, your own, or someone else's), and shared it with me.

Also, you may use any of the content of this blog for your own personal use, but please do not take the ideas on my blog and claim them as your own. You may link back to my site with proper credit. This is much appreciated.

Helpful Sites

The Frugal Girl (frugality, repurposing, etc)


The Pioneer Woman (recipes)


MCP Actions (photography, PS/PSE actions)


Coffeeshop Blog (photography, digital design and PS freebies)


Digital Photography School (photography)