If you like to use coupons, this is a great site to print them off from. Especially good if you don't read the newspaper. It will save you money by not buying it just for the coupons.
Print Coupons with Coupons.com
I haven't paid for magazine subscriptions for years. Reward Survey is one sites I go to get free magazines. You have to take a short survey to get the points but they add up quickly and only one survey is sent to your email every few weeks. They do not fill up your inbox with junk.
I have learned ways to save money on gas using purchased gift cards. If you buy gas at Walmart, buy a Walmart gift card to use at the pump. Get 3 cents off each gallon. If you get gas at a grocery store, such as City Market, buy gift cards to places you use often, such as Home Depot. You get gas points for everything you buy at the grocery store, which gives you discounts on gas purchase. If you get your gas at a convenience store, such as Maverik or Sheetz, make sure you have a frequent shopper card. You get discounts on gas and inside purchases, as well as free items loaded onto your card.
Health and Beauty
One of my friends posted on Facebook, asking for a good natural deodorant. My husband's aunt told me what she uses and I have followed suit. No harmful chemicals, and not expensive. Baking Soda. I found a cute powder puff set on Amazon and keep baking soda in it. It works great.
It has been cold and flu season. I had both so it has been a rough couple of months. Here are some easy ideas to help you get through it.
My brothers doctor told him to spray saline in his nose as soon as a cold starts to set in. It has helped keep colds at bay for 10 years now.
If your nose is stuffy, suck on a peppermint. Peppermint helps open the nasal passages. The stronger, the better.
Chicken noodle soup does the same. It also help keep you hydrated and energizes your body. Or eat some horse radish.
In the olden days, a mustard plaster was used to relieve chest congestion. You can do the same by rubbing yellow mustard on your chest and place a warm, wet wash cloth over it.
Drinking hot tea helps replace lost bodily fluids and relieves congestion.
To help you sleep at night, eat a teaspoon of honey or add it to hot tea. I thought the caffeine would keep me awake, but I have found I sleep better if I have a cup of tea with honey and lemon.
I have read that if you eat almonds, it will help keep your hair its natural color. Almonds boost the body's ability to produce catalase, the enzyme that helps keep your hair from turning gray.
Other Uses/Reuse
At the end of the summer, buy some of those leftover pool noodles and read this article to find out how to use them. I personally use them for packing up some of the breakable items I sell on Ebay.
Pool Noodles
Mother Earth News had an article on different ways to use coffee grounds.
Reuse Plastic Grocery Bags
These are illegal in some states, ie Colorado, but if you still have them here are ideas to reuse them:
Use them to pick up after your doggy when going out for walks.
Use as extra padding when shipping out packages.
Keep a couple in a diaper bag to for dirty diapers. I always put the dirty diapers in one before
throwing it away in public places. Seems nicer and cleaner.
Put your shoes in plastic bags before putting them in your luggage. Keeps any dirt from transferring
on to clean clothes.
Cover outdoor plants to keep from them getting covered with frost.
Put bags over your shoes if you have to walk through mud to get to your car. I used this one a lot
when I lived in West Virginia. We had just built a house and grass had not yet filled in. This kept
my shoes clean for work.
Wrap them around your knees before digging in your garden. It will keep your clean and give some
added cushion.
Keep a few bags in your car. They are good to use for trash bags and also to hang from a window if
your car breaks down.
Use them as fillers around pipes if you have a drafty spot. It can be used temporarily until you get it
sealed.
Use as a hand mitt to spread onto wood.
Reuse Mesh Produce Bags:
I have a bag of oranges. I was looking at the mesh bag, thinking of ways to reuse it. Here are some I came up with or read elsewhere.
Hang it over the bath tub to drain children's bath toys.
Wad it up and make stitches to hold a roundish shape. Use it to scrub pots and pans.
Store skeins of yarn it the bag, putting the ends of the yarn through a hole of the mesh.
If you use reusable bags at the grocery store, reuse the mesh produce bags to carry produce.
REUSE Plastic Coffee Containers
Store compost. Make sure to label it.
My washer and dryer are in the garage. I could keep a container out on my dryer to hold the lint in. (lint can be used as a fire starter, or put out for the birds for nesting materials)
Use as paint cans.
Paint pretty colors and use as canisters. Paint a label on using chalkboard paint.
Decorate with pretty paper between the container ridges. Folgers even has templates for you to use: Folgers
Store about anything in them. Use them in kid rooms to store small toys, bathroom for toilet paper, or kitchen for cookie cutters, pastry items, food. Use them in the garage for nails, small tools, etc.
Cut an opening in the lid and store plastic grocery bags in them.
REUSE Panty Hose
If one of your contacts falls to the floor, use a rubber band to attach a piece of pantyhose to the hose. Vacuum slowly over the area you dropped the contact. Keep the hose raised a couple of inches above the floor. The pantyhose will stop your contact from being sucked up, but make it so much easier to find.
Use pantyhose to strain lumps out of paint by stretching them over the paint can and pouring the paint through into the paint pan.
Toss a pair of pantyhose into the dryer with your wet clothes, and it will help keep lint from attaching to your clothes.
Roll up a pair of pantyhose and rub it along a window screen to clean it.
Cut strips from an old pair of pantyhose, and use the strips to tie tomato plants to stakes.
Roll up a pair wet pantyhose and use to clean bugs from the front of your car without scratching.
To keep your wrapping paper clean for the next use, store the roll in a leg of used pantyhose.
Cut off the waistband and use it as a large rubber band
Laundry Tips
Get your clothes brighter by adding 2 tablespoons of salt per load of wash. It helps hold the colors in
the fabric.
When washing dark clothes for the first time, use cold water and a cup of table salt to help colors set.
If you are like me and still hang out your clothes when weather allows, boil wooden clothespins in salt water before using and they will last longer.
Clean your iron by putting salt on a damp cloth and rubbing on the iron surface.
For stains on white clothes, use a rinse of cold water and lemon juice then lay the item out in the sun. The combination of lemon and sun will lighten the stain.
For sweat stains, crush 2 aspirins and add to 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Soak shirt for 3 hours then wash as usual.
Ring around the collar: color the stain with white chalk. Let the chalk soak up the grease for a couple of minutes. Wipe off the excess chalk, and then launder as usual.
Other Uses for Tea Bags (I have found these tips from Joey Green, and other resources. Not all have been tested by me, personally)
If you are building a compost heap for the spring planting, brew a strong batch of tea and pour it into your compost. It will speed the process of composting and the acid attracts good bacteria to make a rich compost.
Put used or unused tea bags around your garden flowers. Cover them with mulch. Whenever they are watered, the nutrients from the tea will enrich the soil.
Brew a strong pot of tea. After the tea cools, put it in a spray bottle. Spray onto your hair and sit in the sun. The tea will give you red or brown highlights.
For Acne: wet a tea bag with warm water and use as a compress
Blisters: if you get blisters from shoes, apply a wet tea bag to the blister-prone area, twice a day. The tannic acid will toughen the spot
Sprinkle used green tea on a dirty carpet. Let it set for 10 minutes, then vacuum.
After cleaning your wood floors, rub strong tea into the wood and let it air dry. Don't use too much liquid on the wood
Use dried green tea leaves in litter boxes to help eliminate the odor
Use lavender tea bags as deodorizer for cars. Store under the car seats or in unused ashtray.
Wet tea bags will soothe pinkeye or tired eyes. They take the sting out of bug bites, sunburn, and sooth blisters or shot injections sites. I guess if it hurts, try tea.
If you have stinky feet problem, soak your feet in strong brewed tea twice a day
Burning tea leaves is supposed to be a natural way to deter mosquitoes.
TIPS FOR CLEANING THE BATHROOM
To remove lime deposits from your shower head, fill a plastic bag with enough white vinegar to cover the shower head. Slip and tie the bag over the shower head. Soak overnight. To remove the lime around faucets, soak a rag with vinegar and wrap it around the faucet, clipping the a hair clip or secure it with a rubber band. Let it soak overnight. Wipe dry in the morning
Clean shower floors with powdered dishwasher detergent Wear gloves. Sprinkle soap on wet floor then scrub with a brush. Rinse.
Clean bathtub with this mixture: Add one teaspoon of liquid soap and several drops of an antibacterial essential oil such as tea tree, rosemary, or peppermint to one cup of baking soda. Add just enough water to form a paste and use it with a sponge or gentle brush to clean the tub surface.
To remove mold from tiles and shower curtains, make a mixture of equal parts baking powder and lemon juice. Spread the past on the offending spots and let it sit for a couple of hours. Rinse.
Use hair conditioner to clean bathroom tiles. I always seem to have more conditioner than shampoo, so this is a good way to get rid of it.
Clean colored porcelain sinks with white vinegar and a plastic scouring pad
Mix salt with turpentine to whiten bathtubs and toilet bowls
Mix salt and lemon juice to remove mildew.
Clean mirrors with air freshener. It is streak-free and smells good
Place an open box of baking soda behind the toilet to absorb odors.
If you have pets, you have pet hair. Use a laundry softener sheet to wipe down the porcelain that tends to collect the hair. I always use on around my toilet base and the bathroom sink.
Keep diaper wipes handy for quick clean ups.
GARDENING TIPS
For a nicer lawn: Mix 1 cup Epsom salt, 1 cup Listerine, 1 cup liquid soap, 1 cup ammonia, 2 cans of beer. Use 1 quart of mixture for every 2500 square feet of lawn. Apply using a hose and spray attachment.
If you have brown spots due to having dogs, (and boy do I!) dissolve one cup of baking soda in a gallon of water and sprinkle on the burnt spots with a watering can. Repeat every 3 days. The baking soda will neutralize the acid of the urine and deodorize the area so maybe the dog(s) will find a new place to "go".
Travel Tips
Roll your clothes and pack tightly together to make more room.
Pack your shoes in cheap shower caps (or the ones the hotel provides) to keep your clothes clean. Put a dryer sheet inside your shoes to keep them smelling fresh while packed. Roll socks up and store them inside the shoes
Add moisturizer, eye cream, etc into a daily pill container so you don't have to carry larger bottles. The pill container is also good to store rings and earrings.
Don't trust the bathroom counters in hotels to be clean and sanitized. Pack a clothes pin, clip your toothbrush and use the top part to make a tripod, the toothbrush being the third leg. Keeps your toothbrush off the counter. You can also pack a clothes pin to secure the curtains together.
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