Lead By Example

Everyone knows it’s a good idea to practice what you preach, so set good examples for your family. Show your children and your spouse that it’s not hard to be frugal – in fact – it can usually be less stressful. Some people associate being frugal with constantly cutting corners and major sacrifices. By being creative with your budget, and making it a point to be obvious about what you’re doing to help save the family money, you’re showing them that life isn’t that scary under the banner of frugality.

Knowledge Is Power, Knowledge Is Fun

Don’t feel any shame in sharing books or websites with your family about this subject (hey…you made it here, didn’t you?) Show them all of the fun things that they might have never seen otherwise. The more they learn about the topic, the better chance they have of becoming genuinely involved with leading a frugal lifestyle. If you are good at tracking your expenses, share with your spouse exactly how your frugal ways have saved you so much money. Explain in detail what you’ve done differently to help reduce any excessive spending.

How To Share The Gift Of Frugal With Your Kids

Younger children are usually open to newer things, they might not grasp the concept of frugality yet, but involving them with fun homemade arts and crafts projects or even letting them help you shop are great ways to let them enjoy being frugal without even knowing it.

As for teens, some trends have been showing lately that being frugal is “cool”. Some studies have gone as far as saying some teens even think it’s tacky in this economy to walk around carrying a big tote bag with a designer logo across it. This is a great approach and angle to take with your teen. Let them know the joys you’ve experienced being frugal. Frugality breeds creativity, and if your teen is the creative type there is no better way than to get involved in making or altering clothes and helping make homemade meals.

There are wonderful life lessons to be learned by leading the frugal lifestyle, and sharing them with your children is a great step to reinforce why you’ve chosen this lifestyle, and a great way to pass down good spending habits you may have learned over the years.

You Can Still Have A Good Time, Even When You’re Frugal

Plan fun, entertaining nights on a budget. Plan a movie night where you can pick up a movie from the library, or even possibly free, and take turns on who picks the movie each week. Learn more about the inexpensive local events that might be going on around your house. Consider a weekend camping at a local park. There are plenty of ways for you and your family to enjoy great moments together without having to spend a lot of money.

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Homemade Coffee Body Scrub

• 2 cups of coarsely ground coffee
• 1/2 cup raw sugar or sea salt
• 2-3 T massage oil

Mix all ingredients together. Take a hot shower to moisten your skin and open your pores. Using wide, circular motions, rub the coffee exfoliant onto your skin with strong, even pressure. Shower off, pat skin dry, and apply a thin layer of your favorite body lotion.

End Of Summer – Almond Body Scrub Recipe

As the end of the summer season approaches, many of us are dealing with Peeling skin. Body scrubs feel wonderful and relieve the itch of flaking skin.

• 2/3 cup ground almonds
• 1/3 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon of herbs (lavender, chamomile, etc) (optional)
• Plain yogurt, milk, or buttermilk, sufficient to make a paste
• Essential Oils for scent (optional)

Combine the dry ingredients in a blender or food processor until they are reduced to a coarse meal. Keep this “scrub base” in a glass jar with a screw top in your refrigerator until ready to use. When you want to use the scrub base, scoop out 1/4 cup into a small bowl, and stir in enough of the liquid ingredients (vary it by what you have on hand — yogurt and milk are best, but water works) to make a paste. Yogurt and milk are natural exfoliates known as alpha hydroxy acids, and they will slough off dead skin cells even without the scrub. Scoop up the paste with your hands or a washcloth, and rub over your body to exfoliate peeling skin.  Rinse thoroughly.

Fruit Salad Body Mask

This may sound as if you’re pouring a smoothie for the skin — and you are  — but for good reason. Pineapple contains bromeliad, a protein-digestive enzyme which helps rid the skin of dead cells and dirt. It also counteracts histamines, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is a mild astringent.  Grapes are rich in PCOs which provide protection against harmful UV rays, and, are anti-oxidents. Bananas have loads of vitamins, calcium and essential nutrients which keep the skin smooth and soft.   Kiwi is high in vitamin C and has enzymatic properties.  Honeydew is both soothing and hydrating.

• 2 slices pineapple – rind removed
• 1/2 med. honeydew melon – rind removed
• 1 doz. green grapes
• 1 med. banana – peeled
• 1 med. kiwi fruit – peeled

Puree all ingredients in food processor. Mixture will be slightly lumpy. Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Smooth onto body and/or face, leaving on for half an hour.  This is an ideal treatment to use poolside, where lounging is assuring. Rinse off with tepid water, or an outdoor shower.

Beach Sand Foot Scrub Recipe

• 2 Tablespoons Canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons dry beach sand
• 3-5 drops rosemary oil

The next time you decide to spend the day at the beach, take advantage of the “on location foot treatment.”  Brazilians, particularly, are known for scrubbing their entire bodies, particularly the feet, deep into the sand while they relax on the beach.

When going to the beach, take a small vial of ingredients with you:  2 tablespoons of canola oil (or use your suntan oil!), and, a small vial of rosemary oil — or premix and take one vial.

Once at the beach, use an empty container (a soda cup is fine) to mix the ingredients together. Mix into a paste.  Massage sand scrub onto feet (and elbows), concentrating especially on problem areas.  Rinse off in the foamy waves, pat dry with your beach towel.

Homemade Rosemary Herbal Bath

• 1/4 cup dried, crumbled sage
• 1/4 cup dried, crumbled rosemary
• 2 tablespoons of oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons of dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons of coarse bath crystals

Grind or thoroughly mix the ingredients together and secure in a muslin or cheesecloth bag, and tie so that your “tea bag” hangs directly beneath your flowing bath tap. Fill your bath with warm water that steeps these herbs designed to relieve mental fatigue (rosemary), treat loss of concentration (sage), soften water (oatmeal), stimulate the body (parsley), and alleviate light-headedness (salt).

Rosemary Honey Olive Oil Hair Conditioner

This nourishing conditioner blends two ingredients from nature — honey for shine and olive oil for moisture — and is enhanced with essential oil of rosemary to stimulate hair growth.

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup warmed olive oil (2 tablespoons for normal to oily hair)
• 4 drops essential oil of rosemary
• 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum (available in health food stores)

Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour into a clean plastic bottle with a snug-fitting cap.

To use, apply a small amount to your slightly dampened hair. Massage your scalp and work the conditioner through your hair until it is completely and evenly distributed. Next, cover your hair with a warm towel (your microwave or dryer can heat it up) or shower cap; leave the conditioner in place on to nourish and condition for 30 minutes. Remove the towel or shower cap; shampoo lightly and rinse with cool water. Dry as normal and enjoy shinier, softer and healthier hair the natural way.

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All prices and reviews are subject to change.

Comment below so we can hear some of your reviews or experiences you’ve had with your favorite brand of baby wipes.

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1. Homemade Dog Food

This delicious dog food recipe is sure to make your dog happy and fill its belly! Feed your dog knowing what goes into their dog food.

• 1- 2 lb. of roast beef or a whole chicken
• 6 cups of cooked white or brown rice
• 1 can of peas (drained)
• 1 can of carrots (drained)
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1. Cook the meat in a crock pot for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Add about 2 cups of water to the meat. After meat has cooked and cooled shred or cut up into small 1/4″- 1/2″ chunks. Save the juices from the meat mixture in the crockpot.
2. In a very large bowl mix rice, peas, carrots and garlic powder. Then add meat and juices from crockpot. Mix with large spoon. I usually freeze the dog food in muffin tins sprayed with Pam. Then transfer them into a ziplock bag to freeze, then freeze the next batch in the muffin tin.
3. We take one frozen dogfood muffin out a day and microwave for about 1 min. add a little water and pour it over the hard food that we serve our dogs every morning.

2. Bad Breath Banishers

Everybody knows about bad breath and dogs, so here is an all natural delicious treat that will freshen your dog’s breath.

• 2 cups brown of rice flour
• 1 Tablespoon of activated charcoal (find this at drugstores, not briquets)
• 3 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
• 2/3 cup of low fat milk

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Combine flour and charcoal. Add all the other ingredients. Drop teaspoonfulls on oiled sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake 15-20 minutes. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

3. Frozen Doggie Treats

Your dog will love this Popsicle-like treat on a hot day!

• 1 Tablespoons of honey
• 3 Tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 ripe banana
• 16 ounces of plain yogurt

Mix the peanut butter, honey, and fruit together until well blended—mash with a fork or use the blender. Add the fruit mixture to the yogurt and mix well. Freeze in ice cube trays. Crack trays and release treats as needed!

4. Baggins’ Dog Biscuits

Fresh homemade dog biscuits. Your dog will love you for these homemade treats!

• 1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup of Regular Flour
• 1/2 cup of Powdered milk
• 1/2 cup of Wheat germ
• 1 Egg slightly beaten
• 1 Teaspoon of Molasses
• 6 Tablespoon of Shortening
• 1/2 Cup Water

Preheat oven to 325. Mix dry ingredients and cut in the shortening. Add egg, molasses and water. Knead lightly on a floured surface. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch and cut into fun shapes using cookie cutters. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Veggie Doggie Bagels

A healthy vegetarian treat for your dog. A great diet food.

• 1 Teaspoon of Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of Wheat Flour
• 2½ cups of White Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Baking soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Baking powder
• 1/2 cup of Chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup of Chopped carrots
• 1 Egg
• 3/4 Cup of Water

Preheat to 350 degrees. Combine wet and dry ingredients separately. Then mix together. Knead by hand. Form into ball shaped pieces. Depending on your dog’s size, golf or tennis ball. Flatten and poke a hole in the center and shape into a bagel. Bake for 45-50 minutes. You can garnish cooled bagels with poppyseeds or sesame seeds by spraying lightly with water and then sprinkling with seeds.

Let us know about some of your favorite treats that you like to share with your dog.

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1. Dried Out Bread

Save slices in a freezer container or bread bag until you need to make bread crumbs. Grind up in your blender or food processor. When using as a topping, toss in melted margarine, and season. Also, here is a recipe for a yummy bread pudding:

Pioneer Bread Pudding

• 2-cups of leftover bread cubes
• 2-cups of milk
• 3-tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 2 Eggs
• A dash of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Use day old bread , crusts and all, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes. Place these in a 1 quart buttered baking dish. Scald the milk,butter and sugar. Beat the eggs slightly; Add the salt then stir in the warm milk and add vanilla. Pour over the bread cubes.

Set the baking dish in another pan containing warm water up to level of the pudding.  Bake at 350 degrees For one hour or until a small knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the pudding. Makes 4-6 servings.

2. Toilet Paper Tubes

Use to gather up that unsightly, excess electrical cord on your kitchen appliances, lamps, entertainment center, etc.

3. Crayon Bits

Place a variety of crayon colors in a muffin tin and melt them down in the oven. This makes a scribble cookie. Each one has its own unique color and pattern. Use for an inexpensive stocking stuffer.

4. Dryer Lint

According to a lot of gardening experts i’ve spoken with, you can compost dryer lint. There is one catch, the lint must be from cotton material. Although, synthetic lint can be composted for flower garden use.

5. Milk Jug Rings

Use these to keep socks together when laundering. Store in a drawer with rings. When taking socks out, keep ring on bureau. Replace ring around soiled socks before them tossing in a hamper.

6. Carrot Peels, Onion Skins, and Celery Leaves.

Frugal cooks can use these when cooking up turkey and chicken bones for soup stock.

7. Tuna Fish Can

Use to make cookie cutters. Cut off bottom of can and shape with two pliers, preferably needle nose. When making a symmetrical design begin working at opposite points of the can.

8. Leftover Rice

Make a rice crust for a quiche by combining 1½ cups of cooked rice, 1 ounce of shredded cheese, and an egg. Pat out in a pie plate. For a larger quiche dish, increase the rice and cheese portions slightly. Do not Pam or grease the dish. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes.

Thank you to Amy Dacyczyn from her book titled “The Tightwad Gazette” for these helpful frugal ideas.

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All prices and reviews are subject to change.

Obviously the Alberton’s Baby Basics brand is the best value, but if you’re into buying bulk, you’ll want to go with the CVS Supreme 210 count from cvs.com. It may only seem like a 1 penny difference, but multiply 210 diapers by 0.1¢ and you end up spending $21 more. Keep in mind these are all prices that were found online and are for size 3 diapers, you may find different prices at your local grocery stores, but this is a good starting point.

Comment below so we can hear some of your reviews or experiences you’ve had with your favorite brand of diaper.

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Information that I have found is that Members Mark is a little bit harder to mix up. Kirkland and Members Mark are basically the same ingredients as Similac or Infamil. They both are government approved.

Cost wise Costco formula is about .35 cents an ounce and Sam’s Club was about .45 cents an ounce. On the Costco website it has great reviews so I think I will try the Costco Brand.

For a free sample of  Members mark Formula:   www.membersmarkformula.com/free_sample.aspx

I also came across a free sample from Wal Mart’s parents choice formula:  www.parentschoiceformula.com/sample-milk-baby-formula.aspx

Does  anyone have any opinions on using any of these formulas?