Avon Bubble Bath is always on hand in our house and ready for cleaning, freshening or having a bath!
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If you plan to use Avon Bubble Bath for cleaning, be sure to pick a scent that is clear and not opaque. The ones that you cannot see through have moisturizers in them, that may cause streaks when cleaning.
This seems to be a yearly ritual in my house. After a full year (or two) of collecting "stuff", and donating much of what we don't need or use anymore, I often get the itch to have a yard sale. The past two summers i have hosted a sale at my house and a few friends also joined in and set up a table.
Last month our sale was extremely busy, and I was pretty much giving stuff away. Trying to clear out space to redo some of our rooms makes me just want to get rid of it all. I am thinking of doing another one in August as well. We have redone both boys rooms and there are boxes of items ready to sell!
Over the years, I have learned from having a yearly sale and will share some of my preparation and set up tips with you.
Here are some Tips for a successful yard sale!
When I go to my pantry and find half empty boxes, where I thought there were full boxes, it makes me so frustrated. When you have children who are independent, they will often leave a mess of empty or unsealed bags in their wake.
By creating a location in a pantry for single serving snacks, it helps to eliminate the frustration of the empty boxes. Create a cupboard or basket in your fridge that is the "Snack Station". Tell household members, including adults, that this is where you find your snacks. Only take from these location unless you ask for something else.
The Snack Station will also help with packing lunches, either making it easier for you to grab or for your children to pack up their lunches.
Depending on your children's ages, you may require them to ask before going into the cupboard, or simply allow them a certain number of snacks after school or after supper, on the weekends, etc...
You can go as far as having bins labeled with "Healthy" and "Junk" options.
Consider creating a rule similar to:" you can have 2 healthy snacks and before you pick a junk snack".
With cookies, chips and crackers, I purchase in bulk sizes and portion them out in plastic baggies or containers. Then when they grab a snack, I know they are eating a serving and not the whole package.
Prep healthy snack ahead as well. If they need to be peeled (orange or clementine) or cut up (Carrots, cauliflower, etc) then have them ready to grab an go. It may surprise you how often a child, or even an adult, will select a healthy snack option if it is ready to eat.
Remove outside packaging and break apart so individual servings are easy to select quickly.
I find that by taking the time to portion out our snacks, we are more aware of what we are eating and there are no partially empty boxes in my cupboards.
Once portioned in bags or containers, use a basket our larger container to hold each type of snack. Label the bins with healthy or junk.
With a younger child, labeling with numbers works best, (1,2&3). Then put the junkier snacks in bin 3.
Do you have a cupboard of half empty boxes? Please share your ideas and tips for organizing your snacks.
One of my least favourite chores is cleaning the shower. It often get's overlooked until it is bad enough to need a good scrub. I have tried the daily sprays and just cannot seem to get everyone in the house to use it, plus we end up inhaling the chemicals as we spray, and there are just too many chemicals around us these days. Many commercial cleaners are harsh or over scented. This recipe is my solution to help cut down on the chemicals floating in the air, and it is super simple and frugal!
In the past I have tried all kinds of soap scum removers, homemade solutions and store bought cleaners. This is my version of a cleaner that you often see using Dawn Dish Soap. I substituted Avon Bubble Bath in this version(I use it for so many other things too). It not only works fabulous, it smells amazing! If you are looking for a rep, you can purchase AVON Bubble Bath from me! Visit my Facebook Page for current brochures and to place an order.
Here's how to make and apply the cleaner.
Ingredients:
Some recipes call for this to be mixed in a bottle or bucket, I am too lazy for that!
Sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the bottom of your tub or shower. Next add a squirt (about 3-4 cap fulls) of bubble bath.
Next comes the fun part. Add enough vinegar to wet baking soda and make a foamy coating on the bottom of your shower.
Using a sponge, spread the paste-like, foamy mixture up the walls in a circular motion. You simply need to coat it all, no heavy scrubbing. If you don't have enough, add more and mix.
I letit sit for an hour then using a wet cloth (old towel cut up) wipe down the walls. If you have a movable shower head, you can rinse it off by spraying down the shower.
You can use this cleaner and method as needed. This is a deep clean method.
*Avon Bubble Bath Tip: Always select a scent that is clear, not opaque. The opaque varieties contain oils that will leave smears. The clear ones leave a streak free finish!
Meal Planning Board and Preparation
Having a menu plan set up for your family will help you save time and money. In this article, I will give you tips on how I plan my menu and keep my grocery budget at a minimum.
Create a Menu Board: this can be done using things you already have around your house. I used an empty cereal box, unfolding it and cutting off the edges to make one flat sheet. Decorate your sheet as desired, with the days of the week listed down the left side. Use cardboard pieces to make your meal labels (ex. Monday: Sheppard's Pie)...this makes your meals easy to switch week by week. Write the name of your meal on these labels (pot roast, casserole, shake n' bake chicken, etc.) Pinterest has a lot of examples and ideas for menu plans also.
Shopping for your Meal Plan: in Moncton, our weekly flyers become available between Wednesday and Friday. Scan these flyers for sales of items needed for your meals. Base that weeks meals on the sales to make your dollar stretch farther. If possible, match those sales with a coupon to lower the price even more. Keep an eye out for sales on items that we don't normally get coupons for, like fresh meats and produce, for example. Be sure to scan the “reduced for quick sale” shelves in the produce and bakery departments, as many times items are placed there due to close expiry or only a few of the product is bad (example: tomato package or grapes, only a few going bad or soft, but the rest are fine!) Remember, if it is a really good deal, $2/lb ground beef, grab a few, as it can be frozen for future use.
Planning your meals: Plan your meals so you have something different everyday of the week, you don't want to get bored or tired of the same thing. Make sure your weekly menu is realistic. We all know that its just not feasible to have roast beef, whole chicken, or turkey everyday of the week. Also keep your schedule in mind when planning your meals. If you have hockey on Wednesday, don't plan to have a turkey dinner on Wednesday. Remember: it is okay to have chicken nuggets and fries every once in a while!
Preparing your Meals: this is where all the real work begins. Dedicate a day of the week where you are available to prepare all your weekly meals. Cut, chop, and dice all your vegetables (if there are leftovers, they can be frozen for future use) Prepare all your meals as if you are making them for that evening, or in a way that they can be thrown together quickly. Fry your ground beef, add your sauces to your chicken, make your spaghetti sauce, etc., and freeze in freezer bags, or containers. Remember to label your freezer bags/containers with the date it was prepared, and the contents.
Cook larger meals and eat leftovers: when preparing a large, hearty meal, like whole chicken, make 2 at a time. This will ensure you have enough, and will give you another meal for that week. Hot chicken sandwiches, chicken sandwiches for lunches, chicken stew or soup, the possibilities are endless!
Crock Pot meals: many crock pot recipes can be prepared in advance and placed in Ziploc bags for your freezer. Put all the ingredients into a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Lay flat on cookie sheets to freeze. Once they are frozen, the will stand up in your freezer.
Pancakes, waffles and french toast: this is one of my favorite tips. When making pancakes, waffles or french toast for your breakfast, make the whole package. For pancakes or waffles, make the whole box, lay pancakes/waffles on a cookie sheet to freeze, then store in serving size freezer bags in your freezer. For french toast, use the whole loaf of bread and lay flat to freeze, transfer into freezer bags and store in the freezer.
Check out Ruth Ann's easy Menu Planning strategy, here. Download a printable version here.
Hi all being creative again this time making dish washer tabs. This was not hard or long process. The drying took longer than the actual making. I mixed and pressed down the tabs in under 10 minutes.....my kind of creativity. Again went out and bought these ingredients just to make this to get a true cost(except for epson salts i had a huge container)
☆ UPDATE: Leave out the Epson salts it leaves a film on dishes. Use kosher salt if you have hard water. Otherwise you don't need salt at all. I'm experimenting with powder this week.
What you need:
1 cup borax powder
1 cup washing soda(not baking soda)
1/4 cup 
Mix together dry ingredients. Mix well since this will be separated into cubes. Then add the lemon juice this will fizz up. Put into your ice cube trays and evenly distribute over two trays. Press down and voila let sit and dry for 24 hours.
Here is the cost break down for me. I lucked out and Borax was on sale.
4.99 for borax 2kg which is 8.45 cups equals .59 per cup(regular price is .83/cup)
5.79 for washing soda 3kg which is 12.68 cups equals .46 per cup
1.99 for lemon juice 945 ml which is 3.99 cups which equals .12 for 1/4 cups
19.99 for 5 kg of Epson salt which is 23.25 cups equals .22 per 1/4 cup(bought last year)
Now add that all up is 1.39 for 32 cubes equalling .04 per cube. Regular price would've been .05 per tab. This is before taxes. I have never bought dishwasher tabs for under .10 per tab before taxes ever....that is using coupons on a clearance item. 
While experimenting with Laundry soap, cost, ingredients, etc. I came to realize that although the Powdered version is very fast to mix up, and more compact to store, THIS recipe is much more Frugal.
The previous post for Powdered Laundry Detergent was much faster, but this one is worth the time, AND SAVES YOU EVEN MORE $$
1. Grate the bar of soap (or use food processor). Place in pot with 2 ltr boiling water. Stir until soap dissolves, reduce heat with bubbles get foamy. It should not bubble much more than the picture below.
2. ADD Washing Soda, Borax and stir to dissolve.
3. Mix well and pour into container large bucket and add 6 ltrs warm water, stirring to mix.
4. Pour into jugs to store. Let cool then put lids on.
**Shake well before each use.
Use 1/2 cup per load. This recipe will yield approx. 64 loads of laundry.
Works out to just $0.013 per load! JUST OVER A PENNY A LOAD!!!
