Bees in My Bonnet

Just over a year ago I did a post called  Biggest Frugal Tip Ever  and so far it has been my most popular one yet.  Which got me to thinking...what would be my 2nd Biggest Frugal Tip? Being frugal usually means I'm looking to spend less, save more, re-create and re-purpose things... I'm trying to stretch the dollar and other resources and make do with less - that sort of thing.  And I thought of certain recipes I do and how I go meatless often and extend ground beef with this and that and use cloth diapers and such.  And how I budget for groceries and make it work somehow and stick to it and sometimes have enough to splurge on things like juice on occasion. And suddenly it dawned on me.  My SECOND biggest frugal tip ever.  We learned that the first biggest frugal tip is really summed up in one word: contentment.  With a foundation of contentment and rejoicing in the providence of God for all that I need I am then able to go on to implement th...

I was looking at a Frugal Mommies blog (can't recall which one) recently and looked through my blog and realized that other than posting recipes from scratch I have put very little here about my frugality obsession. Now I say 'obsession' but that means different things to different people. For instance, my sister is extremely gifted in deal hunting, gathering, selling and profit-making off of superior garage-sale finds and the like. I can't sell anything to anyone ever. I tried a garage sale once and it was a total flop, other than that it kept the kids busy all day. But it was torturous for me. However, I do have many things I do to be frugal, and perhaps I will write more on the matter at some point. I just want to get out my BIGGEST Frugal Tip EVER, because it is really not what you are expecting. I know - you are looking for how to save money, how to DIY, how to economize, scrounge, scrimp and the like (hey, this week I made a dish scrubby out of the plastic ...

The sub-title of this blog includes total randomness, so chalk this one up under that category... I read recently of someone who had quit shampoo. Always on the lookout for how to simplify life and in efforts at being really REALLY frugal, I thought I'd give it a try. (I know, from the sublime to the mundane, this is a multiple-personality blog)... I modified the recipe, since what I first tried made my hair feel almost too squeaky clean. I have gone 3 weeks now with my new homemade shampoo and my hair is less greasy and more manageable than with all the other stuff I'd use. I also like to try to minimize the use of synthetic chemicals on the body, though I don't get too fanatical about that. I make my own creams too sometimes (but I don't usually tell people, lest they think I'm really weird. Oh, too late, anyone who knows me would conclude this!) Here's my recipe: 4 cups water 4 T. Baking soda 4 drops tea tree oil _______________ Optional add in: 1t. ba...