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Frugal Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts

by Frugal Simplicity

Frugal Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts

Mother’s Day is right around the corner but for many people money might be tight again this year. You can use some of these frugal homemade Mother’s Day gift ideas. You know Mom will appreciate both the time and love that is wrapped up in her gift.

There aren’t many moms who don’t enjoy pictures of their children. Why not find a clear box and put photos inside to make a photo cube? Mom will love the pictures and having them inside a clear box will protect them. When she wants a different picture, she can flip the cube to see a different smiling face.

Depending on how old the children in your family are, consider making a Mother’s Day coupon book. This could be especially helpful if there are teens in the family. They could include coupons for taking younger siblings to play dates or practices. They could also provide babysitting services so Mom and Dad can go out. Younger children can include coupons for doing dishes, cleaning up their room, or taking out the trash. The options are endless.

Beaded safety pins can make fun jewelry for Mom to wear on Mother’s Day and other days during the year. These pins are made using special safety pins and beads in various colors. You can find patterns for beaded safety pin jewelry online or in craft magazines or books.

Bath salts are something many moms enjoy because they make the skin feel smooth and soft. Buy a box of Epsom salt, add nonstaining food coloring and essential oils to create bath salts with your mom’s favorite scents. You can also add a drop or two of your mom’s favorite cologne or perfume. Of course, you’ll also want to make sure Mom has the time she needs to take a relaxing bath and enjoy using the bath salts you make.

Think about what Mom enjoys. If she loves plants or flowers, buy a terracotta pot and paint it. You can place a plant in the pot or use it as a container for candy which has been wrapped in color cellophane and green chenille stems.

There are many websites where you can find free or very inexpensive music. Create a compact disk of Mom’s favorite music. Think about what music was popular when she was younger and she’ll love having them available in one place.

Using craft sticks or twigs from your yard, you can make a vase or pencil holder for her desk. Start out with a clean, empty can and glue the craft sticks or twigs onto it. Tie a raffia or fabric ribbon on the can to both keep the sticks on the can and add a decorative touch.

Create a homemade message board. Find an old picture with a frame. Take the picture out, cover it with fabric and stretch ribbon from one side to the other to create diamonds. Staple the ribbon around the edges and place it back into the frame. When it is hung up, Mom can place notes or pictures on it so she can keep track of things that are important.

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Save Money With Homemade Cleaning Products

by Frugal Simplicity

Save Money With Homemade Cleaning Products

With the prices of commercial cleaners, having a clean home and car can be costly. Also, many of the ready-made cleaners you buy in the store can damage the environment. Here are some cleaning products you can make yourself at home, which are better for the environment and your budget.

Drain Unclogger and Freshener - The next time your drain is plugged, choose a safer and more cost-effective way to unclog it. Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain. Add 1 cup of hot vinegar. Wait 5 minutes. Flush the drain with 2 quarts of hot water. Repeat if needed.

Homemade Glass Cleaner - To clean glass, combine 2 cups water, ½ cup white vinegar, and ¼ cup rubbing alcohol. Store the mixture in a clean spray bottle. To use, spray the solution on a rag or paper towel then wipe glass.

Homemade Furniture Polish - Make your furniture shine by mixing 1 cup of olive oil with ½ cup of lemon juice in a clean spray bottle. Shake the solution well before each use. To use, apply a small amount to your cleaning cloth or rag. Spread the polish over the furniture evenly. Dry the surface with a clean cloth.

Homemade Multi-Purpose Cleaner - You can easily keep bathroom and kitchen surfaces clean with this solution. Mix 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a clean spray bottle to create your own multi-purpose cleaner.

Homemade Floor Cleaners - Commercial cleaners are handy, but these are very simple to make and much more affordable. To make a cleaner for your wood floor, mix ½ cup of white vinegar with ½ cup of vegetable oil. This will make your floors shine as beautifully as any commercial cleaner. To clean your linoleum or tile floors, mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, ¼ cup of baking soda, 2 gallons of water and ¼ cup white vinegar.

Homemade Car Cleaning Products - You can save money by cleaning your car yourself using these environmentally friendly recipes. To wash the exterior of the car, all you need is a bucket of water and some liquid castile soap. Add a few drops of soap to the water and wash.

For an environmentally safe chrome cleaner, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water. Spray the solution on your wheels and rub with a sponge or cleaning rag. You can make a carpet and upholstery stain remover with white vinegar and baking soda. Make a paste with the vinegar and soda. Work the paste into any stains with a small scrub brush. Let the paste dry then vacuum. Any stains should be gone.

Now you can keep the environment clean while cleaning your home and car. Using the above recipes will also keep your cleaning costs down.

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Save Money on Candle Making Supplies

by Frugal Simplicity

Save Money on Candle Making Supplies

Candle making can be a great past time, hobby, or business venture. While the supplies for candling making are remarkably inexpensive, the cost does start to add up over time. There are many ways you can cut back the cost of the candle making supplies, but I caution you not to sacrifice the quality of the products you purchase just to save a few dollars. This is especially important for those who sell their candles. If the quality of the product goes down because you are buying wax and other supplies that are of less quality, you will end up costing your business money over the long haul.

Keep a list of the candle making supplies you use. Include the brand, the price, and the amount of the item you get for that price. This will help you compare the prices with sales you run across and know if you are getting a better deal or not. Many craft stores run sales on candle making items before and right after the holidays. This can be a great time to stock up.

Checking online auction sites including Ebay and Yahoo Auctions can often be an excellent way to find the same candle making products you use at a discounted price. It could be that the seller of the items doesn’t have the time to make candles anymore or they simply have moved on to other things.

If you use a large volume of candle making supplies on a regular basis, consider buying them wholesale. You will pay more up front for your supplies, yet overall you will save a considerable amount of money. You can search such wholesalers on the internet and compare prices. Many online wholesalers offer free shipping as well so that is another area where you can save money if you normally purchase your candle making supplies online. If you know other people who make candles as well consider buying in bulk and sharing the cost as well as the supplies. This is an easy way for everyone to get a discount as well as reduce the cost at the time of purchase.

Some of the discount candle making products on the market are very comparable to the quality products you already use. A good way to tell is to compare the ingredients. You can research the necessary ingredients of each item on the internet. If the discount products contain all the major ingredients as the candle making supplies you already use, then give it a try. It is recommended that you only purchase one or two items at first to test the quality. Keep track of where you purchased the discounted items so you can return to that retailer or online store if you are happy with the quality of the products.

Containers and holders for your candles are one area you should never spend a great deal of money on. I won’t recommend buying them for regular price unless they are for a wedding or other very special occasion. You can buy mason jars, extra glassware, votive holders, and many other containers to use candle making at thrift stores and garage sales for a very reasonable price. You might also check the online auctions to purchase large quantities of candle making container and holders at a very good price.

The supplies used in candle making can cost you a great deal of money over time. To save money on the quality supplies you use, take the time to compare prices both online and at local retailers. Take advantage of discounts and sales throughout the year at craft stores. Be cautious when looking at discount candle making supplies. You want to make sure they offer the same quality that you are already using. Finding supplies at online auctions and buying them in bulk are also great ways to save you money on candle making supplies.

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Tips for Making Homemade Chocolate

by Frugal Simplicity

Tips for Making Homemade Chocolate

Chocolate is used in a lot of desserts. These include ice cream, soufflés, custards and a host of other dishes. Almost everyone loves it because studies have shown that it is an aphrodisiac. If you are too lazy to go to the store to buy one, why don’t you make it yourself by following these tips.

First, you have to get ready all the materials and ingredients you will be using. The two most important happen to be the chocolate and the mold both which can be purchased at the craft store.

Chocolate comes in many flavors. Some examples of these are bitter sweet, milk, dark, semi-sweet, sweet and white. These are often sold in blocks if you don’t have the time to convert these from cocoa beans. As for your molds, make sure that these are made from FDA approved food grade plastic.

You will also need sugar as this is a basic ingredient in most chocolates recipes. When you buy this from grocery, make sure that this does not have any trace of flour, salt or other kitchen ingredients.

Another important ingredient is unsalted butter. This is because the kind that contains salt is hard to ascertain and there are instances where it could spoil the taste of your dish. You must never substitute butter with margarine if you don’t have any because this will just make the cooking time longer as the water content here is much higher than that of butter.

There are three ways to liquefy chocolate before shaping this to its final form. You can heat this using the microwave, a double boiler or the oven. When making these into candies, it will be a good idea to also use a thermometer so you are able to monitor its temperature.

If you are using a thermometer that has a bulb, make sure that it does not touch the sides of the pan because this could give you the wrong reading.

When the chocolate is ready, this is the time that you put these into the mold. So it doesn’t look messy, get some using a teaspoon and pour this into the cartridges. This is also the time you should add in other ingredients like peanuts, marshmallows or candy sprinkles.

If there are air bubbles, remove them by holding the mold a few centimeters from the ground and dropping it on the table. You may have to do this several times to make sure that there is nothing left then you put these in the freezer.

You should check on your chocolate molds after 5 to 10 minutes. The bigger the mold, the longer it takes but you can check if it is ready by looking at the back of the mold. If a graying figure appears on the bottom, this means it is ready to be removed from the mold.

Once they are removed, put this in a plate or in a box if this is going to be given away. As for your molds, wash them in hot water and never with soap because this will remove its stickiness.

It should be dried thoroughly using a dry piece of cloth and stored properly so it looks good as new when you need to use it again.

You won’t have any problems making home made chocolates as long as you follow these tips. Who knows, this could open new doors for you like starting your own business.

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It’s not Delivery, It’s Homemade Pizza

by Frugal Simplicity

How many times have we opted for fast food for lunch or dinner instead of cooking? There’s no telling how much money we’ve spent on that one meal that easily becomes a few (or more) meals a week. Instead of picking up that telephone and calling for delivery pizza, get the family together and make one at home.

Making homemade pizza can become a great new family tradition. Choose a day of the week when everyone can get together and enjoy the experience. You can even pretend that you are in a real Italian eatery and go all out by decorating the dining room table to resemble a pizzeria.

The best thing about homemade pizza is picking the toppings. Since it is your personal pizza, you can have as many different toppings as your heart desires. It’s a chance to raid the cabinets and the fridge to find good stuff to top your creation.

How will you prepare the crust? Now, this step can be easy or an adventure. If you wimp out and go easy, you can use an already prepared crust from the store like Pillsbury pizza crust in the pop open can or a Boboli pizza crust.

It you want to treat the family to a high time of flour and dough, choose to make your own crusts. With your own, the size of the pizza can be customized for each person in the family. Making your own dough crusts will also make use of those handy pantry staples. You can find a classic pizza dough recipe on the Internet and in just about any cookbook, so find one that you like and go to it.

When the dough is ready, shape it into a circle of appropriate size. Create a rim on the dough so that the sauce won’t bubble over onto the oven rack. Now comes the fun part. The dough is ready to be dressed to the hilt.

For the sauce, we’ll let you slide and use the store bought kind if you wish. Spread the sauce over the dough and be sure to cover it to the rim. Next, top the pizza sauce with your favorite cheeses. It’s more economical to purchase a block of cheese and use a grater to slice it for pizza toppings. Those already shredded bags have only two or three cups in each which is not going to go the distance for an entire family. Besides, fresh cheese melts better.

Want to have even more fun with your family pizza creations? See who can make the wackiest pizza. Throw a little leftover chicken or hamburger on top. How about jalapenos? They are good for those who like it hot. Don’t forget the spices. It wouldn’t be a pizza without oregano, basil, and some thyme.

If you have at least two baking stones or pizza trays, you can make more than one at a time. Everyone can help to clean up while you wait for dinner to be ready. When the timer goes off, Bon ApetÍt!

If there are leftovers of your pizza, enjoy them tomorrow morning for breakfast!

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homemade

Frugal Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts

Save Money With Homemade Cleaning Products

Save Money on Candle Making Supplies

Tips for Making Homemade Chocolate

It’s not Delivery, It’s Homemade Pizza

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homemade

Frugal Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts

Save Money With Homemade Cleaning Products

Save Money on Candle Making Supplies

Tips for Making Homemade Chocolate

It’s not Delivery, It’s Homemade Pizza

Frugal Living

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Subscribe to Frugal Simplicity Updates

Mega Couponing

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