It's Not Just Gas Prices

J sent this lovely piece of news to me almost a month ago and I've been meaning to pass it on.  If you're wondering why produce prices are climbing, here's your answer:  Food prices to rise...

Hint, hint

SimpleMom had a great post today about frugal Valentine's day gift ideas.  Just thought I'd throw that out there in case any one needs some suggestions.  I like #1, 3 and 5 myself, but that's just me, thinking out loud...nothing specific or anything.

Kids Eat Free

My brother-in-law sent me these links to sites that help you find good restaurant deals with kids in tow. Thought others might find them helpful and putting them here keeps me from losing them. Enjoy!

http://www.mykidseatfree.com/welcome.asp

http://www.frugalliving.tv/free-stuff/kids-eat-free.html

Confessions

Since I have blogged about my attempts at natural beauty and cleaning solutions, I feel the need to confess when I use a commercial alternative. Because I know you're all out there hinging on my every thought on the subject. So this blog post is brought to you by my fear of hypocrisy.

Baking soda shampoo - 90% usage rate. It has really helped that I repurposed a big conditioner bottle to use for my homemade shampoo. Because it holds so much, I feel like I can use a lot each time and not have to worry about refilling the bottle every time I bathe. Using more of the solution helps with the itchy scalp. And I don't really mind dousing my head with cold water during the summer.

Homemade laundry detergent - 100% usage rate. Seems to work pretty well.

Homemade dishwasher detergent - 0% usage rate. I think I screwed up the last batch by trying to mix it in the box. I think my ingredients got layered instead of throughly mixed. As a result, I was washing several loads with borax, then several loads with baking soda. My dishes were getting chalky. I got tired of re-rinsing, so I just went back to Cascade. When I get close to running out of that, I may try the homemade again. But this time, I'll mix it in a bowl first, then funnel it into the box.

Lanolin chapstick - 100% usage rate. Love it!

Homemade deodorant - pfththtbth! Let's not even go there in this heat.

Oil-cleansing method for my face - 100% usage rate. Can't say enough wonderful things about this!! Of all the natural things I have tried in the last year, this one sounded the strangest, but has definitely been the most beneficial and worthwhile. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out.

Double-edge safety razor - 30% usage rate. I probably feel the most guilty about this one. Every time I use my expensive, plastic cartridge refill, I feel my own words burning in my ears. I confess I was over-zealous on this one. I do love the frugality of the razor refills for the safety razor, but I can go a lot faster with the modern one. Since I rarely have time to gingerly coax the razor across my skin, I find myself bypassing the safety razor for the more expensive alternative. On days when I do have the luxury of more than ten minutes to shower and shave, I choose the safety razor to help save on the expensive refills.

Coconut oil for my hair - 100% usage rate. Seems to work well as a leave-in conditioner for the ends of my hair

Pure cocoa butter for lotion - 0% usage rate. I don't think I even blogged about this one because it was such a flop. I've read great things about the moisturizing properties of cocoa butter and how pure cocoa butter is even better. So I found some and forked over the dough for it, but it's practically impossible to use. It's so solid in it's container, that I have to scrape it out with a knife. Then, I would need to warm it in the microwave in a glass bowl to make it spreadable. Of course, you have to wait for it to cool because who wants to rub hot oil on their skin?! But don't get distracted and forget about it, or you'll have to start all over. Not worth it.

Ah, confession is good for the soul. I know I feel better now.

Free Books!

I'm all about the free, especially when books are involved. So yesterday, we went around town collecting reading logs for our summer reading. Of course, our local library has a summer reading program. For A's age, the expectations are pretty low--just color in a train car on the log for every day that you read. There's a prize if you turn in a completely colored train by August 31. The prize was not disclosed, but it's still motivating for a preschooler.

Half Price Books has got the best deal going by far. To receive their reading reward, you read at least 15 minutes a day for 5 days and return your completed log each week until July 31. You can get a $3 Half Price shopping card for each log you turn in. (You have to turn the logs in on a weekly basis.) And, they let me take a log for C, too! So, 2 kids x 8 weeks x $3... I think that comes to $48 in free books from Half Price!! Awesome!

Barnes & Noble also has a reading program. The reading log says it is for grades 1-6, but I asked at the information desk if my preschooler could participate and they said, "Sure!" You have to read 8 books by September 7 to choose a free book from their designated list. The books are geared toward elementary-age readers, but we're reading easy chapter books to A, so she should be able to find one that looks interesting.

Happy (free) summer reading!

Not so crazy

I finally found a natural recipe that I'm not so crazy about. It took me awhile to try because it's quite a leap...natural deodorant. I tried this recipe because I had all the ingredients on hand. Even saved my empty deodorant bottle (is it a bottle? can? jar? holder? what do you call that thing?). I knew I would have to refrigerate it because the coconut oil melts at 76 degrees and we keep our thermostat on 78. But I thought that maybe it would be refreshing to apply chilled deodorant.

Well, the first strike against it was the remembering to put it on. Once I'm out of the bedroom, I hit the ground running, meeting demands thrown at me by whoever is loudest. So I often forgot to use it until my pits reminded me that they were bare.

Then strike two and three came at the same time. I had put it on one day when I knew I'd just be around the house, trying to give it a good trial run before taking it public. I went in the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror to re-do my pony tail. With arms above my head, I saw the verdict under both arms....huge oily circles on my gray t-shirt. It wasn't wet, I assure you. I think it must have been the coconut oil working itself into the cotton of my shirt. Of course, I looked like a sweaty construction worker with huge rings under my arms. I hadn't noticed before because I was wearing darker colors that camouflaged the circles. That shirt still needs to be laundered, but I haven't noticed any stains on other shirts. Nevertheless, homemade deodorant is dead to me. I've got to draw the line somewhere and I prefer to keep my dignity and modesty in tact, tucked out of sight under my arms, thank you very much.

More Natural Stuff

So, I've gone natural with shampoo, conditioner, and face cleanser. I also wanted to try some natural household cleaners, so I started with homemade dish detergent and laundry detergent. I used this recipe for dish detergent and so far, it's working great. One time I noticed some residue left on the dishes after the dishwasher had run, but I can't say for certain if it was a result of the detergent or the person who did the rinsing (hint: it wasn't me). I'm very much a rinse-it-almost-clean kind of girl. I have yet to find the right combination of dishwasher and detergent that will actually clean dirty dishes without having to rinse them first. If someone out there knows this magical combination, please share it with me for the love of all that is dishpan hands!! As a general (and rather concise, wouldn't you say?) review, I rate this recipe as effective as commercial detergent and certainly cheaper, more simple and environmentally friendly to boot.

Equally cheap and green, this site has some great recipes for homemade laundry detergent. I chose the powdered one, mainly because I don't have any two- or five-gallon buckets that I want to leave lying about in my laundry room full of tempting goo for a toddler and preschooler to happen upon. I did sub Ivory soap for the Fels Naptha because I couldn't find the latter. I haven't noticed any problems with it dissolving in the washer, but next time I will use the fine side of my grater to grate the Ivory, just for my peace of mind. It seems to get the clothes just as clean as the liquid All that I was using. I'm still using Shout as a spray pre-treatment, especially on all of C's stains. I'm not sure if it's the Shout or the detergent that gets it all clean. But I know I'm saving a load of dough on laundry detergent!

Cheer it with me....Yyyyyeeaaa, GO NATURAL!

Hair Update

So I know you're all dying to know how the 'poo-free routine is going. I know this because it is the most frequent question I get from my loyal blog readers...all seven of you. But you keep asking and I keep waiting to answer because I'm hoping to arrive at my final answer. But I don't think I'm going to have one, so here is what I've learned.

I am still using the baking soda/water shampoo. I started in February with one tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water. I was also doing an apple cider vinegar (acv) rinse every time I shampooed that consisted of one tablespoon of acv per cup of water. I quickly realized that this combo turned my hair to straw. Fluffy and soft, yet very much straw. Naturally curly hair does not look good when fluffy.

So I did some research and decided to try a tablespoon of honey in a cup of water for my conditioner instead of acv. Bad idea! It did help with the straw hair, but I had really gross filmy build-up on my scalp. Then I discovered that honey water left in the bottle will grow huge black balls of mold. Even nastier! So that combo went down the drain.

Keep in mind through all of this that each new attempt takes several trials to determine the change it will render. It takes even longer when you accept the reality that mothers of littles don't get a shower every day. I knew going in to this that it was a trial and error process, and a very individual process. I am dedicated to finding the right mix because I like the positive side effects I've seen (more on that later).

The next thing I tried was half a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup and a half of water. That didn't seem to do the trick because my scalp got oily very quick. Now I'm doing half a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water. I've also cut back on the acv rinse, keeping the ratio the same, but only using it once every 3-4 washes, and only applying it to the ends of my hair, not my scalp.

My saving grace has been the natural replacement I found for leave-in conditioner. After I towel-dry my hair, I smooth a finger-full of coconut oil onto the ends. Lots of testimonies I read encourage the organic, pure-pressed coconut oil; but you know me...ever the cheapskate. I paid about $5 for a vat of Louanna coconut oil at HEB. So far, so good. It works wonders on frizzies! And seriously, the tiniest amount is sufficient. Too much produces stringy hair, or so I've been told. It comes solid, but if you scrape a little out of the container and rub it between your fingers, it melts on contact and then you smooth it into your hair. No, it doesn't smell like Hawaiian Tropic; I can't detect any fragrance.

Another factor in the equation is the change in seasons. Now that winter is over and I'm finding cool showers more refreshing than hot showers, I think my formula needs to be a little different. It only makes sense that as my skin and hair get more oily with the heat and humidity, that I would need to take care of them differently. This had never occurred to me before. Why would the same products work year-round when my skin and hair change with the seasons? I like the natural alternatives because they are easy to adapt and if one recipe isn't working for me, it's so cheap that I can pour it out and start over.

I'm going to give a little more information in the name of thorough reporting, so I hope I don't cross a line. I was hoping that going 'poo-free would eliminate my itchy scalp problem. I have had problems with my head being itchy for as long as I can remember. I've tried special shampoos, but never experienced much change. I chalked it up to having sensitive skin. Each new ratio of baking soda/water that I try, I hope will help more; but that has not been the case. Granted, it isn't any worse. I think I am more tuned in to it now than I have been in the past because I am trying to pay attention to degrees of difference with each change in formulation. I'm having a hard time believing that my head is still itchy because the rest of my body is not. That has been the greatest surprise side effect. I think commercial shampoos were stripping the moisture from all the skin downstream of my head. I've noticed that my arms and legs are not nearly as dry as they used to be and don't require as much lotion. So why doesn't that translate to my scalp?!

This is why I have waited so long to give an update. Because I still don't have a solid answer. I still feel good about the cost savings and the simplicity of baking soda and acv. And I really like that I'm in control of what goes on my scalp and how it is helping with the rest of my skin. My hair also feels really healthy. I like the softness when combined with the manageability of the coconut oil. And it seems to behave very well, too. My conclusion thus far is that the natural solutions work as good or better than the commercial solutions. So I'll keep tinkering and trying to find the right mix.

If you're committed to making the switch, you might want to check out a few of these links for more troubleshooting info:

Babyslime (what a blog name, huh?!) - incredible details and helps!

Keeper of the Home - notice she uses a different ratio of ingredients

Sorta Crunchy - she uses a paste of ingredients instead of liquid

You can also get great ideas by reading the comments on these blogs. Be warned, though, that you could easily get sucked into the loathsome Bermuda Triangle of Time.

Let me know what you are trying. What's working? What's not? I know you're trying it, don't be embarrassed. Speak up and maybe we can figure it out together.

Shave more off the budget

I have yet another frugal revelation that I think should turn into a revolution! I think it's obscene how much those razor cartridge refills cost and how quickly we go through them. Even if I suffer the effects of trying to stretch their usefulness, they are still ridiculously expensive. I can say this with great confidence now because I have found a solution that works equally well for a fraction of the cost.

Years ago, J decided to try a double-edge safety razor and old-school shaving soap. He really liked the results, but I never thought to make the idea my own until he suggested it recently. I was timid at first because it really is a razor blade snapped into a steel handle. Surely, I'd bleed out on the shower floor. Nope! I got a really smooth shave, no agitation or razor bumps, and maybe two nicks in the month that I've been using it (pretty normal for me).

Here's how it works...the safety razor has a little screw at the bottom that you turn to open the butterfly closure that holds in the blade. Take the old blade out, set a new one in, twist the handle to make it close. We wrap the old blade up in a tissue before throwing it away just so we don't tear a hole in the bag or worse, have little fingers reach in the trash can and get cut. Between uses, I leave the razor open so it can dry thoroughly. I'm still using my can of shave gel because I've got it, but I've tried the shave soap and it seems to work well. As always, I slather up with lotion when I get out of the shower.

The only inconvenience is that I'm using J's razor handle since I haven't splurged on my own yet. So I toss the blades after each use so he doesn't have to deal with a dull blade. But I'm okay with that, because the blades cost less than $0.20 each!! That's right...10 blades for about $1.84 at the handy-dandy Wal-Mart. Eventually, I will need to invest in my own razor, like this one or maybe this one with a little extra bling to it. Aw, who am I kidding? I'm not paying extra for little blue stars.

So, rise up and revolt! Refuse to pay exorbitant prices for frilly razors in cute colors that promise airbrushed legs for real women! I will not pay extra for cucumber melon fragrance or a "lotion strip" that still leaves my legs requiring lotion, and I certainly don't need my disposable razor to require batteries! No ma'am, I will not buy into your ridiculous marketing. I can handle a real blade, thank you very much, and I'll keep the change. Who's with me?