99 Tips & Tricks To Make Life Easier

I've shared a condensed version of this, but this is the mother load of clever little tips & tricks.  Read it, bookmark it, & revisit.  I'm certain you'll find something new with every read.  Enjoy! 

Ghetto Fabulous Flip Flop Fix

Bug's a little particular when it comes to her shoes, so after hearing her whine that her flip flops were indenting her heels, one too many times, I figured some action was necessary. 

I simply hacked off the elasticized portion with scissors.  A two second fix, & now she has two pairs of sandals she'll actually wear. 

She was so thrilled with the results, she insisted I take a picture & then she ran around the shouting, "I love my pwip-pwops!"  Who knew?!

Happy 1st Birthday Harper Girl!

Our little Happy turned 1 on the 14th & we had an absolutely wonderful day.  

Harper girl showing she's one, sitting in the rocking chair I had as a child, & wearing a beautiful Baby Gap dress I got at a garage sale for $1-- my idea of a perfect trifecta.

We woke up, went to church, Harper screamed her head off in the nursery (that part was not wonderful), came home & had a lovely party with good friends, my gram, & Aunt Sandra. 

The only problem with having the party immediately after church was Harper was completely exhausted, so while we had pizza, Harper girl snoozed away.   

Eventually she woke up & really enjoyed herself.  She LOVED her cake & played with all of her presents just as soon as Emerson opened them.  

 I made Harper's cake & bear print cupcakes, & was pretty pleased with how they turned out.  Aside from our usual, homemade decorations, I decorated our mantle & china cabinet in the dining room with bears, bear books, & the boxed set of Winnie The Pooh books we gave Harper. 

We gave Harper a "Harper sized" doll &  I knitted it an accompanying doll blanket that matches the blanket I knitted her before she was born (pictured above).

It was a beautiful day to celebrate our happy Harper girl & we are certainly blessed to call her ours!

14 Things You Should Almost Always Buy Used

Oh, to be able to own a vintage Mustang!

Whenever possible I like to search for a used option, before investing in a new product.  Buying used tends to be much more economical, not to mention, it prevents the use of new materials.  If you're a bit leery of buying used, Money Talks News compiled a list of 14 Things You Should Buy Used, many of which are worth serious consideration.  Read on here.   

Use It Up: Getting the Most Out of Your Prescription

Our winter, & now early Spring have been filled with more sickness than I have ever expected.  Last week Harper was diagnosed with her FIFTH ear infection in 3 months & Emerson is currently running a fever.  As a result, I've had gobs of prescriptions & meds to dispense to the girls, but there always comes a point when I can no longer fit the dropper in the bottle & still need to finish the prescription.  

I've found that the best methods are to either a) drain a single dose into a medicine cup, then use the dropper or, b) finding that process rather tedious, dump the entire contents into a glass baby food jar, which allows the use of every drop. 


Not very exciting, but super effective.  And that my friends, is about only frugal thing I can accomplish with two sick children. 

Extend the Life of Your Shower Curtain

I usually buy our shower curtain liners for a dollar, but that doesn't mean I don't want them to last as long as possible.  Once our curtain gets to the point that mildew has taken over, rather than spending ages scrubbing, I simply trim the curtain.

Rather than cut it perfectly, I bunch the curtain, find the stopping point of the mildew, & cut. 

While the curtain is a little jagged it's no worse for wear & this process can be repeated until the curtain is too short to stay in the tub.  Also, if a hole at the top rips, simply use a hole punch to punch another hole.  Using these methods, I only have to replace our liners once a year, saving money & saving trash.

Tis A Gift To Be Simple

I recently finished knitting a baby blanket for my sister.  I love knitting a baby blanket, with each stitch I pray for a long, happy life, & pour out all my love for that sweet little baby.  I find it so encouraging to think of the baby's future. 

I also feel that covering up homemade gifts, of any kind, with wrapping paper is a crime.  Instead, I prefer a simple ribbon & gift tag; in this case I made the gift tag from the baby shower invitation. 

Straightforward wrappings present the love & craftsmanship that went into the gift.  In my opinion, when the gift is homemade, simple wrappings are definitely the way to go.     

Saving Money on Baby Food

The vast majority of the time I make my own baby food,  & while homemade is much more environmentally friendly & economical, while preparing for travel, I often have to buy expensive baby food. 

Several weeks prior to our trip I made a phone call to Beech Nut, to request one of their toddler kits, which includes coupons for free product.  Upon telling the super friendly customer service representative that I had filled out the online form multiple times with no results, she offered to send me 2 of both the toddler kit & newborn kit. 

The kits came promptly & with the coupons I was able get several boxes of baby cereal, 2 boxes of teething biscuits, & 4 jars of baby food, for FREE! 

In addition to the free Beech-nut, I stopped by Big Lots & picked up some Dole Squish'ems.  They're 100% fruit, and at $1.80 a box, which makes each pouch only $0.45; a phenomenal price. 

Shopping smart, using coupons, & seeking opportunities for free products certainly can reduce the costs of store bought baby food, though for me, nothing beats feeding our little one from scratch, & not filling up the landfill.