DIY Cloth Diaper Detergent

EEEEK! I am so elated to say that our cloth diapers have FINALLY arrived.. They are washing as we speak :) I can't wait to have a cloth diaper butt. So with that being said, I was of course researching and found one :) Kind of adapted my own. lol.

• 3 Cups Washing Soda
• 1 Cup Oxi Clean
• 1 Cup Baking Soda

1-2 Tbsp. per load.

Wash in cold cycle. Then for extra dirty loads, then wash in a hot load after the cold wash (1 Tbsp. detergent, each load).

Thanks for letting me share :P

Packing Tips!

Well, most people know that we purchased a new house and are moving in the upcoming week and a 1/2. I wanted to share a couple packing tips.... 


1. If you have little ones... and they have a 2+ piece outfit, fold the pants inside the crease of the shirt. Comes in hand for packing and also for traveling. Not only that but if you put them in a dresser, makes it cake to find that outfit. Frees up a few minutes in your day. :P


2. Pillow case & sheet sets.... Pack the sheets inside the matching pillow case and stack. WA-LA!! Easy peasy! Also makes a great way to store them in that messy old linen closet. I can't wait to organize my new linen closets. Yes that's plural! I have TWO! I am pumped. :P lol. Oh the little things.


Tis' all for now :P

DIY Laundry Detergent

Those that have asked how I liked it!! I LOVE IT! Seriously, I have done like 6-7 loads so far and so far so good. Plus it smells pretty scrumptious as well :P Refer to yesterdays post for the recipe, if interested. It was easy peasy to make and lasts a long time. I am gonna take some of my leftover materials and make some Dish Detergent.


Another no-brainer recipe:
Equal parts Borax and Washing Soda. BOOM! Done! I am gonna 2 cups and 2 cups. 1-2 Tbsp. per load of dishes. Add 2-3 drops of soap for scent and to reduce spotting.


As a rinse agent, use VINEGAR! Yes vinegar. :P Instead of the $5-$6 rinse agents that last like 2 seconds and are an arm and a leg in cost. 


Vinegar also acts an awesome fabric softener from what I have heard. I am not a fabric softener person, myself, but I am sure some are.


Recipe adapted from: The Burlap Bag


^^Yes, this has now become my fave. website/blogging site.

Stop Using BLEACH!

I stopped using bleach, two or so months ago, and instead am using regular Baking Soda. Put two tbsp's or so in your largest load of whites, and wa la....super white, whites. Super inexpensive, lasts a long time. It also acts as a stain remover and it's not harsh like Bleach is. :) 

Return of the Money Saving Mom..

Wow, it's been too long since I last posted. Been a busy little bee. Since I last posted, we bought a house. Well actually, we are having one built. So with that being said, it's ALMOST done. We move in in 2.5-3 weeks. How exciting? We are thrilled, of course. Well... with that being said, I have been trying to find ways to keep money in our pockets. So here are some things, I have been up to since I last posted:


*Making my own baby food, for the last 3 months. I am using the "Magic Baby Bullet." And boy do I love it. Lucas (my youngest), loves it too. We recently, tried jarred food, and he gagged. Thought it was repulsive. Nothing like the real thing, I guess. Not to mention full of a lot of nothing with a side of preservatives.


*Just ordered a stock (22 diapers/inserts + a diaper sprayer) of Cloth Diapers. I am beyond thrilled for these bad boys to get to our door. I scored an awesome deal on eBay for some ALVAbaby diapers. The whole lot was $84.99 for 20 solid colored diapers, then I snagged two additional diapers for $6/each. I have heard rave reviews from friends and online about these diapers. That's a whopping $4.24/diaper. CHEAP! Plus from what I understand, the quality is pretty amazing. Plus, they come with inserts.


*Today, I got stuff to make my own laundry detergent. EEK! I am beyond excited to start using it. Got home from the store and whipped up some scented and some non-scented stuff. Non-scented b/c my oldest has severe eczema and needs everything 100% dye and scent free. 

• 3 bars of soap- $3.97
• Fals Naptha- $0.97
• Borax- $4.99
• Washing Soda- $3.97
• Dispensers to hold detergent- $4.97/each
• Total: $23.84

Recipe adapted from: The Burlap Bag

1 Bar of Soap (your choice) or Fals Naptha

1 Cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

Yields: enough for 64 loads. 

You use 1-1.5 Tbsp. PER load. that's all.

The boxes will makes me probably 5 gallons or more. That is quite the savings. So I am pretty excited about that.

*Also, making my own homemade hand soap. :)

• 8 Pack of Bar Soap- $6.99
• Glycerin- $2.97
• Total: $9.96

Recipe adapted form: The Farmer's Nest

1 bar of soap

1 gallon water

2 Tbsp. Glycerin 

Actual DIY Handsoap

*Been making my own Bisquick too. And let me tell you, not only does it save you money which is amazing, but it's seriously super delish, as well. :P

Recipe adapted from: DIY Home made Bisquick Recipe

Up Next:

• Homemade cleaning solutions
• Homemade Sewn Baby Wipes
• Bodywash
• Baby Body Wash
• Dishwasher Detergent
• Felted Wool Dryer Balls

Also, I plan to make all of curtains and upholster chairs and such in our home. :P LOVE the simple, inexpensive lifestyle. It's so nice to save money, especially with two little ones. :P

A place to put my ideas/thoughts..

My brain is overworking right now and is filled with so many ideas/thoughts. I need a place to organize them. These are the things I want to make:


A toybox for the boys.
A Laundry Basket Organizer
Shelves
A breakfast buffet (repurposed furniture)
Boxes/Baskets for organization of toys


etc.

How are you saving your family, money?

Here are some solutions I can come up with, quick...

• Get the Sunday Newspaper, it's full of coupons.
• COUPONING!!
• Planning your meals! Breakfast, Lunch, Dinners, Snacks, for each family member.
• Buy in bulk!!!
• plan your shopping list in advance.
• Repurpose old furniture
• design on a dime or make things yourself.
• buy clearance items
• buy generic brand food if you shop at a local grocery store. i say it that way b/c we shop at an air force base, commissary.
• put a little money away a week, such as $5, $10, whatever you can spare.
• start a savings at a young age for children.
• do all your seasonal shopping for the next season as one season ends and things get clearanced out.
• look for internet coupons.
• make a monthly budget.
• ALWAYS balance your pocket book.
• If you can and have time, CLOTH DIAPER your little ones.
• Pass clothing and essentials down from child to child, if you can.
• Swap babysitting services with a friend/family as needed.
• Keep a change/money jar and cash it in at the end of the year.
• cut back on a bad habit: ie: smoking, drinking, chewing tobacco, coffee drinking, energy drinks, chewing gum. put that money you would have spent into your money jar.
• make your own baby food.
• if you are able to, BREASTFEED your children.
• Eat in instead of eating out all the time.

If you can come up with others, please feel free to share. :)

Do you have a picky toddler, like myself?

If you too, have a picky toddler like me.. what are some things you have done to get him/her to try/taste new things. Our oldest just refuses to try new things.
Our latest thing we have tried is using some sort of condiment, such as, honey. You would be surprised at how many things my son can come up with to pair honey with. Some rather disgusting in my opinion, but hey, whatever will make him at least "try" it, that makes me happy.


Of course, there is always disgusing fruits/veggies and packing them away inside of the item you making. That trick just doesn't work for my son. He is wayyyyy too smart for his own good ;)


You could alway "play" with their food and use cut outs/cookie cutters. Make it into shapes, add faces. Etc.


Or giving things a fun name. i.e: "ants on a log," "pigs in a blanket."


And my latest adventure into the mind of my toddler is making him a STICKER CHART! Brilliant! Euerka! Sticker chart blog.. coming to you soon. But this worked like a charm. Making a section dedicated to just eating his food and rewarding him for eating. :) Genius, if I do say so myself.


Yours truly,
♥ Rachel

Saving money!

What does your family do to save money? Or if you are a single gal/guy, how do YOU save money? What are some things you can share with the class?

Our family

• coupons
• buys in bulk
• doesn't eat out and cooks at home
• we use a movie rental service instead of purchasing movies
• we only buy what we 'need'
• we make shopping lists
• we meal plan: breakfast, lunch, dinners, and snacks.
• sales shop
• creat a budget

Feel free to share some of yours below.

Until next time,
♥Rachel

SCORE!

Who doesn't love FREE stuff? Better yet, who doesn't love vistaprint.com for all of their generous freebies? :)

Just scored 100 FREE POSTCARDS.. for you got it.... FREE ;)

That made my night. I used them to make my son's 4th birthday invitations.

He is having a Pirate themed party.. Arrrrgggghhhh :)

They also sent me something for a B1G2 Free Calendar's. Awesome right? Check it out!!!! :)

Love me some freebiessss! All I paid was shipping. :) :)

♥Rach

Snapfish.com Deals :)

Another photo website coupon... yes, I love me some pictures :) So please, share, enjoy, print... the whole nine yards :P

Enjoy free standard shipping plus 30% off all cards and stationery with coupon CARDSFS30 through January 10, 2012.

♥Rachel

Shutterfly.com Freebies

Here are some cool codes for some free/discounted stuff:

*Free photo card code: 32YS-4UNR-9YDN-UXTP2V
Must be used by: January 14, 2012


ENDS TODAY:

Enter EXTRA 12% off promo code at checkout:
MM0R-536R-ZH68-FJ5VX1

Starting the year off right...

...The procrastination FREE way!
In lieu of 2012, please join me on an adventure to keep-committed to your own New Year's Resolutions/Goals.

Here are some of my own...FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOURS BELOW :P

1. More patience with my first born. He can be quite the little handful.. aren't all three-nagers/four-year olds?

2. Read to both boys every night. My oldest is in a "I do everything myself phase." So this isn't such an easy task to accomplish anymore. But I allow him to read to me, to help to use his own imagination a bit. Quite adorable actually. :)

3. Practice schooling/writing with my oldest. We do as it is, but I would like to fully committ to a routined, school day, until we send him off to pre-school, which should be soon-ish.

4. Start an at-home routine... and STICK TO IT!

5. Find an exercise routine & diet and STICK TO IT!

6. Give up one guilty-pleasure. Either soda or Starbuck's. Haven't fully decided :$

7. Whenever I begin a project, to start AND finish it!!

8. STOP PROCRASTINATING.

9. To get my CNA certification and a job working as a CNA.

10. To learn to sew and/or crochet.

11. Start a daily "TO-DO" list and accomplish ALL tasks upon it.

12. Dedicate myself more to my Pampered Chef business.

13. Spend less-time on the internet.

14. Curse less.

15. Be more lady-like. I have the tendency to be a salior-mouth at times, and burp out loud. Ooops. :/ lol. I am practicing being more of a lady.. promise.

16. Stick to a reward chart/sticker chart with Noah (my oldest).

17. Create a reward jar for Noah with miniature prizes.

18. Stay organized.. which shouldn't be too much of a problem considering I have diagnosed OCD. lol.

19. Stay on top of daily household chores.. such as dishes... since they are the root of all cleaning evil. EEK!

20. Declutter is KEY!

21. Save money!!

22. And finally.. I made a daily project list.. or as I named it "PROJECTS TO CONQUER". Fun at-home projects that I hope to stay on top of and share with you fine people. :)

Until we meet again,
♥ Rachel

Beginning my SAVVY Journies :)

Welcome to my blog. Glad you stopped by. First off, Happy New Year. I can't believe it's already 2012.

In case you haven't had a chance to read my "ABOUT ME" section. My name is Rachel. I am a SAHM/WAHM. I work for Pampered Chef and hope to soon work for Scentsy. I am a mother to two children, both boys. One who is turning four next month and another boy who was born this past August. Both boys are the light and loves of my life. They are the inspiration behind all that I do. I have been married almost 6 years, to my Air Force sweetheart. We are a military family. :) 

In this blog, I hope to journal all my savvy thoughts, ideas, projects, photography, money saving tips, recipes, things I love, things you must try, how-to's. Etc. I hope to reach a large audience, so please feel free to share my blog.

Like to see something new for me to post about, please feel free to message me at Rachelkalinowski@aol.com or post below.

♥ Rachel