Allergies? Wait to Make Your Bed

July 28, 2016July 21, 2017 / Frugal Fish / Leave a comment

I make my bed every day. It is a habit I started as a young girl. It is not that I enjoy the task, in fact, at one point, I made a rule, “Last man out makes the bed.” My husband was not amused because he was the only man in the bed!

I have also tried making half of the bed. I would make my half when I got up. I am an early riser. (Yesterday I woke up at 4:21 am and I don’t even know why!) I thought I was efficient making my half then. David started telling people I made the bed with him still in it!

Then I read an article from weather.com, “13 Weird Things Making Your Allergies Worse.” Number 2 on the list was “Making Your Bed in the Morning.”

“Indoor allergens like dust mites thrive in the cozy confines of bedding and mattresses. That means that the bed is their sanctuary and at night — as your skin sheds and your body sweats — moisture keeps them alive and well. By making your bed in the morning, you’re tucking them into their dream home. Literally.” weather.com

After reading this article, I started folding the sheet and bedspread back to let it air out. I have noticed my eyes are not as red and itchy. I’m sure it is because the dust mites have no moist place to live.

How does that save me money? I have not had to use as much medication and I have avoided a bad reaction that necessitated a visit to the doctor.

If you happened to stop by my home before noon, my bed will be unmade and I will be in my exercise clothes. But, that is a story for another post!

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

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Christmas Gift Projects

July 26, 2016July 21, 2017 / Frugal Fish / Leave a comment

Christmas decorations and supplies are in stores. Some are upset and feel like we are rushing the season. But, for those of us who are crafty and make some of our gifts, we are happy to see it.

In May, the rage on Pinterest was patriotic, bandanna wreaths. I wanted to make one using my existing wreath. Imagine my surprise, when I went to Hobby Lobby a week before Memorial Day and found they were out of the red, white, and blue bandannas! I had a red one at home but had to go to 2 different stores to buy blue and white ones.

Don’t let that happen to you!

Christmas is six months away. If you would like to make gifts, now is the time to start! Get supplies while there is a good selection and you have plenty of time to complete it. I spent one Christmas Eve finishing up sewing projects and I don’t recommend it!

If you would like to make gifts, here are a few ideas:

Dehydrated Herbs

Homegrown, dehydrated parsley.

Individual Freezer Apple Pies

I put labels with the baking directions on top of the jars.

Carved Wooden Statue

It took one month from start to finish.

Blanket-Stitched Kitchen Towels

The kitchen towels I added blanket-stitch yarn to for Christmas gifts.

Puzzle Board

Board with partially finished puzzle on it

My puzzle board.

Coffee Mug Cozie

Coffee Cup Cozie

Painted Picture Frames

The pictures third frame

Scarf

Two Sashay yarn scarves I knitted.

Tee Shirt Quilt

Tee shirt quilt I made for my son.

It’s time to go through your craft items to see what you already have on hand.

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

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Free Cotton Balls

July 21, 2016July 21, 2017 / Frugal Fish / Leave a comment

“Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Benjamin Franklin

Yes, it’s allergy season. I am now taking Allegra 180 twice a day…plus Singulair…plus an occasional Benadryl. My husband also takes Allegra 180 and that is 90 pills a month. We buy a double pack of the generic brand with 60 tablets twice a month.

The bottle comes with cotton on top of it to keep the pills from breaking during transit.

I take that cotton and cut it into 4 cotton balls.

We don’t have to take this much year round and it averages out to 60 cotton balls. It may seem like it is not worth it, but Benjamin Franklin penned a universal law, “If you pay attention to the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.” When you are in the habit of using every last bit, you will not waste any, and you will be able to postpone buying more.

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

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Blue Dawn Cleans “Ring Around the Collar”

July 19, 2016July 21, 2017 / Frugal Fish / Leave a comment

Iowa dirt is black. It is wonderful for gardens and fields but is hard to clean out of clothes. My husband has work shirts, that have the name of the lumberyard and his name on them. He is in and out of the two buildings all day long. When mixed with sweat, that good, old Iowa dirt blowing around made stubborn “ring around the collar.”

I use Dawn dish washing soap to clean grease, butter, oil, and salad dressing out of clothes. I decided to use it to tackle that “ring around the collar.” I drew a line with the Dawn and rubbed it in. I let it sit while I washed a different load of clothes.

Then I scrubbed it with a brush and rinsed it thoroughly. I threw it in the wash, and when it came out, the ring was gone!

I use blue Dawn to make my laundry soap. I always have some on hand and no longer buy special soap for “ring around the collar.”

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

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Stretching Syrup

July 14, 2016July 28, 2017 / Frugal Fish / 1 Comment

Monday was David’s birthday and he asked for homemade waffles for breakfast. I reminded him that we still had some blueberry syrup left, but when we got out the jar, it was almost empty.

I was not going without blueberry syrup on my waffle!

I added a tablespoon of corn syrup to the bottle.

I shook the bottle well, to get the bits of blueberry off the sides, and turned it upside down.

By the time I finished making the rest of the waffles, the syrup and blueberry bits were down at the bottom of the bottle. There was plenty!

I used a spatula to scrape the batter off of the measuring cup and bowl. I used my finger to scrape the extra batter off of the spatula and found there was enough for one more waffle.

Always use every last drop!

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

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Waffle Garlic Bread

July 12, 2016July 28, 2017 / Frugal Fish / Leave a comment

One of the best parts of our weekend away was breakfast at the motel. They used real plates, cups, glasses, silverware, and offered: egg rounds, bacon rounds, biscuits, gravy, and “make your own waffles.” They had chocolate chip batter and I was in heaven. I covered that waffle with strawberries, blueberries, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and whipped cream!

David said he saw a lady take a piece of buttered bread and put it in the waffle iron instead of making a waffle. It was a Belgian Waffle maker and they were thick! That gave me an idea!

While we were gone, our youngest was on his own for meals. You guessed it…he made hot dogs. (Yuck.) And every time you have hot dogs, you end up with two extra buns. (Why do they do that?)

I made angel hair pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce for dinner Friday. I took those two hot dog buns, cut them in half, and buttered them. I sprinkled them with garlic, oregano, and a dash of rosemary and stuck them in my waffle iron until the light went off.

Waffle Garlic Bread!

It worked! I don’t like to use the oven in the summer and the waffle iron is smaller than my electric grill. I made the spaghetti sauce in a Crock Pot and let it simmer all day. A salad, watermelon sticks, and chocolate pudding completed the meal. I put mini marshmallows and trail mix on top of the pudding for fun!

I wonder what else I can make with that waffle maker?

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

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Shopping for a Chest of Drawers with a $65.00 Budget and $7.00 Cash

July 7, 2016July 28, 2017 / Frugal Fish / Leave a comment

My husband works for a small lumber company. How small is it? There are only two salesmen…and one is a farmer…and you work every other Saturday morning. That means you can only take vacations in the winter.

Unless your Saturday off is a Holiday weekend!

David got lucky and had Saturday, July 2nd off. We decided to spend the long weekend in Des Moines. I looked at everything there was to do, but decided I wanted to spend the time shopping for a chest of drawers for our youngest.

His buffet/dresser served three generations. The repaired drawers were more suited for cloth napkins and tablecloths than for clothes.

We just replaced the washer and I knew our budget for appliances was not large. It discouraged me to find there was only $65.00 in that account. On top of that, I had purchased 4 pairs of shoes on clearance prices and didn’t even have much spending money left.

We took off on Saturday and I had $7.00 in my wallet. David had the money for food in his wallet. The motel and gas money came out of our vacation budget. I actually thought about staying home, but we love eating at new places, so off we went.

We pulled up the used furniture stores in the Des Moines area on David’s phone and used the GPS to try to find them. Several were in the poorer sections and we didn’t even bother to stop. We did go through D.A.V. Thrift Store, run by disabled veterans because we wanted to support them. We didn’t find what we were looking for there.

Our last stop was “Do Overz.” I loved the look of this store when I went to their website and I was not disappointed when I went inside! The owner sells furniture on consignment and she is very choosy about what she takes.

We found two!

The first chest we found was dark wood and had a bit of scratching on the top and the front. But it had two things going for it: 1) It had the same manufacturer of the chest of drawers we purchased a few months ago, and 2) It was $68.00!

The second chest was in better shape, but it was light wood and cost $124.00. I thought it was a better deal, but it will be in the “locker room.” (The guys keep their clothes in our large laundry room/bathroom and we dubbed it the “locker room.”) When we first moved in, the basement flooded and we had to throw away carpets, couches, and chairs. If that happened again, I would be crushed to have this nice chest be damaged.

We bought the dark chest. It fit our budget and it matches.

Don’t be discouraged when you don’t have a large budget to work with. You might be surprised at what you can find in consignment shops, thrift stores, auctions, and garage sales.

pamela.frugalfish@gmail.com

Twitter – @frugalfishorg

Facebook – Frugal Fish

“Snuggie’s” Summer Use

July 5, 2016July 28, 2017 / Frugal Fish / 2 Comments

I shared on April 29, 2013, how I used the “Snuggie” we received as a gift. It really helped keep me warm on cold, rainy days.

I found I could use it to keep me comfortable during the hot days of summer. I use a leather office chair, and when it is hot and sticky out, that chair becomes hot and sticky. I got out that “Snuggie” and tied it to my office chair. My arms and legs no longer stick!