September 10th, 2013 - Frugal Living (Homemade Detergent)

Hello Blog Readers!

Today's post is on frugal living!  Since many of our followers have small children, or a baby on the way, today's post on frugality is on making your own detergent.   There are many perks to creating your own detergent - such as being aware of what chemicals are in your detergent, being able to easily modify it for a small child's sensitive skin, or add essential oils to create a scent for yourself.  It is environmentally friendly and it saves a ton of money - store bought detergent costs an arm and a leg!

We have a few recipes for you to check out tonight.  The first recipe is unique, in that it is the ONLY recipe I know of that is completely cloth diaper friendly, and it is very baby friendly.  It is all natural, and earth friendly.

Recipe:  All Natural, Cloth Diaper friendly powder soap

1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Oxiclean Free or Oxiclean Baby
1 trial size box of soap nuts, or 1/2 c of soap nuts powder
1/4 cup of Baking Soda

Directions:

1. Grind your soap nuts.  you can do this by putting the soap nuts with the baking soda in a food processor and pulse it until it is finely ground.  Sometimes, this can cause a bit of dust, so to cut down on that, you can drop a towel over the top of your processor.  Wait a bit before opening, because it will be dusty!

2. Dump all ingredients into a gallon Ziploc baggie, seal and shake until finely blended. 

To use...the measurements are 2 tbsp. for a standard load, and 1 tbsp. for an HE load.  This detergent dissolvrs best in warm water, so if you are doing a load in cold water, it is best to take a cup of hot water, and dissolve your measurement before pouring it in the machine. 


Recipe number two is for you folks who WANT to save money, and WANT to make your own soap, but are, um, a little *teeny, tiny* bit lazy!  This is a simple method, with no soap grinding.

Recipe: Lazy Bones Detergent

3 Tbsp Borax
3 Tbsp Washing Soda
2 Tbsp Dawn Dish Soap

Directions:

1. Pour all ingredients into a gallon jug (think recycled milk container).

2.  Pour 4 cups of boiling water in jug, and swirl it up until the ingredients are well mixed, then fill almost to the top of the jug.

To use...depending on level of soiled clothes, use 1/2 cup to 1 cup of detergent per load. 


Recipe number three has some grating, but is still pretty simple. 

Recipe: Easy grated detergent

1 bar of Fels-Naptha, or Ivory Soap
2 cups of Arm &Hammer super washing soda
2 cups of Boarx

Directions:

1.  Cut the soap into small pieces, that the food processor can handle, and chop them as small as possible. 

2.  Add the 2 cups of Arm & Hammer super washing soda to the mix.

3.  Finally add the 2 cups of Boarx in and mix it well.

4.  Look at your mix, if it is finely mixed, you are good to go. If not, transfer it into a processor or blender, and blend again.  Put in a bag or jar for storage.

To use...Use 1/8 cup for a normal load, and 1/4 cup for a heavily soiled load.  It equals out to about $0.05 a load.

I hope this helps, and you enjoy the recipes - AND - if you try them out, please comment and let me know how it goes!

~Danielle

For more great deals, samples, giveaways, and other frugality ideas...

September 5th, 2013 - Canadian Deals

Afternoon folks!

Once again, it is Thursday, and we are devoted to saving our friends in the north a few bucks.  First up, a link for some Kellog's coupons!  Then, SmartSource, and WebSaver and we are off!


Walmart

There is a printable for $1 off of wholly guac or salsa here - making this FREE!

Speed Stick deodorant @ $2 – $2 wub2 SS 4-4-13Pantene Hair Care @ $4 - $4 WUB2 of Different Brands of Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Covergirl, Old Spice, Gillette, Olay or Venus 


Purina Dog Chow, 16kg @ $23.97, $3 any Purina Dry Dog Food (exp 03.12.2014)


Target

Pampers Largest Box Diapers @ $33.99, $3 Pampers Swaddlers, Swaddlers Sensitive or Cruisers Diapers 

Huggies Pull-Ups Super Box @ $21.99, Target: $3 Huggies Goodnites or Pull-Ups , $2 Pull Ups Night Time Training pants (Jumbo Pack or larger) 

Dove Hair Care @ $2.89, Target: $2 WUB2 Dove Hair Care Items (excludes trial/travel size) 

Shoppers Drug Mart

Pampers Jumbo Diapers @ $9.99, $3 Pampers Swaddlers, Swaddlers Sensitive or Cruisers Diapers (Brandsaver)

Pantene Hair Care @ $3.88 (Limit 4), $1.50 Pantene, $4 WUB2 of Different Brands of Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Covergirl, Old Spice, Gillette, Olay or Venus

RexAll

Arm & Hammer detergent, 35 loads @ $2.99 (9.6.2013-9.8.2013), $1 off coupon any Arm & Hammer laundry product

Checkout 51 

Use your Visa Credit Card!
Upload a receipt for a grocery purchase over $20 made with your Visa credit card.
Cash back: $2.00

Kikkoman Sauces and Marinades

Excludes dry seasoning
Cash back: $0.50

Similac Advance and Similac Go & Grow
658g SimplePac.
Cash back: $5.00

Webbers Naturals Supplements
Excludes PGX
Cash back: $2.00

Marzetti Dips
Cash back: $1.00

So Good Fortifies Soy Beverage
1.89L, any variety
Cash back: $1.50
Coupon - So Good Soy, When you buy 2 1.89L $2.00 off - printable

Rimmel Mascara

Cash back: $2.00

Olivieri Pasta
Cash back: $1.50

Buy 2: Kraft Dinner Smart
150g or 200g variety
Cash back: $1.00

Cashmere UltaLuxe Bathroom Tissue
Cash back: $1.00

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
320g or 485g variety.
Cash back: $1.00

All Bran – Cranberries & Oat Clusters Cereal
380g variety.
Cash back: $1.00

Black Diamond Natural Cheese

200g or more, any variety.
Cash back: $1.50

Pringles Snack Stacks or Stix
Minimum 8 count package.
Cash back: $1.00

Advil Liqui-Gels and Advil Extra Strength Liqui-Gels
Select sizes of Advil Liqui-Gels (excluding 12s & 16s) or Advil Extra Strength Liqui-Gels (excluding 10s & 12s).
Cash back: $2.00
Coupon - Advil liqui-gels - $3.00 off - printable

Dr. Oekter Casa di Mama Pizza
Any variety.
Cash back: $1.00

Submit a grocery store receipt for $60 or more for a chance to win $500

I hope you find this helpful, and I will continue to add coupons as I find them that matchup with the Checkout 51 rebates! Please comment and let me know if there is a specific store you are interested in!

Enjoy!

~Danielle 

For more great deals, samples, giveaways, and other frugality ideas...

September 3rd, 2013

Good evening!

Today's post is late, but that's because I've been so busy tallying contest entries!  We are currently running a pretty sweet contest for the month of September.  There are 10 prizes and many ways to enter!  Check out the contest page for more information!

http://frugalmamas.blogspot.com/p/contest-of-month.html

Also, I put together a new page for y'all today.  Take a peek at my current baby coupon page and let me know what you think!

http://frugalmamas.blogspot.com/p/current.html

Enjoy! 

 ~Danielle

For more great deals, samples, giveaways, and other frugality ideas...

September 2nd, 2013

Good morning!  Labor day has started out well for me.  I finally ordered a car seat, so that I can bring home the infant I will deliver in the next 9-12 weeks!  I used my completion discount from target, and ended up with a ten dollar gift card.  So, like any good mama, I took that gift card and went to the store! 

**Today's post will tell *NEW* Ibotta users how to get $$26.62 worth of product for just $0.84!**

I've been hearing a lot about Target's Cartwheel lately, and another app, Ibotta.  I'll take a moment to explain them both. 

Cartwheel is like a pocket coupon you have in your purse.  You download an app from the play store, and look through the offers they have.  You get a number of open 'spots' for deals, and that number increases with the amount of friends you have also using the app.  It is linked to you Facebook, and Facebook is necessary to use Cartwheel.  Facebook does publish the deals you choose, but you can change the settings so they are not visible to friends, and only you see them.  Offers tend to vary from 5% to 15% off of select items.  You click on the deals you want, and when you are ready to check out at Target, you pull up your app, they scan it, and it gives you a discount.  Its not millions, but every bit helps!

Ibotta is a rebate app that offers cash back for various items purchased.  There are also additional bonuses available.  You can click on the Ibotta hyperlink, and sign up.  Then you download the app, and you can view a gallery of product offers.  You need to go through the offers you want and complete one or more of the tasks - generally worth between $.25 and $1.00.  There are usually 3 tasks for each one, and doing all three maximizes your earnings.  The tasks are things like sharing on your Facebook, watching a video, taking a single question pole, etc.  They are very simple tasks.  After you complete the tasks, they are added to your checklist.  Then you go shopping at one of the approved retailers, scan your receipt, scan the barcode on the item, and wait for your cash to come rolling it.  This is generally worth a few bucks, and it is usually useful items for your household.  On occasion, there are bonus deals where you can earn more rebates for redeeming combinations of different product offers.

Now. Today, at Target, I had a specific goal.  Ibotta is currently (until September 4th) running a special where you get a 'share the love' bonus of $10 if you redeem at least five offers as a NEW user of this app.  So - my goal was to redeem at least 5 offers, and to only uses ones that were useful to my household.

Here's what I did:

1) Huggies pure and natural 33 ct, size 1
     Originally $9.99 but marked down to $8.99
     $2 coupon here, and Target Cartwheel has 5% off Huggies diapers
- OOP $6.54
- $1.50 rebate from Ibotta (any variety, any size)

2) Huggies Wipes, 56 ct
     Originally $1.97
     $0.50 coupon here, and Target Cartwheel has 5% off Huggies Wipes
- OOP $1.37
- $0.75 rebate from Ibotta (40 ct or larger)

**The two of those, purchased in the same trip, also qualifies for a 'Hug your Baby' $2.00 bonus**

3) U by Kotex, 18ct tampons
     Originally $3.99
     $1.00 coupon here
- OOP $2.99
- $0.75 rebate from Ibotta (tampons or pads, any variety, any size)

4) Kleenex 4 pk, 80 ct
     Originally $5.69
     $1.00 Target coupon here
     $0.50 Manufacturer coupon here, and Target Cartwheel has 5% off Kleenex
- OOP $3.96
- $1.00 rebate from Ibotta (Any variety - 3 pack or larger)

5) Kleenex Hand Towels, 60 ct box
     Originally $2.99
     $1.00 coupon here, and Target Cartwheel has 5% off Kleenex
- OOP $1.84

6)Softsoap, any variety 8.5 oz or larger
     Originally $1.99
     $0.35 coupon here
- OOP $1.64
- $1.50 rebate from Ibotta (when you buy both #5 and #6 - Softsaop, 8.5 oz or larger and Kleenex hand towels, 60 ct)

**All five Ibotta offers together qualify for the 'Share the Love' bonus of $10 when you are a new customer, and complete at least 5 offers before 9.4.2013**

Total before any markdowns, or coupons: $26.62 (not including sales tax)
      $1 discount (diaper markdown)
      $0.93 saved with Cartwheel
+    $6.35 in coupons
      $8.28

  
Total after markdowns and coupons: $18.34 (not including sales tax)
  
Then you take a picture of your receipt, and scan your items to submit them to Ibotta.  Within 24 hours, you have your $17.50 in your account, and you can transfer it directly into your paypal, and back into your bank account.  In the end, your total out of pocket cost for this trip is $0.84 plus tax.  That is a steal of a deal folks!  Go get your Ibotta on!

~Danielle

For more great deals, samples, giveaways, and other frugality ideas...

September 1st, 2013

*~*~*~*September Contest*~*~*~*

We are SO excited to announce our contest this month is featuring Brainy Baby!

The Brainy Baby company is a FANTASTIC company that we have partnered with this first month, to kick off a pretty sweet contest. The top three prizes in the contest are sponsered 100% by Brainy Baby, and are as follows:

1st place prize - Learning Collection, of the winner's choice ($25 value)

2nd place prize - A DVD of the winner's choice ($18 value)

3rd place prize - A Book of the winner's choice ($13 value)

The rest of the prizes are as follows:

4th place prize - a $20 shutterfly gift card - perfect for family photo books, new babies, engagement books - the options are endless! ($20 value)

 

5th place prize - Beauty Sampler - 4 samples of beauty products, ($15 value)

 

6th place prize - Hair pretties - for mom, or the best girl in your life. Every little lady loves hair pretties! ($12 value)

 

7th place prize - Nursing sampler, wrapped in a cloth gift wrap! ($10 value)

 

8th place prize - A set of coupons (in the event that someone out of the country, ie, in Canada, wins this prize, it will be substituted for a $5 gift card of their choosing) ($5 value)

 

9th place prize - A set of coupons (in the event that someone out of the country, ie, in Canada, wins this prize, it will be substituted for a $5 gift card of their choosing) ($5 value)

 

10th place prize - A set of coupons (in the event that someone out of the country, ie, in Canada, wins this prize, it will be substituted for a $5 gift card of their choosing) ($5 value)

The rules are simple.  Utilize this group to save money, and learn how to maximize your freebies and samples, and tell your friends!  The contest begins now - 8pm CST, and will run through the month of September - closing at 12p on September 30th.

Ways to enter are:

 

1.  Refer friends to the Facebook group

When you refer them, an admin will message them, and ask who referred them (to prevent many posts of so and so referred me on thegroup wall).  So, you will want to remind them to check their other folder, so you get credit.

2.  Post a deal/coupon on the group page that we can all enjoy

3. Shop Brainy Baby, and save 30% with our special code - ASHLEY30
(You will get one entry for every item purchased - please email a screen print of your purchase to TheFrugalMamas@gmail.com)

4. Comment on the Featured Company page, with your own review of Brainy Baby, or with the product you would choose if you won!

*~*Watch for extra ways to enter - I will post intermittently with more chances to gain entry.*~*

You can gain as many entries as you like - there is no cap, and the winners will be chosen using Random.org on September 30th, at 12p. 

Post any questions or comments here, and we will get them answered as soon as possible!

~Danielle