Saving Money with Rebate Apps!

I am still kind of new to the whole idea of using rebate apps on my phone to save money.  I have friends who use several apps and like them.  I must say you're not going to be a millionaire by using these but it does help quite a bit if you use them enough for your regular shopping and use coupons on top of the rebates! I just started using the rebate apps last November and so far these are my stats:

- ibotta: $75

- SavingStar: $26.81

-Walmart Savings catcher: $23.51

-Snap by Groupon: $4.75

-Checkout51: $3.25

-Ebates: $28.40


See, not bad right? I like being able to put some money back in the bank especially with a family of 5 now!  They each have their own rules and regulations but it is well worth a few minutes to check out what deals they have before shopping and scanning your receipts after.  You can find all of these apps except for Walmart savings catcher in the Google play store.

START Saving! :)

A fun fashion trend- CHAISES! Oooh LALA

Chaise lounge seating is making a comeback, and with a more modern and fun twist! More patterns and styles to choose from allow you to create the seating area any woman of today would be envious of!  Of course my choice is https://www.onekingslane.com/ and I have a fun fashion idea of my own to share with you in honor of fashion week!  I am a girl of comfort and style and with that comes cute and casual shoes as well as home furnishings.  What do you think of my pairing of this One King's Lane chaise with a favorite pair of Nine West boots? Love it? Yes, me too :) Oh the many options I can create for my home and my wardrobe.....Have fun searching through their selection of great furniture and home decor, I know I do!

 

https://www.onekingslane.com/product/52072/2143515?cat=4 

DIY Flu Remedy

I love finding new uses for my essential oils and new ones to try and add to my collection.  In light of this flu season being so gosh darn horrible and the flu vaccine being less potent than in past years, I have searched for some home remedies to treat those that are suffering from the flu or something similar.  This link post was taken from Intoxicated On Life.  I am in love with my tea tree and lavender oil and already use it for several things around the house and is included in this remedy! Check it out!

http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2014/10/13/diy-flu-bomb-plus-5-essential-oil-recipes-kill-flu/

DIY Refurbished dresser tutorial

Well better late than never but I wanted to post about this since it's a subject that is very popular right now with the age of DIY and re-purposing projects out there.  Here is one I did just this last fall myself for the first time ever and it was a total success to my relief! (Not that I doubted my ability, but you know sometimes things don't work how you want)  A friend of ours had a big old dresser for sale cheap so I snagged it up since my daughter needed more storage for all her clothes now that she's 8 going on 14, yikes! It wasn't in bad shape but it was obviously dated just like a piece my grandmother still has in her home.  I thought it was a perfect opportunity to try a diy refurbishing project so I got a couple ideas on colors and went to work.  I cleaned off the whole dresser and unscrewed the handles from the drawers after removing them.  I used a matte white primer first over all the wood and I stood the drawers upright so that I could spray paint the front without getting it everywhere. It took about 2 light coats to cover the dark wood.  I also did this all in my garage with a sheet under the furniture by the way.  After letting the primer dry for the stated time recommended I used Krylon matte paint spray in a gray tone (it has a twinge of blue in it) I used spray because I wanted some white to peek through to give it an antiqued look.  I sprayed 2 light coats, touching up a few spots as I felt the desire.  I layed out the hardware and used Krylon metallic silver spray paint using 2 light coats drying in between of course.  After everything was dry and to my liking I used the Krylon matte clear coat spray to cover everything (including the hardware) to protect the finish and make it more durable.  My daughter was ecstatic to see her new dresser I might add! The dresser actually came with 2 heavy mirrors you could attach but I decided against it and I am going to salvage an old mirror and do the silver metallic finish on it to match the hardware! Overall a great success and I'm eager to do my next project :)

Be your own family physician using essential oils!

I personally cannot say enough good things about essential oils these days.  I have been testing and using them for the last year and I must say I am finding more reasons to use them and less eager to spend tons of money on products at the store that are less potent and have added chemicals that I don't want my family being exposed to, especially with a new baby ready to arrive.  I am also a nursing student and budding herbalist/holistic health nut and my research along with my own creations with essential oils has made me a firm believer in their benefits and ease of use.




 Check it out here!

http://essentialloils.com/?s=family+physician+kit&ap_id=NikiMarie85

















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Crockpot pumpkin apple butter

This is a very easy and healthy apple butter with added pumpkin because I LOVE pumpkin anything! You can adjust the amount of spices to your liking as I don't really measure for the most part!

Ingredient list:

5lb bag apples (I used Gala)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 15oz can pumpkin

-I used an apple corer to quickly cut the apples into 8 pieces (leave the skin on)
-Put all the apple slices into your crockpot and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Next,  spread on the pumpkin puree and add your spices. Close the lid and cook on low for 6 hrs. Half way through give everything a good stir to incorporate.  Once done cooking, use an immersion blender or standard one (which I used) to puree the mixture to desired consistency.  ENJOY! What I made fit into the jars pictured below. My family loves this version and I might need to hide a jar for myself! :)

Homemade wedding gift!

 My wonderful sister who has her own business creating works of wood burned design, made this for my fiance and I as a gift! She is quite talented and I definitely recommend her hand crafted pieces for yourself or as gifts to those you love! Check out her Facebook page or her blog for details!



 https://www.facebook.com/IronwoodTreasures



http://ironwoodtreasures.blogspot.com/2014/09/welcome.html?spref=fb

Melon-Berry Popsicles!

 Yummy recipe I found on Spend with Pennies for Melon-Berry Popsicles :)

 I have tried a couple of my own creations with my Popsicle molds but  I love lime and must try this!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups diced seedless watermelon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight!
3. Serve on a hot sunny day for a refreshing treat!

 

Homemade bar soap

~Here is a batch of homemade bar soap I started making last November when I realized how easy it was to create something that smelled great, was good for my sensitive skin and looked beautiful! All you need is a package of any type soap base you want (I use the goats milk base) you follow the directions on the package and pour into your molds of choice. These can be found in the same soap making area of the craft store. For this recipe I used vanilla essential oil and instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal. It smelled sooo good! :) AND the BEST part? It's good for you! You know exactly what's in it.  In no time you will have bar soap that you can pamper yourself with or give as gifts as I have and they will love it!

Mason Jar soap dispenser Tutorial

This is one of the mason jars I turned into a soap dispenser! I eventually removed the burlap just because my kids are still young and messy (not everyone's a neat freak lol) I used Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze spray paint and a pump I saved from an old bottle. Also make sure it's going to be long enough for the jar fyi. I punched a hole in the lid to fit the pump and hot glued underneath it very well to secure it.  I scoured Michael's scrapbook section for the tape and embellishments then sprayed clear coat over it to seal(minus the burlap) VOILA! I have made many so far and have given as gifts and I love it! Plus I make my own hand soap so this is great and saves money!

Oil Pulling

Here is something I am going to try this week! OIL PULLING! This may frighten some as it did me at first but after reading some articles on the benefits I definitely want to try this! Check out the site below for details.

http://mixwellness.com/tips/oil-pulling-101-what-it-is-why-you-should-start-doing-it/

Crock pot apple crisp yummmm!

-What to do when you have random apples and a couple packets of instant oatmeal? You make crock pot apple crisp! All you need are 8 or so small apples (any will do but use green if you don't want it too sweet) 2 maple & brown sugar oatmeal packets, brown sugar, 1 stick of melted butter, squeeze of lemon juice, cinnamon and I added a little bit of pumpkin pie spice. Cook on high for an hr then low for 2. ENJOY!

Uses for Coconut Oil

I never knew about the uses of coconut oil until more recently as discovered on pinterest and fellow oil users.  I gave it a try and I must say, I absolutely love the stuff!  You can get it almost anywhere from CVS to Meijer to Target and health food stores.  If you find the unrefined oil it will smell like coconut and it's potency is slightly higher since it's not processed first.  This is the variety that's best for taking internally i.e. in food etc... I usually get the refined because I shop at Target a lot for their specialty products and I pay about $7 for a jar.  The jar is basically a mason jar without the logo and I reuse them (since I'm earth conscious) for my homemade gifts and such :)  It is also good for thyroid trouble so I'm cooking with it quite a bit now and I love it!

All About Basil

-Basil is one of my favorite herbs! I can't wait to try the essential oil.

DIY Herb Garden

-This was my first herb window planter and it was a success! I had a small apartment at the time and this was perfect!  I love fresh herbs in my dishes and it's much more economical than buying the expensive jars of herbs at the store.  I got these herbs and planter as a set which was good for a first timer like me.  It included the seeds, soil and planter. Once the herbs got so big I had to carefully transplant to a bigger herb planter outside!  I have a dehydrator which I used do dry my fresh herbs that I picked when ready and I use cute little mason jars to store them!  I love it and it saves me money which is even better :)