Clean up, naturally!

 

Although I love the "bleachy" smell of a clean house, I am realizing that the "natural way" is becoming the popular way clean up around the house.  Especially for people with small children, allergies, and sensitivity to strong odors.  So... I've done a little investigating and discovered that you basically only need three household items, which you probably already have hanging around the house, and you can create some simple AND cheap ways to clean up and kill bacteria.

White Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most effective and natural way to clean.  Its high acidity makes is perfect for cutting through kitchen grease. The acid in vinegar also kills bacteria and mold.  Although you may not be able to realize it because of vinegars strong odor, it is a natural deodorizer.  Wipe down surfaces with 100% vinegar and a clean white cloth.  After it dries, the surfaces will be odor free.  This even works on walls and will not harm or stain the surfaces (always test a small area, just incase).  Mix 1/2 water to 1/2 vinegar in a Dollar Tree spray bottle to clean windows, bathroom fixtures, wood, laminate floors, and counter tops.  Check out this sweet website site for 1001 uses for vinegar (literally)!
http://www.vinegartips.com/

Baking Soda
Baking soda is also a natural deodorizer.  Sprinkle a little baking soda on the carpet instead of that expensive carpet refresher.  It's also mildly abrasive, which makes it perfect for scrubbing pots and pans without scratching. Or you can use it to clean tile, grout, or fiberglass fixtures in your bathroom.
For tough stains on countertops or in the bathroom, make a paste of baking soda and water and let sit on the stain for 20 minutes or so. Then scrub the stain away.  You can clean your drains by pouring in half a cup of backing soda. Add just enough water to wash it down. Let this solution sit overnight. The next morning, flush with hot water for a clean and odor-free drain.

Lemons
The smell of lemons are the smell of clean (in my opinion)!! Lemons are acidic and have some antibacterial and antiseptic properties for cleaning.  Lemon rinds can be ground in the garbage disposal to freshen the drain (my favorite lemon trick). Hot water with a little lemon poured down a drain will also freshen the drain.  I just learned that you can clean copper-bottomed pots and pans with lemon juice by cutting a lemon in half,  dipping it in some salt, and clean spots from your copper  One more thing, adding lemon juice to vinegar when cleaning can help neutralize the vinegar smell!

If you decide to start making you our cleaning products, make sure you have plenty of plastic spray bottles.  Never reuse plastic bottles that have held other cleaning chemicals, and always label your bottles accordingly.
 

Hallie's Candy Shop aka Planning a Kids Party, CHEAP!

Although my daughters 9th birthday was almost a month ago, I have finally decided to throw her a birthday party. 

I wasn't really planning on throwing a big party this year, but I saw some great ideas on the net.  I got to thinking that I could throw her a great themed party without having to pay a party planner an arm and a leg.  It has been a time consuming project because I did ALL the planning, cooking, set-up, and hand made EVERY decoration!  I am pretty proud of myself, so I had to do some showing off!

 

My Center Pieces





 I just threw the center piece on the left together with some of the party supplies I pick up at, you guessed it, the Dollar Tree.  I just moved, adjusted, and added items until I liked the way it looked.  The center piece on the right is the one I'm most proud of.  Just look at that thing!  101 Dum Dums.  I saw something similar on Pintrest that sparked my interest.  I figured a vase, Styrofoam ball, filling material, and suckers.  I put it all together and volia!

 Decorations

The decorations where simple and cheap, but a little time consuming.  I just used "trash", like old news paper, toilet paper rolls, and some left over Styrofoam.  All I did after that was wrap them up to look like candy!  I strung them up around the house.  It looked great!  I also made a small poster using pictures of my daughter for the last eight years to show how much she has grown.  The poster was a hit and got a lot of complements. But, I thought it looked a little cluttered.  Oh well!  Most of my inspiration came from pictures and party blogs on the internet.  I have attached some links below for you to browse.

The Set-Up

 

 

 







I set all the candies and center pieces out on a long party table and covered it with a plastic table cloth.  The idea of the party was for the kids for decorate there own pudding pies with all the candy their little hearts desired.  Even though the idea of candy in my pudding grosses me out, they all loved it!

My plan was for them to bring the pies home as a treat, but they where eaten right away!  All and all, I think I planned a great party, and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.









 





http://www.karaspartyideas.com/2012/07/candy-shoppe-sweet-crush-party.html

http://dollarstorecrafts.com/find-projects/parties/



My Tiny Apartment: Part 2

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

If you've been following my blog then you know how frustrated I've been with my tiny apartment lately.  I feel like I'm living in a hamster cage!  After I realized that I can't make my apartment grow, I started researching different ways to open up space, get rid of clutter, and make it look bigger.  There are a couple techniques that have come up in most of the articles I have read and they are mirrors and more light. I really liked the idea of a mirror in my living room.  So... since I'm working on a budget I had to get creative.  This is what I came up with, a DIY tiled mirror .  The best part, because I already had some of the materials, it only cost $5 (thank you Dollar Tree) !!!!  Here's how I did it:

Materials
4-6 Dollar Tree mirrors (I used 4- 10.5"x14")
Lots of duct tape
Black foam core board
Crafting Glue

Step 1


Start working with all the mirrors facing down. Attach all the mirrors together and secure with duct tape.  It is very import to make sure they are PERFECTLY lined up or your going to end up with a goofy looking project.  This was the hardest part for me so I pushed the mirrors against the wall to help me line them up.




Step 2

Once the mirrors are lined up and secure, duct tape the heck out of them!  The duct tape is what is securing the mirrors together so don't be shy with the duct tape.  The more the merrier!

Step 3

Now, using the craft glue, attach the core board to the back.  This will stabilize the mirrors. Let the glue dry completely. I trimmed the board around the edges so nothing would stick out.  I also trimmed the board so that the hanging hooks on the top where exposed. If you choose not to do that, you can just use some picture hanging wire.








That's it!  I hung mine in the living room.  It has definitely brightened up the room by reflecting the light from the window, but as far as making the room feel bigger... I don't know.  But I like it!  Give it a try and tell me how yours turned out. Have fun!

My finished mirror, hung on the wall.

                                                           Check this out for more ideas
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/small-spaces/strategies/space-solution-every-room/#page=1

My Ode to the $Dollar Tree$

                                                   http://www.dollartree.com/home.jsp

When your on a budget, but still need to maintain a household and run a business, you have GOT to find the best bang for you buck.  I do this at the Dollar Tree (or whatever dollar store is in your area)!  My dollar store recently started taking manufactures coupons too! Yay!  I just got a bottle of Palmolive dish soap for .50 cents with a coupon (still coming off that coupon high).  There are so many ways to clean, organize, run the house, and still have a little fun on a budget at the Dollar Tree!  Here are a few ideas I have come up with on my MANY trips to the dollar store:

General Cleaning
If you know me, you know how much I love my magic erasers!  I'm a walking advertisement for those things.  I always buy my magic erasers at the dollar store.  $1 for a 2pk.  You can't bet the price, and they work just as well as the name brand.  When cleaning, I save a ton of money by mixing my own cleaning supplies.  The Dollar Tree has empty spray bottles and bleach or vinegar (whatever you prefer).  I mix 1/8 bleach with water and I have my own multi-purpose cleaner (be careful if you are wearing dark clothes, the solution will leave bleach stains. Trust me!).  Amazing, I know! Don't forget to keep an eye out for a great deal.  My Dollar Tree occasionally has Lysol toilet bowl cleaner.  $1 for Lysol toilet cleaner is a great deal itself, but when they started taking coupons ($1 off two Lysol products) it got even better.  Two bottle for $1.00.  Holy DEAL, Batman!

                                                                                            Organization

"Shoe Box" Storage

I love the Dollar Tree's plastic carry-all totes with handles.  I have one for work and one for home to organize my cleaning supplies.  It makes it so easy to take everything from room to room. It also saves time not having to back track because you for got something.  I have also stocked up on plastic storage "shoe" boxes (see pic).  They stack nicely on my shelf.  Plus, I label them all so I won't  need to dig for what I'm looking for.  The Dollar Tree has all kinds of hanging wire racks, over the door hooks, draw organizers, and plastic food storage options and SO much more. I also found some L-shaped brackets for hanging shelves once.  My favorite new find are these off-brand vacuum storage bags.  Saves to much precious space in my tiny apartment! 



Home & Office
From envelopes to erasers, Dollar Tree has it all! I don't buy office supplies any where else. They have 80 ct legal envolpes for only, you guessed it, $1.00!  I love the shipping envelopes for those packages to Grandpa in Memphis. The envelope size determines how many come in a package. I get my receipts with the carbon copy to track my income. Paper clips, pens, rubber bands, highlighters, poster boards (2/$1), crayons, ect...  Most of it is cheaper than the supermarkets, but watch the ads during back to school time. Many stores have better deals that time of year.

Home Decor, Crafts, Party Supplies, ect...

You never know what you will at the dollar store. I always walk every aisle looking for that "treasure". I am planning a birthday party for my daughter and have purchased almost everything at the Dollar Tree. Plates, decorations, gift bags, serving trays... You name it! The crafting stuff is amazing.  There are different items almost every time I go, and I go to the Dollar Tree a LOT  I can always keep my crafting tackle box full now.  Right now I'm working on a DIY home decor project, but more on that in my next post....

So, grab a $20 and go fill up your cart. You never know what you may find!