How I keep my lettuce fresh for days!

This is sooooo simple. I wish I had known this years ago. I love dark green lettuce, leaf lettuce being my favorite. When it's on sale, I stock up! I got all of this for $2.00. Even with making a huge, taco salad this week, there's so much remaining. But as of today, it's still crisp! I had a tuna wrap with it yesterday & we be eating more of it today.

Salad spinners are for the birds, in my opinion. I bought one & used it once. With all the emptying of the water, using such small amounts in the bucket, spinning & respinning, rinse & repeat - forget that! I can wash the lettuce & dry it faster that using that darn thing.

This is what I do to keep my lettuce yummy & crisp:

First, I lay it on a cutting board & cut off the stalk. Then, I wash it all. All of it. Under cold water. After, I put several pieces in my hand & 'shake' them in the sink, to help release some of the water. I then spread it out on towels or paper towels.



Then the monotony starts, especially when washing so much lettuce at once. I take dry paper towels, stretch out the leaves, & start patting. And patting & patting & patting. They don't have to be perfectly dry, but they need to be mostly dry.

Once that is complete, I start packing. In the beginning, I used zip lock baggies, then switched to produce bags (as seen in the photo), but discovered they are too thin & rip easily, so I'm back to zip lock baggies. They work awesome.



In the baggie, layer a paper towel, leaves of lettuce, paper towel, leaves of lettuce, paper towel. Zip it up & it will stay fresh, dry & crisp for a week or longer! Fresh, clean & ready to go. (If I have less lettuce, I only use one, or two at the most, paper towels.)

Happy leafing!

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Lots of good news!

Current photo of my cuties on Easter. This was simply a quick shot & I love it so much! I can't believe how quick my kids are growing. Time is slipping away! They aren't so little anymore. Sniff.

In other news:

Because I prefer large photos on my blog, for years now I have always uploaded my photos to Photobucket first & then uploaded them here in my blog posts. Photobucket cut me off! I reached my 'free' bandwidth or some hogwash, so they froze all my photos! Grr. :) I had to pay $2.99 monthly to get my photos back. Good news - I can cancel that anytime, so I'll be doing that before my next installment is do. I just need to switch out my photos first & that will take some time. Better news - I found a tutorial on how to trick Blogger so I can upload my large images directly to my posts & omit Photobucket all the way around, & it worked! If you'd like to do the same, you can find the tutorial here. I love free. :)

I am really, really, really into another 'saving money' mode! Oh my! I love to save money & I don't like all the areas I feel as if I'm wasting money. I think I've slipped a little. $20 for a car wash? Really? No more! I'm getting my rear end outside & washing my car myself. Heck, my kids will love that! I like my car spotless, it's great exercise washing & drying & vacuuming & cleaning - why pay? No thanks! :)

In addition, another area I just saved us money after literally wasting $30+ every single month is with our home phone landline. Because we have cell phones, we rarely use it. But with young children, & after having our number for so long, I just was not comfortable ridding it. Last month I switched to BasicTalk. It's $9.99 (+ taxes & fees) a month! No landline - BasicTalk works through your computer line. And it works GREAT! Crystal clear & works the very same. Can only have one phone, though, since they don't plug into your landline outlets. Fine by me! I actually love not having phones all over to collect dirt & dust. Our computer line is in our master bedroom, so I have our cordless phone plugged in there & it's no trouble at all. It cost me $12.22, I believe, to hook up BasicTalk. They ported my number for free, hooked us up with 911 capabilities (very important), mailed us the box (typically $29.99) for free, waived the $9.99 activation fee so that was free - hello!? - winning! OMG I love FREE! If you don't want to rid your home phone but don't want to continue paying the high price through regular carriers, check into BasicTalk! Nope, they aren't paying me to say that - it's just a less expensive option that I'm very satisfied with. :)

Starting to cook low-carb here, so recipes coming soon. One thing that I've noticed: low-carb does not mean low-fat. Yikes! I have to keep my eye on that. Hopefully, lots of yummy recipes coming soon. And more blogging!! And more thrifting - it's past time!

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Amazing homemade, non-toxic, disinfecting wipes!

Back story quickly - my oldest son suffers severely with allergies. 75% of his allergies are related to the outdoors. About 25% indoors. Nonetheless, when I quit using toxic, chemical cleaners in my home, my sons' allergies improved drastically & for the first time in 12 years, he didn't need medication daily to manage them. He went, literally, months, with no medication! He no longer suffered & for that reason alone, I will never, ever use store-bought cleaners again.

That said - wipes. We use them. With 4 kids & 2 dogs, we need them. Even though I no longer have a baby (sniff), I always continued to purchase baby wipes because they are convenient. But I ran out. We are battling colds, & while out shopping the other night, I picked up some disinfecting wipes & tossed them in my basket. As I continued to shop, I knew it was wrong buying those things. Yes, I wanted a disinfecting wipe this round, but I did not want that horrible, strong, overpowering smell, as well as the chemicals, back in my house. After 20 minutes, I went & put the wipes back & decided I would make my own.

And I did! This is my own process. :)

Supplies:

35 or so paper towels (I only use Walmart brand, white, select-a-size paper towels. Great price & great quality.)
16 oz. of prepared Basic G non-toxic disinfectant/germicide (more information on Basic G at the bottom of this post.)
Container (as you can see, I used an old Target baby wipe container.)

*The reason I chose to use prepared Basic G is because I wanted to be confident the ratio of cleaner/water formula was accurate. Using it already mixed properly, I now know my wipes are effective! No second guessing, hoping I got the ratio correct. Now I know I'm killing germs, without a doubt! You can use any disinfectant you prefer - I suggest you use it in it's 'ready to use' form. If you don't, you are guessing at the formula & there's a possibility you aren't killing any germs/bacteria. Basically, you'd be using cleaning wipes with water & touch of cleaner. I want to know my wipes are effective.



First, I triple folded the paper towels & placed them in the container:





I then took about 1/4 of them out, poured in my Basic G: (Originally, I just poured the solution on top, but noticed due to thickness, the middle & bottom wipes were dry - so I did it in steps.)



Added a few more & poured in Basic G - I did this to ensure all paper towels got wet, then I shook the container to distribute more of the solution:



And then...

Tada!



Tip - I discovered if you triple fold unevenly (similar to baby wipes) - fold the first fold about 3/4 up & then fold the rest over - it will allow you a little flap, in which to grab & pull through the hole.

Tip - I added the entire 16 oz. bottle of cleaner, because the towels are thick & it took a lot. The wipes are just a tad too moist (bonus! Just squeeze the excess out in the sink - it's non-toxic, so it's ok!). Next time I'll try 3/4 of the bottle, instead, & see how that works. Obviously, if you make less wipes, use less cleaner. Shoot for less because you can always add more.



Took me 6 minutes to triple fold 35 paper towels. All together, making 35 homemade, non-toxic, disinfecting wipes took me 10 minutes. 10 minutes! I can't even get to the store, grab wipes, check out & be home again in 10 minutes! Winning! :)

I love them. Love, love, love them! My husband & I both have already used some. I will never buy store-bought, chemical & fragrance filled wipes again! I should have done this years ago!

Oh, & total price? To make a 16 oz. bottle of Basic G the cost is about $.05 cents. Paper towels, for 35, lets just say $.50 cents. So about $.55 cents & that's possibly a little high! Not bad, huh? Winning again! :)

**Check out the incredible Basic G. Click here! I will never use any other disinfectant & it lasts forever!! It's a huge bottle & because it's so concentrated, it has a 3 year shelf life. Basic G cleans, deodorizes & disinfects in one simple step! It is effective against more than 40 bacteria, fungi, and viruses, including: Salmonella, E-coli, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Strep pathogens, Herpes simplex types I & II, HIV-1 (AIDS virus), Influenza-A/Hong Kong, Athletes Foot, Feline leukemia, Canine distemper, Rabies, and more. Basic-G is neutral pH, gentle to human skin, Kosher, EPA registered and environmentally friendly. And no residue left over! It's amazing!

Linking up: A Bowl Full of Lemons, Not Just a Housewife, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Shabby Nest, House of Rose, By Stephanie Lynn, Alderberry Hill, Uncommon Designs , Huckleberry Love, Home Stories A to Z, Between Naps on the Porch

Life is beautiful.

We've already determined (way too many times...ha) that I am redecorating our entire downstairs (& bathrooms) in the colors black, white & gray, with different pops of color in each room. All this is being done on a budget. Pretty much a non-existent budget. It's also been determined that I don't like much art on my walls. I am very, very picky & I don't do 'pictures'. I do photos of my kids, their art work & words. Words. Simple, lovely words. So imagine my delight when I recently spotted these decals while at the dollar store!



Oh yes, sweet little sayings for $1. One dollar! I only bought one to start with & I applied it tonight. Love, love, love!



I can't wait to go back & purchase gobs more. More for me, more for my kids' rooms. More for happiness.

Because I was searching the dollar store (Dollar Tree, to be exact) for a specific back-to-school item, I had to go to several different Dollar Trees. And I noticed something. The bigger the store, the bigger selection of wall decals they have! Yip!

So there you have it. Go get some! Liven up your walls! Express yourself & your life with words! On the cheap, to boot! Winning!!

And have you heard?

Life is beautiful!

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Linking up: Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Shabby Nest

I MADE IT TO IKEA!!

That deserves all caps because I have waited a very long time to get there! Ours is about an hour away, so even though I've wanted to go, I just never got around to it. Instead, I lived vicariously (drooling) through everyone else's Ikea posts! Until, until, this weekend! My husband needed bunk beds for a photo shoot he has this week & we exhausted all Craigs List ads, all online garage sale ads & just had no luck. So, out of the blue & on a whim, we made our way to Ikea! Now that I'm incorportating black, white & gray into our entire home, I could not wait to see all the beauty!!

By the way, Ikea is, um, very crowded on a Saturday afternoon. So we made our way in & we made our way up & walked the complete opposite way of the provided arrows. I'm a rebel like that. :) I loved everything! And the prices were amazing! But where are the dishes? The linens? You know, the fun stuff? It wasn't there & I was very disappointed. Sadly, I even vowed not to return. Sigh.

Then, we had to go downstairs to pay for the bunk beds & a twin bed I bought my oldest son. We hopped on the elevator & exited out the back & not the front that we had come in. What? I am easily confused, I was new to the store & at this point, I was just wondering if I would ever see my home again. But wait. The elevator went down & when the doors opened - what to my wonderous eyes did I see????????



WAHOOOOOO!! Another level with all my heart's desires!! I think I may have done a few cartwheels, as my husband passed out because he thought we were through. Bwahahaha! Oh no no no we weren't through! I, was just beginning!!



But alas, it had been a long day, the kids were tired, so I made a mental note to return & get "this & this & this & that & this & that & this & this & this..." & I picked up a few things along the way. I couldn't leave with nothing!



(No bags. I didn't really like that part. But, ok. Next time I'll buy a $.60 Ikea bag. :)

First time I have purchased a pillow insert, too. I really like the concept, though, of simply changing out pillow covers so I think I'll get quite a few more. I just happened to have another 20x20 pillow here at home that didn't sell at the garage sale, so I shoved that in another new cover. Winning!!



I haven't distributed the beautiful, broken, decorative glass yet (my OCD kicked in & I couldn't decide which color to buy, so I got all three. Black, gray & white! Gorgeous!).

I put my new, delish stuff in the front living room, which is really 'my' room, & this room is going to be black, gray, white & PINK. Heck yeah! Pink, baby! Why not? I love pink! And it goes swimmingly (ahem) with black, gray & white. And after all, it is my house! Rules schmules!! As I make more progress - & get all the school supplies you can't see delivered to their appropriate schools - I'll be showing the entire room.

This, is JUST, the beginning!!

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Another thrift!

I love to blog hop! I love to look at other people's stuff. :) Browsing fun posts on other blogs relaxes me. It allows me time to just sit, chill out, get ideas & relax. There's nothing stressful, there's nothing negative, there's nothing hateful or ugly. It's just nice. And that's what I want my weekly blog hops to be about. And I gotta say, people's creativity blows me away. I love seeing what other people do!

We've had a crazy week here at our home due to all sorts of things, so this week, I'm sharing my thrifting finds. I love thrifting! I love thrifting for the very same reasons I love blog hopping - it relaxes me. It's fun. It allows me to unfocus & just be. I browse & see if I can find a good deal. And I love a good deal!



I fell in love with this lamp! Even more, I fell in love with the price tag - $5! Awesomeness! Only to find out once I got home, the $5 sticker was an old garage sale sticker & the actual price, & what I paid, was $10.75. lol Next time I'll pay attention. *Can't wait to paint this puppy! I've already looked at colors at Lowe's, but I think Home Depot has a much better spray paint selection, so I need to go there to purchase.

The white glass vases, I probably shouldn't have bought. But I'm so into clean, white right now, so I grabbed them.

I bought the lamp light for my son & paid $3.15. It's well made, so I thought that was a good price. But I did see a brand new one at Lowe's for a little over $4.

Thrift shops have become quite the obsession lately & I do believe they are capitalizing on that fact! Their prices really do need to be less expensive. I pass on a lot of items due to price.

Here's the breakdown:

lamp - $10.75
glass vase - $5.95
glass vase - $5.95
desk lamp - $3.15

Total w/ tax: $27.93

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Some cute Hobby Lobby!

Good evening Wednesday!

Last Wednesday, we went to Hobby Lobby. Oh Lord, how I love Hobby Lobby!



Seriously. How cute are they? They're heavy, too. I have no idea where to put them! I wish I had a kitchen window. I don't. But I'm thankful I have a kitchen! :)



These two little tykes were in the clearance section. Yip! I would not have purchased them if they had not been. Check out the original prices, but better yet, check out what I paid for them! Cha ching!





Cute & cheap? Winning!!

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No more paper plates!

Lets face it, they sure are convenient. With 4 kids, homework, dance, band, myself now employed & working, my husband working long hours, dishes, laundry, shopping, cleaning, life - using paper plates is just one of those things that makes life simpler.

I vowed long ago to give up paper plates. And though I don't use them near as often as I did, I'm still buying them. Last weekend, my husband got a new truck. He works his butt off for our family & he deserves that new truck. But with that new truck, came another vehicle payment (his previous truck had been paid off for years). I mentioned in the post below, another vehicle payment is not in our budget. It's not there. So I have to make it there.

I love a good challenge & I'm loving saving money anywhere I can. When I look back, seeing the amount of money we (especially, me!) have blown over the years literally makes me sick. I'm so ashamed. How stupid! I can't change the past, but I sure can change the present & the future. Foregoing paper plates might be just a tiny improvement, but every tiny improvement adds up. Granted, these paper plates only cost about $4 or so. But that $4 I'd rather have in my pocket!! Let me encourage you, ditch the paper plates. Put that $4 in your pocket, too!

You know what I always say - any change is better than no change at all!

As I come across areas where I'll be saving our family money, I'll be blogging those changes, so be sure to follow along. I'm just getting started & I have a long way to go. Project: Money Smart is underway!

Dani Johnson shared three money saving tips, so I'll post them for you. Maybe these tips will help your family, as well. No, Dani Johnson doesn't know I blog about her & I'm not compensated in any way. She's a smart lady & a huge inspiration. So I share, in hopes of learning from her wisdom. I also posted this information on my Facebook page the other day.

From Dani:

"I have 3 very simple tips I want to share with you today that are really going to show you some places where you may be losing money:

1. Avoid catalogs! Get rid of department store catalogs and get off of email lists today. CANCEL your catalogs from Victoria's Secret, Apple, electronic stores, nutrition stores, and the rest of the traps where you shop. Think about it... The only reason they have your address or your email address is to sell you something. These catalogs and emails are nothing but sales letters.

2. Sell your stuff! Have a garage sale. You don't need tons of stuff! It just takes time to manage, dust, and keep clean and organized. So sell it! Use the money to pay off debt or to invest. I once had a garage sale, and we made $2,600 in one weekend in my tiny little town. I also sold a bunch of my clothes and made $2,000. That's $4,600 from STUFF! Do I miss any of it? No way! Heck, I don't even remember what I sold! Neither will you...

3. Eat what is in your pantry! Do not go to the grocery store until all the food in your house is gone. For most people that is at least 30 days. (I've even had clients who said they didn't go to the grocery store for 6 months!) See, we have been trained to think that our refrigerators and pantries are supposed to be well-stocked. But, my friend, you have been duped by advertising. If you do not go to the grocery store for the next 30 days and eat everything in your pantry, that is CASH in your kitchen! Take the money you would have spent on food and attack your debt with it."

I have to giggle at the "Sell your stuff" because I have been saying for months now that we should all get rid of some of our stuff, because it's just more to dust! Ha! But that's the truth, isn't it? :)

Here's another post I did not long ago regarding little things I do to save our family money. Click here.

How are you saving your family money?

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Where can you cut back?

It's no secret I LOVE Dani Johnson. Don't know her story? Click here!

Currently, it's safe to say I'm totally obsessed with Dani Johnson. She is such an amazing inspiration!! She is a 'no holds barred', 'cut to the chase' kind of lady. She doesn't fool around. And it has gotten her - everywhere!!

Yesterday I watched a video she did where she goes shopping. Love it, love it! So I thought I would share:

It's time to batten down the hatches around here at the Adoring the Simple home. My husband has no choice but to sell his 2004 Diesel.  He needs a newer, more reliable vehicle.  Truth is, we can't afford another vehicle payment. The funds are just not there. So I need to make it happen. I have to find the money. And I'm determined! I am going to be successful!  I LOVE money-saving tips. Any & all. Think about it. Like myself, you, too, would be surprised where you can find extra money, if we'd all just pay attention & be more conscious of our spending. I'm on it! I'm going to make this work. I don't have a choice! Care to join me? Because I'm starting NOW! *I learned of Dani Johnson through my Shaklee team. Dani Johnson is one of the awesome resources we get our Shaklee training from. For FREE. Dani has been a huge blessing for me, personally & professionally. I still have so much to learn from her & I am so excited & so ready to learn all I can! And for free? Yes, please! I will take that! Soon, I will be adding a page explaining how I work from home, making money from blogging. You can do it, too, if you desire to help others get healthy, desire financial gain & dream of being debt free. Your dream can become a reality! One of my teammates just paid off $55K in debt & put down a down payment on their dream house! She is just one of many happy, successful stories. Oh, & she makes 99% of her income from blogging & networking. She never leaves her home! Anyway, if any of that interests you, watch for my new link, coming soon. If it interests you NOW, shoot me an email right now! adoringthesimple@gmail.com You can hop on my team now & you can start making money NOW! I will teach you how to do what I do! What we all do! You will join our private Facebook page that is so incredible. Incredible team, incredible/invaluable teaching & incredible relationships! Find yourself again. Be in control. Find your worth, work your butt off & reap your dreams! Happy Friday! Follow me on Facebook! Click here!!

Some little things I do to save our family money!

Saving money is something I strive for, but I'm not great at. I'm still learning as I go, however, & do what I can to cut back in certain areas. I tried the coupon thing but gosh, it didn't work for me. It took so much of my time & I burned out quick. Finally, I gave it up. I do not use coupons unless there's one on the item I'm purchasing or I just happen to have one handy, for whatever reason.

But. I do try, & here are a just a few things I do:

I rewash & reuse plastic utensils. I send them to school in my kids' lunches, they bring them back & I toss them in my dishwasher basket. No need to buy more when these get washed & work just fine.



I reuse grocery bags. Not only do I use them at my garage sales, but I also empty bathroom trash cans in them, I empty vacuum cleaner canisters in them, I throw out leftover food in them, & then I walk them straight out to the garage trash can. I use these to save my large, kitchen trash bags. I don't have to purchase my kitchen trash bags as often.



Bar mops. I love bar mops! I use them for almost everything. These are strictly for my kitchen. Instead of dirtying a plate, wasting a paper plate or paper towel, we use these for quick snacks, fruits or in place of a napkin. We use the same one throughout the day (unless it gets icky) & at the end of the day, we shake them out & toss them in the laundry. You can get a bundle of them for around $5 at Walmart.



Shaklee's Microfiber Window & Mirror cloth. This thing rocks & saves so many paper towels! And no, it doesn't leave streaks whatsoever. Wash & reuse, wash & reuse.



Plastic containers for school lunches. I've looked at many options & I'm considering some of them, but for now, I use these. Sandwiches/whatever go in the large ones & the smallers ones hold raisins, carrots, ranch, whatever. Wash & reuse & it saves from using so many baggies.



Homemade shaving lotion. Yes! We use it. My husband uses it! Cracks me up. I'm experimenting still to make it thicker, but it totally works & saves so much money from having to purchase shaving gels. Recipe here.



And of course, I am saving a bundle using Shaklee's cleaners. Seriously. I purchased my kit in May & I have not had to reorder anything but the Germ Off wipes (I use those all around my toilets) & Dish Washer Concentrate. I can pretty much guarantee I won't need to purchase Basic H (makes THREE amazing cleaners!) or Basic G (disinfectant!) for another 6 months, at least. My Scour Off is running low, so I may need to reorder that in a month or two. Not only are they non-toxic, they just last forever & they work incredibly well.



So that's it! That's what I do as of now & like I said, I'm always searching for other ways to save. What do you do to save money? Please share!

Wishing you & your families a very blessed, happy Thanksgiving!

Homemade DIY shaving lotion! The results!

I tried it today! The results? On a scale of 1 - 10, 10 being fab, I'd give the lotion a 6.

I am disappointed with how thin it is, as a lot of the lotion ran off my leg(s) as I was applying. That said, it smells divine, it felt silky smooth & my razor ran very smooth against my leg(s), spite the watery product. I was also disappointed in how dry my legs are afterwards. I haven't used baby oil in years & I forgot how much I love the sweet smoothness (& scent) of it. I really thought my legs would look & feel more moisturized.

That said, will I continue to use this DIY shaving lotion? Yes! The amount of money I'm going to save by not purchasing commercial shaving gel is priceless. Last night I used products on hand, so basically, this batch cost me nothing. And my goodness, it's going to last a very long time! However, if you recall, last night I traded my better quality products for cheapie products, right before mixing. I won't do that again. I think had the shampoo/conditioner/lotion been a better quality (hence, thicker consistency), the results would be more pleasing. So, I definitely will be implementing those changes, as well as adding a tablespoon or two more of baby oil. Possibly even lotion. And really, considering how much this formula makes & how long it will last, even if using much pricier products, it's still going to be cost effective.

Thinking out loud here - the variations are really endless. I could use good, quality products that are healthier (i.e. paraben/sulfate free) & I could change out the baby oil for baby oil gel. I could use lotion that is fragrance-free, to avoid adding another scent. So much tweaking can be done. It's kind of fun! When I get the recipe that I'm really happy with, of course, I'll repost! In the meantime, make some yourself & see if you like it. Recycle a bottle (mine is a Dial Body Wash bottle), use products you already have on hand, go ahead & make the changes I'm going to implement to see if the lotion thickens any. If you make it & try it, holler at me!

Happy shaving!

Homemade DIY shaving lotion!

I have been wanting to try this DIY recipe for so long, but couldn't find 'lotion' bottles (& really didn't want to spend money on one), so I waited until we had an empty Dial Body Wash bottle & I'm using that. Recycle & repurpose, right?

Shaving Lotion Recipe:

1 cup conditioner.
1 cup shampoo.
5 tablespoons each: lotion & baby oil.
Mix & let sit 1 hour.

When I was gathering the products, I pulled out what I currently use. Thankfully, before I mixed it up, it dawned on me to use the cheapest products I have on hand. So I put my good shampoo/conditioner/lotion away & scrounged up cheapies! Whew! I can't even tell you how old the baby oil is!

Next time, I'll just dump the product directly in the mixing bowl, but this time I measured & poured them into little individual bowls: (I bought these little glass bowls for a science experiment a few years ago & I can't tell you how often I use these. Love them.)



Then, I poured them all in:



And mixed them together. I was going to let them sit for an hour in the bowl, but decided it would be easier to pour the lotion into the bottle if it was in a measuring cup with a spout. So I dumped it in there & let it sit for an hour:



An hour is up, I poured it in the bottle & I will test it tomorrow! It smells divine & looks so silky - I hope it works! Be sure to check back tomorrow for an update!



Disclaimer - this is not my recipe. I saw it on Pinterest & decided to try it. You can find the original here.

My Goodwill lamp - score!

I fell in love with this lamp the minute I saw it. I don't know why - it matches nothing in my house! It's a 'seafoam green', & my house has turquoise, but I love the color & I love the 'retro' look. And at $5.95, I loved the price! So I bought it anyway.

The lamp shade was not included; I had purchased the shade (at the same Goodwill & I paid $1.99 for it!) prior for a different lamp. I ran the shade through the dishwasher to clean it (I'm so smart sometimes). I think it looks good on this lamp!

Now. Where to put the lamp that matches nothing...? :)

*That little round dark spot? It's not on the lamp - the lamp is flawless. I need to check my lens as it may be a water spot or something on my camera lens.

Smashbox lipgloss versus Bonnie Bell lipgloss.

Here's another scenario that proves my theory - one does not have to spend a lot of money on makeup to look glamorous. I don't care what anybody else says. They're wrong. And I know everything, so I must be right. Ha!

Ah, shiny lips. Beautiful, yummy, shiny lips. I'd sure like some. Without the sticky.

In December, I splurged. I spent $18 & bought this:



Only to return it after Christmas because, ew! It was icky, sticky gross. Loved the color & application - hated the sticky. Fast forward to yesterday. Browsing the makeup at Walmart. Because, that's where I get all of my makeup. Walmart. Or any drugstore, really. Anyway, I yet again decided I'd like to attempt some sticky-free shiny gloss. I've tried a few different brands, but had no luck. As I was picking up some Lipsmackers (a must have in most rooms of my house!), I spotted this for $2.94. Might as well give it a try, for a mere $3. Not out much if the end result is as horrid as the others. (That's not a crack in the lid - that's their design. There's one on the other side, too.)



Guess what? LOVE! Pretty shine with little to no sticky! I really couldn't believe it. But it's great! I did notice the color fades sooner than the shine does. I don't recall them having a huge selection in colors, but a darker color might work better or, this might be a gloss that can be worn on top of lipstick. I'll try that next.

So. Let's sum this up real quick. The professional, expensive brand for $18 was gross. The drugstore, inexpensive brand for $3 rocks! Tough call, heh? Finding the right makeup products takes time & trial & error. But what it doesn't take, is a lot of money to look & feel beautiful! And that, is priceless. :)

(A few months ago I had a friend tell me about Sephora's brand of gloss. Kriss loves it & says it's not sticky. I actually picked some up on Friday night, for $10. Because our flood mishap that happened on Saturday, I haven't opened it yet. Now? I'll be returning it simply because $3 is cheaper than $10. Thanks Kriss!)



Again my opinion - it doesn't matter if you purchase expensive, professional brand makeup or drugstore, less expensive brand makeup. If you don't know how, &/or don't take the time to apply it properly, it's not going to look good. Brand has nothing to do with how one wears their makeup.

Happy beautifying!

For the love of Barmops.

I am probably the last to discover these little jewels! Oh how I ♥ them! :)

Back when I was attempting to eliminate paper towels, I purchased some of these to use as napkins. However, I don't care for napkins & these seemed so much more absorbent. Now, I just keep buying more & more & I love them! I use them in the kitchen anytime I need a paper towel (or, almost anytime I need a paper towel, rather - depends on the chore). I wipe my hands on them while cooking, so I don't constantly dirty my kitchen towels. I drain fruit on them, instead of placing the strainer on a paper towel. When I spray my Clorox Anywhere, I use these instead of paper towels. The list goes on & on. ☺

At Wal-Mart, for a pack of 8, they cost approximately $5.98. Considering how long they last, that's quite a bargain! Use, use, wash, bleach, use & reuse! Awesome!

You know me, when I really appreciate a less expensive product, I'm all about sharing! So go get you some! ☺

**What the heck does 'barmop' mean anyway...?

For the love of baby wipes.

Having now had four babies in the house, I know my baby wipes. ☺ I guarantee you over the years I have tried almost every name brand & store brand from just about every - single - store. Liked some; others, not so much. Until I tried Target brand. Just another product I purchased one time & never went back to any other brand. I have used them now for 3 years or so.

I make special trips to Target just to get their baby wipes. I stock up, I'm telling you! I have them in the diaper bag, in my purse & in my kitchen. They are durable & every bit as good as the brand names, if not better. ;o) Fragrance-free (I buy unscented because I use on the face, around eyes & mouth), soft, durable - the whole package. They aren't a whole lot less expensive than the name brand wipes, but a few dollars is fine with me. And considering I buy & have bought so many over the years, that's a lot of dollars! :)

Their new name is Up & Up. Target's generic brand. I can almost promise you, you will absolutely love them! And so will that tiny tushy you're cleaning. ☺

(Btw, baby wipes are really handy for cleaning baseboards & other cleaning projects! :o)

For the love of kitchen trash bags.

Stumbled across these by accident. Hubby ran to the store one night, so I asked him to pick up trash bags. I didn't specify 'kitchen' trash bags, so he assumed I meant outdoor trash bags. For leaves, weeds, trash, etc. outside, we use any brand. For inside trash bags, I typically am a devoted Glad Force Flex user. If you use those too, you know how expensive they are!

Anyways, he picked up these. I was out of my Glad's, so I had no choice but to use them. They work fine! Here's the deal. These are larger & hold more trash (these are 30 gallon, I don't recall what size the Glad kitchen bags are). So my routine is this: when my kitchen trash can/bag gets full, I pull it out & gently bang it on the floor (to distribute/settle the trash, allowing extra room). Because they are spacious, I then empty my bathroom trash cans & any other trash I can find before tieing it & taking it to the garage. Most of the time, I can get lots more trash in them! I do know they are not as tough/durable as the Glad's, but I have yet to have one rip. And because I can get a lot more trash in these trash bags, I get more bang for my buck. Naturally, they are less expensive than the Glad's!

Less expensive kitchen trash bags + each bag holds more trash = more money in our pockets! Yay! If you try them & like them, let me know! ☺

For the love of paper towels.

Savvy Shopping has returned! Now try to contain your excitement (yep, I say that often)! ☺ Evidently, a few people liked my Savvy Shopping posts & actually tried some of the products that I recommend (who knew?), so I thought I would post every now & then when I discover a good bargain. Who doesn't ♥ a good bargain? I sure do! :)

I deleted the original post for these paper towels (previous name for these is Oasis), so this post is for you, in case you missed the original!

For years I was a faithful Bounty user, I'm telling you I would use nothing else. I must have white, I must have select-a-size, & I must have good, durable paper towels. Bounty filled those requirements. One day @ Wal-Mart, I decided to give their Oasis brand a try. Fabulous! And, they come in white, they come in select-a-size, & they are super absorbent. Best yet - they are less expensive than Bounty! From that day on I haven't purchased Bounty again & I'm sure I won't. Why pay more for a product that works just as good?

Great Value is what they are called now (as is most of WM's generic brands) - the packaging/name changed, but the product did not. Try them, I'm sure you will love them too! Let me know! ☺