Nicole

How to Clean & Refresh Micro-Suede!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today’s Tutorial Tuesday post, is a selfish endeavor for me, as it involves the odious task of safely cleaning micro-suede at home! According to the National Furniture Market 2014 Sales Record, 1:6 sales nationally were micro-suede, and so I would imagine this post can help a lot of you, too! As you can see above, the sectional in our den needed a bit of work, and honestly, I have just not wanted to clean this couch. So, with a little research and trial and error, and a few profanities later, I can come up with the most economical, time-friendly way to clean this household staple!

Materials Needed:

Spray Bottle Nozzle (on hand)
Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol (on hand)
White Sponge ($0.25, from 4 pack at dollar tree)
Soft Bristle Brush (on hand)
Credit Card (on hand)
Vacuum (on hand)

Total Cost: $0.25

Here’s how to clean it:

Thoroughly vacuum your furniture piece; front sides, under cushions, back panels, and inner-connective parts, if needed.
Place a Spray Nozzle on a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
Spray down your couch with rubbing alcohol; your fabric will need to be damp but not saturated.
Start working from your cushions down, take a white sponge (this will prevent artificial dyes from the sponge from being transferred to your fabric), working in a circular motion, work up stains in the fabric.
Let the fabric dry approximately 20 minutes.
After this time check your fabric, and if stains still persist, follow steps 1-4 with a clean sponge.
Once the fabric is cleaned, and fully dry, take the edge of a credit card, and scrape the top of the fabric in long, straight lines.
This will allow the fabric nap to be raised and will allow the original colors of the fabric to emerge.

So, as you can see… this work wonders! I am super excited about the results, as this cleaning method has only set me back $0.25, the cost of a sponge! How amazing is that! If anyone has other methods for cleaning micro-suede, please leave me a comment below and let me know!

Here’s to better living,

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DIY Organic Foot Cream

2015-01-26 18:51:47

Hello again, savvy savers! With winter in mid swing, our feet, and heels in particular. need nourishing oils and emollients to keep them soft and supple. This homemade cream, rich with essential oils that helps reduce cracked feet and heels.

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Ingredients

1/2 cup Shea Butter
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
3 Tablespoons Beeswax
1/4 cup pulverized Epson salts
20 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Instructions

Start by crushing Epson salts until they are half their original size.
Continue to pulverize the salts using a spice or coffee grinder.
Transfer all ingredients to a stand mixer.
Combine the coconut oil, beeswax and Shea butter and turn on medium heat.
When melted, remove the jar from the pan and let the mixture cool until room temp and slightly opaque. At this point, put in to a medium bowl or into a blender.
If in a bowl, use a hand blender or immersion blender on medium speed and start blending the oil mixture.
Put the mixer bowl n the fridge for 15 minutes and re-blend to get body butter consistency.
After 1 hour transfer to jar or canister.
Store in fridge for a cooling lotion.
Use on cracked heels at night.
Apply a thick coat and wear socks until the cream absorbs.

By Misty Nicole Overstreet-Roberts (The Lady Prefers To Save)

The LadyPrefers2Save https://theladyprefers2save.com/

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Working Past The Workout Pain!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today I am starting another new blog series, Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style! I will be focusing on ways to live a healthier, more active lifestyle while be able to afford clean, organic, obtainable foods! I believe this series can be worthwhile for many, who like myself, wish to get more in shape, not through crash-dieting but by small attainable lifestyle changes! All of the changes I propose will be free or affordable, and most meals and plans will contain couponed savings or deals! Fads are fancy, but coupons are a commitment! With that said, here is where I am currently: I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. I am looking to lose 60 lbs., find affordable non-gym membership options for working out, and change the way I consume food; this includes meals, snacks, and splurges!

Today I am 32 years young, I am 5’6”, and weight 191 lbs; I am down tw0 pounds since last week. I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today finds my continued yoga, meditation, walking my dogs, using a pedometer, portioning my meals, and now I also measure myself monthly, using seamstress tape!

Today , I want to discuss a way I Have found to push through the pain of exercising. If you are anything like me, then losing weight was as much an aesthetic change, as a needed, life affirming chance. One thing that has hindered me is the physical pain, the exhaustion, and the sheer effort that occurs from exercising. Here is a list of ways I have found to push past the pain while exercising:

Count To 100: Focus on the steps you are taking, the vaporous breaths, and concentrate on nothing else. Count to 100 over and over again. This mental exercise can be extremely helpful during times when workouts never seem to end.
Find A Catchphrase: Find a mantra that resonates with you. It can be one word or a whole paragraph. Something that you find soothing to repeat over and over again until your workout is through or you get a true second wind; my keyword is happy, as in, “I am exercising to get back my happy.”
Picture Your Goals: You must have a reason for exercising. Call on those goals when you’re at your breaking point. Think about the pants that you can’t wait to fit into or the health gain you will receive, and even the way you will be able to just live, longer, better, and without pain and difficulty. Think small, attainable goals.
Put It Into Perspective: Compare your workout time to the rest of your day. Let’s say your exercise session is 45:00 minutes long. That leaves 23 Hrs and 15 Min out of your day that you haven’t dedicated to exercising. Your workout session really isn’t a lot of time in comparison to the rest of your day. Next time you want to drop a workout for one day to the next, consider that every time you workout you are losing the negative seconds, minutes, hours, and days that you spend in pain, in discomfort, and in a body less than you deserve. Learn to make the most out of your time, so you can make the most of your life.

Here’s to your health!

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The 31 Day No Spend Month Challange!

Hello again, savvy savers! As many of my readers and online friends may know, I am always juggling several projects, business opportunities, scholastic goals, and home projects at any given time. With so much constantly going on, it’s sometimes easy to forget one of my main passions, and antithesis for this blog, the ability to save money, while live a better live, in hopes of having a “whole living blog,” to help me have a better run life. So, for 2015 I have decided to take an old-school approach to spending, and so for every other month this year, for the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December I will be participating in a NO SPENDING month cycles!

Why this crazy idea? Well, a month of NO spending is an awesome way to both reset your spending patterns, as well as to either kick-start your budget or revamp and make changes to any existing budget you or your family may have. This is also a great challenge for personal responsibility; you can track what you have been spending your hard earned funds, and keep yourself on track, in terms of responsible spending thereafter.

I will be blogging daily about my NO SPEND struggles, victories, and suggestions from the previous day, and will be posting easy-to-follow daily challenges for my readers during my no-spend months. As well, each Sunday will share what I’ve learned, saved, and gained from this challenge as part of my Weekly Goals & Reflections Posts. I hope that many of you will join me in this challenge, as we can all you use more ways to save around the home.

The rules are pretty simple:

No spending on anything beyond absolute necessities.
Eat from your pantry & freezer as often as you are able.
And make changes to the way you purchase and consume goods, services, and commodities in your home.
The idea of the challenge is to keep up with your daily activities,, but the main goal is simply to stop spending.
This challenge can be a life changing experience, as you may just be amazed at how your mindset and perspective will change after just a month of seeing how you can enrich your life, without spending more!

There are a few exceptions to the rule as follows:

Unavoidable expenses related to employment, such as gas, are okay.
Unavoidable school related expenses.
Doctors appointments, veterinarian appointments, co-payments, family/pet prescriptions, and therapy sessions are okay.
Do keep existing service and repair appointments that can’t be rescheduled to “Spending” months, such as hair appointments, lawn care services, trash removal, in-home repair services, etc.
Do keep existing tithing and charitable giving.
Do have an adequate stockpile of necessities prior to beginning this challenge, such as pet food, bedding, litter, laundry detergent, dish soap, snow salts, bottled water and emergency staples (if you live in areas frequently affected by seasonal weather), etc.
Do keep up with healthy living habits. I will continue to use my envelope saving system to fund app purchase rebates (iBotta, Shopmium, Snap by Groupon) for fresh produce and milk savings that may pop-up during my no-spend months; due to my PCOS I need several servings of fruits and veggies daily, and these app savings help keep my freezer stocked on a budget.
And it goes without saying, please do pay all of our monthly obligations; rent, mortgage, insurance, utility payments, banking fees, student/financial/business loans, medical expenses, and assumed or credit card debt.

February is not just about not spending, although that will be our main goal. I always challenge each of you to find ways to live well, live better, find new sources of joy, will spending less. You may just find out just how much we already have, and how little more we really need. And hopefully, by the end of them month, a life rich with family, friends, and creative planning, secured by fiscally responsible measures, will be who we truly are. In addition, I hope to make my posts comments section a place of encouragement and accountability for us all, too!

I’m not gonna lie, there presumably will be tough moments, and for that reason, with one week remaining, stock-up on any items you currently feel you cannot do without; I will buy an extra pack of Cherry Coke Zero, Brumble & Brown Strawberry Spread, and a large bag of Life Should Taste Gluten-Free Chips! This planning also lends itself to the 31-day cycle, for months with less than 31 days.

I’m not sure how many of you are on board for this month’s challenge but the gauntlet has been tossed, and I am calling on all of you all to try this challenge, in your own way, with your own rules, and just to do this with me. Right here, right now let’s both commit to a whole month of no spending, starting in February!

Here’s to Saving,

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Organic Summer Gardening Prep!

Hello, savvy savers! With Spring but a few short months away, I wanted to start blogging about my upcoming garden! I know that many people are on the lookout for cheap, economical ways to eat organic, fresh produce on a dime, and I am as well. This year, I will be gardening myself, canning, and living off of what I can grow; I hope to accomplish this using simple, time-tested natural gardening methods! In addition to this, I will be keeping a running tally of all my gardening costs and expenses, so that you at home can see what growing yourself might cost, compared to buying in-store produce! So, I thank you all for starting this journey with me!

So, my first post will be about the basics, and my basics, I mean just that, the basics.

Plan what you will grow. Sit down and plan what you would like to eat; while doing this consider how much space, time, availability of materials you will have at your disposal, will you have help in gardening, and what you will do with the produce once you have it.
Purchase a Farmer’s Almanac, and look at your growing zone and see when you will need to plant.
Purchasing Seeds. This past week, I spend several hours researching seeds, seed cost, seed quality, and seed availability in my area. I spoke to friends and family who all suggested that heirloom seeds, although expensive, were the way to go. After researching this idea, I decided on another method. I stopped by my local dollar Tree and purchased both my vegetable seeds, as well as my flower seeds; I purchased both the both shade and flower bed mixes as well as packets for my veggies and flowers!
Set A Gardening Budget: I have allotted $200.00 for green materials, seeds, etc. this year. Thus far, for $15.00, I was able to buy 48 packets of flowers and veggies, all at $0.25 a packet, and then three boxes of seed mixes for flower beds and around trees. As seeds range in price from $1-6.00 a packet at Walmart, this is a steal in my opinion! Add to this, of the 48 packets purchased, I was able to buy ten different herbs including Sage, Oregano, Lavender, Parsley, and Thyme! I am supper excited about this purchase. As well, I would encourage those wanting to plant to buy seeds at the Dollar Tree early as my local manager said that many stores were sold out by March last year! Keep in mind, I was not able to buy certain starters such as berries, vines, potatoes, garlic, and onion sprouts yet, I am working on a cheap fix for this as well, and will be blogging on this topic in the weeks to come! In the meanwhile, I am fifteen dollars into my garden, and feeling very satisfied!

So, this is what I have been working on this week, in terms of Gardening On A Budget. If anyone else is starting the process of gardening in their neck of the woods, I’d love to hear about it, too!

Until later, I’ll be tilling around gardening ideas in my head!

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Gift Closet Ideas: Dollar Tree Party Glasses!

Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Gift Closet Ideas, I wanted to share with you an idea for a fun, cute hostess gift, graduation gift, or a moving into your first apartment gift, Dollar Tree Stuffed Glasses!

My thought is, taking these fun, festive, themed glasses from the Dollar Tree, which I saw in birthday, animal print, girls night out, baby shower, and Spring themed prints.
Fill them with samples from the mail, candy, miniature bottles of sparkling cider.
Also from the Dollar Tree, and the like would make an awesome single gift, or a six or perhaps eight pack boxed, or carefully basket-filled gift!
How awesome would this be as a thinking of you gift, as a secret gift for a friend or co-worker, or as a small happy left in a mailbox for a neighbor?

This is such a fun, cheap gift that would surely put a smile on anyones face! These glasses can be purchased, stored, and used as inexpensive gift vessels. What better addition to a couponers gift closet or when a quick gifting idea for your household, new neighbors, when your household is being moved, including the professional services of Montreal Movers. What a budget-friendly, gifting idea?

Friends, how are you gifting this season at home? Leave your thoughts below.

Here’s to giving!

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5 Ways To Save With Walmart Receipts!

Hello again, savvy savers! for this weeks Wednesday Ways To Save, I wanted to share with you a tip that you may not have thought of, and that is saving with a simply grocery receipt from Walmart! If your family is anything like mine, than you may have a weekly trip to this grocery giant, and are sure to have several receipts from this store laying around the house.

So, with this in mind, here are 5 ways to save using a Walmart Receipt:

1) Check Your Receipts For Pricing Mistakes: As a savvy saver, you should always go in-store with a list, corporate coupon policy, as well as an estimated total and budget in mind for each trip. Therefore before you leave your store weekly, be sure to check your receipts for any item pricing or coupon irregularities which may be on your receipt. If any regularities are found, immediately stop by your stores Customer Service Counter for a corrected refund; please note that refunds can be placed on a Walmart gift card for future purchases, too!

2) Scan Your Receipt Using The Walmart Savings Catcher App: After making your in-store purchases at Walmart, go here and enter your receipt number (TC #) as well as the purchase date found at the bottom of your receipt; this can be found on the right-hand side. Next, click “Get Started” to log into your account using your Walmart.com information. The Walmart Savings Catcher then compares the amount you paid for each eligible item on your receipt, as compared to the advertised prices at other stores in your area (including most grocery items, health & beauty products, and children’s items. If ANY item is advertised at a lower price at a competitor’s store in your area, they’ll match that price and give you the difference in a Walmart e-Gift Card. You can scan up to ten receipts per week; I also check the parking lot weekly to see if I can find additional receipts to scan, too! Be sure to go here for more details!

3) Be Sure To Check For App Savings: After shopping, be sure to check out your available app savings from BerryCart, Shopmium (use code GMYMMYPT), iBotta, Checkout51, SavingStar, Shrink (use code TVSBRG), Jingit, and Receipt Hog (use code drog2894).

4) Check Your Receipt For Coupons: Be sure to check the back of your Walmart receipts for manufacturer, pharmacy, and in-store deli savings coupons; many coupons can be used at any store and several I have spotted did not have a printed expiration date!

5) Use Your Receipts To Help You Budget: Using your Walmart receipts to tally your monthly spending, annual spending, as well as your seasonal cyclical coupon spending will help you decide in what areas you are spending the least on, areas you could further save on, and as a total ego boost to show just how much you saving savings are adding up to!

So, the next time you are in-store at Walmart, be sure to make the most out of your receipts!

Here’s to saving,

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