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DIY Organic, Natural Orange Cleaner!

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Good morning, savvy savers! With so many people in the process of preparing their homes for holiday guests this week, and throughout the holiday season, I wanted to share with you my recipe for Homemade Orange Glass Cleaning Cleaner! With the outrageous cost of commercial glass cleaners, I created an organic, non-toxic, child and pet-safe all purpose cleaner which can be for under $5.00 for a years worth of cleaner! As the average cost of a bottle of store-bought orange cleaner is 3.89, and I use a bottle of spray a month, that’s a savings of $48.68 a year! Here’s how to make this!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Clean, dried mason jar
  • The peels of 3 oranges
  • 2 Cups Distilled, white vinegar
  • 1 Empty Bottle
  • 1 Funnel
  • 1 Plastic Bowl
  • 1 Sifter

Instructions:

  1. Obtain a clean mason jar, and fill it with 16 ounces, 4 cups, of distilled white vinegar.
  2. Place the peel of three oranges in the mason jar with the vinegar.
  3. Secure the cap and ring on the mason jar.
  4. Store the jar in a cool, dry place for 14 days.
  5. On the 15th day, open the jar and strain the contents into a sifter, over a plastic bowl.
  6. Return the solution to the mason jar with a funnel; label your jar as cleaning concentrate.
  7. Open a spray bottle and add 1/4 cup of the solution, 2 ounces, to 5 cups water.
  8. Seal the bottle and shake gently.
  9. Use in conjunction with newspaper to clean most glass surfaces, including counters.

This is an awesome cleaner! I hope you will think so, too!

Enjoy the clean!

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Tutorial Tuesday: DIY $2.00 Curtain Rods!

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Good afternoon, savvy savers! For this weeks Tuesday Tutorials post, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite tricks for finishing off the look of several rooms in my home, DIY $2.00 curtain rods!

To achieve this look:

Materials Needed: 

  • 1 dowel rod
  • 2 screw-in door pulls
  • E-6000 epoxy
  • 2 1 inch tea cup screw hooks
  • Curtain panel

Instructions:

  1. Purchase a dowel rod to fit the length of your window; dowel rods are great as they are inexpensive, come in 12, 18, 24, and 36″ lengths, and most are under $1.00!
  2.  Paint your dowel rod. I used a free paint samples from Lowe’s; they currently have 2013 and Spring 2014 Valspar paint samples for only $0.68!
  3. Next, drill a hole in each end of the rod; a length of 1/2″ deep is fine.
  4. Now, smear a small amount of E-6000 epoxy onto each door pull, and then screw into your pre-drilled holes on each end of the dowel rod.
  5. Finally, measure and install a 1 inch teacup hook on each side of the window, where the rod will sit; if the hooks are not deep enough they can be stretched with pliers.
  6. Now the fun part, hang your rod! 

That’s it! Why pay upwards of $30.00 for a barred curtain rod, when you can make your own for $2.00! This rod is so versatile, in that you can hang wither a traditional rod and islet curtain, os can use the same rod for a islet and clamp-style curtain, for a more cafe inspired look, as well! Why pay upwards of $40.00 at department stores!

Here’s to saving!

Misty

 

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Organizational Tips: Hanging Utility Closet Organizer!

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Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks Organizational Tip, I wanted to show you how I organize my hallway utility closet. I use a very basic hanging shoe organizer, purchased online for under 10.00!

The organizer holds everything:

  • cleaning clothes and wipes
  • buffing pads
  • steamer clothes
  • air fresheners
  • batteries
  • mini flashlights
  • puppy pads
  • emergency candles
  • small accordion files which hold appliance instructions and warranties
  • interchangeable parts for my Shark Vacuum
  • and cordless keyboards and car detailing kits

I love being able to use a basic, vertical surface to hold what use to be a laundry basket full of miscellaneous household and cleaning items in my utility closet! This organizer has freed up three kitchen drawers, a bin in my shed, and allows me to know exactly where emergency items are when needed the most! I love knowing just where everything is without having to endlessly search drawers, cabinets, bins, and the like looking for that one small, evasive item desperately needed to finish my task at hand! This small purchase has made a major impact on the functionality of my home!

Here’s to organizing!

Misty

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Organizational Ideas: DVD Binders!

 

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another great organizational idea, one that I recently spent some time adding to this past weekend, that of how to organize and de-clutter our families home DVD collection!

When my husband and I moved in together, he came with a huge movie collection. You name it, classic sci-fi, 80’s anything, and of course classics such as Office Space. Of course, this was coupled with my personal collection of over a thousand movies, documentaries, and sitcoms; the rows of Sex and the City, Melrose Place, and Ken Burns Documentaries, still bring a tear to my eye!

So, with a combined collection of over 2,500 discs, I loved having access to hundreds of films and TV shows on DVD, but I did not like the idea of  seemingly trying to camouflage displaying all the jewel cases, old school paper cases, and DVD jackets in my living room, den, and man cave. So, this year we finally got around to ridding our collection of their cases, recycling all of the jewel cases in favor of a simple, streamlined system of DVD binders.

Here are a few trick that I have used to organize our home DVD collection:

  • Use different colored binders to separate television shows on DVD from movie DVDs. This saves time when I’m searching for something specific.
  • Using Binder Tabs, place  washi tape  to label what’s inside the binder; TV shows, films, documentaries, etc.
  • I keep my Blu-Rays, PS4, and Xbox games in their original jackets, stored in my den cabinet, as these items are still viable for home use, are not collectible, and when unneeded can be re-sold or exchanged.
  • For dvds which are not collectible, and to be held in binder, I sub-divide movies by series, sitcom, or genre, and use tab dividers as needed.
  • Did you know, you can request free shipping labels and materials from Greendisk, an electronics recycling service, that takes your techno-trash, and disposes of it in an environmentally responsible manner. 

I went from 11 shelves to seven 300-count binders, which are all stored in the top of my den closet!, saving my home nearly 30 square feet of space! Moreover, I was able look over movies that I did not even remember owning, and since hubby and I have spent several nights at home, re-watching some of out favorite blasts from the past!

What better way to spend the holiday season that re-watching your own DVD collection!

Here’s to organizing,

Misty

 
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Organizational Ideas: Half-Circle Plant Holder Produce Bins!

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Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks organizational post, I wanted to share with you one of the ways I organize my home! In my kitchen, on the wall on my pantry door, I have affixed two, and soon to be more, half-circle wire plant holders to the exterior pantry side board, and these baskets allow me to store produce, snack cakes, miscellaneous kitchen items, or whatever I have on hand, that has been purchased in bulk, that would need to be stores. As of right now, they are holding a myriad of snack cakes, which are being donated as prizes for my husbands school, as well as potatoes and apples, which are sprouting and tomorrow will be planted (upcoming tutorial will follow on my DIY potato towers); the potatoes would have been planted today, but we are currently under a severe weather watch in my area through tomorrow morning!

 

 

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In any event, I found my baskets online, through Amazon.com for around $7.00 each, and I just love how little space they take up, but how utilitarian they are in design! The baskets also let me see which produce should be taken out to my compost bin, which can be prepped, cooked, and frozen as well. These bins keep clutter off of my counter tops, and out of my home.

Here’s to organizing!

Misty

 

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Tutorial Tuesdays: DIY Hand Sanitizer, $0.15 A Bottle!

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today I want to share with you my recipe for DIY Aloe Vera Hand Sanitizer! I often make this formula in large batches, a bath for each bathroom, kitchen, and work rooms. I can make a 2 cup bottle for only $0.15, a savings of $2.00 a bottle at my local Walmart!; I purchase Aloe Vera gel at my local Dollar Tree, or use aloe gel from my succulents at home. I purchase my essential oils via Amazon.com using earned gift cards online, as well.  I make my blend with all natural ingredients, and find that this blend is the most gentle sanitizer I have used to date!

Here’s how I make it:

  1. Add the following ingredients into a bowl; 2 cup Aloe Vera gel, 2 cup witch hazel, 4 drops of each oil, Tea tree oil, lavender oil, and clove oil.
  2. Gently fold the ingredients together.
  3. Let the blend rest in a bowl for 10 minutes,
  4. This recipe will fill six hand-soap bottles, or 24-pocket-size bottles.
  5. This blend will last indefinitely on counters.
  6. Enjoy!

 

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Housewife Hacks: Remove Rust with Cream of Tartar!


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Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks Housewife hacks, I want to give you my tried-and-true secret to removing rust around the home, from sinks, tubs, and bathroom surrounds, cream of tarter! When I find some of my stainless steel appliances, such as my over, toaster, coffee maker, and refrigerator, all of which are stainless steel, have small spots of rust, gunk, spots, or dirt, I use a simple paste of cream of tartar and water, along with a toothbrush, to clean these items to a shine! This trick works well, is economical, and a real time-saver! Enjoy the sparkle your appliances, and pots and pans for that matter, will have after using this trick!  Also note, from time to time my local Dollar Tree carries this spice rack staple, and when they do be sure to stock-up with this purpose in mind!

Here’s to a cleaner home!

Misty

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