By Cara Mirabella

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:

1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

2. Stretches your dollar. Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar. Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.

3. Cuts your grocery budget. You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.

4. Saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.

The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money. Don’t you think it’s time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today?

Cara Mirabella is a WAHM with one toddler from New Jersey. She owns and manages TheHouseholdHelper.com - a site dedicated to saving your time, money and sanity when managing your household. Her site offers tons of information as well as e-books including http://thehouseholdhelper.com/ebooks/CrockPotCooking.html

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By D Ruplinger

I am one of those people who was under the false impression that I was doing a decent job of being environmentally conscious.

I recycle; donate usable items I no longer want rather than tossing them in the trash; have cut way back on my gasoline usage by planning my trips, walking, biking, or just staying home; cut back on my water usage; compost; grow my own vegetables; and have planted a couple of fruit trees this spring with the hope to have my own fruits to can within the next 5 years. And, even though I have air conditioning I use it as little as possible and instead open my windows to take advantage of Mother Natures air conditioning, the breeze.

I was feeling pretty smug and confident that I was doing my share.

Then I took an ecological footprint quiz at myfootprint.org and found that even with the efforts I have made, it would still take 7.46 planets to sustain life if everyone lives the way I do. It was a wake up call for me to do a lot more.

So I decided to focus on one area at a time with my electric usage being the first thing I am concentrating on because I know my household uses way too much.

My efforts are working. After one month, my electric bill has gone down by 40 percent even though I have had my air conditioning (which uses electricity) on part of the time.

Here is everything I did to slash my electrical usage. Check to see if there are things listed you are not doing. If not, then implement them to lower your electrical bill. It is good for your pocketbook and good for the environment.

LIGHTS OUT

I no longer leave the porch light on at night and I always turn off lights when I leave a room. I had thought I was pretty good at turning off lights but I really was not. It is easy to forget if a person is not diligent about it.

TURN OFF THE TELEVISION

I used to have the habit of leaving the television on even if I was not watching, for the noise. Now I am learning to enjoy the quiet. And, I am less likely to sit down and watch television now. I read more and spend more time outside.

UNPLUG THE CHARGERS

I did not realize that my cell phone and battery chargers were using electricity even when I was not charging my phones and recharging batteries. Now I unplug them when I am not using them.

NO MORE SLEEP MODE

I no longer put my home copier, laptop computer, printer or desktop computer and monitor on sleep or energy saving mode. When I am not using them I turn them off.

UNPLUG ALL AROUND THE HOUSE

Any plug that feels warm to the touch is drawing electricity even if the item is not being used, such as small appliances and space heaters. I now make liberal use of power strips for items I do not want to have to unplug all the time, like my blender, computer, and television since they still draw a small amount of electricity even when they are turned off. It is much easier to turn a power strip off and on than to walk around unplugging things and then plugging them back in later. Yeah, maybe it is laziness but I know that I will not crawl behind the television every day to unplug it or crawl under the computer desk to unplug the computer every day, but I will flip the switch on a conveniently placed power strip.

DITCH THE CLOTHES DRYER

Clothes will last longer if they are air dried, plus it is much easier to treat stains that regular washing may have missed on clothes that were air dried versus ones dried in a dryer. I am lucky enough to have an outdoor clothesline that I use in the summer, but I plan to air dry clothes inside during the winter too. My sister in law has been doing it for 20 years and she has 6 kids plus a full time job. As a bonus, the drying racks double as clothes hangers when there is not time to get the clothes folded and put away. That does not work with clothes left in the dryer. They quickly turn into a wrinkled mess if not folded or hung up.

UNPLUG THE EXTRA FRIDGE

We have always had a second refrigerator just to keep beverages cold, mostly beer. Now, instead of constantly keeping a whole case cold, which we only need once a year, we just keep a couple of cans cold in our regular fridge.

The things listed above are steps I have already taken, but I know I can do more and want to do more. I like having a small electric bill! Below is a list of more steps I plan to take.

CHANGE TO COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS

I currently only have a few compact fluorescent bulbs because of their large size, but manufacturers have been coming out with a bigger selection of sizes, so I no longer have any excuse to not swap out all my bulbs. But I am doing it slowly and only change them when the old bulbs burn out. I think it is wasteful to switch out perfectly good bulbs and to toss them in a landfill, no matter what kind of bulb it is.

BUY ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES

Do not toss perfectly good appliances though because that creates a landfill problem.

USE LOW FLOW SHOWER HEADS AND TOILETS

WASH CLOTHES IN COLD WATER

I already do this but I have a gas water heater and not an electric one so this does not save me any money on my electric bill but I have found my clothes come just as clean in cold water as in warm or hot. The only change I have made is to switch to a detergent formulated for cold water washing.

USE THE MICROWAVE INSTEAD OF THE OVEN OR STOVE

CLEAN AND REPLACE FILTERS REGULARLY

This includes filters humidifiers, vacuum cleaners, furnaces, air cleaners, dryers, and range exhaust hoods.

RUN THE CLOTHES WASHER AND DISHWASHER ONLY WHEN FULL

Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured writer for GoGreenForMotherEarth Visit the site for
more environmental news and tips.

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By Jaycee Fox

We want to save more money, but we’re not sure where to begin.

Our first step is to make a budget, so we can then make a plan on how much we can save after our necessary bills are paid. It may seem like there’s nothing left, but even if we’re just putting away a few dollars a week, we’re heading in the right direction. An easy way to do this is if you have a direct deposit with your paycheck. You can automatically have a certain portion put into your savings account and then your savings can just accrue. The secret is to save more and more until it just becomes habit for you.

When we’re saving, we want to have a general goal in mind. What are we saving for? Is it to pay off our house sooner — say we tuck away $100 a month and put $1,200 extra a year on our house. Or maybe we want to buy a new stainless steel fridge with no fingerprints — let’s say a cost of about $1500 — we’re able to save $300 extra a month, so in five months we can have that fridge paid for with cash and with no financial debt to anyone. If we understand the importance of saving, whether for retirement or a long-awaited vacation, then now we must find ways to actually save the money.

So now we have a budget in mind and we have a reason to save. But if we’re not spending-freaks and we actually do live paycheck to paycheck to cover the basics — so it’s not just a question of limiting our wants — then we must find ways to come up with those extra dollars to save. Here are some ideas:

Save On Gas

• Take public transportation or ride the bus. I know that’s not really possible for some — but for some it may be. It can also be an opportunity to multitask — get ahead of your reading.
• Investigate gas prices. The internet is filled with information, including prices of gas — so do your research before you drive around town trying to find the cheapest price on gas while wasting gas!
• Idle no more and get a tune-up. The running engine is just burning gas — wasting money — if the car is idling. Efficiency is lost if the car hasn’t had a regular tune-up and thus gas mileage could be pretty lousy.
• Drive the speed limit. If you change your speed excessively, it uses up more gas — so stick to the speed limit to improve your gas mileage.

Save on Groceries

• Use coupons.
• Buy in bulk.
• Look for sales.

Save on Utility Bills

• Winterize your home. It may seem expensive initially but it saves a lot in the long run.
• Use wood stoves to heat your home. If you live in a colder climate or just have harsh winters — this can really save you on your heating bill and efficient wood stoves can warm up the house quickly!
• Summerize your home. So I know that’s not a real word, but I think you get the meaning. If you live in a hot climate — use window shades and instead of warming up your home even more by using your oven — use crock pots, barbeques etc. so your air conditioner doesn’t have to work even harder in the summer.
• Save on your water bill. Use less water!

Save on entertainment.
Instead of going to the opera and eating escargots at the expensive restaurant next door — maybe we can have a picnic and use our discount tickets at the cinema. So maybe that sounds too restrictive, but it depends on what your interests are — you can have a lot of fun even on the most limited of budgets!

So remember to budget, save, and continually look for ways to live more frugally! Becoming financially independent within your means is a happier stress-free life than being financially yoked to a money-making institution while in your palatial home.

Jaycee Fox writes on subjects with the goal of achieving a healthy and balanced life. She has a
Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters degree. If you’re interested in the many resources
in helping to achieve that balance — even financial and budget resources — then check out Jaycee’s website at http://jayceeliving.com/

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By Stephanie Herman

Most websites encouraging people to clean green at home focus on eco-friendly cleaners. These cleaners fall into two categories: homemade natural cleaners, and eco-friendly commercial cleaners. Websites encouraging eco-friendly and frugal cleaners will focus on the homemade natural cleaners that we already have in the pantry. But what all these websites forget is to encourage people to keep their cleaning tools clean - using green methods!

Why is this important?

Because if you keep your cleaning tools clean, you can use them longer. That translates into less waste; you throw away your cleaning tools more slowly, filling landfills at a slower rate. You’re also buying fewer cleaning tools over time, slowing your rate of consumption of natural resources.

Simple, right? But how can you keep your cleaning tools cleaner, longer, and do it in an eco-friendly and frugal way? It’s a no-brainer: use simple baking soda and vinegar.

Although it has literally thousands of cleaning uses, some people avoid using vinegar to clean the house because of the smell. But when you’re cleaning the cleaning tools, the smell of vinegar becomes much less important.

Take, for example, your toilet bowl brushes. Once weekly, try sprinkling a generous amount of baking soda into the container housing your toilet brush (with your brush in there). Then pour in enough vinegar to bubble up over the top of the brush. The smell of vinegar is probably going to be an odor improvement, in this case! Plus, there’s a great added benefit - there’s no need to rinse your toilet brush once you clean it. You can simply continue its use; the vinegar and baking soda will loosen from the brush the next time you clean your toilet, and will do nothing but add to your efforts!

Are your rags and sponges getting stained and smelly from use? Soak them overnight in vinegar and baking soda to prolong their use and eliminate those odors. You’ll throw sponges and rags away less often if they’re still looking and smelling nice. That means, again, that you’ll be buying fewer new ones. Overconsumption isn’t solved by consuming more eco-friendly products more often - it’s solved by consuming everything more slowly.

And here’s an ecologically unfriendly cleaning tool you can avoid: scouring pads. Instead, use baking soda and vinegar to loosen stuck-on or burnt-on food in your pots and pans. An overnight soak will allow you to easily wipe off the debris with little to no scrubbing.

Think green when you’re cleaning your home, and when cleaning your tools - it’ll save you money, time, elbow grease, and natural resources.

Stephanie Herman runs the Cleaning-Green website where she shares tips and recipes for natural homemade, eco-friendly cleaners.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Cleaning-Green?-Dont-Forget-Your-Tools&id=804631

By Jill Russo Foster

We all have fixed expenses - mortgage / rent, insurance, taxes, utilities, - expenses that rarely change and are hard to miss because we write large monthly or quarterly checks. But, what about your other expenses? All your little trips to the store can sneak up on you, causing you to spend more than you planned. Variable expenses can take a surprisingly large chunk of your budget. Take a closer look at your spending habits. You’d be surprised how making even a few small changes will leave more in your pocket!

Some of these tips are common sense; some might seem to be a bit “frugal”. Just remember, if you’re working toward a goal, you’ve got nothing to lose by trying something new, frugal as it may be! Sometimes “baby steps” are the best way to start on the path to bigger and better ways to manage your expenses.

1. When you have multiple errands to run, do you have a game plan for accomplishing them efficiently? Take a few moments to check your driving route and plan the stops along the way. Save time and gas by not running all the errands separately.

2. What kind of grocery shopper are you? Whether you shop at discount stores, or by sales flier, remember to buy only what you need. Compare advertised sales prices with other brands (including generic). Remember to check sales sizes as well. What’s being offered on sale might be a smaller size than what you usually buy. Be informed and take a few seconds to consider your purchases - it will save you money in the long run.

3. Do you look at the directions for laundry and dishwashing detergent, or do you automatically fill the scoop and throw it in a load? Make sure to follow manufacturers’ recommendation for the correct load size usage. If you use too much per load, you can use up the product twice as fast.

4. How much does convenience cost you? Here’s a great example: a friend of mine buys pre-bagged salads. Not only is it more expensive than buying a head of lettuce, but she’ll admit that they hardly ever finish it off. Cutting a head of lettuce is an amazingly simple and quick task. When buying for convenience, ask yourself if the actual cost is really worth the time you think you save.

5. How many cleaning products do you have right now? When purchasing a power washer, I was told I should buy three bottles of cleaners - one for decks / fences, one for driveways and the other for home exteriors. Each bottle was $6.00 (a total of $18) vs. the generic bleach I purchased at the grocery store on sale for about $1 (savings of $17). Using bleach full strength or diluted does the trick for a variety of surfaces. Makes you think about how many different types of cleaners you really need to have.

6. Can you stretch an item? For example, will half of a dryer sheet do the same job as a full sheet? I’ve tried it and it works for me. This also works for scrub pads - cutting a regular size pad in half gives you at least several uses. You won’t have to throw away a half used pad because it’s rusty or gunky, and it’s cheaper than buying those “junior size” pads. There must be many more ways to stretch everyday items - what else can you think of?

7. How about reusing or recycling items vs. buying something new? A great example is sharing a magazine subscription with a friend - one issue you both read (works for books, too!). Or clean your used jelly jars and use them for leftovers instead of disposable baggies. Glass jars last, and if you take the lid off, they’re microwaveable. If doing either of these would make you feel unthinkably cheap, think about how much worse it is to be in debt or to not have savings.

8. Can you buy an item used at a fraction of the cost? Our patio furniture - table for six, chaise lounge, two chairs and coffee table - was purchased through the classified ads for $100. Purchased new, the same set would have cost at least 10 times as much. Check classified frequently, and if you’re internet-savvy, online auction sites such as eBay have a treasure trove of bargains both used and new.

9. What about buying off-season merchandise? Now is the perfect time to buy winter items. When the other seasons role around, wait a few months in before buying those “must haves”. This is not only a great way to stock up for next year, but for your vacation, decorating, and gift-giving needs as well.

10. Can you do it yourself? In the town where I live, the trash pickup is handled by private companies. When the bill hit almost $100 a month, we decided to handle it ourselves. My husband takes the trash to the dump (it’s on his way to work) about once a week. What things are you willing to do to save you some money?

The list could go on and on. It’s a matter of rethinking your priorities and taking a new view of your spending routine. Start small today, and you could really see a difference in your savings over the course of a year.

Jill Russo Foster provides practical tips for personal money management. Learn more about protecting your credit and living within your means with Jill’s popular free report, bi-monthly ezine, and credit report reminder program, available here ==> http://www.themortgagearrangers.com/resources.asp

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By Martin Lukac

Saving money isn’t that hard when you take a frugal approach to it.

I know that the words “saving” and “frugal” don’t bring the happiest thoughts to your mind. And that is the number one reason you aren’t able to save any money. You have the wrong attitude. It is surprising how easy it is to change your attitude.

When you succeed at saving money, you are helping yourself. Keep you goals at the top of your priorities. When you have a budget and live frugally, you don’t have less, you have more. It is all about having more money. Not less.

I know that personally, my biggest challenge is wanting more. It is something that is hard to fight. We are saturated by advertising. We see new and more expensive things all around us. Many of us struggle with issues surrounding shopping and acquiring. I have the fear of being without something I need, so I buy everything I might use someday. I have to constantly remind myself that if I don’t buy it now, I will have the money to buy it later. It is in the attitude. You can change it.

One of the easiest ways to start saving is to cut down how much you have to buy. You can stretch things out a bit. Use less cleaning supplies and soaps by diluting them with water. Save scraps and reuse old clothing as rags. Look at the uses of things that might be considered trash. If you can avoid a shopping trip by reusing something once, you are saving.

I have found that being frugal has a great side effect. You can lose weight. Start by only drinking water and milk. Cut out the sodas. Save juice for breakfast. Don’t make the sugary drinks. None of it is good for you anyway. Drink water. Cut the calories and feel healthier.

You can also cut out a lot of money, and calories, by only buying healthy foods. These are often cheaper than the prepackaged convenience foods. Instead of frozen pizza treats, have a salad or turkey sandwich. Eat fresh veggies and fruits instead of chips. Shop on sale. Don’t eat as much each meal so that it goes further for your family.

If you have the money to stockpile on sales items that you will use, then by all means, shop up. Buy enough to last you until the next sale. But don’t get carried away. Only buy items that you will absolutely use. Canned and frozen veggies, flour, sugar, tomato sauce — look for the items that are staples of your diet. In fact, if you can only buy sale items when you shop, you’ll be doing pretty good.

When you stock up your pantry and have plenty to eat, it is easy to focus on other matters. You don’t have to worry about finding the money for food. The food is already there.

When you can make something yourself, make it. You can often save money by simply putting a little time into it. And it is often quite satisfying.

And my number one way to save money — pay off those debts. Take every penny you are saving and put it towards getting rid of that debt and building an emergency fund. Don’t buy things you can’t afford and don’t need. Ask yourself what is more important to you — having some item or living a stress-free financial life? Having the money you need when you need it is more important than having some gadget sitting around collecting dust.

Martin Lukac represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate and mortgage rates. We specialize in daily updates, mortgage news, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

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By Cyndi Roberts

It seems that school starts earlier every year. So it’s time to start thinking about what to put in those school lunches every morning.

My children always wanted to bring their own lunches because they didn’t really like what was offered in the school lunchroom. But it was sometimes a little difficult to make their lunches nutritious and tasty and also to put a little variety in their lunchboxes without spending a small fortune.

If we let ourselves, we can spend a “lot” on individual servings, lunchables, and treats for lunches. Here are a few ideas to help you meet the “Frugal Lunchbox Challenge”.

Go to the Dollar Store and buy a few of those individual serving-size storage containers. These are very inexpensive and they are worth every penny.

You can use them for any number of things–like making your own fruit cups and pudding cups.

And they can also be used to hold dip for carrot or celery sticks or fill with peanut butter and pack a zipper bag of pretzels for dipping.

Also at the Dollar Store or discount store, you can pick up one or two of the small “blue ice” cold packs. They will help keep lunchbox items cold and safe. Sandwiches such as egg salad or tuna salad need to have a cold pack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, on the other hand, can be packed without one.

Those zipper bags we all love come into their own when packing lunches! They can hold vegetable sticks, popcorn, crackers, homemade cookies, etc.

Muffins hold up well in a zipper-top bag, as do slices of banana nut bread, or most any other quick bread.

When the weather turns cool, a small thermos will come in handy for homemade soup or chili. I see lots of these for sale at garage and yard sales, sometimes for as little as 25 cents.

A thermos is also handy to hold whatever drink your child likes to take.

Try to put some fun in the lunchbox: keep a stash of small, inexpensive toys, cut sandwich bread into cool shapes with cookie cutters, write little notes to your child, cut out funny cartoons. Children love surprises.

A good routine to get into is while you are cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, put leftovers in the storage containers, or make sandwiches and place in the fridge in a designated area for lunch items. Get your kids to help–the more they are involved, the better!

Put napkins, etc. in lunch boxes or bags and place them where all anyone has to do in the morning is fill with the prepared items. Now you can all be out the door in minutes!

Here are a few recipes that will help get you started this school year:

Apple Surprise

• 1 apple

• Raisins

• Peanut butter

Cut apple in half. Carefully, cut out the core of the apple. Spread peanut butter where the core used to be and over surface of apple. Sprinkle raisins over the peanut butter.

Trail Mix

• 2 cups granola cereal

• 1 cup peanuts

• 1 cup dried apple bits

• 1 1/2 cups yogurt-covered raisins

• 2/3 cup chopped dates

• 1 cup dried banana bits

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

A small serving of this goes a long way!

Peanut Butter Balls

• 1/2 c. peanut butter

• 2 1/2 tbsp. nonfat dry milk

• 2 tbsp. raisins

• 2 tbsp. honey

• 1/4 c. coconut

• Sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients and form into balls. Roll in sesame seeds.

This is a good recipe for the kids to help with– they love to roll the dough into balls.

NOTE: sesame seeds are cheaper in bulk at a health food store. You can get unsweetened coconut there, also.

About The Author

Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the “1 Frugal Friend 2 Another” bi-weekly newsletter and founder of the website of the same name. Visit http://www.cynroberts.com to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the newsletter and receive the free e-course “Taming the Monster Grocery Bill”; editor@cynroberts.com

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http://EzineArticles.com/?School-Lunches-the-Frugal-Way!&id=18173

By Cathy Bendzunas

I know a lot of us moms who stay at home with our kids or are starting our own business at home, are on budgets (sometimes extreme budgets!) Been there, done that, got the T shirt.

I am here to tell you that I am a frugal work at home mom and as such, I have come up with my own frugal tips over the years.

Below are 10 of them. Please be nice if some of them seem weird or extreme. What can I say? I’m a weird mama.

10 Frugal Tips for the Work at Home Mom

1- I bought the large economy size bottles of shampoo and conditioner with pump tops. I pour half of the liquids into jars and store. Then I add warm water to almost the top and shake to mix. Hair products are often way too thick and you will use too much if you use a squirt bottle. Pump bottles give you more control of the amount and the thinner product that has been mixed with water is actually easier to use.

2-I love the Dawn Foam dish detergent but it’s a little on the expensive size. I found that when you are done with the detergent, you can take the cap off the bottle, refill about 1/3 full with regular dish detergent, mix with warm water, replace top and shake. It will pump out foam just like before for a fraction of the cost!

3-Same with laundry detergent. I have found that using half the detergent, works just as well.

4-If you like using fabric softener sheets, after they have been used; save them for dusting your furniture or wiping off the TV or computer screen.

5-To make liquid fabric softener last longer, you can also dilute this with half water. I also just pour a tiny amount of this diluted softener onto an old washcloth and throw this in the dryer. For a family of 5, I have had a small bottle last over 6 months this way.

6-When my kids were babies, I would save the long, clear bags that come off the newspapers (I also got my family to save theirs) and tucked them in my diaper bag. They make great bags for dirty diapers and are long enough, you can tie off the end to keep the diaper (and smell) in the bag. Now I use them when dog walking for doggy poops.

7-When my jewelry needs cleaning, I get an Efferdent denture tablet from my mom and put it in a bowl of water with the jewelry overnight. In the morning, the jewelry is clean and like new. (Don’t use on pearls)

8-Baby wash makes a great makeup remover and is much cheaper (I buy the generic in a pump bottle and do the half water trick here too).

9-Bar soap lasts longer if you let it dry outside of it’s package for a few weeks. You get a double benefit by putting the unwrapped bar in your linen closet, clothes closet and drawers to make them smell nice.

10-I save all my little slivers of soap in a jar. I do one of two things when I get a “bar of soap” worth of soap depending on my mood. Sometimes I will wrap a piece of netting & tie it off around the slivers to use in the shower. Sometimes I will put the slivers in a small flat microwave safe container & melt them in the microwave. When they cool, you have a new bar of soap.

And a bonus tip is to go around your house and get together all the products you love. Look on the back of the product and find an email addy or snail mail addy. Write and tell them how much you love their product and ask if they have any coupons available and to be put on their mailing list. You can get quite a few products this way. To keep track of who you contact and what they send, write the details in a small notebook and periodically repeat this process every 6 months or so with new companies.

Enjoy working from home and happy frugal living!

One of the things that makes the author happy is making her personalized ornaments, jewelry and gifts. You can check them out at http://www.cathyscreations.com
Cathy Bendzunas

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Frugal-Household-Tips-For-the-Work-at-Home-Mom&id=1418316

Thanks to one of the readers of this blog, I have a great deal to share with you!

If you’ve checked out the “Shop” tab on the top of the page, you know one of the books I highly recommend is “Clean House, Clean Planet”

Right now you can get that book for $4 and change through a cool promotion at Buy.com if you use Google checkout for the first time.

Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day the Safe, Nontoxic Way This easy-to-use guide for everyone who is concerned about the toxic chemicals in cleaning products includes remarkably simple recipes for natural, non-toxic household cleaners that really work–the secrets the cleaning industry doesn’t want consumers to know.

Note from Michelle: With the tips in this article you can brighten your natural cleaning with herbs and essential oils! I do not, however, recommend reusing commercial cleaner containers to store your homemade cleaners. You can buy new plastic spray bottles and squirt bottles very cheaply and I suggest those instead.

By Lisa Fraley

There are benefits if you use a homemade natural cleaning product instead of a chemically laden commercial one.

Making your own cleaning product doesn’t consume a lot of time and it is inexpensive too. How long does it take to fill a spray bottle with white vinegar, water and a few drops of essential oil? About a minute or two.
Once it’s done you have an appliance and glass cleaner that’s natural and chemical free.

Commercial cleaners can be very expensive and the prices are rising. Homemade alternatives cost only pennies to make and you don’t need to use as much.

Most homemade natural formulas are multi purpose so you will need less space to store cleaning products. This is a big help for those of us who are limited on storage space.

You can be creative with your packaging too. Wash out those old containers that use to store the commercial products and reuse them to store your homemade natural products instead. Store car and wood polishes in recycled coffee tins (the kind with the plastic lid). For your homemade powder cleansers reuse sprinkle top plastic containers (bulk spices come in these).

Essential oils
Essential oils are available in health food stores and you can find them online also. Be sure you are buying pure, undiluted oil and not one that has been diluted with carrier oil. Store your oils away from heat and light to keep them potent for the longest amount of time. The bottle will come with a dropper and that is what you use to measure how much you put into your cleaners. Essential oils can irritate the skin and must be diluted with either carrier oil or other liquid before use.

Here is a list of oils and herbs to have on hand if you are just starting out:

Oils:
Citronella
Citrus (sweet orange or lemon)
Wintergreen (take extra care when handling this oil)
Tea Tree

Herbs:
Thyme - antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral
Rosemary - antibacterial
Basil - anti-fungal
Mint - antibacterial
Oregano - antibiotic, antiviral
Lavender - antibiotic, antiviral, anti-fungal, antiviral
Lemon Balm - antiviral
Sage - antibacterial

Here are a few natural cleaning product recipes you may be able to make right now. The ingredients are common items you may already have on hand.

Herbal Sink Scrub
½ cup baking soda
½ cup coarsely ground sage leaves
¼ cup ground rosemary leaves
Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and blend together by shaking. Sprinkle a small amount into the sink and scrub with a damp sponge or cloth. Rinse the sink well. Use only whole dried sage and rosemary leaves.

Rust Remover
¼ cup baking soda
Juice from half a lemon
Sprinkle the baking soda directly on the rust stain. Sprinkle the baking soda with lemon juice. Let set undisturbed no stain overnight. Wipe away baking soda and rinse thoroughly.

No scrub Toilet Bowl Cleanser
1 cup borax
1 cup vinegar
Combine both in a plastic bowl or bottle and pour all at once into the toilet bowl. Allow it to sit overnight and in the morning just flush. This works great for toilets that have an everlasting ring around them. By morning even the toughest stains will be gone!

Laundry Fabric Softener
6 cups of white vinegar
1 cup of water
1 cup of baking soda
Combine all ingredients into a plastic container (heavy duty). Only takes 1 cup in your rinse cycle per load for wonderfully soft clothes. If you want to scent this, simply add about 15 drops of your favorite citrus essential oil.

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Lisa Fraley is the author of “Frugal Comes In Green“. An e-book packed with earth friendly ways you can have more money for the things you want.

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