Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 56

Last week we had lots of wonderful tips. I look forward to reading what you all have to share this week.

If this is the first time your visiting the Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

• Julia at Juliecache.com
• Jennifer at Getting Ahead
  
• and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all three of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

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Homemade Laundry Soap Comparison

It's been over a year and a half since I switched to homemade laundry soap. In June 2010 I made my first batch of liquid laundry soap. I loved it. I stored the bulk of the soap in a 5 gallon bucket next to my washer. I used an empty detergent bottle and filled it up as necessary. The liquid soap lasted about 3 months.I heard alot of people talking about how they love the easiness of the powder so in September when I ran out of the liquid I decided to try the powder.

I do agree, it was extremely easy. All you have to do is grate the soap and mix all the ingredients together. Storage is easier because you aren't dealing with a huge bucket of liquid. You only have to use 1 Tablespoon of the powder. I can keep it nicely on top of my dryer and I don't have to refill the container each week.However the powder didn't last me near as long as the liquid did. I even made a double batch the first time I made it. I ran out in about a month.

I think both the liquid and the powder clean equally as well. However, my preference is the liquid. It may be a bit harder to store if you are short on space. I don't mind filling up the bottle every week or two and I like that it lasts me much longer.

Do you use homemade laundry soap? What do you prefer?

Menu Plan Monday

Here is what is on the menu for the week.

Monday...Mom's not home so everyone fends for themselves!
Tuesday...Loose meat sandwiches, carrots and smoothies.
Wednesday...Son's birthday his choice. Bacon wrapped sirloins, buttered spaghetti, lettuce salad and pears.
Thursday...Scrambled eggs, toast, carrots, celery and apples.
Friday...Vegetable beef soup and dinner rolls.

To see what others are having this week, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Dealing with Static Electricity

Photo credit

It's winter which means dry air and static electricity. Boo. I dread folding clothes and having to pull clothes apart all while watching sparks fly. Then the next person I touch gets zapped. Ouch!

I am forced to use my dryer in the winter months because we just don't have room for drying racks. With 7 people in the family we do a lot of laundry.

When I first starting cutting back and living frugally I was still buying dryer sheets, however I made them last twice as long my cutting them in half. I took it a bit further and stopped buying dryer sheets and invested in some dryer balls. While they did work well for cutting back my dryer time I was still having issues with static cling. I found an idea online and decided to try my own frugal fabric softener.

The liquid softener works well but not perfect for these really dry winter days. After getting fed up of being shocked every time I folded clothes I went out and bought a box of generic dryer sheets. The static cling was almost completely gone once I started using the sheets again. A few days after using them though one of my boys developed a really bad rash. I quickly discontinued using the sheets and the rash disappeared.

So now we are back to getting shocked every time we fold clothes and having clothes cling to our bodies while we walk. I have tried a few things including vinegar in the rinse cycle and waded up pieces of foil in the dryer. I also just read that you could run a metal hanger along your clothes and that will discharge any electricity. I have yet to try this method.

How do you deal with static electricity?

Hy-Vee Deals Week of 2/14-2/20

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of the deals that I see at Hy-Vee for this week. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes both printable coupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

Grocery
Hy-Vee Ketchup 40 oz $1.00
Hy-Vee Mac and Cheese 3/$1 or $.34 each
Barilla Pasta $1.25
McCormick Taco Seasoning $.50 (or you can make your own)

Hunt's Manwich $1.00
- $1.00 off wyb Sara Lee Whole Grain Buns AND Manwich (1/8 SS)
= like getting the Manwich free when you buy the buns

Kellogg's Fruit Loops or Rice Krispies Cereal 3/$5 or $1.67 each
- $1.00/3 (1/8 RP or here)
= 3/$4

Knorr Pasta or Rice $1.00
- $.50/2 (1/29 RP)
= $.75 each when you buy 2

Meat
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99 lb

Produce
Red Grapes $1.48 lb
Dole Salad 3/$5 or $1.67 each
Grimmway Baby Carrots 12 oz $1.50
Jumbo Navel Zeal $.77 lb

Dairy
Hy-Vee Yogurt 3/$1 or $.34 each

Frozen
Jacks Frozen Pizza 4/$11
- $1.00/3 (1/29 RP)
= 4/$10

Beverage
Hy-Vee 12 pks $2.00 each

Non-Food
Colgate Toothpaste, Toothbrushes or Wisp $1.00
- $.50 off Toothpaste (1/29 SS)
= $.50

Secret Deodorant $1.50
- $1.00 (2/12 RP)
= $.50

Let me know if you see something I missed. This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Fareway Deals Week of 2/14-2/20

Welcome Grocery Gathering readers! Here is a list of current deals that I see at Fareway. I use central Iowas ad when making this list. My store takes printable coupons as well as manufacturer coupons from the paper. Please check your local ad to confirm these deals in your area. I know they run different ads in different locations.

Need help with my lingo? You can read this post to help you out. Just starting out with coupons? Order my Grocery Rules ebook and learn all about coupons, meal planning and other money saving tips. It is located on the right side bar.

You can print additional coupons to go along with these match-ups at Smartsource.com and Coupons.com.

2 Day Sale Friday and Saturday February 17 and 18
85% Ground Chuck sold in 10 lb tubes $2.49 *stock up price
Minute Steak $2.99 lb
Ruffles Potato Chips $1.88
Land O Lakes Cottage Cheese 22 oz limit 2
Mr Dee's Frozen Potatoes $.99
Russet Potatoes $.98 for 5 lbs
Era Laundry Detergent 50 oz $2.77 limit 2
Fareway Canned Fruit 29 oz $.88
7-up and Dr Pepper Product 6 packs $2.00 each
Keebler Zesta Crackers $1.48

Grocery
Kraft Mac and Cheese $.69
Doritos $2.50
Fareway Chunky Soup $.99

Betty Crocker Fruit Snack Products 4/$4 with in ad coupon
- (2) $.50/2 (1/8 SS or printable here)
= 4/$3

Knorr Pasta or Rice $1.00
- $.50/2 (1/29 RP)
= $.75 each when you buy 2

Wish Bone Salad Dressing $1.89
- $.50 (1/29 RP)
= $1.39

Meat
Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs $1.99 lb with in ad coupon
Bacon Wrapped Sirloins $4.99 lb with in ad coupon

Produce
Braeburn Apples $.69 lb
Snow White Mushrooms 8 oz $.99
Tomatoes $.88 lb
Dole Broccoli $.99
Dole Carrots 2 lbs $.99
Yellow Onions $.49 lb
Green Grapes $1.68 lb
Florida Grapefruit 3/$1
Pineapple $2.49

Dairy
Fareway Shredded Cheese 16 oz $2.99 *paying $1.50 for 8 oz

Frozen
Van De Kamps Fish 7.2-25 oz $2.99
Green Giant Steamers $1.25
Weight Watchers Smart Ones $2.00

Non-Food
Paseo Bath Tissue or Paper Towels $3.99
- $1.00 (12/11 or 2/5 RP)
= $2.99

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Frugal Tuesday Tip Week 55

Last week we had lots of wonderful tips. I look forward to reading what you all have to share this week.

If this is the first time your visiting the Frugal Tuesday Tip is a linky blog hop, dedicated to encouraging the frugal lifestyle. It is hosted by:

• Julia at Juliecache.com
• Jennifer at Getting Ahead
  
• and me!

Anyone with a frugal tip can share. Just post a frugal tip on your own blog, then come here to add your post (the permalink) with the linky tool. Your post will appear on all three of our blogs.

Please use your permalink, which is the URL to your post not your home page. If you don't know what a permalink is you'll find instructions here. Posts that link to their home page will be deleted.

You can also share some internet love with our Frugal Tuesday Tip button. Just copy and paste the code below the button and add the button anywhere in your post.

**If you are going to link up please add a line somewhere in your blog post stating that this is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. We would love to spread the word and get more people involved.

<center><a href="http://www.learningthefrugallife.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://juliecache.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/button-border.jpg"/></a></center>