How to Be Awesome at Road Trips on a Budget

My husband and I love to travel.  We have family all over the country, so we have lots of reasons to travel.  Now that I'm not working, doing these trips on a budget is very important, and we've gotten pretty good at it.  We drove to a wedding in Maryland a few years ago when I was pregnant, and managed to only spend $100 per day, including gas, hotel, and food!

We also have a tradition: we visit a new state every year for our anniversary.  It doesn't have to be fancy, and a lot of times it is combined with other events or visits, but we have to at least spend one night in a new state every year.

We just got back from our anniversary trip this year, again averaging about $100 per day, and it made me think about some of the tips and strategies we have been using the last few years for our road trips to help save money.

1)  Drive

Obviously, since I'm talking about road trips, driving is going to be a given, but I put it on here anyway because, even with gas prices so ridiculously high, it's still the cheapest way to travel.  If I had my preference, we would take the train everywhere.  We've done two train trips, and they are definitely the most relaxing and fun way to travel.  Flying is my least favorite because in the last decade or so, they have sucked every bit of joy out of flying.  I only do it when there is no other option.

But driving is cool.  You get to see a lot.  You can stop whenever you want to.  You have lots of entertainment options, and of course, most importantly, it is cheap.  Even factoring in hotels if you have to break up the trip, it's almost always cheaper to drive.

One tip for getting gas a little cheaper:  don't buy it in big cities.   Drive outside the city and usually the price drops by ten cents or more.

2)  Bring Trip Food

This requires a little planning ahead, but it's totally worth it.  One of your biggest travelling expenses besides the hotel is food.  Instead of stopping at gas stations for snacks and fast-food restaurants for meals, try bringing your own food.

• Bring a few sweet treats like M&M's, gummy bears, or whatever else will make you feel like you're on vacation.  
• Bring something salty like chips, pretzels, or crackers.
• Bring a few healthier options that will stick with you, like trail mix, granola bars, muffins, and fruits like apples, peaches, or grapes.
• For meals, bring supplies to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (don't make them ahead or they're gross).  If you are not a sandwich fan (I am definitely not), you can bring chicken salad and crackers, celery and peanut butter, cold chicken, or other picnic foods.  (Stick cold stuff in a cooler.)
• If you decide not to bring meals, you can still save money by ordering just a sandwich or burger at a fast food place, and then using your own chips and drinks, or whatever else you want to go with it.  Burger King and Arby's both have decent dollar menus, and you can save quite a bit that way.
• Bring tons of napkins, paper plates, plastic silverware, Walmart bags for trash, extra empty ziplocks for wet/smelly trash, and wet wipes.

Here's a great blog post by one of my favorite food blogs for ideas on healthy snacks on the go!

Also, last week, One Good Thing by Jillee did a post on saving money on trip foods, too!  Check it out here, for more good ideas!

3)  Drinks

The cheapest way to drink on road trips is to fill reusable bottles like Nalgene bottles with water from home.

That is boring.  No one wants to drink just water on a road trip.

Your next cheapest option is to bring 2-liter bottles of your favorite drinks, along with some ice and plastic cups.  We usually do this one.  You can get 2-liters for less than a dollar, and you better not be able to drink more than one of those in one trip!  Keep the bottles in the cooler if you have space, and you won't even need tons of ice in your cups.  

Your third cheapest option, if you don't want to do that, is to buy fountain drinks at gas stations.  Not bottled drinks.  Fountain drinks.  They are usually like, $.75 for 64 ounces, which is about half the cost of a 12 ounce bottle at the same convenience store.  Bonus points if you get to stop at a QT where they have cherry and vanilla syrups at the fountain!

If you are in an area that has Kangaroo gas station convenience stores, you can also get a "RooCup" for $6.99, and then all summer long, refills on frozen drinks and fountain drinks are only $.25!  That's a pretty good deal if you use them a lot!

As a last resort, you can buy a six-pack of 12 ounce bottles ahead of time and put them in your cooler, but all the above options are cheaper than that.  

4)  Rest Stops

Rest stops are one of the things I love most about America.  I first started to truly appreciate them when we made a road trip with our foster dogs.  Rest stops are awesome.  Most (but not all, shockingly) have restrooms, picnic tables, an air conditioned inside area, and some even have cool stuff like free coffee.  (One time, we even got cider!)  They also usually have vending machines, but you don't need those because you already have all the snacks and drinks you need in your car.

These are great places to get out and have your picnic lunch, stretch your legs, and relax.  If you do all that here, you don't feel like you have to pay for a burger at McDonald's just so you can use their restrooms, and you don't end up eating your PB&J in their parking lot like a creeper.

5)  Hotels

Room accommodations are usually the most expensive part of a road trip.  Best-case scenario is getting to stay with friends or family at no cost.  This is not always possible, though.  It takes some work to find good places to stay that are cheap and also not crack dens.  (It's a fine line.)

Discount websites like Travelocity are usually good ways to find deals on decent hotels.  I can usually tell by reading the reviews and the chain name how good or bad a place will be.  Hotels dot com also has good deals, and they have a user-friendly policy on refunds or rebooking if you aren't satisfied when you get there.

State and national parks also have cabins and chalets that you can rent, and some even have hotels!  They are a lot cheaper than commercial rooms, and they usually have great amenities, not to mention the bonus of getting plenty of hiking trails, museums, petting zoos, lakes, and whatever else that park features.

If you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, browse Groupon Getaways and Living Social Escapes.  That's how we found this last Bed and Breakfast we stayed in, and it was great!  You might have to be a little flexible with dates and even locations, but there are some great deals and some fun stuff!

6)  Entertainment

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on shows, events, and fine dining, try some cheaper options.  We usually find local history sites like museums, state parks, or battlefields where you can have a fun time without paying lots of money.  If you stay at a Bed and Breakfast, they usually give a tour of the house, which is always interesting, and they can direct you to local attractions.  Aquariums are another great way to get a lot of entertainment for a smaller price.

We also bring books, games, and magazines with us so we can hang out in the hotel in the evenings and just relax.  Of course, watching TV is always fun for us, too, since we don't have cable at home.  We just don't feel like we have to be out "doing" something every second.  Vacations are for relaxing.

Again, planning ahead can help you here.  Google "Fun things to do in city, state" and you will probably find some great ideas.  I have used that technique on several of our trips!

7)  Food While You're There

Of course, you don't want to survive on granola and peanut butter during your entire trip, so save your trip foods for the ride back.  There are lots of cheap ways to eat when you arrive.

We usually pick one night to have a nice dinner, and the other meals, we find local cafes and diners or eat in our rooms.  

If you make sure that the hotel you choose has complementary breakfast, you know one meal is always free.  If you can find one that has a fridge and a microwave, you can stop by a grocery store when you arrive and pick up a few cheap foods to make for yourself in your room.  You can also keep leftovers in the fridge from when you do eat out and use them for lunch the next day.  Sometimes you have to pay a little extra for a room with these amenities, but it ends up saving you money in the long run.

8)  Plan Your Budget

No one likes to think about money and budgets even at normal times, but especially not on vacation.  Still, the best way to ensure that you stay on budget is to keep track of it.

Decide before you go how much you have to spend, how you would like to spend it, and then make sure you have a reserve in case something happens (like a car malfunction, a medical emergency, or just really needing to buy another souvenir).

Monitor your spending.  Keep track of receipts and card usages.  Use cash as much as possible because it makes it so much easier to see what you are spending.  If you have to spend more on something than you planned, adjust accordingly.

For example, when we went to Seattle for our anniversary several years ago, we ended up going to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, which was one of our favorite destinations of all time.  However, since it ended up costing more than we had planned, we decided not to go up in the Space Needle.  It wasn't nearly as important to us as the awesome time we had in the Science Fiction Museum.

9)  Souvenirs

Everyone loves to buy souvenirs.  I love to buy souvenirs for myself and pretty much everyone I am on speaking terms with.  Sadly, though, that does not work with my current budget.

When we first got married, we decided we needed a "thing" to collect.  We chose magnets.  Wherever we go, we make sure to get a magnet to remind us of our trip.  (We have an awesome refrigerator.)

A lot of times, a magnet may be the only item we buy on a trip.  If we have extra money, we might get something else, but we don't feel like we have to.  We also don't usually get gifts for people from our trips unless we get one as a thank-you for watching Cricket or house sitting or something.  It's just not practical.

10)  GPS

This is not absolutely necessary, but it does actually help.  If you have a GPS, you don't have to stop and buy a map when you get lost.  You don't spend extra gas money wandering around looking for your destination, and you know your time schedule and how far to the stopping place, so you don't end up having to stop at a McDonald's and buy something just so you can use the restroom, only to find out you are two exists away from a rest stop!  You can also quickly find a hospital, car garage, or anything else you might need in a strange city.

11)  Take Care of Your Car

Make sure your car is in good shape before you leave, to avoid costly repairs on the road.  Check tires, oil, and that weird humming noise that just started last week.  Keep a tire pump in the trunk, along with jumper cables, and whatever other tools you are comfortable using.  The more you know about taking care of your car, like how to change a tire, the less you'll have to pay for.

(And I say all that as someone who knows absolutely nothing about cars, but whose husband is awesome at doing that kind of stuff.)

I hope this helps you save some money on your next adventure.  Road trips are tons of fun, and they don't have to cost tons of money.  A little planning and you can have a blast for just a few bucks!

And by the way, that B&B we stayed at was The Inn of the Patriots, and it was awesome.  If you're in the South/North Carolina border area, it's the perfect place to spend a weekend!

How to Be Awesome at Saving Money: Part Two

I did a post earlier on the mentality behind saving money.  I covered things like shopping at stores with overall lower prices, deciding where to spend and where to save, etc.  Those are the big-picture ideas.  Once I got my head around those things, I started taking practical steps to start saving money.  I basically just comb through every aspect of my life, looking for ways I can cut back and save.  Below are five of the biggest things that I have worked on over the past two years to save money.

(Note:  I included links to other websites for products or services I use.  I am not getting paid to endorse these things.  They are just things that have helped me, so I included the links in case you wanted to use them as well.)

1)  Budgeting

No one likes to talk about this, but it works.  I used to have a super complicated budget that involved keeping track of every transaction and subtracting it from two separate ledger sheets.  It was too complicated, so of course, I couldn't keep it up.

My method now is much simpler.  In the areas that I have discretionary money, I simply use cash.  I have a book of envelopes from the Dave Ramsey system, and each pay day, I put an assigned amount of cash into each category.

For example, I put $50 into the entertainment envelope.  Then, when we decide we want to eat out or see a movie or go to an event, that's the money I use.  When I run out of money, I have to decide if I'm going to take money from another category or just do without.  I do sometimes take from another envelope, but then I know that I'll have less for that fund when the time comes.

It's really simple.  It doesn't require writing anything down or saving receipts.  It has saved me so much money by forcing me to see how much is being spent and to acknowledge when I am out of money.

I used to be opposed to this because I said I didn't feel safe carrying around cash, but let's be honest.  Carrying around a debit card or credit card is just as dangerous, and someone can do just as much damage. Plus, I don't carry it all around with me.  I just take out what I need for the day.  That's also extra incentive not to overspend!

I don't do all my spending in cash.  For "non-negotiable" expenses that don't change and can't be controlled, I use my debit card.  Those would be areas like utilities, mortgage, gas, medical, etc.  I just use the envelope system for groceries, entertainment, baby needs, clothing, and spending money.

2)  Meal Planning

This has been a huge help for me.  I'm always surprised that so many people are against meal planning, because it makes life so much easier and it saves so much money!  I only go grocery shopping once each pay period, so before I go, I sit down with my calendar (it has a place to write a meal on each day) and my shopping list.  I go through Pinterest to pick out a few new recipes, go through a cookbook or two, and go back through my calendar to see which favorites I haven't made in a while.

I like doing it on the calendar because then I can keep in mind upcoming events and weekly schedules, like an upcoming dinner at church, or the days Brian works late, when I usually don't plan big meals.

As I go through each recipe, I read the ingredients and write what I need on my list.  I try to include a few meals that use ingredients I know I already have, so I don't end up with tons of food just sitting around in my pantry.

I also plan leftover days.  Usually once or twice a week, I just write "leftovers" for the meal.  I try to plan it after one or two days where I know the recipes make big batches.  That way, I don't end up wasting food that turns into science projects in the fridge, and it works as a "day off" for me, where I can focus on making staples like granola bars, bread, or whatever else we're out of.  I also might plan a leftover day when I know I'll be out of the house all day.

Just doing this will save you so much money.  You are using up the leftovers, planning meals around what ingredients you have or will buy, and you're not being tempted to go out to eat just because you can't think of what to make.  It really works!

3)  Netflix

This may seem like a weird thing to put in a list of ways to save money, but the idea is that you pick one area of entertainment and pretty much just stick with that.  We don't have a ton of entertainment money, so we decided that Netflix would be our one main resource.  For $7.99 a month, we just get the instant streaming feature, not the mail-in movies.  The instant streaming doesn't have as many new releases, but it is cheaper and it has tons of television shows and lots of good movies.  We don't watch that much television anyway, so it definitely has enough to keep us busy.

Sure, every now and then we get a movie from one of the "Box at the Grocery Store" companies or go see a movie in the theater, but most of the time, we just use the instant streaming.  It has worked out really well for us.

4)  Library

Every couple of years, I rediscover the library.  I'll go in for the first time in forever and come out thinking, "Man!  This is a great idea!  Someone should have thought of this a long time ago!"

It really is a great resource.  Of course, they have books, but they also have movies, including new releases.  Usually you have to get on a waiting list for those, but still, it's free!  They also have books on tape and  events for kids and adults.  Not to mention they have computers and Internet access, which I used a lot before we got our own.  You can even check out e-books for your e-reader!

Besides just what they offer, libraries are a great place to visit when you want to get out of the house, but don't want to spend money.  You are encouraged to hang out!  Most have a kids' section with toys, puzzles, etc. that will keep them occupied for a while, and ours even has a playground next door to make the outing a little longer.

Lots of people tell me they don't use their library because they always end up with late fees.  I encourage you to sign up for their email list.  I get emails me three days before my materials are due to remind me.  Plus, they have an option to renew online, so if I know I can't get over there in time, or if I forgot and it's the last day, I can buy myself more time to return them!

Libraries are totally worth getting reacquainted with.

5)  Stop Spending Money

This might seem kind of harsh, or maybe too simple to have to say out loud, but it actually is worth thinking about.  A huge part of saving money for me has been learning more self-control.  When I had more disposable income, I would see something at the store that looked cool or fun or that I thought would make my life easier and I would just get it.  If I saw something I didn't really need but had been wanting, I would just get it.  Now, I go home and think about it for a while.  If I still think it's a good idea, I make sure we have the budget for it, and I'll get it, but most of the time, I just have to say no.

One thing that helps with this is to give myself an alternative that doesn't cost money.  For example, "No, Self.  I'm not going to get a Blizzard today.  Let's go home and make smoothies.  They're healthier anyway."  Or, "No, Self.  I don't need to buy that cute toy for Cricket.  I just made her some new discovery bottles and she's having fun with those.  I will go home and put it on my Amazon Wishlist and maybe the Amazon Fairy will send it to me."

I use a list when I do grocery shopping, and I try really hard to only get 3 things or less that aren't on the list. (There's always something I forgot to put on there, so that's why I can't say I don't get anything that isn't on the list.)  I only go grocery shopping once per pay period, which helps with the temptation to buy extras, and I rarely go into stores just to browse, because I almost always find something I "need."

I try to find places to hang out that don't  involve money, too.  My default hang-out spot when I was working was Starbucks, which is awesome and fun, but is also super expensive.  Now, I prefer the library, going for a walk with friends at a park, or just inviting people over to my house.

Of course, occasionally, we go to the movies or get ice cream or whatever, and that's important, too.  If you try to cut out everything, you will hate it and give up quickly.  That's why you have that entertainment budget I was talking about.  You know how much money you have each month, and that's what you use for fun stuff.  I also have a little bit in the budget just to blow on whatever.  It's the miscellaneous money that I use for whatever comes up.  That's important to include in the budget, because there are always things you aren't planning on.  Just make sure you stick to the amount set aside.


There are lots of other ways to save money, but this is a good start.  If you can set a budget, start planning your meals, pick one cheap primary form of entertainment, frequent libraries instead of book stores or movie stores (are those still a thing?), and work on self-control, you will be surprised at how much you can start saving!

And you still don't have to use reusable toilet paper.

How to Be Awesome at Cooking: Kitchen Staples

In my continuing efforts to save money and eliminate artificial ingredients from our food, I've been making more and more things from scratch.  And it's not just meals.  I've been making more of the basic staples.  Remember how I posted about making ketchup a while back?  Yeah, it's like that.  So here are some awesome things you can make at home to cut out preservatives, MSG, artificial dyes, and extra trips to the store!

1)  Seasoned Salt

This actually came about because I needed some in a recipe and ran out.  Apparently I am a very specific kind of lazy, because to me, it made sense that it was easier to spend 20 minutes making the seasoning from scratch than to get in the car, drive five minutes to the Piggly Wiggly (yes, I live in the South,) and buy it.  I feel like that's not actually easier, but it seemed like it at the time.

The recipe itself isn't hard.  I got it from one of the big recipe sites, but I can't remember which one.  You can Google it and find a million recipes, so I'm not going to re-post it. 

Did you know the  main ingredient in seasoned salt (often called by the brand name Lawry's) is celery salt?  Well, I mean, regular salt is the MAIN main ingredient, but the main other ingredient.  Who knew? 

It makes a whole bunch, so it's lasted forever.  Tastes great!

2)  Cream of Something Soup

I've actually tried a couple of different variations, and they all work fairly well.  I particularly like this recipe because you make up the dry mix ahead of time, and then just add the wet ingredients when you need some.  It saves time, and it works great in recipes.  I usually don't even try to put the extra flavor in it, like broccoli or mushroom, or whatever.  It works just fine as-is.

3)  Cake Flour

My first instinct is just to pretend I read my recipe wrong and use regular flour.  I mean, what's so special about cake flour?  It's like, snobby flour, right?  I'm definitely not buying a whole five pound bag of cake flour just because I need one cup for some cookies!  But before I just threw in all-purpose, I thought I would see what the deal was, so I Googled it (of course), and I found this recipe.

Turns out, cake flour is actually just regular flour that has been sifted more, and has added corn starch.  Glad I checked!  It's super easy to make your own, and then you don't have five pounds of it sitting around for years until you make that one kind of cookie again!

4)  Ranch, Taco, and Onion Soup Mixes

This blog has great recipes for ranch mix, taco seasoning, and onion soup mix.  I have made all of these several times, and they are great.  I will say, the onion soup mix is not as flavorful as the one you buy at the store, but I'm pretty sure that's because it doesn't use MSG, so I'm willing to take that trade off.  The others, however, are just as good, if not better, than the packaged kind.  Awesome!

5)  Nutella

Yes, for those who might be asking, this is definitely a kitchen staple.  Nutella is amazing, but if you have bought it, you know it is also amazingly expensive.  Aldi has their version, which is cheaper and just as good, but this is even better!

I will say, this is pretty labor-intensive compared to the others.  It took me a while to even find large amounts of raw hazelnuts (Earth Fare).  Then you have to roast them, peel them, puree them, and then you have to melt the chocolate and actually mix everything together.  Also, this is not at all healthy.  Not even a little bit.  And it does come out a little coarser than the store-bought kind, mainly because I didn't feel like straining mine.

BUT, it was really, really good.  I would cut the salt out, because mine was a little salty, but overall, it was great!  Our biggest problem was that it has a much shorter shelf-life, not having preservatives and all, so I was FORCED to eat it often to avoid wasting it.  Aww, poor me. 

7)  Yogurt

I love yogurt, so I was excited to try this one.  First, I tried this "Foolproof Greek Yogurt" in the crock pot.  It was supposed to be so easy you couldn't screw it up.

I screwed it up.

What I made was not yogurt.  What I made was a snot-like sour milk substance that still haunts me in my dreams.  It was gross, and it wasted a whole gallon of milk, which was a bummer.

I think the problem was that I didn't have a good thermometer.  I go through kitchen thermometers like the Kardashians go through botox, so the only one I had was designed for you to leave in meat while it was cooking.  It wasn't very accurate.  Obviously.

After that, I wised up.  I got a good thermometer and a yogurt maker, and just followed the instructions.  This made the best yogurt I have ever had.  I loved it.  It was actually easier than the crock pot method, too.  And it makes four cute little glass pots full of yogurt.  So cute!

On the upside, Cricket loved it.  She devoured an entire little pot in one sitting.

On the downside, she projectile-vomited it back up an hour later.

In my car.

In her brand new car seat.

I didn't give her yogurt again for a while after that.

6)  Butter/Buttermilk

On the left, buttermilk.  On the right, butter.

This is a good thing to know how to make for several reasons.  One, it also makes buttermilk, which is something I never seem to have on-hand when I need it.  (Yes, I know I could just use regular milk and lemon juice, but I'm a perfectionist.)  Two, it's fun to say, "this is homemade butter."  And three, it's a good way to use up the leftover cream you always have when you buy a carton.

It's really easy to make.  Just put some heavy cream in a Mason jar. (Don't fill it all the way.  Leave a little room at the top.)  Close it tightly and just shake it for what feels like a million hours to your triceps.  You will feel it sloshing around for a while, and then all of a sudden, you won't feel it anymore.  At this point, it is whipped cream.  Keep shaking, and in about a minute, it will miraculously turn into butter and buttermilk!

Pour out as much buttermilk as you can and save it if you want.  Then use a towel or cheesecloth to rinse the rest of it off of the butter, or it will spoil really fast.  (This part is kind of messy.)  Mix in some salt if you want, and voila!  You made butter, and you burned some Calories, so you can eat that butter guilt-free!

7)  Bread

I've been making our bread for a couple of months now.  I use an English muffin bread (pictured) for special occasions, and this recipe in the bread maker for sandwiches, and it's gone really well.  Brian loves the thicker, heartier bread and Cricket eats it like it's going out of style!  It also makes a good side at dinner, and everyone is super impressed when you serve them homemade bread, even when all I did was pour ingredients into a bread maker and check back in three hours.

Also, it's cheaper than even the bread you get at the Bread Thrift Store, which is totally a real place.

How to Be Awesome at Making Household Products

In my unending quest to save money and make my home more baby-friendly, I have started making a lot of my household products like cleaners and a few health and beauty supplies.  This sounds really impressive at first, and you are welcome to think that, but in reality, it is a necessity for me as a way to cut back spending.  Also, some of these were complete failures, so maybe don't get too impressed just yet.

By the way, one of the reasons I was hesitant to start my blog again was that most of the ideas I try are things I got from other blogs, so it's not like I can say they were mine.  Plus, most people have already seen them on Pinterest, which is where 98% of my ideas come from.

Instead, here are some evaluations of the household products I have made and used.  I found these all on Pinterest.  Links to the sources are in the titles.

1)  Laundry Detergent

This is one of the things I am the most proud of making myself, even though like, our great-grandparents did this, and it was no big thing.  There are several variations on the recipe, but mine involves Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda, and Grated Fels Naptha bars.

Grated Soap:  Not as delicious as it appears.

(PROTIP:  Use a food processor to grate the bars of soap.  I grated them by hand the first time, and it took several days because my arm got so sore I had to stop.  Also, I'm a weakling, so maybe you could do it by hand without a problem.)

I store it in a Christmas popcorn tin that has a clear lid.  A batch costs like, $15 I think, and it lasts 6-9 months.  No kidding.  Even with us doing diaper laundry every night on top of regular laundry.  And it works on just about everything.  From Cricket's diapers to Brian's work uniforms.  Pretty cool.  Plus, no chemical additives, dyes, or fragrances, so I don't have to worry about sensitive skin.

2)  All-Purpose Spray

I have a couple of variations of this.  One is just a spray bottle with half vinegar and half water.  I infuse my vinegar with orange peels for 10 days first.  (Doesn't that sound so boss?  Throw that in a conversation sometime.)  I also have one recipe that uses orange vinegar, water, peroxide, and tea tree and lavender essential oils.  I like this one a little better because I feel like the peroxide helps kill germs a little better, along the tea tree oil, which is a natural antiseptic/antibacterial.  (NOTE:  The recipe in the link includes Castile soap, which you should NOT use with vinegar.  It de-saponifies it, making the soap useless.  Use a detergent like Dawn, or just leave it out.)  This spray works great at cutting grease in the kitchen, cleaning bathroom counters, or whatever else you use all-purpose spray for.  And it doesn't smell as bad as plain vinegar does.  I hate that smell.

3)  Dishwashing Detergent

This one was a flop.  I tried several versions, but apparently our water is just too hard, and I must use terrible, environmentally-detrimental chemicals.  The one I tried involved Epsom Salts, Baking Soda, Lemmi Shine, and Borax.  And dirty dishes.

4)  Deodorant

I actually did make this and use it a couple of times, and I think it worked really well.  But I stopped using it because I'm too much of a coward.  I'm afraid if I did use it and it didn't work, no one would tell me.

5)  Shaving Cream

This one worked ok, but not good enough that I would do it again.  The one I used required shampoo, conditioner, baby oil, water, and lotion.  It came out really thin, kinda gloopy, and hard to use, but too thick for a foaming soap pump.  I made it work by forcing it through the foaming pump, which made a noise like I was strangling a manatee every time I took a shower.  Not worth it.

6)  Dryer Balls

These are felted balls of wool that you put in the dryer and they bounce around, creating magical pockets of air that fluff your clothes and help dry them faster.  I made four balls out of one skein of yarn, but I didn't felt them enough the first time and they came apart. You are supposed to put the balls in a pantyhose sock and tie a knot between each one.  Then you put them in the washer on hot water and then dry them, still in the sock.  Repeat that a couple of times, and make sure you use hot water.  Very important.

These work really well, and you don't have to worry about chemicals on your clothes.  (I experimented with felting some raw wool onto one of them, which is why it has white spots.  It's not some type of dryer ball leprosy.)  Downside:  They are loud.

7)  Hairspray

I was super proud of this, and consequently super stubborn about admitting that it didn't really work.  I used it for a couple of months before I gave up and bought some that actually does something.  I mean, it works about as well as a spray bottle full of nice smelling water would work on your hair.  Supposedly you boil citrus fruit down, and the um...something in the fruit makes the hairspray sticky, and you add water and rubbing alcohol and it makes hairspray.  Except it didn't.  It might help lay down a few flyaways, but they are just gonna spring back up once it dries.  And also, I was always a little afraid of being swarmed by bees.

8)  Facial Astringent

This one I really like, and have actually made several batches of.  It's just lemon juice and witch hazel, but it's a lot cheaper than buying a bottle of specialty astringent.  Works well too, and since I have super sensitive, super temperamental skin, I'm a good test subject.  Oh, and the first time, I actually squeezed lemons by hand, but the pulp was annoying, so now I just use the bottled stuff.  Works fine.

9)  Room Air Freshener

Basically you just put baking soda in an open jar and add a few drops of essential oils and your house magically loses all bad odors and smells like whatever wholesome oil you chose to use.

Did not work.  At all.

After a few days, the spots where the oils had landed in the baking soda turned black, so either my house smells so bad that the air freshener actually died, or this is just not a great idea.  Maybe if you made like, a dozen of them, and put them all around...or you could just get a wax melter.  That works great.

10)  Bath Salts

This was from a blog intended for kids, but it is great for adults, too.  It's easy to make: it's just Epsom Salts, food coloring, and whichever essential oils you want to use.  This would be a great gift in a cute jar with a pretty tag.  I did eucalyptus to help Cricket when she has a cold, and I love it!


If you are interested in looking at any of the actual sites where I got these recipes, you can click the links in the titles, or they can all be found on my Mission Accomplished board on Pinterest.  It's where I pin all the things I have actually tried.  If you're on Pinterest, you should follow me, or at least follow that board, 'cause that's where the doable stuff is, and not the crazy stuff like how to make a chandelier out of toilet paper tubes or how to paint your nails to represent each individual dwarf from the Hobbit.