Frugal Friday: Cold Remedies

Hello all, I'M SICK! And so today I'm going to share with you what I do to help out with the sickies. Although when you are in the middle of the height of the worst of it, it seems nothing will help, that's when I try to sleep. But when I'm awake here is what I've been doing...

1. Steam shower: I get the shower hotter than I can stand it and let the steam take over the bathroom for a minute, then I reduce the heat and hop in - lingering and breathing.

2. Wasabi: Spices tend to unclog the nose (even for a short while). I have Wasabi Almonds that I eat. You can add some spices to your food and it should help.

3. Gargle: My throat is on fire! Gargling with salt water can help as well as some tea with honey. Honey can also be given to your child (tsp only) about 45 mins before bedtime and it will help calm their cough and allow them to sleep a little better through the night (my son is sick too). It can cause them to get a little rambunctious shortly after taking it (as I can attest to), but it will coat their throat and help them get through the night.

4. Mints: I really really don't like cough drops. They are just foul! So how about a peppermint instead?

5. Liquids: Don't forget that when your body is sick you need to keep it hydrated, drink plenty of water (my husband prefers Gingerale when he's sick), tea, soup, eat jello and fruit popsicles

Don't forget to get plenty of rest, your body is working hard to fight off the infection. And as for me...well I'm going to be on the couch all morning resting.

Frugal Friday: Baby It's Cold Outside!

Last year I discovered that my house has way too many windows and in the winter that translates to a lot of lost heat and cold rooms (you should just go stand in the Florida room for a minute Brrrr).

I have the heat set at 70 right now but I'd like to try and lower that (I already received one gas bill that was way too high). I should have done this earlier but I figure better late than never.

So tomorrow evening I'll go to the hardware store and get some plastic to put up over the windows. I'm going to have to figure out how much plastic I'll need to cover all of them.
Here's a video from DIY to show you how to do it.

Frugal Friday: Step Back

It’s my opinion that not only should we be frugal with our money by stretching it, and our possessions by making them last, but we should also be frugal with our time. As a full time homemaker and small business owner, I am amazed to find that I am busier now than I was when I worked full time outside of the home, and I was darn busy then!

The bottom line is our time is precious, no matter how we spend it, no matter our walk of life. So take some time and step back from the craziness!

And don’t worry, frugality is meant to be a help not a hindrance. You may find it easy to get frustrated or overwhelmed because you simply can’t do it all or be as frugal as the next person. Do what you can, even I don’t practice extreme frugality, I simply don’t have the time!

Frugal Friday: soup Soup SOUP!

Take the chill off with some wonderful soups, I bet you've never heard of some of these! I can't wait to try the Southwestern Chicken Soup

Is there anything more frugal that a big pot of soup and maybe a slice of bread?

I'll be traveling each weekend for the next three weeks so I may not get Frugal Friday posts done for a couple weeks.

Happy Holidays!

Frugal Friday: 27 Cleaning Tips & Tricks

I get a great deal of enjoyment out of a magazine called Real Simple. Now, I don't have a subscription so I read some of their things online and whenever I go to my MIL's house I take a look at her magazines since she does have a subscription.

Anyhow, today I'm directing you to their website to read about some cleaning tips and tricks...one of the tips is downright funny ..."dust only as high as your tallest friend...", now that's a tip I can live with!

Read more here

These tips are meant to help save you precious time and not necessarily money. I try my best to keep a good balance of spending in both areas.

Take care!