Thrifty Thursday - Coconut Hair Treatment

Good Morning Everyone!!!

Who else is loving our ode to Mothers this month!?! We hope that you are taking advantage of our thrifty tips on how to keep the special woman in your life pampered!

We have another great one for you this morning!

Who wishes they had the amazing hair that you see in all the hair product commercials that is super shiny and perfect? Ok...you can all put your hands down....we gotcha covered!

NOBODY knows hair woes better than I do. I have naturally curly hair, and let me tell you it has a mind of it's own! I have struggled to tame my mane my whole life. Dry winter months are almost as hard to manage as humid summer days....Most of the time I just look like a lion or a homeless poodle. Either way, not exactly the hair commercial look I am going for. About a month ago, I found a recipe for an oil treatment for hair, and I decided that it couldn't get any worse, why not give it a try!

BOY am I glad that I did!! I found that for several days after I used this oil treatment, my hair was soft, shiny, and would finally succumbed to my will!!! SWEET VICTORY!!!

As if this isn't great enough, there are actually a couple bonuses that come with! It smells amazing, is also great for your skin, and naturally fights dandruff!!! Give it a try, what could you lose!!

What you are gonna need:
Coconut oil (I use tropical traditions)
Honey (THRIVE Honey crystals work amazing!)
***If you use a lot of hair product, add in some baking soda, about a Tablespoon for every cup of coconut oil***

Mix these together until you get a nice cream. I use my kitchen aid with the whip attachement. It makes it nice and fluffy. Massage into your hair and scalp. Now take a deep breath....smells amazing right? pull your hair into a bun, or if you have short hair, use a shower cap. Leave in for atleast 20 minutes. Shower and wash your hair as normal.
You can also enjoy this treatment as a hot oil treatment. just heat both the honey and the coconut oil together. Put into a squeeze bottle and put directly onto your hair. Follow the same porcedure as the regular treatment above.

Enjoy your new shiny locks!!

Sugar Hand Scrub

Are you ready for a super easy and cheap Mother's Day gift? Make it for yourself (please do!) and the other mama's in your life. I don't know about you but my hands get so dry and scaly. I am constantly washing my hands and no amount of moisturizing hand soap or hand lotion keeps my knuckles from cracking (ouch!). I love this sugar scrub though, because it sloughs off dead skin cells while leaving your hands nice and silky.

You Will Need:
Sugar
Dawn Dish Soap WITH Olay
A container

It's important that you get the Dawn with Olay. The most common is the pink version which smells like pomegranates. I did see a few others though, a white, and a blue or purple I believe. The dish soap costs right around 3 bucks. I did also see a Great Value version, but I stuck with the original. For my container I used a half pint mason jar, which cost about 50 cents each. And if you have a bunch of empties laying around then all the better!

Directions:

Fill your jar/container 3/4 of the way with sugar. Add the dish soap to the bottom of the rim. Mix together. Keep adding sugar and mixing until you've reached your desired consistency. You don't want it to be super runny, you only need enough soap to wash with. The main ingredient is the sugar. Some people like a lot of sugar so it's really just up to you. It should resemble a thick paste. Feel free to test it out to make sure you've reached the right consistency.

To use:
Just scoop out a small amount and scrub into hands and rinse with warm water. It feels so good (and smells good too!)

Wasn't that a cheap and easy gift? Less than $5 and 5 minutes to make. Now just make a cute label to slap on the jar and add a bow and your good to go.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bath Soak - Thrifty Thursdays

Do you like babies' soft skin? Me too!

Since May is the month of Mothers Day, we thought it would be a perfect time to put together a few Homemade Spa Treatments that you can make as wonderful, well needed gifts. I think it would be fun to make a few of these, buy a candle and decorate a #10 can and make it a whole spa in a can experience for your mother, mother-in-law, wife, sister-in-law, best friend...etc.  We hope that you will enjoy these Thrifty Thursday posts and use them in your home right along with us.

How many of us take time to take a long warm bath?  I still remember that I had an 8th grade English teacher who told us that no matter what, she soaked in a long warm bath at least once a week.  She said she would light a candle, bring a book and lock the door so the kiddos would know to leave her alone and enjoy the quiet time.

I have kids that are too little for me to just lock out and plan on them taking care of themselves, but I can still make a goal to do something like this in the evening after they've gone to bed.  We deserve it, right?!

The first Spa Treatment we will be introducing to also happens to use quite a few bulk storage items.  What an awesome way to rotate through some things!  This recipe is close to the original from this site.  It also uses powdered milk which is on sale this month!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bath Soak
Ingredients:
3/4 c oatmeal
1 c powdered milk
1/2 c baking soda
2 t cornstarch
1 t cream of tartar
1 t cinnamon
An air tight jar to keep out moisture (I just reused an old jam jar)

Directions:
1. Grind your oatmeal in a food processor.  Once it is finely ground, add your remaining ingredients and mix well with the food processor.
2. Put mixture in a moisture proof container so it will not go moldy in storage.
3. To use, simply add 1/2 c of the mixture in a warm full bath.  Soak and enjoy.

I decorated it with paper to be able to give it as a gift in a bucket, then realized since its going to be around water, the paper will get ruined.  I wrapped the paper with packing tape to protect the paper.

I thought it was cute because a little bit spilled on the table because I had been lazy and not got a funnel... anyway the kids were sooooo excited and started licking it up immediately.  My daughter was sad when I told her it was time for bed.  She said, Please don't wipe it mommy.  I'll eat it later.  So there you have it, makes your skin soft AND gives the kiddos taste buds a joy ride :)

Thrifty Thursday - Potato Bucket Part 1

Hello Thursday!!!

Well I am so excited to share another THRIVE with a RE-purpose post today!!!

We have been talking about ways that we can re-use the things that we already have on hand because of our Q shipments and our home store! So far we have seen some awesome ideas! A great way to re-use the boxes to make organizing bins, an awesome window herb garden, and some wonderful #10 can baskets! You may be thinking to yourself, what is left? We have already found an awesome way to re-use everything!!! WRONG!!! What about our friend the 5 gallon bucket?

There are plenty of awesome ways to re-use a 5 gallon bucket, (mixing paint, storage, compost bin, toy storage,etc), but this one is my favorite!!! Today we are gonna use our 5 gallon bucket to plant some potatoes!!! I know!!

**First let me add a disclaimer, I was planning on using a THRIVE bucket, however, my 4 legged children decided that it would be of much better use as a chew toy....so we get this camo bucket instead. However, this would work just as wonderfully with a THRIVE Life bucket! Doesn't she look sooooo sorry?!

 

So First, you need to gather your supplies:

Bucket

Soil

Potato Seeds (I used certified starter seeds, simply

       because I wanted to make sure that they were

       organic and disease free. Once you get your

       first crop, you can just use starter from the ones

       you pick! Cool Right?) 

Gravel

Drill

Water

Sun :)

First you need to Drill several holes in the bottom of the bucket to allow for drainage.

Add a layer of gravel to the bottom about 2-3 inches thick. This helps keep your soil in and also aids in drainage.

 

Add a layer of soil, about 6 inches thick. Cut your potato seeds so that you have an eye on each piece. I used 4 per bucket to allow for enough room. Place them in the soil equally spaced with the eyes towards the top.

 

Add another layer of soil to the top of the seeds, only about 2 inches. Your bucket should be just under half full. As the potato plants grow, you will add more soil to the top until you reach just 2 inches from the top.

I will keep you updated on the progress of our little plants as they grow!!

Happy Planting! 

Thrifty Thursdays...a day late and a dollar short :)

So I am typically very on top of my blog posts.  If I say I'm going to do it, I am going to do it.  I am embarrassed that this Thrifty Thursday post is coming, well, on Saturday, ahem.  I promise it has been a crazy busy week with much that has been out of my control, but thankfully this baby growing in my tummy is doing well so I guess that means we're doing great.  I'm 32 weeks tomorrow... THANK GOODNESS! I cannot wait until 37 weeks and then she can come on out.  Knowing her stubborness though, she will choose 37 weeks as a time to stop letting me have contractions and will wait until the last day of 42 weeks to come.  Anywho, back on target!

This month we have been showing you simple ways to revitalize your home for Spring Cleaning using basics that you just happen to have lying around the home rather than having to buy a bunch of pricey organization boxes, planting pots and buckets.  I will have to edit this post throughout the week as I finish my spring cleaning project, but wanted to let you see what I've done with the #10 cans so far.

As I told you in this post before we have already adjusted our home quite a bit.  My sister and her two kids moved in with us in December.  We are making room for our sweet little edition coming our way in June, and now my wonderful mom is coming to live with us so I can be on some much needed bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy.  So, we are going from 4 people living in our home to 9 by the end of June.  While we are happy to have everyone coming, we've definitely had to make some major adjustments to how things are stored.  I want to show you guys a few things I've done as the week progresses.  Stay tuned for updates!

A cute birthday bucket I made for my sister.  She can reuse it now for
a styling trash can at the office or pencil holder... the possibilities are endless really.

What you'll need:
Emptied and cleaned #10 cans
2-3 Sheets of Themed Paper
Double-sided tape or Hot Glue
Ribbon (optional)
Markers

Since I was trying to use a theme that would be a little more lasting for my son's room, I chose to use pirate themed paper.  I used 12x12 scrapbooking paper.  Because the cans have a perimeter that is larger than 12 inches, you will have to overlap some of the paper.  Have fun using the different size scraps to add more depth to the designs.  I wanted to make the look a little more "rough" so I tore the edges of the solid paper.  You can choose which way you want to go with that.

Going for a cleaner look?  You can apply ribbon on top of where the two pages would meet to make a cute decorative look.

I have used these buckets more than just Storage Containers to revamp a room.  Here are a few ideas:
(Pictures to come of those which I still have on hand!)
  - Buckets for "spare parts"  You know, all of those nuts and bolts to different random things that you are afraid to throw away in case they become handy in the future.
  - Buckets for odd game pieces - Don't you just hate when you find puzzle pieces, little white balls to Hungry Hippos or little cherries from Hi Ho Cherry-O and you don't want to throw it away because it'll be needed again eventually... store them all in the same place so you know where to look
  - Buckets for pens, markers, pencils, etc.

This is where I first got the inspiration for most of the others.  http://imperfectlybeautifulms.blogspot.com/2010/09/gettin-crafty-with-empty-cans.html

  - Gift buckets - I really hate paying $5-7 for a gift bag that might just get trashed.  Why not decorate a bucket for cheap (or free depending on what you have at home).
  - Date Buckets - Surprise your spouse with a bucket with a movie or movie tickets, some candy, popcorn, a sweet note.  You can really make it geared for your hubby and add a little bottle of massage oil and promise that long needed back rub.  Don't you love it when someone goes the extra mile...its like a what flower arrangements do for ladies.
  - Mommy Buckets - Know someone who could really use a little break.  Why not create a little spa bucket... lotion, bath salt, candle, chocolate... sweet escape, yes please!
  - Easter/Halloween Buckets - Just drill holes and tie ribbon on either side of the can.
  - Reuse cans for Make a Mix containers - I love making my own instant meals so its fun to decorate and label a bucket for whatever food it is I'll be storing.
  - Break down larger buckets into smaller containers.  This is nice so you're not having to expose the food as often each time you open the container.
  - *Another Hubby Idea* Target Practice - I guess when they are empty you don't get to watch things explode when you shoot them, but you can paint them or tape target pictures to them.

Some uses I haven't tried but have seem at friends homes:
  - Furniture! We spent the night on a bed that was laying on a bed frame made completely of buckets and boxes of #10 cans... BRILLIANT!
  - #10 Can Stoves


Ideas from around the web:

http://spoonful.com/crafts/can-do-stilts

  - Stilts for your kiddos

From http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com

  - Flower Arrangements

Courtesy of http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com

  - Santa Clause centerpiece decoration

Thanks for stopping by!


Question of the Day:
I'm sure there are thousands of ideas out there. What do you do with your empty cans?

Windowsill Herb Garden

I've always wanted a window above my kitchen sink. Mainly for two reasons, so I can look out into the yard and see my child(ren) play, and so I can have an herb garden. We just bought our first house a few months ago and guess what? I have a window above my sink that looks out onto our back patio. I often send Jaxon out to play while I do the dishes and I can keep an eye on him the whole time!

Now that the sun is coming out on a regular basis and the days are warming up I knew it was time to fulfill part 2 of my kitchen window dream.

I had seen pictures floating around Pinterest showing various types of containers for herb gardens. I decided to use my empty pantry cans. First remove the label from the can and give it a good rinse. Then decorate it! You can do several different methods. I stuck with spray paint. I used a can of Krylon I already had on hand. It took about 2 minutes to spray both cans, 1 minute for the first coat, and another minute for the second. You could also use a hot glue gun and some twine/jute and wrap it around the can, leave it plain, or even try scrap book paper (since it's going above my sink and I'll be watering the plant I decided against paper). Fill your can partially with some potting soil and add your herb! I bought some peppermint from our local Ace for $2.50. I also bought some basil in the dollar section at Target. When I bought it last week there weren't many left, but when I went yesterday they had tons! Cilantro was the only other option at my Target, but maybe you'll be lucky and have more options. The basil comes in a little green house kit that you grow it in (from a seed). Once the plant is about 3 inches tall you transfer it to another container.

You could also use your pantry cans for lots of other storage options: a container to put your pens/pencils in, a toothbrush holder, to hold your makeup brushes (this is what I decided to do until I empty another pantry can), use it to hold combs/brushes, you can even use it to hold eating utensils for a party or barbecue! There are SO many options and you can really customize them anyway you want! I can't wait to make more!

This is what you start with a pantry can!

 Here it is in my window (bad lighting!) next to my basil "greenhouse"

Now you can see it better, I just love this blue/teal color, it's soo dreamy!

Next to my bathroom sink holding my makeup brushes and eyeliners.

Thrifty Thursday...THRIVE with a RE-purpose!!

 

Good Morning!! What a beautiful Spring day it is!!

I don't know about you....but once the weather starts to get warmer, and the trees start to sprout their little buds, I get a tingling. A tingling that starts in my fingers and works all the way to my toes, and I just have to clean something!!!

This spring is a little different for us. We just moved into our very first home and I feel a little cleaned out. We have been trying to clean and organize and unpack for FOREVER now!! That is honestly the last thing I want to do these days. However, since I am nowhere near close to being done with my evergrowing to do list...I figured I better keep on truckin!

Along with my ever-growing to-do list, my funds just seemed to be disappeaaring! What is a girl to do? Well, I will tell ya! Reduce, REUSE, Recycle! I get some sort of natural high by creating a new purpose for something that would otherwise go in the trash or recycle bin! It is like a bonus!

Maybe you are like me and think, "Wow! I really love getting my Q shipments, but what am I to do with all these amazing boxes!?!?"

You have come to the right place!!! Here is a couple suggestions:

1. Let your kids build a fort!

2. Pack up some of your unused stuff and take them to Goodwill

3. Use it in your garden to prevent weeds

OR

4. You could make awesome orgnaizing bins!

You guessed it!!! Today I am posting a tutorial on how to make your very own organizing bins out of your THRIVE Life boxes! I know....get excited!!

You may be thinking to yourself, "I am not crafty!" or "I don't know how to sew." I am hear to tell you that none of that matters! You can do this easily with a glue gun! Let's Jump In!

What are you gonna need:

a couple THRIVE Life boxes

fabric of your choice

glue gun or sewing machine (or both)

That's All!!! I know!!! AMAZING!!!

 

First, take your boxes and tuck the flaps inside. (I used a little hot glue to secure them)

Next, measure out and cut your fabric. I sewed everything together ....just a couple straight lines....as easy as it gets! (You could also do this with just a glue gun just as easily)

 I covered the entire outside in some cloth I had leftover from a canvas dropcloth we used while painting the house. Then I used a cute fabric I found at a discount store in the form of sheets sets to create a border.

 

Then, I glued the lining into the boxes and around the outer rim so that you can just see a small portion of the "cute" fabric

TA-DA!!! You can now pat yourself on the back because you have created a super thrifty and cute solution to your organizing problems! Congratulations! You have saved tons of money because really the only thing you will need to spend money on is the fabric, and I am pretty sure that you can find a great deal on that as well!!

Hopefully this spurs your excitement to get your spring cleaning done! Atleast now you have a cute spot to stash everything! :)

Shopping Saturdays: Laundry List

Welcome Back!
If you followed along on our Laundry Series for the month of March 2013 and are wondering, okay, what all do I need to get started, here is a printable shopping list for you to take so you can stock up on the supplies you'll need.

1 Time Trial or Year Supply
I have it broken down into 2 lists... the first column being if you would like to purchase items to try these things one time before committing, or the second column which tells you all of the supplies you would need if you were trying to build your Thrive Life Home Store and have a full year supply of items ready to go.

These estimates are for an average family size of around 4-5 people washing 400 loads a year.  This breaks down to about 8 loads per week.  If you know that you are doing more than that, buy accordingly!

Click to view shopping list

Do you have 15 Minutes of Time?
These simple switches that will take you less than 15 minutes total to make all 3 should save you around $175 if you were an honest measurer of laundry soap or even more if you just poured until the cups were full.  We can't wait for you to tell us how much you've saved by making the switch.

We are hoping that the average family will see that there is plenty of money that is going down the drain that can instead be used to build your home store.  Whether you are looking for emergency supplies, or more mullah to boost your pantry with the Q, these tips will be well worth your time (that is unless you make more than $175 in 15 minutes on a regular basis... yah, me either :)


Some ways to spend around $175:
2 Buckets of Instant Milk
1 Volcano Collapsable Cooking Kit
12 pack of THRIVE Whole Egg Powder
Sawyer Point 2 Bucket Kit + 2 Buckets w/ 2 Gamma Lids
Aqua Pail 1000 + The Kitchen Sink

So there's an endless amount of ways to spend it, right?!

Thrifty Thursday - Laundry Series: Using Vinegar for Fabric Softner

Welcome Back to our Thrifty Thursday Laundry Series!

According to this study the average American Family does 400 loads of laundry per year... ouch.  That's a lot of laundry!  With my sister and her kiddos living here I am sad to say that I definitely surpass this amount. But, just because there are alot of clothes to be washed and folded, doesn't mean that it has to be a huge budget breaker when I hit the store.

LAUNDRY SOAP
So far we have told you how we wash laundry for a WHOLE YEAR for under $20. (For my current household it would probably be closer to $30, but still... AMAZING!)

This independent study completed in Feb 20102 shows that when you shop at the store, even the absolute cheapest laundry option will cost at least $44.40 for the average household 400 loads.  If you are using a nicer, more popular brand, you will be paying upwards of about $124-$168 just for the laundry soap. Plus, this is if you accurately measure the amount.  It was found that many people use 1.5-2 times the amount of soap per load so some people can double this cost.

LAUNDRY SHEETS
We've taught you how to skip out on laundry sheets and dry your clothes for less that $5/ year.

FABRIC SOFTENER
And today, we will talk about this super quick and easy switch that takes no prep time at all!  The average family buys fabric softener for between $6-$11 per bottle.  These bottles last for between 40-50 loads if measured out correctly, you should be using between $25-$45 per year of fabric softener.  Let's cut this down by almost a tenth of the cost!

Option 1
Just add vinegar! For all of you worriers that think your clothes will smell funny, just know that the vinegar smell disappears as soon as it dries.  It also serves as a deodorizer for your washing machine.  I can dilute mine to make it stretch further but even without doing so, I typically put about an 1/8 cup in per load which comes out to about 64 loads of laundry per gallon ($1.84 at Walmart) which comes out to less than 3 cents per load or $11.50 a year.

Option 2
If you are willing to put in a little prep time, you've got to try out this simple recipe for laundry softener that allows you to keep your clothes scented, but stretches the cost of the vinegar even further because of the addition of water so that the cost per load is only about 1.6 cents per load. That's only $6.40 over the course of the year!

You will need a mixing spoon, bucket for mixing and a bottle to store the mixture in.  I split up my mixture into an old conditioner bottle with a pump that can premeasure the usage for me and put the remainder in a re purposed container (aka old applesauce jar).  It makes about 88 oz.

Recipe:
6 c warm water
2 c hair conditioner (1.00)
3 c distilled vinegar (.50)

1. Pour warm water into a container.
2. Add conditioner and vinegar and stir until few clumps remain.
3. Pour into your storage containers. And you're done!

View original post here.

Option 3
Want to keep it green and have just family friendly ingredients that are proven to be safe on your clothes?  If you already have essential oils in your home, just add a few drops of oils to your jug of vinegar and you have yourself some awesome smelling clothes for a fraction of the cost.  Note: DO NOT use lemon as lemon is know for its ability to eat through certain things like plastic and styrofoam.  That would be a sad thing to find out later down the road :)

Thanks for following along in our series.  Check back Saturday for the Shopping List that lists all of the items you need for all three swaps coming to just $30 for a years supply of products! Be sure to tune in next month to find out how we save money in a whole other arena.

Thrifty Thursdays: Laundry Series - Homemade Laundry Detergent

This is my laundry detergent. I love it. I made it at the end of last Summer and this is what I still have left.

It was super easy to make and super easy to use!

You can find the original "recipe" here.

You can find all of the ingredients at your local grocery store. I went to my Walmart this week and price checked all of the items used. I'm hoping not to have to make another batch until this Summer. 1 year's worth of laundry detergent for less than $20? Yes please!

Ingredients:
1 box of Borax - $3.38
1 box washing soda (Arm and Hammer) - $3.24
2 containers oxygen bleach or 1 large one (I used Oxiclean) - $7.52 (for the 3# tub)
3 bars Fels Naptha - $0.97/each
2 cups baking soda - I forgot to price this one but we'll just ball park $0.50
Optional- Purex Crystlas or Downy Unstoppables. I didn't use them this time but plan on doing so next time.

Total cost: $17.55 not including the optional ingredient.

You'll also need a large container to store it in. I bought a large glass jar for $10 at Walmart.

Grate the Fels Naptha. You can use a food processor or a cheese grater. I used a cheese grater. Then put a trash bag in a 10 gallon bucket or trash can. Basically you just pour all of your ingredients in the bag and mix thoroughly. I suggest layering and mixing as you go. It's hard to mix everything up all at once. Store in your designated container.

To Use:
Just add 1-2 Tbs to your laundry load. If you have an HE washer this works great because it doesn't make a lot of suds. If you have a front loader place the detergent directly into the drum.

I bought this scoop for cheap at Walmart also. I use the larger scoop to kind of break up the detergent and the smaller scoop to measure it out. It works perfect and fits nicely in the jar.