In the pattern of all things frugal at Humorous Homemaking, I decided to do a post for you all to give you some frugal ideas for Father’s Day. I looked at tons of websites to see what dads really want…..and are you ready for this? Most of the time, those things aren’t expensive. However, I did find out that most dads do not want a big honking orange tie that says BEST DAD on it. They really don’t….why do you think you find those on the clearance rack? Last year I got Barry a cheesy gift from Annie – a mug with photos on it. He’s still using it….he’s more graceful than I am, so he doesn’t break his funny mugs on a regular basis. This year we decided that we weren’t going to spend money on gifts for each other until we paid off the house. That’s our gift to each other instead – extra house payments. But, here are some ideas for you that will cost little out of pocket for you. If you have a dad who loves golfing, then you may consider these customized golf towels. You may also give him a golf net and an indoor golf course setup. Additionally, there is a 6 seater golf cart for sale that could make his golfing experience even more enjoyable. And if your dad collects vintage stuff, then you may consider adding vintage gas globes to his collection. |
This one popped up everywhere I looked. Dads want clean cars……those Cheerios on the floor that don’t bother you, really bother him. Really. He’s afraid he’ll go to an important meeting with a Cheerio plastered to his rear end. He would really love it if you and the kids would spend some time cleaning his car on the inside and out. This one should be pretty much free if you have car supplies at home – it only costs you time…..which he will really appreciate. Don’t put a flowerdy air freshener in there when you’re done – more like one in the scent of dirt…….or grease. [Read more…] |
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
*Please see notes at the bottom for additional help and tips added by readers.
I don’t have a dishwasher. I’m weird and like to wash my dishes by hand. Most of the time, I want my dishes right after I wash them to use again…especially if I’m in a cooking frenzy. I hate the thought of waiting for them to wash and waiting for them to dry. Good grief. No thanks.
There was a dishwasher here when we moved in, but I used it to store cake pans. Finally, I told Barry to get the silly thing out of my house and replace it with something useful – a cabinet for my pans. He did, and now I’m happy.
That being said, I know most of you have a dishwasher and I’ve had requests to post a homemade dishwasher soap recipe. So, I did tons of research…and here’s what I found out – it’s hit or miss. Really.
Some people like it, and some people don’t. The recipes I found were all similar, so that’s the one I’m going to give to you today. To get it tested, I gave some to three of my friends and they’ll review it for you at the end.
It’s a very simple recipe. You’ll only need salt (regular), borax, and baking soda. That’s it. We like to keep it simple here at Humorous Homemaking. Simplicity is bliss…….it’s also a pattern company. [Read more…]
Homemade Baby Wipes
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![]() When we had our baby shower, we received some really great gifts including baby nappy cakes Australia. One of my favorites was from one of Barry’s family members (Thanks Joy!). Part of her gift was a wonderful tub of homemade wipes. She included the “recipe” because apparently she had heard that I’m really into that. 🙂 Those were my favorite wipes of ALL TIME! They blow store-bought brands out of the water. You’d be amazed at how much poop you can wipe up with those things! After all, Bounty is the quicker picker upper. Bet they didn’t have THAT in mind when they were coming up with a slogan. Anyway, a reader asked me if I’d do a step-by-step for how to make your own wipes. When you read this, you’ll wonder why you’ve not been doing it all along! It’s SO easy and they work great! Let’s use Joy’s recipe and wipe some butts, shall we? [Read more…] |
Castile Soap + All Purpose Cleaner Recipe
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![]() We’ve been trying to do some tidying up around here……and we’ve come to a conclusion. There are entirely too many bottles of STUFF. There are bottles EVERYWHERE. Yes, most of those bottles were less than $1, but still – I like space. When we open a door it’s like “The attack of the bottles!” You know by now that I have really simplified cleaning around here by using white vinegar, baking soda, and peroxide. I wanted to take it a step further and see if there was just one thing I could use for tons of stuff around the house. Vinegar, baking soda, and peroxide are working great, but I wanted something in the soap area too so I did some research and came across liquid castile soap.It will do everything…….everything. Let me just stop right here and tell you, it’s not $1 per bottle. I sent Barry to the health food store to get this for me when he was out of town (that’s where it is usually carried) and he found me several bottles on sale for $7.99…..yes, they did have coupons attached. 🙂 I couldn’t believe I was paying $8 for a bottle of soap (I thought for that price it should get up and clean my house by itself), but after I started using it I was quite pleased……and when I run out, I’ll be going back to buy more. This is the wide selection available, in tons of different scents. If you’re ready to simplify your cleaning life a little further, then castile soap might be right for you – but if you’re more concerned with getting your cleaning tools cheap, you might not like castile soap. [Read more…] |
Laundry Detergent Notes
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You’ve probably read this post about making homemade powder laundry detergent and this one about making your own liquid version but I’ve got a few more things to add. I’ve been making my own now for several months and I’ve come to a few conclusions. 1. I love it!!!! 2. I’ve changed it a bit. So, today let’s chat a little about laundry detergent and see if you would like to make some changes too. I’ve only been using the powder version because I like that it takes up so little space. I don’t really have much space to spare here……Annie takes up most of it and what’s left is Dottie’s. Sometimes I think Barry and I should just move out on the porch. [Read more…] |
Homemade Foam Hand Soap
This idea comes straight from Tia at Sweet T – It’s a Way of Life. Really, I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make my own foam soap refills. She says she does it all the time! And now I’ve jumped on that same train…….you can make your own foam soap for pennies – or in my case FREE! Sit back and prepare to be amazed my friends! Let’s lather up and get CLEAN! |
![]() This is the type of bottle you need – one that already has had foam soap in it. This one is from Bath and Body Works. Normally, I don’t buy foam soap. I always feel like I’m paying for watered down soap – turns out I WAS! See, I’m a total genius. But anyway, I bought this one because it was a Christmas scent and I like having Christmas soap in the kitchen…..it’s very festive. Who doesn’t want to smell like Festive Vanilla Fig? I mean, come on. Lots of soap makers have jumped on the foam train, so it won’t be hard for you to find one of these…..and if you don’t have one, ask someone else. I called my mom immediately and told her to NEVER throw these away again! I’m seeing a gift giving possibility in my future. My wheels are always turning – my husband is rolling his eyes right now. [Read more…] |
Swagbucks
I’m sure a lot of you out there have heard of Swagbucks, but for the ones who haven’t then this post is for you! What are Swagbucks? They are “bucks” you earn for searching the web. That’s it. You just search. Before I started Swagbucks, I used Google for everything……everything. Man, I was using Google at least a million times a day. I look everything up. Everything. I like to be informed…..I ask lots of questions. So, I started using the Swagbucks search engine instead. You get almost the exact same results as searching with Google, but you earn money. Yes, money. YIPEEE!!!!! I get paid to be inquisitive. |
I’ve made Swagbucks my default search engine now. Barry did it for me, so I have no idea how it’s done…..if you need to know, you can ask me and I’ll ask him. Or I’ll search it on Swagbucks! You don’t have to download anything. You simply go to their website and sign up with your email address. Then you just start searching! Now, you CAN download their toolbar, but I haven’t done that. I didn’t want the extra stuff on my screen. But the beautiful part is, you don’t need it! [Read more…] |
Tithe
“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.” Malachi 3:6-11 |
I’ve received a few questions about tithing since I posted the budget series last week. Barry and I thought it best for me to address some of those questions here. I’ll admit, it’s a very touchy subject. If you mention money at church, people get their panties in a wad. BUT, this is what Barry and I believe. Our beliefs are 100% backed by scripture – not what we FEEL. Just because you feel something, doesn’t mean it’s right (contrary to pop culture), only the Word will stand forever. 1 Peter 3:15 says “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” So, I’m setting out to answer these questions, but with an attitude of respect for those who disagree. Maybe when you’re done reading you might change your mind about what our Lord commands. [Read more…] |
It’s NOT a Curse Word – BUDGET
Budget. Yes, I said it. Budget, budget, budget. It’s really not a bad word. I know most of you out there got the shakes when I said it……budget. Did you know a budget can actually make your life easier? You tell your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. You’re not wondering if you’re going to have enough money through the end of the month – you’ll KNOW you have enough because you wrote it down and planned it out. I’m just here to make your life easier. Trust me…..just do one. Try it. If you hate it, you can quit. Okay, you probably will want to quit at first, but don’t. Give it a few tries and it WILL WORK. Then you’ll love it. You’ll love me. By the way, if you love me, I really enjoy Skittles, M&Ms, and other various candies. |
If you’re married, you need to do your budget together. Trying to do it alone just won’t work. You can try to make it work, but eventually something will backfire. Backfire is scary. It makes you jump. Heavens to Betsy. If you can’t get along about money, then you have serious issues. Dave Ramsey suggests seeking marital counseling if you can’t agree about money. He says the problem isn’t money, but the money is a symptom of the problem. Do your budget together. Guess what? You’re going to fight the first time. You might fight the second, third, and fourth too. But maybe, just maybe, around the 50th time you do it there will be no fights. Work together. Try to avoid decking each other. The kids are watching. Wait until they go to bed for that. My husband says to most couples he counsels that they should go home and have big fight about money…and then make up. 😉 [Read more…] |
Living Debt Free
![]() arry and I started out our marriage with the desire to live debt free. We did Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University before we got married and again after we were married. (Since then we’ve done it a few more times and Barry teaches the class periodically.) We knew it was the way we wanted to live. The only thing we were paying on was a car. So we starting making several extra payments until we had it paid off in less than a year. Then we were debt free! But we wanted to have our own place to live, so we bought a townhouse. Currently, the only debt we have is the house and we’re scheduled to pay it off within the next two years. Every little penny that we get as “extra” we put toward the principal on the house. We cannot stand owing money…..it eats at us. It’s bondage. The Bible says “the borrower is slave to the lender,” and we believe it 100%. So, take a little look with me at the Seven Baby Steps that we’re following from Dave Ramsey and find out that YOU can live debt free too! [Read more…] |