Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for hot, delicious coffee that magically appears in my cup at any second I choose, and all I need to do is press a button to make that happen.

I am thankful for my broken couch that has held up over the years. It's still comfortable and functions.

I am thankful for my Kindle Paperwhite. It allows me to read books in a digital format that does not damage my eyes. It allows me to obtain free ebooks to read. I can carry hundreds (maybe more?!) of books without the need for a wheelbarrow to haul them. I can read in the dark. I can read in the car. I can read in the sunlight without glare.


What are you thankful for this week?


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Moment of Pause #18

It recently snowed here for a day. It was actually quite strange. In the morning it was pouring rain, and my mom texted me commenting on approaching snow. All I could think was "yeah right!" but sure enough in the afternoon the rain slowed then slowly turned to snow. It snowed about 6 inches, which hasn't happened here in a few years.

Of course I had to take my son outside to enjoy it. I love seeing tree branches covered in snow so I was pleased to take this picture of a snow dusted tree branch. Unfortunately shortly after this picture it started to rain again, which melted all the snow off the trees.

What have you seen lately that made you take a moment of pause?

Recent frugal efforts.

Due to snow days and sick days the cookies we bought for a school activity never made it to school. The best buy date passed so I stuck them in the freezer for us to enjoy later.

I redeemed a $5 Amazon gift card from Bing.

I started using everydollar.com again. We have variable income, and I haven't found the perfect way (for me) to budget stuff so at the least I'll use this to keep good track of how our money is being spent.

We made foaming hand soap.

My son borrowed books from the library and participated in the story time craft.

He also went to a free indoor playground.

I listened to Dave Ramsey's free radio show via his website.

I use handkerchiefs instead of disposable tissues.

I brought reusable water bottles and glass containers to work. I do bring ziplock bags sometimes, and I try to get multiple uses out of them, but that doesn't always happen. 

I donated my $14.xx Ebates PayPal credit to a local organization that provides food to children on the weekends so their families can eat.

What have you done to save money this week?

How to make foaming hand soap.

 For a long time we were buying Method foaming hand soap. Each refill bag was $5 if I could find it on sale, and that only lasted for 3 refills. If my husband wanted a scent that didn't come in the refill bag then that pump dispenser was $2.50-$3.

When I first became interested in saving money I stumbled upon how to make foaming hand soap. I tried it, and it didn't work. Then sometime last year I tried again, and it worked! And my husband actually approved! This is huge because he's very particular about certain things.

Here is how I make foaming hand soap.



















What you need:

a foaming soap dispenser
liquid Castile soap

I reuse a foaming dispenser. I use Lavender Glownaturals Essentials Liquid Castile Soap from Vitacost. It's cheaper than Dr. Bronners, and I feel it's very comparable. (if you use my referral link here you get $10 off your first order, and I get $10 too.)

My dispenser has a little bit of foaming soap left in it so let's pretend you're starting with an empty dispenser.

Fill it with about 10mm (1cm or a dime) of liquid Castile soap.

Then add water leaving enough room for the lid thingy to fit inside the bottle. My son likes to shake it up. Then it's ready to use!

Super simple.

I've heard people use leftover shampoo in a pinch.

Soap + water + foaming dispenser = foaming soap!

If I had to guess I'd say that one refill lasts about a week in my house. I have one in the main bathroom and one in the kitchen.

Moment of Pause #17

I've had a cold for a week now, and I wasn't feeling up to much today. After watching a YouTube video from this busy mom of several kids I decided I could bundle up and take the little one outside for some fresh air.

He enjoyed thoroughly it since he's been stuck inside with his own cold lately.

I'm not sure why I walked to this side of the yard, but I happened to notice what I think is a bird's nest on the ground. There were no eggs or signs of birds in it, but we both thought it was pretty awesome. I don't remember seeing a real birds nest before, at least not this close. He's going to check on it every time he goes outside to see if any eggs appear.

What made you take a moment of pause lately?

January Decluttering Efforts.

My goal for this year is to purge at least 2,017 items from my house. I've tried doing the 30 day minimalist game challenge, but I always drop out of it before the end. With a large number I have the flexibility to go as fast or as slow as I want to as long as I reach that number by December 31st, 2017. I have a feeling I'll surpass that number.

Here are the items I purged for the month of January:

• toy dragon
• x3 spatulas
• water infuser bottle
• pie pan
• serving tray
• plate
• k-cup drawer
• toddler slippers
• sweater
• 21 books
• 2 pieces of toddler artwork
• stylus
• phone book
• stack of paper
• framed art print
• snow globe
• x2 cell phone wallets
• mini drill
• broken toy
• old candy
• x2 pillows
• nick nack
• humidifier
• bath toy holder
• toddler shoes
• x2 seed packets
• x2 plants
• x4 towels
• 2 things I can't remember what they were 

Total items purged: 60/2017

What have you decluttered lately?